Six Months on a Barren Rook. A TRUE STORY.

Observer, Volume 1, Issue 6, 23 October 1880, Page 45

Six Months on a Barren Rook. A TRUE STORY.

Told by Charles Wordsworth, one of the Survivors,

CHAPTER IV. Other tAvo ships passed us, but they either did not see us, or took no notice. One of them nearly ran ashore herself, as the weather Avas thick ; but it cleared in time for them to see the land, ' though it Avas a narrow escape. Whilst the penguins Avere laying Aye had plenty of eggs, not only for the time, but for long afterwards, as I " pitted " about a thousand of them for future use. Even my mother has eaten seven at a meal, fried, roasted, or raw, beaten up Avith a little fresh water, which .-made a most refreshing drink. The eggs did every one a great deal of good, and Aye all felt satisfied, and had not the longing desire for other food. Those who had been haggard and miserable got quite plump and fresh— some of them ate about thirty at a meal ; and Aye saAv each other with clean face?, for AA r e used the eggs as soap ; Avhilst a most remarkable thing Avas, that every one had fair skins ancl light hair, dark faces and hair being quite changed — black hair turning broAvn or red, and fairer people quite flaxen. As. for myself, my. complexion Avas pink and Avhite like a girls, Avith white eyebroAvs, yelloAv hair, and moustache. My mother did not change much, but she Avas a mere skeleton and very feeble. The old quartermaster, " Daddy " or " Nimrod," as he was called, died October 20th. The eggs came too late for him, poor old felloAv ! but he gave himself up from the first. He ahvays said

most of us Avould get off, but not himself, ancl that our greatest chance of getting off was after ■Christmas, which also came true. Of course, people would only come near these dreadful rocks of their oAvn accord in fine Aveather, which Aye expected about Christmas time. Christmas-clay Avas very cold, though midsummer, with snoAV-squalls— in fact, at home you would have called it seasonable Aveather. Poor little Watty died ou Christmas-day at tAvelve o'clock noon, ancl Avas buried next morning. You could almost have bloAvn him aAvay, Tie ay s so thin ancl Avasted. He Avas between three and four years old, I think, ancl looked like an old man of seventy. He avoulcl only take a drop of soup, and that from one of the quartermasters called Bdl Vyning, an American. His shoulders Avere up to his ears, and his knees up to his chin, being drawn up that shape by the cold. He Avas buried near Henderson, and Avas happily the last of the unfortunate feAv whom it Avas our sad task to bury on that bleak, lonely island. Poor felloavs ! Though their graves lie far from all sounds of human toil, ancl only the dash of the Avaves or the sea-bird's cry is heard above their last resting-place ; though no stone stands to bear the record of tlvir'virtues, ancl no affectionate hand marks the spot Avith the humble tribute of flo Avers - still tliey Avili not be forgotten. In some quiet hour tlieir comrades' thoughts will turn to those lonely graves, far in the midst of the restless ocean, and surely their hearts Avili soften Avith some thought of pity or regret Avhen they recall the existence there so miserably closed. We Avere very much afraid of our enginedriver, John Nicoll, or "Steam," a nice cheery

felloAAVAvho Avas very delicate, and spitting blood in quantities. He Avas to have got the bottle of Avine tint Avas buried, but it Avas stolen — a great sin, for they kneAV it Avas for the sick. There Avas still a little rum left, Avhich did him good. (N.B. Get Henry White of London's " Redheart rum," if you Avant anything good in that line ; it is medicinally better than brandy.) We Avere all getting very anxious to be off ; another Avinter on the island Avould, I fear, have left very feAv to tell the tale, though Aye Avere storing skins to burn, and oil also, in case of such a dire necessity. There Avould have been little to eat. The young albatross Avere on the island Avhen Aye landed in July; and just before Aye left, the old birds returned and built their nests and laid tlieir eggs, so we presumed Aye had seen tlie routid of tlie seabirds. We never took any albatro=s-eggs, as Aye looked forward to depending on the young for food later on. A good look-out Avas kept, and all Avho could Avere engaged building a turf toAver upon which Aye Avere to plant a small start', but AA r e Avere rescued before it Avas completed. All the eggs Avere done, and my mother Avas getting exceedingly Aveak, for she could not eat the bird-flesh Avithout it making her A-ery sick, and it Avas only noAV and then she could manage to take a little ; she said herself she could not last another fortnight ; but relief Avas close at hand. On the 21st January, 1876, the happiest day Aye shall ever knoAV on earth, the gallant little bark "Young Phcenix," American whaler, Captain Gif Ford, took my mother and myself and several others off that night, and the rest the next day. There Avas not much wind, and the day Avas fine. I thought I would give myself a holiday

