Chapter I: Front Matter

FIRST EDITION _November 1902_ _Reprinted_ _December 1902_ _Reprinted_ _December 1902_ _Reprinted_ _February 1903_ NEW (_lower priced_) EDITION _October 1903_

ROUND THE HORN BEFORE THE MAST

By A. BASIL LUBBOCK

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS

NEW YORK E. P. DUTTON & CO. 1903

_Printed in Great Britain_

TO MY DEAR MOTHER I DEDICATE THIS BOOK

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

PAGE

“FRISCO” 1

Choosing a Ship--Signing on--Don Henderson--At a Seaman’s
Tailor--First Day’s Work--Cleaning the Stringers--Sailors
_v._ Base-ballers at Cricket--The Seaman’s Institute--My
Carriboo Bag--A Sailors’ Concert--Emptying the Bilges--The
_Marlboro’ Hill’s_ Crew of Landlubbers--Yankee Brutality at
Sea--Chipping--Johnsen, the Swede.

CHAPTER II

OAKLAND CREEK AND PORT COSTA 39

A Lively Time crossing the Bay--Mooring Ship--Sea Serpents--An Old
South Seaman--More Cricket--The Bilges again--Lining the Hold--The
Art of Painting--Mosquitoes and Song--Bleeding the Grain--Bending
Sail--An Early Morning Picnic--Bathing in the Sacramento--A
Fatality--Ready for Sea--Taking in Stores--Our Crew come
Aboard--My Stewardship--The Return of the Californian Boys.

CHAPTER III

THE NORTH PACIFIC 72

Man the Capstan--Making Sail--Picking the Watches--Going About--My
Gaff-topsail--Timekeeping--The Binnacles--Matches--Dandyfunk and
Crackerhash--Dutchmen and Dagos--Johnsen’s Logbook--The Old Man’s
Models--The Bosun’s Songs--“Duckfoot Sue”--Crew complain of the
Food--Rows amongst the After gang--Peggy--Flying-Fish and Bosun
Birds--Lime-juice--Amateur Haircutters--Sharks and Pilot-Fish--In
the Doldrums--At the Braces in the Middle Watch--Deep-sea
Fishing--The Song of the Trade Wind--Heaving the Log--My First
Wheel--Fine Weather Kites--A “Jimmy Green.”

CHAPTER IV

THE SOUTH SEAS 121

Cross the Line--“Stand by your Royal Halliards”--Making
Rovings--Johnsen tries to Knife the Second Mate--Tarring
Down--Dancing in the Dog Watch--Sails--Discourses on Modern
Wind-jammers--Yankee Schooners--Clinching the Crossjack
Leech-line--The _Loudoun Hill_--Graining Dolphins--Our Farming
Bosun--A Queer Fish--British Sailors on British Ships--Yankee
Buckos--Pitcairn Island--“What ho, Piper!”

CHAPTER V

RUNNING EASTING DOWN 144

Grand Yachting--From the Bowsprit End--A Bad Squall--Fore-royal
blows away--On the Fore Upper-topgallant Yard--A Battle
with the Elements--Wilson and Myself on the Main-yard--Cape
Pigeons--Preparing for Cape Horn--Fog--Use of a Cowhorn at
Sea--Rotten Gaskets--In the Lazarette--Getting up Bread--Paraffiny
Sugar--Slumgullion--A Cape Horn Sunset--Arguments in the
Half-deck--The Stately Albatross--Our Hens--The “Roaring
Forties”--Famous Tea-Clippers--The _Thermopylæ_--A “Blue-nose”
Clipper--Rivalry between Watches--Checkerboard Crews--Negro
Crews--Burgoo--A Mollymawk Aboard--Colder Weather--Making
Fenders--Putting in Rovings--Bird-life in the Southern Ocean--Cape
Horn Hail-storms.

CHAPTER VI

OFF THE HORN 177

A big Beam Sea--Rolling both Rails Under--Port Watch washed away
from the Fore-braces--The Deck-bear--Dollops--Blood-stirring
Work--Main-deck under Water--Half-deck Water-logged--In
our Watch Below--Waking Mac--At the Lee Wheel--Cape Horn
Greybeards--Dodging the Seas--Don nearly Drowned in his
Lamp-locker--No Fresh Water--Standing by--Higgins in the
Lee Scuppers--Sunday Breakfast--Snugging Down--Turning up
Gear--Overboard--A Narrow Escape--An Unlucky Fall--Don Loses his
False Teeth aloft--Mountainous Seas--Pooped--“Sail ho!”--The
Music of the Gale--Chantying in Difficulties--A Huge Sea falls
Aboard--Retrieving the Lamps--All Hands on Deck--Terrific
Work--The _Royalshire_ on her Beam Ends--Hove-to--A Bad Middle
Watch--Make Sail Again--Chantying--Outward Bounders--Cape
Stiff--Old Man’s Yarns--Foot-gear.

CHAPTER VII

THE SOUTH ATLANTIC 239

On the Banks--A Low Glass--Blowing Again--I Fall and Shake the
Poop--Taylor’s Whitlow--Sea-Boils--Pipes growing Scarce--“Storm
along, Stormie”--The whole Crew washed away from the
Mainbrace--My knee damaged--The Bosun and Bower--Clark Russell
at Fault--Model-Making--Discussion on Flogging--An Albatross
Caught--Ill-health on Board--My Medicine Chest--A Dead Muzzler--An
Electric Storm--Jack o’ Lanterns--My poor Knee--Johnsen’s
Troubles--A Wild Highlander at Meals--A Prophet of Evil--Don and
Scar.

CHAPTER VIII

IN THE TROPICS 282

Old Slush and Greasy Food--A Fleet of Wind-jammers
collected by the Head-wind--Johnsen the Jonah--Washing
Clothes--Quartermaster--Amusements in the Night Watches--Painting
Down--The Frigate Bird--Ocean Races--Forecastle Artists--The
Contents of my Bunk--Taylor’s Backstays--Old Slush goes
Forward--Our new Cook--At our Prayers--Don in Disgrace--Oiling
Decks--Liverpool Hard-tack--Huge Shoal of Bonita--An Epidemic of
Cramps--The Art of Steering--Head-gear Scarce.

CHAPTER IX

THE WESTERN OCEAN 325

Shifting Sail Again--My Long Trick--Among the Western Isles--Slippery
Decks--At Work in the Hold--A Broken-down Steamer--Heavy
Gale--Between Two Seas--Loring Washed Out--Hove-to--A Pulling
Match--“Reuben Ranzo”--Fight with Bower on the Royal-yard--A
Midnight Brew--Grub running Short--Washing Decks in a
Gale--Wearing Ship--Old Man and Mate at Loggerheads--The
Lead-line--A Cause for Strong Language.