ROUND THE HORN
BEFORE THE MAST

Choosing a Ship—Signing on—Don Henderson—At a Seaman’s Tailor—First Day’s Work—Cleaning the Stringers—Sailors v. Base-ballers at Cricket—The Seaman’s Institute—My Carriboo Bag—A Sailors’ Concert—Emptying the Bilges—The Marlboro’ Hill’s Crew of Landlubbers—Yankee Brutality at Sea—Chipping—Johnsen, the Swede.

A Lively Time crossing the Bay—Mooring Ship—Sea Serpents—An Old South Seaman—More Cricket—The Bilges again—Lining the Hold—The Art of Painting—Mosquitoes and Song—Bleeding the Grain—Bending Sail—An Early Morning Picnic—Bathing in the Sacramento—A Fatality—Ready for Sea—Taking in Stores—Our Crew come Aboard—My Stewardship—The Return of the Californian Boys.

Man the Capstan—Making Sail—Picking the Watches—Going About—My Gaff-topsail—Timekeeping—The Binnacles—Matches—Dandyfunk and Crackerhash—Dutchmen and Dagos—Johnsen’s Logbook—The Old Man’s Models—The Bosun’s Songs—“Duckfoot Sue”—Crew complain of the Food—Rows amongst the After gang—Peggy—Flying-Fish and Bosun Birds—Lime-juice—Amateur Haircutters—Sharks and Pilot-Fish—In the Doldrums—At the Braces in the Middle Watch—Deep-sea Fishing—The Song of the Trade Wind—Heaving the Log—My First Wheel—Fine Weather Kites—A “Jimmy Green.”

Cross the Line—“Stand by your Royal Halliards”—Making Rovings—Johnsen tries to Knife the Second Mate—Tarring Down—Dancing in the Dog Watch—Sails—Discourses on Modern Wind-jammers—Yankee Schooners—Clinching the Crossjack Leech-line—The Loudoun Hill—Graining Dolphins—Our Farming Bosun—A Queer Fish—British Sailors on British Ships—Yankee Buckos—Pitcairn Island—“What ho, Piper!”

Grand Yachting—From the Bowsprit End—A Bad Squall—Fore-royal blows away—On the Fore Upper-topgallant Yard—A Battle with the Elements—Wilson and Myself on the Main-yard—Cape Pigeons—Preparing for Cape Horn—Fog—Use of a Cowhorn at Sea—Rotten Gaskets—In the Lazarette—Getting up Bread—Paraffiny Sugar—Slumgullion—A Cape Horn Sunset—Arguments in the Half-deck—The Stately Albatross—Our Hens—The “Roaring Forties”—Famous Tea-Clippers—The Thermopylæ—A “Blue-nose” Clipper—Rivalry between Watches—Checkerboard Crews—Negro Crews—Burgoo—A Mollymawk Aboard—Colder Weather—Making Fenders—Putting in Rovings—Bird-life in the Southern Ocean—Cape Horn Hail-storms.

A big Beam Sea—Rolling both Rails Under—Port Watch washed away from the Fore-braces—The Deck-bear—Dollops—Blood-stirring Work—Main-deck under Water—Half-deck Water-logged—In our Watch Below—Waking Mac—At the Lee Wheel—Cape Horn Greybeards—Dodging the Seas—Don nearly Drowned in his Lamp-locker—No Fresh Water—Standing by—Higgins in the Lee Scuppers—Sunday Breakfast—Snugging Down—Turning up Gear—Overboard—A Narrow Escape—An Unlucky Fall—Don Loses his False Teeth aloft—Mountainous Seas—Pooped—“Sail ho!”—The Music of the Gale—Chantying in Difficulties—A Huge Sea falls Aboard—Retrieving the Lamps—All Hands on Deck—Terrific Work—The Royalshire on her Beam Ends—Hove-to—A Bad Middle Watch—Make Sail Again—Chantying—Outward Bounders—Cape Stiff—Old Man’s Yarns—Foot-gear.

On the Banks—A Low Glass—Blowing Again—I Fall and Shake the Poop—Taylor’s Whitlow—Sea-Boils—Pipes growing Scarce—“Storm along, Stormie”—The whole Crew washed away from the Mainbrace—My knee damaged—The Bosun and Bower—Clark Russell at Fault—Model-Making—Discussion on Flogging—An Albatross Caught—Ill-health on Board—My Medicine Chest—A Dead Muzzler—An Electric Storm—Jack o’ Lanterns—My poor Knee—Johnsen’s Troubles—A Wild Highlander at Meals—A Prophet of Evil—Don and Scar.

Old Slush and Greasy Food—A Fleet of Wind-jammers collected by the Head-wind—Johnsen the Jonah—Washing Clothes—Quartermaster—Amusements in the Night Watches—Painting Down—The Frigate Bird—Ocean Races—Forecastle Artists—The Contents of my Bunk—Taylor’s Backstays—Old Slush goes Forward—Our new Cook—At our Prayers—Don in Disgrace—Oiling Decks—Liverpool Hard-tack—Huge Shoal of Bonita—An Epidemic of Cramps—The Art of Steering—Head-gear Scarce.

Shifting Sail Again—My Long Trick—Among the Western Isles—Slippery Decks—At Work in the Hold—A Broken-down Steamer—Heavy Gale—Between Two Seas—Loring Washed Out—Hove-to—A Pulling Match—“Reuben Ranzo”—Fight with Bower on the Royal-yard—A Midnight Brew—Grub running Short—Washing Decks in a Gale—Wearing Ship—Old Man and Mate at Loggerheads—The Lead-line—A Cause for Strong Language.

“The Coastwise Lights of England”—Queenstown—Away for Birkenhead—News of the Boer War—A Christmas Dinner—A Harbour Stow—A Sailor’s Plans—My Last Wheel—Befogged in the Mersey—Nearly Run Down—“Leave Her, Johnnie, Leave Her”—Attempts at Docking—Don’s Last Escapade—Fate of the Royalshire—The Old Trail.