Three Years in Tristan da Cunha Part 15

_Sunday, November_ 10.--Mrs. Green has come to stay with us again; she has been lying outside in the canvas chair for seven hours and feels the better for it. The children are very attached to their mother, and one and another visit her during the day. Her mother's eye at once detects a b.u.t.ton off or whatever is amiss.

The services were well attended to-day, only five persons being absent morning and afternoon.

It is a quiet evening, but occasionally the sea sounds like a pa.s.sing train; at other times we hear it thundering on the sh.o.r.e. We do not get such high waves, but what I call long sweeping seas. I have been taking the meteorological observations; I hope correctly.

_Monday, November_ ll.--When school was half over old Mrs. Rogers rushed in to say the boats were returning from Inaccessible. When I got down to the beach they were ready to land. There was so much surf that they had to wait for a favourable moment and then had to pull hard to get in before the next wave broke. The landing of the three took quite a time, and they had a good tossing while awaiting their turn. The men are very cheerful and seem to have enjoyed themselves in spite of the wet. After the first day they were not able to leave Salt Beach on which they landed. That afternoon they went round by boat to where the _Blendon Hall_ was wrecked, as they knew how anxious Graham was to see the spot. He, unfortunately, was feeling horribly sea-sick and unable to do much, but he went with them. They picked up some copper and a piece of wood from the wreck. The cliffs of the island are most precipitous, and from Salt Beach they can only be scaled by holding on to the tussock gra.s.s, but the weather was too wet for them to attempt this. I am glad they could not try, for Henry Green told me it was rather an "ugly business" at best of times. There was no sand and they lay at night under the overturned boat on a pebbly beach softened by layers of tussock gra.s.s. Graham said after five nights of it he felt quite sore. They seem to have spent more than half their time under the boats. One day it rained all day, and the only variety they had was to stand under the cliffs where the rain dripped down upon them.

Another day they had some cricket, using for a ball a bit of kelp. Under the boats they played draughts; an upturned box serving for table and board, kelp for the black pieces, and sliced potatoes for the white.

They were able to get a few petrel's eggs, but digging these out of the nest-holes was wet and muddy work.

Each man took so much flour, potatoes and meat which he handed over to the cook. Andrew Swain and Bob Green undertook the work, the former being head cook, and Graham says the cooking was excellent; not that he was able to eat much himself for he was still feeling the effects of the sea. The cooks were kept going most of the day. At one meal there was a great laugh against them. As each man sipped his tea he found it nauseously salt. The water had been taken from the wrong bucket, the one that contained salt water for washing up.

On Sunday they had two services, all sitting round on the stones. They sang every hymn and chant they could think of.

Sam Swain left his dog on Inaccessible. It had taken to killing geese, and as he did not like to shoot it he decided to leave it there where it will be able to get plenty of food. Poor dog, it swam after the boats when they left. The party tried to return on Friday, but after being out two hours had to go back as they could make no headway owing to a north wind.

_Thursday, November_ l4.--Yesterday, after early school, Graham and Repetto went off to the Hardies in search of some wood-pigeons' eggs. This is a sea-bird in spite of its land-sounding name. They had to swim to a high rock standing a little distance from the sh.o.r.e with a deep channel between, and to climb to the top of it. Swimming back Graham found the current so strong he thought it wiser to return. They tried another way and got across without difficulty. It was rather too early for eggs and they only found one; but they satisfied themselves as to the identification of the egg.

_Sat.u.r.day, November_ 16.--As we have broken the last chimney-gla.s.s of our best lamp, we have been going to bed early this week, and getting up at five--a change which has the advantage of enabling us to get through more work before school, and giving much more time on baking mornings. We hope to get a gla.s.s from a pa.s.sing ship, but only three have been boarded since March, one of them being a whaler.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SHEEP BEING DRIVEN HOME]

It is such a pretty sight to see the sheep being driven down the hill and separating to the different sheep-houses. But the poor things are often very hara.s.sed by the dogs, many of which are quite untrained and run them far too fast, and will, if they can get the opportunity, catch hold of them. The sheep often turn obstinate and try to slip off up the hill. Some get into the wrong houses and have to be dragged out and home by the owners. These houses are generally deep in mud and filth.

_Thursday, November_ 21.--The rats have been eating the sunflower and sweet pea seeds. I could detect the mark of their feet, and the sh.e.l.ls of the seeds are lying on the top of the bed.

I have started sketching, thinking it will interest those at home to see what this place is like.

The children have come in to play a round game. Two were in last night, so I said we could not have them again to-night. Tears came into the eyes of Martha Repetto, whereupon I relented, and four of them are now in full swing. There is just room for us all at the table.

The men have gone to Seal Bay, walking over the mountain. When they were there the other day they found the so-called wild cattle in such poor condition that they mean to try to drive them across a ravine to a place where there is better pasture.

_Wednesday, November_ 27.--Repetto has just been in. He enjoys having a talk, but he generally comes with something he has either made or mended for us. This time he has brought a capital pastry-board made out of one of the cases.

There are some very young pupils at school just now. They spend part of their time sleeping, and are nursed by us or by one of the elder girls.

One of them is rather spoilt at home, and the discipline of having to sit still and not talk has already done him good. The children are getting on so well. Susan Repetto, who is eight, could not write a letter of the alphabet eighteen months ago, but can now do fairly difficult dictation.

Yesterday she had no mistake in it. What about the arithmetic? Ah! there is not much improvement there. One small boy has for months been learning to add two and two together and invariably gets it wrong, though sometimes he gets other figures right. Some of the elder girls make very good figures, and the greater part are writing a good hand. They write letters daily on their slates together with the address of the person to whom the letter is written.

