The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-09-07
ALONE IN MID-OCEAN.

Expedtents to Relieve the MonotOny
of "single-Handed" Trip Around
the World.
In the first instalment of his narrative
OF bis solitary voyage around the world
In the sloop Spray, Capt. Joshua Slocum de-
scribes In the September Century his at
tempts to overcome the sense Of loneli-
ness that beset him on the way from Bos-
ton to Gibraltar.
On the evening of July 5, the Spray,
after having steered all day over a lumpy
sea, took it into her head to go without
the helmsman's aid. I had been steering
southeast by south, but the wind hauling
forward bit she dropped into a smooth
lane, heading southeast, and making about
eight knots an hour, her very best work.
l crowded on sail to cross the track Of
the liners without loss of time and to reach
as soon as possible the friendly Gulf
Stream. The fog lifting before night, I
was afforded look at the sun just as 1t
was touching the sea. I watched 1t go
down and out of sight. Then turned my
face eastward, and there, apparently at
the very end of the bowsprit was the smil-
ing full moon rising out of the sea. Nep-
tune himself coming over the bows could
not have startled me more. Good even
ing, SIR I cried, II am glad to see you"
Many a long talk since then I have had
with the man in the moon; he had my con-
fidence on the voyage.
About midnight the fog shut down again
denser than ever before One could al
most tstand on it," It continued so for
a number of days, the wind increasing to
a gale The waves rose high, but ! had
a good ship. Still in the dismal fog I
felt myself drifting into loneliness, an In
sect on straw in the midst OF the ele-
ments. I dashed the helm and my vessel
held her course, and while she sailed I
slept.
During these days feeling OF awe crept
over me. My memory worked with start
ling power The ominous, the insignia
cant, the great, the small, the wonderful,
the commonplace-all appeared before my
mental vision in magical succession. RACES
of nv history were recalled which had
been so long forgotten that they seemed
to belong to a previous existence. l heard
all the voices of the past laughing, cry
ing. telling what 1 had heard them tell
in many corners of the earth.
The loneliness of my state wore on wnen
the gale was high and l found much work
to do When the fine weather returned,
then came the sense of solitude which l
could not shake off. l used my voice often
at first, giving some order about the analrs
of ship, for 1 had been told that other
wise I should lose my speech. At the me-
ridian altitude OF the sun l called alouo
"Eight BELLS" after the custom on ship
at sea- Again from my cabin l cried to
an imaginary man at the helm, "How does
she head, there?' and again, rs she on
her course?" But getting no reply, 1 was
reminded the more palpably of my condi-
ton. My voice sounded hollow on the
empty air and l dropped the practice.
However, it was not long before the
thought came to me that when l was lad
I used to sing why not try that now, where
it would not disturb anyone? My musical
talent had never bred envy in others, but
out on the Atlantic, to realize what 1t
meant, you should have heard me sing.
You should have seen the porpoises leap
when 1 pitched my voice for the waves
and the sea and all that was in 1t. Old
turtles with large eyes poked their heads
up out of the sea as l sang Johnny Bow
er," and ''We'll pay Darby Doyl for His
Moots' and the like. But the porpoises
WERE on the whole, vastly more appreci-
alive than the turtles; they jumped deal
higher One day when l was humming
favorite chant, think it was Babylon 8
a-Fallin',' a porpoise jumped higher than
the bowsprit. Had the Sprang been go
ing little faster she would have scooped
him in. The sea- birds sailed around rath-
er shy.