The Convict and the Soldier

by John P F Lynch

The dolphins could make the sea boil with hundreds of them leaping into the air and splashing back into the sea. Then they would join up with their respective shoals.

  Another fish which was much smaller, less than a foot in size, was the flying fish. It was a unique species and most colourful with their silver scales reflecting a blue glitter from the sea water. It had larger eyes than fish normally possessed and had wings which had a total wing span equal to half the length of their body. John marvelled at the flight of these fish. They reached the height of several feet; several times he saw them actually land on the ship’s deck. They would flutter their wings on the water, lift and then glide like a bird for a considerable number of yards. Although he saw other marine life, the antics of these two species created the most interest. The sea life provided another diversion from his boredom.

  The captain frequently invited one or two of the passengers to join him on the quarter deck. John accepted his invitation with delight. The quarter deck was the highest part of the hull.

  When John looked down he was afforded a different perspective of the ship. He was intrigued by two sailors holding a rope over the stern rail. Captain Marshall explained that it was called ‘heaving the log’ to enable the ship’s speed to be calculated. A triangular section of wood was attached to a light rope, which was marked with a knot at intervals of approximately two and a half feet. One sailor would hold a half minute sandglass which he turned over as the first knot, pulled from the coil held by a second sailor, entered the water.

  At the exact second when all of the sand had flowed out of the top of the glass, the first sailor would call “Stop!” The light rope running line was checked by the second sailor. The knots which had entered the water were counted and that number was the ship’s speed in knots. The knots on the running line had been positioned to indicate the movement of the ship through one nautical mile.

  It was inevitable that the ship would encounter bad weather on such a long voyage. Twenty days out, the glass began to fall dramatically with the cloud line south continuing completely across the horizon. At the start of the forenoon watch the captain ordered the ship to be battened down and the passengers to stay in their cabins. The ship’s crew were all on standby duty. The sailors had covered the animal pens with an old sail and tied it securely. The marines locked the convict hold hatchways covers and adjourned to their quarters.

  The sails were reefed and the sea anchors readied for use if needed. They waited and waited. In the distance the turbulent waves could be seen. The sky darkened and the ship began to yaw and roll and pitch. Then the rain started in squalls, followed by gusting winds. The ship was not holding its heading and the captain released the sea anchor; this immediately stabilised the ship but the rolling continued. A sail ripped and its upper yardarm snapped and began swinging from its ropes, to damage other sails.

  Water flooded over the deck and entered the convicts’ hold. The convicts called out for help as panic set in. Michael stayed in the corner of his berth and lay on his back, his arms spread to attempt to reduce the ship’s rolling effect on him.

  His berth mates sat on the deck with their backs against a bulkhead in an attempt to stop them from being thrown about with the pitching and rolling of the vessel. Sea water was entering in through some of the scuttles and the hatchways and was flowing into the bilges.

  The ship was in no immediate danger but with the convicts locked in the hold in such a violent storm, their panic was understandable. The captain ordered the hatch covers to be unlocked even though this was the responsibility of Royal Marine Captain Walters.

  Captain Walters entered the hold with four of his armed marines and ordered the convicts back from the hatches. He said he would stay with them and open the hatch if there was any danger of the ship floundering. This was a dangerous ploy. As the convicts were mainly political activists Walters was not overly concerned for his safety. His ploy was successful; the convicts settled down and waited for the storm to run its course.

  The winds suddenly stopped and an eerie silence surrounded the ship. It was the eye of the storm. The captain took the opportunity to have the crew cut away the torn sail, the yardarm and the ropes. It took half an hour to clear the decks.

  Then the storm hit the ship again, just as fiercely. Another sea anchor was dropped and the ship did not yaw as much as it had previously, although the pitching still continued. The rain was squalling with violent gusting winds which stung the faces of the quarter deck crew steering the ship.

  After two hours the wind and sea slowly abated, the sea anchors were hauled in. By sundown the ship, even with one broken yardarm, continued under almost full sail with a following northerly wind of around twenty knots. The captain and his marines left the convicts’ hold and relocked the hatches.

  The doctor inspected each of the convicts and found them to be bruised but generally uninjured. The ship’s crew was checked too. Two sailors had been injured; one sailor had a broken arm and the other had severally gashed his arm when handling the broken yardarm. Nearly all the crew had suffered bruising from the violent motions of the ship.

  The damage to the ship was assessed by the captain and his shipwright. The hull was in good condition after the battering from the seas; only a few timbers had sprung leaks. They were caulked with tarred oakum to fill the gaps. Crews operated the water pumps to empty the bilges of the storm water and re-stowed any cargo that had broken loose. The animals had survived in their cages and pens but were absolutely drenched. The sheep needed to be watched to see if they could last through any cold weather in the next few days with their soaked wool.

  Mrs Marshall invited the passengers to tea and at the same time the doctor examined any injuries. He was kept busy. He was also having difficulty walking himself, as he had fallen down the gangway from the quarter deck when seeing to the health of the captain and quarter deck crew. Each passenger told their story of the time in their cabins during the storm with relief. When the storm eventually passed they were able to tidy up their cabins. The farmer and his wife had been sea sick; the farmer to the point of unconsciousness.

