Three Years in Tristan da Cunha by K. M. Barrow

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This evening Graham, as he sat in the chimney corner engrossed in reading,
was unconsciously using the ham as a cushion, with the result that an
impression of it in salt and grease has been left on the back of his coat.

_Saturday, September 14_.--A steamer in sight. On the shore we found four
of the young men preparing to embark. Repetto said the steamer had got too
far for them to catch it, and so it proved.

_Monday, September 16_.--I have been much struck by the fact that when I
have finished dressing Robert's leg a basin of warm water, soap and towel
are always brought for my use. Today we set off for a walk along Big
Beach, and overtook Mrs. Repetto and her five children. Her husband was
out hunting birds and she was going to meet him with something hot to
drink. We sat down and had a talk while the children scampered about.
After remarking they needed clothes of iron, she went on to say that the
present generation of girls do not know what hard work is compared with
what those of her generation used to do after the boat was lost. We left
her to return home. As we ran down a steep sandy bank, I leading, I heard
her parting salutation, "Well done, old girl."

_Thursday, September 19_.--I asked the women to come early this afternoon
to have their voices tried with a view to their taking parts in the hymns.
A good many came and seemed to enjoy the novelty. Several will sing alto,
which they very quickly picked up. I asked them because I thought they
might feel a little out in the cold if the men learnt part-singing and
they did not.

[Illustration: A PENGUIN ROOKERY]

About five o'clock the children ran in to say that Graham and the men, who
had gone early in the morning to the Penguin Rookery, were returning. They
always light a fire on the mountain side to show they are coming back. I
started off immediately for Big Beach, Mrs, Repetto and Mrs. Swain coming
behind with tea for their husbands. In front were the children leading a
donkey to carry the eggs. Before long the men appeared, each with a big
box of eggs on his back. The box is enclosed in a sack to which are
attached arm-straps. Each box contains about one hundred and fifty eggs
and is no light load. The two men gathered the three hundred eggs in about
twenty minutes. Repetto thinks that at present about one thousand have
been taken from the Rookery this season. When the birds are up for laying
the pairs keep together, the hen on the nest and the male standing by.
They make a tremendous noise day and night. For our amusement Graham tried
to imitate it; standing erect, putting his head up and violently shaking
it from side to side, with mouth wide open he tried to utter their
"_loha_." Mrs. Repetto was just then drinking a cup of tea and was very
nearly choked.

_Tuesday, September 24_.--Little Lizzie Rogers is staying with us. She has
an intelligent face of rather a gipsy type, with dark brown eyes, and
straight hair. We are quite enjoying her company. She is most contented
and happy, and has settled down far better than the others did. We have
produced a doll for her, and it is delightful to see her mothering it and
wrapping it up in her pinafore. She went to sleep with it clasped in her
arms.

Martha Green came down this evening to return the sovereign, but of course
we would not take it.

_Thursday, September 26_.--This morning the men pulled out about fifteen
miles to a ship, but the captain would not stop for them to go on board.
He offered to take the letters, but they were nettled at his not stopping
and would not give them to him. It was an Italian ship. As a rule foreign
vessels carry very little surplus stock. The men do best on English and
American ships. This is the second time our letters have been taken off in
vain.

_Saturday, September 28_.--Our little visitor has just returned home. She
wept when her mother told her she must leave us, so we had her back to
dinner and now she has finally departed.

_Monday, September 30_.--At midday a ship was sighted, causing the hasty
closing of school and a hurried finishing of letters. It has been a most
anxious day. When the men started for the ship there was a comparatively
quiet sea, but towards two o'clock there was a squall, a breeze sprang up,
and all the afternoon a gale has been blowing, with occasional hailstorms.
The sea is covered with white caps and the wind sweeping over it. Every
now and then we can see a ring of spray being blown along which is called
a "whilly" by the people and is thought to denote danger. The men must be
having a very bad time of it. We are anxiously awaiting their return; it
is now five o'clock and there is no sign of them.

_Wednesday, October 2_.--The men never reached the ship. Every one felt
very anxious as Monday afternoon wore on. All the men were out but two.
Soon after six o'clock when it was beginning to get dark we went on to the
cliff. The wind was blowing so hard we could scarcely stand. We met Fred
Swain, who said that the two boats were coming round the point from the
east. By straining our eyes we could just dimly discern one boat. Hagan
now joined us and we stood for some time watching it. It was making for
Big Beach, so he and Graham ran off to Little Beach to get pieces of wood
for its landing. By the time we got down to the beach it was in and the
crew were pulling it up. They were shivering with cold and soon went off
home. About the other boat they could tell us nothing except that they
believed it was a long way behind. After waiting some time for it Graham
and Bob Green went off in search along the shore. At Thomas island they
got an answer to their whistle, and came back to tell us the boat was
coming. The women meanwhile sat under the lee of a big rock, where
presently they lighted a fire and warmed the tea they had brought down. We
all felt thankful when, an hour later, the last boat landed. As soon as
they had drunk the hot tea we trooped up the cliffs home. The wind blew
the lantern out and we had to grope along as best we could by the faint
light of a brand. The men did not say much as to how they had got on. But
Henry said it was the worst day he had been out in, much worse than the
_Surrey_ day, and he is one of those who will go when others will not.
Another said he thought every minute they were going to be swamped. We
heard later from Repetto that if one wave had broken a few feet nearer it
would have done for them. Those in the last boat broke an oar and could
make no headway. They tried in vain to put in at another point, and feared
they would never get in, but happily the sea went down a little. It was
the sweeping sea and the wind coming in gusts that made it so dangerous.
It was very cold, too, so that when not rowing the islanders were rendered
almost incapable. The next day the sea was quite calm.