_Sat.u.r.day, November_ 30.--Yesterday Repetto and Henry Green started making a larder for us. It is being built of large blocks of soft stone and is to be on a line with the porch. There have been many consultations over it.

The difficulty is to get the wood for the roof. We shall be so thankful to have a place to keep our food in. Up to the present we have had to keep the milk, which is set in a large pan to cream, on a small table in the corner of the sitting-room with the b.u.t.ter and eggs.

_Tuesday, December_ 3.--A whaler in sight! We have been trying to send off our letters ever since September. The people say it is many a year since they have had such a bad time for ships, and Repetto says it is the worst year since he has been on the island.

Walter Swain, who was here last year, has landed from the whaler. The captain has ordered 500 lbs. of beef and a quant.i.ty of potatoes, but these latter are scarce; he offers in exchange flour, soap, mola.s.ses, and calico.

_Wednesday, December_ 4.--We were asked to tea today to the Sam Swain's to meet the visitor and were to choose our own hour, so we settled upon four, there being a service at five. Walter Swain has sailed all over the world; his home is at New Bedford. He is, I believe, a first-rate harpooner and makes a good deal by his skill. He says he has already made 800 dollars during the year, and, of course, will make still more before he gets home.

We are sending our letters by this whaler as Walter says he will very likely be able to transfer them to a pa.s.sing steamer, failing that, he will post them at St. Helena two or three months hence. I have about sixteen to send off.

We are already talking of the possible arrival of Mr. Keytel.

A holiday in honour of the presence of the whaler has given an opportunity for weeding the garden. In the midst of a clump of Love-in-a-mist a hen has been daily laying her eggs and now wants to sit there, but that cannot be allowed.

This has been a splendid day for going out to the ship. The captain, a coloured man, was very kind and most fair, in fact, he seems to have given good measure running over. Six barrels of flour and over one hundred pounds of soap have come ash.o.r.e. The men came back in a most jubilant mood, we could hear in the house their singing as they neared the sh.o.r.e.

Mrs. Lavarello brought us some ship biscuits, of which she got a bushel and a half in exchange for a goose.

_Tuesday, December_ 10.--Our little visitor this week is Florence Swain.

She had set her heart upon coming and has been asking her mother for weeks when her turn would be.

_Wednesday, December_ 11.--Today for the wives of Henry Green and Repetto, who have been working hard at the larder, we made up packets of grocery containing tea, sugar, sultanas, pepper, cheese, candles, and soap.

_Friday, December_ 13.--Towards the end of school there was a cry of "Sail, ho!" The ship is thought to be another whaler.

Last night I planted out nearly fifty sunflowers in one bed, so there ought to be a blaze of colour. Our wheat is coming on well. Miss Cotton has a supper to-night for the men who have been working for her. It was announced by Bob Green getting on to the roof of the house and shouting out.

The men returned this evening from the whaler, from which they have got more flour and material. Repetto got some material for us; but it is poor stuff and rather expensive.

CHAPTER XXV

_Monday, December_ l6.--Every one is busy preparing for Christmas. There's much blueing and starching of clothes. We were up early as we have started house-cleaning.

_Tuesday, December_ l7.--The kitchen was whitewashed before breakfast, and the pa.s.sage this afternoon.

This time of year it is necessary to water the garden every night, the ground dries so quickly. The children come and do it for us and weed and sweep.

The larder is not altogether a success. Though it has a fair amount of ventilation it is rather stuffy.

Here is a list of some books which were given to William on the whaler the other day: Plutarch's _Lives of Alcibiades and Coriola.n.u.s_; _Trips to the Moon_, by Lucian; _Voyagers' Tales_, by Richard Hakluyt; _Areopagitica_, by Milton; _Lives of English Poets_, _Banquet of Plato_, and the _Light of Asia_, by Sir E. Arnold. One would hardly expect to find such books on a whaler.

_Friday, December_ 20.--We are sitting in our "parlour," which is bespattered with whitewash and its furniture covered with sheets and paper, and must resign ourselves to a day or two of this mode of living, as parts of the room will most likely have to be whitewashed again. We hope the wind will veer round to the west, so that the room may dry. At present a north wind is blowing, which makes the walls oozy with damp and the atmosphere very steamy. We get a good deal of this unpleasant wind at this time of the year, together with heavy mists at sea.

_Christmas Eve_.--I went up to the church and found Sam Swain and his girls decorating it, as last year, with willow branches and pink roses. A wreath had been made for the centre of the ceiling.

_Christmas Day_.--This morning there were twenty-four present at the Holy Communion. There were also services at 10:30 and 3 o'clock.

The Repettos and little Joe spent the evening with us.

_Thursday, December_ 26.--We have had a restful day. Little Clara Swain had begged to come and stay with us, so today she came. At supper she began to shed a few tears, and wanted to go home to her mother. Later I took her home. When she got there she was rather ashamed and hid her face in the sofa all the time half laughing.

_New Year's Eve_.--A mild type of influenza is going the round, caught no doubt on a whaler. In the fo'c'sle of one a man was seen wrapped up in a blanket who was perhaps suffering from it.

I can imagine as I sit here the bells at home ringing out the old year. I earnestly hope this coming year we may be able to do more in helping the people "upward."

_New Year's Day_, 1908.--We were astir early and had service at 8:30.

New Year's Day is made as much of as Christmas Day in that the people wear their best clothes, keep holiday and have a special dinner. We have had a nice quiet day, digging, reading and sketching. Sketching, as may readily be imagined, is often done under difficulties.

_Sat.u.r.day, January_ 11.--The expected schooner is ever a subject of conversation with the elders. We are beginning to feel doubtful as to its coming. The people are very hopeful, always having the feeling that if one thing does not turn up another will.