  All the passengers had been badly bruised when thrown from their bunks during one particular heavy sea swell.

  During the clean-up John got to know more of the tasks carried out on a ship and enjoyed talking with the busy sailors as they went about their tasks of clearing and cleaning the decks, tarring ropes, oiling the brass fittings, and setting the sails. He even stood alongside the helmsman and the binnacle, learning the art of navigating a ship. The blocks and the tackles were freed. The rigging was reset, running it through the blocks and bull’s eyes to ensure it could do its job of trimming, hoisting or setting the sails.

  The setting of the sails required considerable agility from the sailors who climbed the rigging to reef the sails in strong winds, and strength to hoist and set the sails. Their voices were heard calling — “Leggo! Watch below! Loose that! Belay that!” All this was occurring under the watchful eyes of the boatswain and the officer of the day standing on the quarter deck.

  To see all the sails full and the bow wave high with slight seas was a picture to behold. The prime aim in setting the sails was to ensure that the ship was not de-masted in strong winds and secondly to catch each breath of wind. The broken yardarm would be replaced in Cape Town.

  Mrs Marshall prepared a special dinner for the ‘Crossing of the Line of the Equator’. The sailors had been fishing and had caught some splendid sharks. The flesh of these fish was delicious — white and fleshy with no small bones. This together with mashed potatoes, pepper and lime made an excellent meal. The cook had excelled himself and also produced a large split cake with jam between the two cake slabs. This was followed by a port which finished a memorable night. A simple ceremony was carried out by the boatswain and the ‘fiery chariot’ departed. This was actually a tar filled barrel set on fire and set free on the sea.

  From this time on, until the ship reached Cape Town, very little excitement
occurred. The meals had become very basic and with not much taste; the food stores were deteriorating rapidly.

  The SS Ventnor had not approached land for several weeks until just after the ship turned east heading towards Cape Town. Three days later land appeared ahead and the ship then turned to the south east. Giant albatross had joined the ship, gliding overhead. Their wing span was nearly four yards. The presence of the birds brought all the passengers and some of the sailors up on deck to watch their graceful gliding and soaring, with scarcely a movement of their large wings. Some sailors believed that the birds were past sailors reincarnated and treated the birds with respect by throwing them food scraps. But other sailors dined on their flesh.

  As the ship sailed towards the land mass, Table Mountain soon dominated the landscape — a large flat surface several miles long, towering three thousand five hundred feet above sea level. It was situated behind Cape Town with Table Bay the ship’s destination immediately over the bow.

  Even with the loss of one sail, the ship had made good time from Cork. After fifty-five days, the ship sailed slowly into Table Bay, ready to drop anchor. The day was warm and the sea was calm, with only enough wind to make way. It was a pleasure for John to sit on deck and look at the foreshore and the buildings. The anchor was dropped, the sails furled, ropes secured and within the hour a whaler was launched. The first mate and the shipwright went ashore to meet the shipping agent to both hand over and collect mail and then to try to purchase a yardarm and some ropes. The ship already had spare sails.

  The marines were on high alert. When a ship was in harbour it was potentially a time when trouble could occur.

  Captain Marshall offered to ferry any interested passenger to Cape Town, when the ship’s whaler returned. He said he expected to be in Cape Town for around seven days, but he advised them to watch for the ‘Blue Peter’ flag from the masthead. That meant that the ship would sail within twenty-four hours.

  Captain Walters wished to visit the local military barracks as a courtesy as a transiting officer. He invited John to join him and John eagerly accepted the invitation. When the whaler returned, five passengers had decided to go ashore.

  John climbed aboard with the farmer and his wife, the doctor and George. He sat in the whaler and savoured every moment of the short harbour trip, looking over the serene bay waters towards the town. He was particularly in awe of the flat topped mountain in the background.

  Cape Town was unique. He could see why it was a world renowned landmark. They could see several other ships at anchor and still more moored alongside. It was a very busy port with many warehouses on the docks. Much activity occurred with moving cargo here and there. It was a splendid sight. The ships were mainly traveling to and from the Far East and the Orient, the so called ‘Spice Route’. The ships stopped at Cape Town for fresh food supplies, water and trading goods.

  The whaler came alongside a small rock stairway and the five of them disembarked and headed towards the main street.

  Over the past fifty years the town had experienced a turbulent time under the administration of several different nations. The Cape was under British rule from 1795 to 1803 then returned to the Bavarian Republic. Three years later the Napoleonic Wars began. Seeing that Holland was no longer a British ally, the British took possession of Cape Town by force. With the defeat of Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna confirmed Britain’s possession of the Cape and other entities for the sum of six million pounds. Although Cape Town was British, the Dutch influence was everywhere, from the language to the town buildings and countryside farms.

  John and George walked the main street to get their ‘land legs’. After a month or so at sea, a person has a tendency to walk softly or sway a little for the first hour or so on land again. They each purchased several books and some out of date newspapers from Sydney. They then went to a tavern for a local meal with fresh vegetables and a lager or two, and just sat looking down the street and at the people.

