Francis Davies - With Scott Before The Mast

Between times the scientists fitted in the work of their own particular ologies. One of them, Doctor Nelson, kept regular watches in the engine room as engineer in charge of the watch when the ship was under steam. Often, when passing through the tropics, an officer would take over the fireman’s watch just to give him a spell, and at the same time earn a little fresh water from the hot well for a bath.

When the ship was steaming, coal had to be trimmed from the main hold to the coal bunkers on the poop. This was another job which the Afterguard made their own during the forenoons.

They also did most of the hand pumping when the ship was under sail only. Everybody was kept fully occupied and there was never any lack of volunteers for any old job that turned up.

The food was of the very best quality and plenty of it, full and plenty, no waste as it says in ship articles. We had two excellent chefs who took a pride in their craft and only once during the whole three years did we miss a meal, a breakfast, during exceptionally bad weather and even then we had a large slab of chocolate apiece.

About eight days after leaving Cardiff we arrived at Madeira. What a beautiful sight the island was from the harbour in the sunshine of a lovely summer’s afternoon. Almost as soon as we had dropped anchor we were surrounded by scores of bum boats loaded with all kinds of wares for sale, or even exchange for old clothes, fruit, cigars, perfume, jewellery, a great variety of table and household linen, gorgeous ladies’ underwear, most of it the beautiful needle work for which the island is well known.

The guides, all clamouring at once to be engaged to show off the sights of the island, were a scourge. The best way it seemed to rid oneself of this nuisance was to engage the most pugnacious member of the fraternity to keep the remainder off. After dark the place was like a scene from fairyland, illuminated with myriads of tiny coloured lamps amongst the trees which with the strumming of guitars, the scents of luscious fruits and flowers on the balmy air was something not easily forgotten.

A voluntary boat’s crew from the Afterguard, including the Captain, came in for us in the evening, I‘m afraid I, at least, did not feel very comfortable to be sitting back whilst the officers bent their backs to the oars. It was something I had not been used to in ‘Andrew Miller’ (RN) and just goes to show how deep are the habits formed by long training.

Before sailing we took a good supply of fresh fruit and vegetables aboard. Amongst the fruit was a large basket of lovely ripe apricots, I had never seen them before, except out of tins, and didn’t even guess what they were.

The weather continued fine as we steamed southwards to pick up the north east Trade Winds. Shoals of flying fish continually bobbed out and in the long, oily swell, some no bigger than a good size bumble bee whilst the largest of them were a little larger than a herring. They shoot out of the water to escape from their enemies, the porpoises and dolphins, and can fly comparatively long distances. It is always a point for discussion as to whether they fly or just volplane. I have watched them very carefully but cannot claim to have seen their wings move in the same way a bird flies. It was particularly noticeable they kept going by just touching the water with the lower half of their tails, which they wriggled violently and gained sufficient impetus to continue their flight. I think a hundred to two hundred yards is easily within their power. At night, after dark, it is usual to fix a light on the rail of the ship to attract these fish, and it is very rare not to find a few on deck in the morning. They are very good eating and well worth no little trouble to get a nice fresh fish breakfast. They have very large wings, almost transparent, and beautifully marked like butterflies. The sailors used to set these wings on pieces of board to dry before varnishing them as souvenirs for their friends at home. It was generally the case of many were dried but few were varnished. The ship’s cat soon found out where they came from and would wait in place of vantage for them to fly on board.

Soon we picked up the Trade Winds which blow steadily from the north east. Fires were drawn to save coal for the times when we would get head winds, or perhaps no winds at all, as in the Doldrums and we were then under sail only.

So far the voyage had been almost like a yachting cruise and I was enjoying life to the full. The weather got warmer as we worked our way through the Tropics and became very stuffy below decks. Many of us slept on the foc’le. It was lovely to lie and gaze aloft at the sails billowing to the fresh breeze in the moonlight, the only sounds being the slight sighing of the wind through the rigging, the swish, swish of the waters round the bows as the ship sped onward, an occasional shout from the lookout as he struck the bell and hailed the bridge to report ‘all’s well’.

Now that we were under sail some of the ship’s weaknesses became apparent and I, with my mates, was kept very busy. The hand pump too took up a lot of my time as we now depended on it entirely to free the bilges of water from the leak.

One day the main top-gallant yard stripped the lightning conductor from the top gallant mast. This was a number one priority job. It was not the easiest of places to work a breast drill, to bore holes in the copper strips to rivet the ends of the conductor together. The rolling of the ship caused the breaking of more than one drill before the job was completed. Captain Oates was my mate at the time. As soon as this job was done, the out riggers to the main top-gallant mast back stays carried away and had to be renewed.

About this time the after end of the coal-bunker came away from the ship’s side entirely, the fire and bilge pump with it. With the assistance of the Norgwegian Lieutenant. I made three large angle irons and plate brackets, using a rivet forge in the stoke-hold. This made a good strong job and never showed any sign of weakness afterwards. Before I had completed the bunker job I was called on deck. The hoop on the heel of the spanker boom had come off and had, of course, to be replaced at once, so that the spanker could again be set.

Often during the night I would have to strip the hand pump to clean valves. I didn’t mind this job as I generally got a good stiff tot of Peter Dawsons whisky from the officer of the watch. This I appreciated very much for more reasons than one, for I missed my daily tot of rum that I had been used to in the Royal Navy.

‘Splicing the Main Brace’, a tot for all hands was reserved for special occasions, such as birthdays or when the weather was extra bad and both watches were on deck, or any other event or occasion that might serve as an excuse for a celebration. Captain Oates thought the anniversary of Napoleon’s birthday was an event of sufficient importance for celebration. I don’t know whether it actually was the ‘Little corporal’s’ birthday or not, and I’m not quite sure that it worked, but at least it was worth a try on.

When my birthday hove round I went aft, full of the joys of anticipation to collect the usual two bottles to celebrate the occasion with all hands for’d. I got a shock when I was told I had already celebrated my birthday at least four times and the ship had only been in commission about eight months! I chose to believe it was a bit of a leg pull, surely I was not so absent minded as that or was I?

It generally seemed to blow gale force on Sundays, and church which was usually held in the saloon would have to be postponed. Our first real gale happened on a Sabbath. The ship was struck by a sudden squall that split the main top-gallant sail from head to foot before the halyards could be let go to lower the yard.