268

DIVINE SERVICE ON BOARD.

feeling that I left behind much that was dear to me; and even the cheering thoughts of a visit to England, and the anticipations of restoration to health, were chastened, and partially subdued, by a remembrance of the work, the friends and the colleagues, from whom I was to be separated, at least for a time.

The following day a stiff breeze considerably ruffled the sea, and occasioned much motion to the vessel: as I sat on deck a heavy spray dashed over the weather side of the ship and wet me from head to foot; a fellow-passenger, more unfortunate still, trying to escape from it, fell heavily on the deck, to his considerable hurt and annoyance.

On Sunday the 27th, at daylight, we saw the Island of Ceylon. The mountain called the Friar's-hood, and the whole line of coast, as I had seen it from the Tanjore on my voyage out, were in view. I still look at Ceylon with pleasure, because I know that much has been done to free it from slavery and superstition, and that every day the champions of the cross are there successfully combating the powers of darkness.

The day proved excessively hot: the wind failed, we lay still on the water, and all was calm, as though purposely to allow us to assemble for divine worship.

Great pains were taken to make a comfortable church, by the arrangement of seats, and by spreading out awnings to screen us from the sun. The passengers and crew, the women and children, were all in their cleanest and gayest apparel; my congregation consisted of about one hundred persons, the whole of whom paid great attention, whilst I read the morning service and preached from "Seek ye first the kingdom of God."

The confinement of ship-board, and the sort of fare to which we were necessarily restricted, had no tendency to hasten my recovery, and I continued to suffer much from indisposition.

Before many weeks had elapsed, the tedium of a sea voyage began to be complained of by the passengers; and some of my books were borrowed and perused by persons, who, under other circumstances, would have thought it severe drudgery to read religious works. Two or three years' old newspapers I possessed, became highly valuable, and were borrowed, in succession, and carefully returned, after having been entirely read over, from the advertisements on the first page, to the bottom of the last column on the fourth. Many of us were of opinion, that it would have been a profitable speculation for the Captain, or any of the officers, to have had on board a stock of books as a circulating library, to be available only to those who thought proper to subscribe.

We had a good deal of boisterous weather in August and the beginning of September. We were then in the neighbourhood of the Cape of Good Hope, well called by the Portuguese "Capo des Tempestades;" the thermometer ranged about 60°, and it was felt exceedingly cold by us who, for many months previously, had been living in a temperature thirty or forty degrees higher.

On Sunday the 7th September it was a lovely morning; the wind was favourable and invited us to crowd sail; about half-past ten all assembled to prayers. At noon we experienced a lull-the sun shone bright and warm, the surface of the waters was unruffled, and not a cloud appeared in any quarter-we were becalmed for several hours. In the midst of it the Captain astonished us all by taking in studding-sails and gallant-sails, and reefing top-sails, as though in expectation of rough weather. He had been consulting his glass, a barometer of peculiar and very delicate construction, and was right in his conjectures as to what might be expected: before midnight the severest gale we had experienced began to blow, and continued, with little abatement, for seven days; as it came from the

270

DOUBLING THE CAPE.

north-west, it was direct against us, and it was with some difficulty we could maintain our ground.

The perils of eating and drinking, during a gale of wind, cannot be easily imagined by those who have never experienced them. We were one day taking lunch at twelve o'clock, when the vessel rolled so greatly that the cheese could not be kept on the table: the Captain desired one of the passengers to put it on the swinging-tray, over the table, on which the decanters and glasses were placed; in doing as he was desired, he stayed the swinging of the tray with his hand, when, in a moment, by a roll of the vessel, decanters, tumblers, wine glasses, cheese and all were poured from it to the floor, and involved in one general smash.

During part of the time this gale continued, the sky was cloudless and the sun shone brightly; its rays passing through the showering spray, which was broken and scattered by the wind from the top of every wave, formed a sort of rainbow, presenting us with the beautiful phenomenon of a hundred miniature rainbows at one view.

On the 14th we saw the southern coast of Africa. On the 16th, one of the seamen on the weather top-sail yard, trying to ship the studding-sail boom, fell down into the main top, and was severely hurt.

A favourable wind sprung up on the 17th, The passengers spent most of the day on deck, enjoying the sight of the land as we sailed along, from point to point, continually varying the bold and mountainous scenery, and sometimes coming very near the shore, much delighted at the fair prospect of at last accomplishing that difficulty of the voyage, doubling the Cape. We could discern nothing on the shore, except here and there a shrub on the sandy beach and bleak-looking hills.

At noon on the 18th of September, we were fairly in the Atlantic ocean, out of sight of land and fifty miles to

the west of the Cape of Good Hope, with a moderate wind and quiet seas.

Our voyage now became invariably delightful for many days, the weather allowing us undisturbed sleep at night, and permitting us, during the day, to occupy ourselves as we chose.

On the 28th and 29th, more than usual care was observed in navigating the vessel. The longitude was ascertained with exactness; the log was thrown out every hour to give the rate at which we passed through the water; and, during the night, the bell was sounded every hour, and answered by the man on the look out at the bows of the vessel, by the cry of "All's well."

On Tuesday, September 30th, before day-light, as I swung in my sea cot, I heard the cheering news of "Land in sight," "Land a-head." It was the island of St. Helena.

Our making this island had been naturally a matter of anxiety to us our water was nearly expended, our live stock scant and poor; our Indian potatoes and yams had been long exhausted, and we had no substitute, except rice and macaroni. Our hope of re-fit and refreshment depended on our sailing direct on the south-east part of St. Helena, a small island whose extreme length is only about nine miles-a mere speck in the vast ocean we were navigating-and our touching there, under Providence, rested on the correctness of the chronometers and the skill of the officers in taking solar and lunar observations. Instances were mentioned of vessels having passed it but a few miles to the west or north, and when they discovered their error having been unable to return at all, or having had to beat about for two or three weeks before they could retrieve their mistake; for the wind, all the year round, blows strongly and with little variation from about the southeast, and renders a return to the island almost impracticable:

272

COAST OF ST. HELENA.

it was delightful, therefore, to find that the land, when discovered, was direct a-head of us, to the north-west.

I did not leave my cabin before I had made every arrangement preparatory to going ashore. When I went on deck we were a mile or two from land, which presented an appearance singular and awful. The accounts I had read, and the views I had seen, had certainly failed to convey an adequate conception of the scene then before me: a dark rock, of amazing height, rising precipitously out of the sea, roughly jagged and peaked at the sides and top, without any vegetation, except here and there a patch of moss rendering the general barrenness more remarkable. As its appearance was uninviting, so its rugged steepness seemed to render it impracticable to land.

This is the side by which the island is always approached. While I gazed on it, I could not help imagining the feelings of the great Warrior, whose name had made Europe tremble, when he came in sight of the gloomy rock where he was to be imprisoned for the remainder of his days.

Signal-posts on the top of a nearer, and of another a more distant mount, bespoke the former vigilance of its possessors; we saw nothing about them to indicate that they are used at present. For about half an hour we glided round the north-east corner of the island, passing point after point of the same grand and gloomy character. At length we came in sight of a small fort, situated on a rock, rising abruptly from the level of the ocean, as nearly as I could judge, to the height of five hundred feet; whilst the back part of the rock assumed a conical form, and rose to three or four times that height. At this fort every ship must speak, before she is allowed to approach the anchorage. The rock on which it stands would seem to be of the same abrupt character below as above water; for we passed it fearlessly, under full sail, within, perhaps, fifty yards dis