CHAPTER XXV
THE DOG-DAYS OFF CAPE HORN.
Colder and colder; we are drawing nigh to the Cape. Now gregoes, peajackets, monkey jackets reefing jackets, storm jackets, oil jackets,paint jackets, round jackets short jackets, long jackets, and allmanner of jackets, are the order of the day, not excepting the immortalwhite jacket, which begins to be sturdily buttoned up to the throat,and pulled down vigorously at the skirts, to bring them well over theloins.
But, alas! those skirts were lamentably scanty; and though, with itsquiltings, the jacket was stuffed out about the breasts like aChristmas turkey, and of a dry cold day kept the wearer warm enough inthat vicinity, yet about the loins it was shorter than ballet-dancer'sskirts; so that while my chest was in the temperate zone closeadjoining the torrid, my hapless thighs were in Nova Zembla, hardly anicicle's toss from the Pole.
Then, again, the repeated soakings and dryings it had undergone, had bythis time made it shrink woefully all over, especially in the arms, sothat the wristbands had gradually crawled up near to the elbows; and itrequired an energetic thrust to push the arm through, in drawing thejacket on.
I endeavoured to amend these misfortunes by sewing a sort of canvasruffle round the skirts, by way of a continuation or supplement to theoriginal work, and by doing the same with the wristbands.
This is the time for oil-skin suits, dread-naughts, tarred trowsers andoveralls, sea-boots, comforters, mittens, woollen socks, Guernseyfrocks, Havre shirts, buffalo-robe shirts, and moose-skin drawers.Every man's jacket is his wigwam, and every man's hat his caboose.
Perfect license is now permitted to the men respecting their clothing.Whatever they can rake and scrape together they put on--swaddlingthemselves in old sails, and drawing old socks over their heads fornight-caps. This is the time for smiting your chest with your hand, andtalking loud to keep up the circulation.
Colder, and colder, and colder, till at last we spoke a fleet oficebergs bound North. After that, it was one incessant "_cold snap_,"that almost snapped off our fingers and toes. Cold! It was cold as_Blue Flujin_, where sailors say fire freezes.
And now coming up with the latitude of the Cape, we stood southward togive it a wide berth, and while so doing were becalmed; ay, becalmedoff Cape Horn, which is worse, far worse, than being becalmed on theLine.
Here we lay forty-eight hours, during which the cold was intense. Iwondered at the liquid sea, which refused to freeze in such atemperature. The clear, cold sky overhead looked like a steel-bluecymbal, that might ring, could you smite it. Our breath came and wentlike puffs' of smoke from pipe-bowls. At first there was a long gaukyswell, that obliged us to furl most of the sails, and even send downt'-gallant-yards, for fear of pitching them overboard.
Out of sight of land, at this extremity of both the inhabitable anduninhabitable world, our peopled frigate, echoing with the voices ofmen, the bleating of lambs, the cackling of fowls, the gruntings ofpigs, seemed like Noah's old ark itself, becalmed at the climax of theDeluge.
There was nothing to be done but patiently to await the pleasure of theelements, and "whistle for a wind," the usual practice of seamen in acalm. No fire was allowed, except for the indispensable purpose ofcooking, and heating bottles of water to toast Selvagee's feet. He whopossessed the largest stock of vitality, stood the best chance toescape freezing. It was horrifying. In such weather any man could haveundergone amputation with great ease, and helped take up the arterieshimself.
Indeed, this state of affairs had not lasted quite twenty-four hours,when the extreme frigidity of the air, united to our increased tendencyto inactivity, would very soon have rendered some of us subjects forthe surgeon and his mates, had not a humane proceeding of the Captainsuddenly impelled us to vigorous exercise.
And here be it said, that the appearance of the Boat-swain, with hissilver whistle to his mouth, at the main hatchway of the gun-deck, isalways regarded by the crew with the utmost curiosity, for thisbetokens that some general order is about to be promulgated through theship. What now? is the question that runs on from man to man. A shortpreliminary whistle is then given by "Old Yarn," as they call him,which whistle serves to collect round him, from their various stations,his four mates. Then Yarn, or Pipes, as leader of the orchestra, beginsa peculiar call, in which his assistants join. This over, the order,whatever it may be, is loudly sung out and prolonged, till the remotestcorner echoes again. The Boatswain and his mates are the town-criers ofa man-of-war.
The calm had commenced in the afternoon: and the following morning theship's company were electrified by a general order, thus set forth anddeclared: "_D'ye hear there, for and aft! all hands skylark!_"
This mandate, nowadays never used except upon very rare occasions,produced the same effect upon the men that Exhilarating Gas would havedone, or an extra allowance of "grog." For a time, the wonteddiscipline of the ship was broken through, and perfect license allowed.It was a Babel here, a Bedlam there, and a Pandemonium everywhere. TheTheatricals were nothing compared with it. Then the faint-hearted andtimorous crawled to their hiding-places, and the lusty and bold shoutedforth their glee.
Gangs of men, in all sorts of outlandish habiliments, wild as thoseworn at some crazy carnival, rushed to and fro, seizing upon whomsoeverthey pleased--warrant-officers and dangerous pugilistsexcepted--pulling and hauling the luckless tars about, till fairlybaited into a genial warmth. Some were made fast to and hoisted aloftwith a will: others, mounted upon oars, were ridden fore and aft on arail, to the boisterous mirth of the spectators, any one of whom mightbe the next victim. Swings were rigged from the tops, or the masts; andthe most reluctant wights being purposely selected, spite of allstruggles, were swung from East to West, in vast arcs of circles, tillalmost breathless. Hornpipes, fandangoes, Donnybrook-jigs, reels, andquadrilles, were danced under the very nose of the most mighty captain,and upon the very quarter-deck and poop. Sparring and wrestling, too,were all the vogue; _Kentucky bites_ were given, and the _Indian hug_exchanged. The din frightened the sea-fowl, that flew by withaccelerated wing.
It is worth mentioning that several casualties occurred, of which,however, I will relate but one. While the "sky-larking" was at itsheight, one of the fore-top-men--an ugly-tempered devil of aPortuguese, looking on--swore that he would be the death of any man wholaid violent hands upon his inviolable person. This threat beingoverheard, a band of desperadoes, coming up from behind, tripped him upin an instant, and in the twinkling of an eye the Portuguese wasstraddling an oar, borne aloft by an uproarious multitude, who rushedhim along the deck at a railroad gallop. The living mass of arms allround and beneath him was so dense, that every time he inclined oneside he was instantly pushed upright, but only to fall over again, toreceive another push from the contrary direction. Presently,disengaging his hands from those who held them, the enraged seaman drewfrom his bosom an iron belaying-pin, and recklessly laid about him toright and left. Most of his persecutors fled; but some eight or tenstill stood their ground, and, while bearing him aloft, endeavoured towrest the weapon from his hands. In this attempt, one man was struck onthe head, and dropped insensible. He was taken up for dead, and carriedbelow to Cuticle, the surgeon, while the Portuguese was put underguard. But the wound did not prove very serious; and in a few days theman was walking about the deck, with his head well bandaged.
This occurrence put an end to the "skylarking," further head-breakingbeing strictly prohibited. In due time the Portuguese paid the penaltyof his rashness at the gangway; while once again the officers _shippedtheir quarter-deck faces_.