from skinning, so I had just got a "pig" full of young penguin's legs, and had hung them on a string on the roof to dry and smoke a little, and Avas backing out of the shanty, Avhen, just A-isible, I saAV a ship. I yelled out, Sail ho ! and ran to see if the look-out had seen it from the flagstaff. They had seen her a short time before, and the flags and everything Avere up ; fires Avere lit also on different parts of the hill so that they might see the smoke, and blankets were about in every position that looked eligible. Of course Aye were all A r ery much excited, hope and fear alternately predominating. I had gone to the flagstaff, ancl was running back to tell my mother not to be too sanguine, as the ship had not as yet altered her course, when a cheer made me look out to sea. There — delightful sight ! — she had seen us, and Avas steering close into the island. Some of us cried with joy. I packed up all our valuables— my club, revolver, knife, fork, and two spoons — and prepared everything for embarking. When the ship came closer, she ran up the American ensign, ancl lowered two boats. They came to the wrong side of the island for embarking ; so Walter Smith, the sailmaker, SAvam out to them, though with considerable risk, for there Avas a heavy surf, and directed them to the other side, where our old landing place Avas. It was now getting late, and Captain Gifford only took my mother, Mr. Peters, " Sails," tAvo invalids, and myself, off in the boat that night. When Aye got on board Aye got a warm bath, clean clothes, and tea ; and every one Avas exceedingly kind to us. I don't knoAV lioav my mother could have managed Avithout Mrs. Gilford's kind assistance. She Avas comfortably cushioned up on a large sofa in the stern cabin*

a nicely done up little place, Avith pictures, books, and harmonium The ' * Young Phcenix " was but a small vessel, and had a crew of 30 hands, so that there Avas little room to spare, and Mr. Peters and I slept on the floor. Captain Gifford Avas undecided Avhether he could take us all or not ; hoAvever, he made up his mind to manage as Avell as he could, leave his fishing-grounds— AAdiich Avould be a great loss to him— and take us to the Mauritius or the Cape, unless he could tranship us to English ships. That night Aye stood off the land till morning. The day was lovely, and Aye steered for the island again, and took off the rest, Mr. Peters Ayriting a short account of the wreck, and the names of the droAvned, on paper, wliich was enclosed in a bottle, sealed up, and buried at the top of one of the graves. Eachgrave, as well, had a wooden cross placed at the head of it. Everybody, as they came on board, had a good wash m hot Avater, and clean clothes, boots, &c, all good neAv suits : Aye had every kindness slioavu us. We steered for the north ; ancl on the 26th January, a Liverpool ship, the " Sierra Morena," hoA'e in sight, Avhich the captain signalled, and 24 of us, including Mr. Peters, Avent in her. She Avas bound for Kurachee ; and the same afternoon another Liverpool ship, '•The Childers," Captain M'Phee, took the remaining 20, including my mother and myself. She was bound to Rangoon, in Burmah.' We Avere all very sorry to leave the Avhaler ; and Mrs. Gifford Avas quite distresed at parting from my mother. Captain Gifford offered to keep my mother on board if she had the least objections to going to Rangoon. This ends my Journal. C. F. W. The End.