  Afterwards they looked for an official office or government official and found a customs officer walking towards them. He was most helpful and explained the direction of the military barracks and offered to drive them in his ‘two in hand’. He told his story during the drive. He had been the first mate on a clipper ship and after thirty years at sea he had decided to settle down in Cape Town. He had secured the position of Port Deputy Customs Officer and married. This was where he was staying for the remainder of his life. He was a happy soul and was enjoying life.

  The barracks were built like an old time classic fort and had originally been the Dutch Military Headquarters and Stronghold. It had married quarters and shops inside the fort. It was different from the British concept of forts. The quadrangle was spacious and impressive with the duty office in the corner nearest the main gate.

  Captain George Walters introduced himself to the duty officer, an army lieutenant. He requested him to advise the commandant that he was transiting Cape Town and he would be there for around seven days. The duty officer invited the visitors to the officers’ mess to have tea while he went to advise the commandant of their arrival.

  The mess was well presented with the regiment’s Battle Honours proudly hanging from the walls. Various trophies were also on show, awarded for cavalry and shooting competitions. Rhino, lion, leopard and giraffe heads were mounted on the wall. Two lower legs of an elephant were being used as umbrella stands with a zebra and tiger skin wall mounted behind the bar. It was like no other military mess he had seen in his short career, George agreed, although he had seen some trophies in the Punjab years ago.

  They turned at a noise behind them to see the colonel approaching with an outstretched hand. “Welcome to the 34th Regiment and Cape Town. I’m Colonel Winslow and you, Captain, are?”

  “Captain George Walters of the Royal Marines, and this is my friend, John Hall, a former army officer proceeding to take up a position with a British Colonial Regiment.” They shook hands and the colonel invited them to be seated.

  He queried, “To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?”

  George replied, “I have a detachment of marines and am escorting eighty convicts to Van Diemen’s Land. On a more personal nature I have some newspapers and magazines which you may care to read. I know when I was serving in India I felt starved for news from home.”

  The colonel smiled. “Capital! Well done, Walters. Can you stay and dine tonight? Better still stay the night so we can have a good chat about what’s happening back home these days. I have been away for nearly two years now and I’m looking forward to my leave. I like it here but one needs to go home for a while.” He paused. “Of course you are invited as well, Mr Hall.”

  “Thank you, Colonel,” John replied and looked at George.

  George nodded. “Yes, we will stay the night. Incidentally can you see the harbour from here? We need to watch for the sailing flag.”

  “Yes, our signal tower will afford you a perfect view of the entire harbour. The Dutch planned this fort very well. Gentlemen, I must away now. I will see you at dinner. Walters, you will be excused mess dress as you are a transiting officer.”

  The first mate and the shipwright had run into a major problem. There were no yard arms available for nearly six weeks. A previous storm had used up their stock. The first mate sat on a seat at the docks and pondered his next option. He then noticed another ship in the bay with mast and sail damage.

  A small boat was leaving the ship and he made to intercept the passengers as they disembarked at the dockside. The first person from the boat had an air of authority about him so he decided to talk to him first. He walked up to him and started the conversation by explaining how his ship, the SS Ventnor, had suffered a top yardarm loss.

  “May I ask what damage your ship suffered?” He was talking to the captain.

  The captain looked at him sadly and said that his main mast had a major crack that necessitated a new mast. The ship would be idle for three months at least. This captain had gone through
the same storm as they had and had fared worse.

  The first mate took a deep breath and asked, “Can we buy your foremast top yardarm?”

  The captain thought for a moment and agreed. The first mate advised he would bring his captain over to discuss the deal. The first mate and the shipwright went back to the SS Ventnor and together with Captain Marshall went to the other ship. While the shipwright climbed the rigging and inspected the yardarm and the ropes, the two captains agreed upon a price. The money would be handled between their respective shipping agents.

  The shipwright tackled the task of removing the sail and ropes. He was helped by the ship’s crew. By nightfall the yardarm had been lowered into the harbour water and had being floated to the SS Ventnor. The yardarm had all the fittings needed already in place. Now the ship would only be delayed two or three days — not a week!

  First light the next morning the captain decided to fly the ‘Blue Peter’ as he planned to sail on the next morning tide if, as he expected, the top foremast sail would be rigged by then. The shipwright already had the crew hauling the yardarm on board and then aloft. It was a slow laborious task and dangerous. The yardarm was heavy and difficult to position when standing in the rigging.

  Slowly the blocks and tackles lifted it into position and the crew began to rig the ropes to retain the yardarm. By noon the first part of the task was completed and the captain was now supervising the loading of food and water.

  ¶

  George and John strolled around the barracks and the outside town. John was unfamiliar with the local South Africans; he had only ever been associated with people of Anglo-Saxon origin and naturally eyed the locals with curiosity.

  He noticed that the locally born people appeared subservient to both of them and he supposed it was because they had been employed by white people. This was only partly true; in some cases they had been made subservient by malevolent white people in authority. Possibly it was an aftermath of the colonial slavery trade which had been abolished in 1833, only twenty years previously. The people he saw now were happy and well fed and made him wonder what the local Australian people would be like.