Yesterday Maria Green, who is thirteen, came to stay with us. She is the
younger daughter of Mrs. H. Green, and is rather a nice-looking girl, with
dark wavy hair and a fairish skin. She is always spick-and-span, never so
much as a hair out of its place. Naturally she is very shy, and I think,
though she wanted to visit us, the coming was a great effort to her. But
now that the plunge has been made I hope she finds it less alarming than
she expected. She helps Ellen a good deal, and this keeps her occupied and
makes her less shy.

Nearly every man has been out on the mountain today in search of molly
eggs. Only one egg is found in a nest, and yet Glass on Saturday got one
hundred and sixty-two. In time, I fear, these beautiful birds will be
driven from the island.

_Saturday, October 5_.--I spent the morning gardening and in the afternon
went to meet Graham, who with John Glass and his wife, Johnny Lavarello,
Maria Green and Mary Repetto had been to the ponds. They had thoroughly
enjoyed the day, the children especially, as they had not been there
before. All, except Graham, were laden with molly eggs stowed away in
their shirt or blouse which is sewn into a pouch for the occasion, a mode
of carrying which gave them a very comical appearance. The birds are quite
tame, only giving a peck when pushed off the nest.

_Tuesday, October 8_.--We are having a week's holiday. Yesterday morning I
said to little Ned Green, "Boys in England wash their neck, arms and chest
every day. You come one morning and Mr. Barrow will show you how to do the
same." He turned away his head and said, "I'm skeered." This morning
before we were up he was waiting in the porch, and then came in and sat on
the sofa until Graham was ready for him. As it was rather a wet morning
the instructions were given indoors. I heard most lively conversation
going on during the process. He was rewarded with a biscuit which he took
home to his little sister.

Idioms are little used here. I said yesterday to Ned, who was minding some
goslings, "You have got your hands full," when I saw him look down and
open his hand. The goslings are as much trouble to raise here as turkeys
are at home. They have, at first, to be watched all day long for fear of
their getting wet, and then there is always the danger of their being
carried away by the stream. If it rains they are often driven into the
sitting-room. Geese and eggs are the women's chief contributions to trade.

Mrs. H. Green has not been so well again. I went up today to try to get
her to come to dinner. She did not want to, but I said I was not going
without her. This amused her and at last she got up and went to put her
things on, though she said she was so weak she could hardly walk. When I
was sitting alone with her she told me that a few months ago something had
been said to her which she could not get off her mind. She has a strong
superstition about it. The people here believe that a person has the power
to will evil to others. A man who has been to the Cape told us one evening
that he was quite sure that the Malays had the power to make a person lame
by putting something on the doorstep, and that no one could effect a cure
except a Malay doctor.

CHAPTER XXIII

_Wednesday, October 9_.--We were aroused from our slumbers this morning by
Charlie Green hammering at the door, and on inquiry heard there was a ship
in sight. It was a most beautiful day and the sea like a mill-pond. The
men said before they started they were sure the ship was a whaler; and
they were right. The people, expecting visitors, set to work to scrub
their floors. In the course of the morning the first mate, a coloured man,
landed with a mail from St. Helena. There were only three letters in it.
One was from the Bishop. There seems now no prospect of his coming while
we are here. Our men only did fairly well on the whaler, which, however,
was well supplied with potatoes, having taken in a supply at St. Helena
only seventeen days ago. The captain and his wife kindly sent us a bunch
of bananas and a large tin of grape-nuts.

_Thursday, October 10_.--This afternoon we took the Repetto girls, Maria
and Sophy, who are staying with us, for a picnic. We made for a grassy
slope near Bugsby Hole, the children gathering sticks for the fire as we
went. They came upon a poor little lamb that had just been killed by a
sea-hen. Near it was another which a sea-hen was just pouncing upon. They
had been deserted by the mother, a thing which often happens here. The
children picked up the lamb, which could hardly have been a day old, and
we wrapped it in my jacket and gave it some warm milk. It was decided that
Mary should be the happy possessor of it. As we were at tea three rats
were unearthed. One, a big fellow, sprang down close to us. There were
shrieks from the children and the tea was upset, but Rob soon caught him.

