Year: 1874

seaman 5 life than when he finds him sell
for the first time the master of a ship Ii
IS nervous moment too, and puts n man
considerably upon his mettie he feels az
II he had the weight of the world upon
his shoulders, and is absurdly anxious lest
anything should go wrong Those were
my feelings, at all events, as | found my
self leaving the white cliffs of Old England
behind me, and the Channel pilot making
for shore in the cutter that had taken him
off


In the first place, ! must give You some
account of my craft She was 4 new iron
screw, called the Orient. long and low,
with two tunnels She was built for the
Black Sea trade, and was meant TO take in
corn in the Danube ports, and bring home
her cargo without breaking bulk and as
You couldn't then reckon on over two
tathoms' water over the Sulina bar, she
was built accordingly 1t was my first
command, as Eve told you; and | was a
young man, not more than twenty-five,
although | had been some fifteen Years a
sailor. After my craft, | come to my pas
sengers. | had only one. as it happened,
but thought as much OF that one as if
she had been a hundred, for she was my
wife, and had only been married three
months. Jane was used to ships, being
the daughter OF a sea-captain; she'd take
aturn at the wheel with any able seaman.
In fact, | used to think she knew rather
too much. why don't you do this,
James," she'd say; "why don't YOU let a
reef cut OF inns sal! ?''-always tor letting
out reefs, mind you, and carrying on,
female Iike-til I'd have to tell her to
mind her own business, and bear in mind
that was the master. The reason that
took her on this voyage was, that | ex-
pected to be abroad two or three years, as
| went away with sort Of rowing com
mission to trade in the Levant and the
Piack Sea ports. or wherever | could pick
up freight


We had a very good run to CONSTANT
nople, where | discharged my cargo, and
establishedm my wife in lodgings at Pera-
that IS, with an Armenian family who
spoke English like natives, having lived
at Manchester for many years Here |
was lucky enough to be taken up by the
Sublime Porte as transport with short
voyages and long while lying idle in
the Golden Horn. That suited me very
well, tor | had plenty of time to spend
with Jane, This lasted off and on Tor a
couple OF years, and then | took cargo
here and there, doing pretty well for my
owners, and not badly for myself


Altogether, had been away for three
years or more, when found that the orient
must have a complete overhauling Her
hull was foul, so that she lost at least a
knot an hour Of her speed, and her ma
chinery wanted thorough renovation All
things considered, my owners thought
had better bring her home as soon as
could get freight tor London. Just then,
our agent chartered me for Trebizonde
with a miscellaneous cargo; and after DIS
charging, | was to run across to Galatz
to load with wheat for the English market
After that, | should pick up my wife at
Stamboul, and then run home.


Two months would see me back in the
Golden Horn, told Jane, as parted with
her; | remember very well the place, on
a hill that looked over Pera and Galatz,
and the glittering Horn crowded with
shipping, and the dark-blue Bosphorus
There was an old burial ground close by,
and Jane, who was very nervous and out
of sorts lust then, burst into tears, and
said that we should never meet again
soothed her as well as | could, and told
her it was all nonsense and that we should
spend our Christmas at home with her
own father and mother, it being then the
felt sort OF melancholy presentiment
fortune hanging over US.


There's no doubt that the Black Sea has
got worse name than it deserves, fol
there are no rocks and shoals to trouble
you, and if you haven't much sea-room


an least you've good holding ground, ano
with steam to help you, there's no reason
why you should get ashore. But for al
that, don't like it. Perhaps it's the con
trast from the sunny Mediterranean and
the purple Bosphorus, but it certainly
strikes me as dark and cold and cheerless
1t doesn't rise under one like true salt wa


ter, either


We left the castles of Europe and Asia


behind US, and had prosperous trip tc
Trebzonde was long while lying there
before could discharge my cargo, fol


want of proper facilities, 5ut | got cleal


at last, and made full steam across the
Black Sea, toward the Sulina mouth of the
Danube | was glad to get clear of Ire
bizonde, because there was good deal o
sickness there


From having been SO long trading abou
had picked up rather miscellaneous sor
of a crew | had an English mate anC
chiefengineer; all the rest were foreign
ers, of what nationality L hardly know
They were not much good, as you may
suppose. One of my hands deserted al
Trebizonde, and | supplied his place witt
Il 10
looking fellow but the best | could get
had no great confidence in my mate
either, who was a very worthy man, bu


not much of seaman, and peppery fel


low into the bargain He was alway:
falling out with the men. and causing
| trouble on board The weather was coarse
| and squally, with thick driving mists, anf
| got little rest after we left Trebizonde
Iknew | was getting somewhere near the
opposite coast, but couldn't make out any
| lights OF landmarks, on account of the
| constant fog. The water shoals there very
regularly, and felt sure that as long as
| kept the lead at work, needn't fear run
ming ashore; but at last | found it neces


sary to drop anchor, and wait for sight
| of my bearings. The wind was blowing


pretty strong right on shore, and WE


steamed gently ahead, to ease the strair


on our cable. Wepitched and rolled very


heavily, the swell being strong, and oul
ship very light. The wind rose as the sur


went down-invisibly to us-and alto
gether didn't feel quite easy as to oul
| position. Those Black Sea gales are sharI


enough whilst they last have had some
| experience of them, having been the mate


of ship that was lying off Balaclava tina
| night when the Prince, a fine steamer


laden with all kinds Of winter stores fol
the troops, was blown right upon the cliffs
with several other vessels, and knocked
| all to pieces.


had turned in for short nap, having
| given orders to be called if anything wen


wrong. l slept heavily, having been "


for several nights The bowling Of thu


wind, the rattle OF the screw, sometime


working slowly round and round. and thel


whrling with great rapidity, as the heavy


ground-swell lifted it out of the water
the occasional snort OF the waste-pipe


the general swing and creak and clatte
| nd