[October 1799] We
had experienced for several days much thunder and lightning, with heavy rains
and calms; but the variable light breeze about the line we now exchanged for
the periodical south-east trade winds, and contrary to the usual practice, we
stood to the east towards the Guinea Coast, instead of the Brazil side. The
captain gave the mates his reasons for so doing, well knowing from former
practice that it would shorten the passage; at the same time, as the track was
unfrequented, we should be more likely to avoid the enemy’s cruizers.
For several nights past the sea had a very luminous
appearance. I sat for hours together in the quarter-gallery, to observe with
wonder the strange sight; at times it was like a liquid fire, and cast such a
light into the ship passing through it, that we could see to help ourselves to
anything wanted in the cabin without a candle.
I have often seen sudden darts as it were of a luminous
stream, passing obliquely under the bottom of the ship, leaving a train behind
like the shoot of a meteor in the air. This I understood was fish in chace of
the smaller species, and had at one time an opportunity of knowing that it was
so. A great number of bonnito and albicore had been caught by the hook in the
course of the day, and towards night the fish still accompanied the ship; they
could be traced in all directions by the luminous appearance they made in the
water.
One night, when my husband and myself were looking from the gallery, he
said if he had the fish-rig he was certain he could strike some of them, at the
same time calling upon deck for one to be handed to him over the quarter, when
to my great surprise, in the space of half an hour, he speared five bonnetta,
each weighing about ten or twelve pounds. These sights were nothing to old
sailors, but they excited my surprise. Several buckets of water were drawn up,
in which were seen specimens of this luminous substance; it appeared of a soft
glutinous form without motion, and when put into a tumbler with water, retained
the same appearance in the dark; it had the power to hide the light for the
space of a minute or two, and again let it be shewn. These vicissitudes might
be caused by its giving up life on being taken from its element.
However, one of these specimens which had been taken out of
the glass and put upon paper, had been forgotten in the day, but at night it
shone the same as haddocks are seen sometimes to do when hung up after salting.
Many small particles also had this luminous appearance for the space of
fourteen days. So many fish were caught, that the poor prisoners sometimes
partook of them.
The small albicore and the large bonnetto are so nearly alike,
that without particularly noticing the fins behind the gills, the difference
cannot be distinguished: these fins, on the albicore, are about three times the
length of the other, and rather project from the fish; the bonnetto, on the
contrary, has these fins short, not exceeding three or four inches, and laying
flat to the shoulders of the fish. They resemble large overgrown mackerel, but
thicker in proportion to their length; they are coarse fare, and
notwithstanding we had them cooked in various ways, found them still
unpalatable. The dolphin we found better (when stewed with a proportion of wine
and spices) than any of the other fish. As the dolphins we had were caught in
the night, I shall not attempt to describe them; when dying they take such a
variety of shade and colour, that a description is impossible. The largest we
caught measured about four feet in length, and weighed about eleven pounds.
On the morning of the 10th of October, at daylight,
we were rather alarmed, by seeing a ship at no great distance. After tacking
she again stood towards us. The prisoners were now ordered below; and
preparations made for our defence, every man being ordered to quarters. I went
as usual to the cockpit. Our ship being a heavy sailer, could not attempt to
escape, therefore stood boldly on. As we neared this strange ship, we observed
she had Danish colours hoisted, and proved to be of that nation, from
Copenhagen, bound to Tranquehar.
The Friendship
having a letter of marque, sent a boat to overhaul her papers; the boat
immediately returned with the Danish captain who spoke good English, and
informed us, that about ten days ago he had been boarded by a French frigate,
who had in company an English Guinea ship which they had captured. That the
Frenchman had taken many things from him, and had given bills upon his
government, which the Dane said, he reckoned little better than waste paper.
After exchanging civilities, he left us and proceeded on his course.
We were now advancing into the gulph of Guinea, and steering
as much to the south as the winds would permit. Many tropical birds appeared
about the ship, some of which, called Boobies and Noddies, took up their
quarters on the yards at night; the former were about the size of a small duck,
they are web-footed and could not rise to fly from the deck; they appeared most
stupid birds, were not at all alarmed by any thing near them; they seemed full
of vermin, by their constantly picking themselves. The feathers of the Booby
are grey, mixed with black; the Noddy is of a sooty colour. They were generally
made messengers of the next day, by being sent off with a card (having the ship’s
name upon it) tied around their necks.
We passed to the night near an island called Annobona,
discovered by the Portuguese on a new year’s day, from which it takes its name;
it was notorious, of old, for being a den for pirates.
[In the next episode, Mrs. Reid meets Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington]
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