_Friday, October 11_.--The lamb died this morning. Repetto says it was
famished before we found it.

_Monday, October 14_.--Quite a bitter day. Hail has been falling. Susan
Repetto, who lives with her Aunt Betty Cotton, is with us this week. She
has a wonderful crop of curly hair which, except on Sundays when her
mother wets and curls it, is done up in a tight little knob. She is quick
and full of fun, laughing more than any child on the island.

_Wednesday, October 23_.--The Lavarellos are serving us this week, and
insist upon bringing each morning a small bucket of milk and a jugful at
night. We have been able to make some excellent butter, so yellow that the
cows might have been feeding on buttercups, of which, however, we have
seen only one small patch. Milk puddings are our daily _regime_. There has
been no shortness this year.

_Friday, October 25_.--A mollyhawk was brought in today, it weighed four
pounds and measured from tip of beak to tip of tail thirty inches, from
tip of wing to tip of wing seventy-eight, and in girth twenty. The bird
cannot rise up from level ground, but must get to the edge of a cliff or
hill, unless helped by the wind.

Cricket is being much played by the boys. Ben intensely enjoys a game, and
it is wonderful how he manages to hold a bat and hit. He has to lie on the
ground to pick up a ball.

_Sunday, October 27_.--We went to see Betty Cotton, who is laid up with a
bad rheumatic attack. Reposing in a canvas chair she was holding quite a
_levee_, and I think enjoyed being the centre of so much attention.

We find the north wind rather trying; it is enervating and brings with it
much dampness; while it prevails food does not keep well.

_Monday, October 28_.--This has been a thoroughly wet day. The children
think nothing of wet and will sit the whole day in damp clothes. Umbrellas
are almost useless and so I have taken to the people's way of wearing a
shawl over the head.

We went across to see Miss Cotton. Her room, which serves as sitting-room
and bedroom, looked most comfortless. To add to the discomfort there
were sixteen goslings hemmed in by boxes in a corner near the door. If
they were allowed out on a day like this it would kill the greater part of
them.

_Thursday, October 31_.--Another wet day, but people in and out
notwithstanding. It cleared up in the evening and we went for a turn on
the cliffs. The houses looked so picturesque silhouetted against a stormy
sky.

_Saturday, November 2_.--One of Henry's bullocks was operated on this
afternoon with the help of five or six men. It was very wild and they had
difficulty in getting it in. They threw it by means of a rope and then
tied its legs. It had something growing inside its lower lip like a wart
which prevented its eating, and this they have removed. They have
successfully performed the same operation on other bullocks.

_Monday, November 4_.--This afternoon there was a cricket match between
the boys and girls, the former playing left-handed. Needless to say, the
girls were beaten. The men looked on with interest and later had a game
themselves, and very lively cricket it was. They may go off any day now to
Inaccessible, and are only waiting for the right wind. They generally
visit it once or twice a year. Graham means to go with them as he is
anxious to see the island.

CHAPTER XXIV

_Tuesday, November 5_.--About five o'clock this morning a gun was fired to
signify that the men were going off to Inaccessible. Soon after Tom Rogers
looked in to say they were starting in about an hour's time. We packed
into a large tin flour, captain's biscuits, tea, coffee and sugar for
Graham; Tom was taking meat, and Ellen ran down at the last moment with
bread hot from the oven. They went off in three boats, cheering lustily. I
believe they hope to do some sealing. It depends entirely on the wind as
to when they return; they might be kept a fortnight.

_Thursday, November 7_.--I am taking school in Graham's absence, the elder
girls helping with the infants. If the scholars are tiresome or heedless I
just make them hold out their hand, and with a slap from mine they are
soon reduced to order. When they are reading they are not allowed to lift
up their eyes from their books, and now it is rarely they lose their
place.

_Saturday, November 9_.--The men have not yet returned. They have had very
wet weather since they left, and must have had a trying time. I hope they
have enough to eat. On the occasion of a former visit there they were
delayed so long that they ran short of food and were nearly starved. When
at last they got back one young fellow fainted. Since then they have been
careful to take more food with them and have put one or two sheep on the
island and have sown potatoes.

_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
button 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 passing
train; at other times we hear it thundering on the shore. 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 grass, 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 grass. 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 shore 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.

_Saturday, November_ 16.--As we have broken the last chimney-glass 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 glass from a passing ship, but only three have been boarded since
March, one of them being a whaler.

[Illustration: 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 harassed 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 shells 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.

_Saturday, 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 butter 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 quantity of potatoes, but these
latter are scarce; he offers in exchange flour, soap, molasses, 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 passing steamer, failing that, he
will post them at St. Helena two or three months hence. I have about
sixteen to send off.

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