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

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_Saturday, July 28_.--It being a lovely afternoon Ellen and I went
eastward to gather wood on Big Beach, where we collected as much as three
could carry. Graham and William came to help us home with it. Ellen
carried some in her skirt, Graham took off his jacket and made a bundle,
and William "backed" a bagful.

[Illustration: BIG BEACH]

_Tuesday, July 31_.--It has been a busy day. I made scones before
breakfast and baked them on tins over an open fire, baking my face at the
same time. I was at school for two hours, and then sat down to machine
till dinner-time. At three o'clock I took the women's meeting, where we
finished the twenty-third Psalm. It was blowing and raining hard when we
came home. We found Repetto repairing for us a pair of bellows that had
belonged to Mr. Dodgson. Charlotte Swain came for some glycerine for her
mother who has asthma again. Later, Rebekah came in with her niece Mabel,
bringing some tablecloths her mother had ironed. Mabel shyly offered us
some fish. Rebekah stayed some time, Repetto till seven. The cattle
question was again discussed with him. Fifty-four have already died. If we
are only able to do some good as regards the cattle it will have been
something worth coming out for. I cannot bear to look at the poor
creatures. One of Betty's has several times got into our garden and had a
good feast. A few days ago it calved. So many have calves; I do not know
how they live. To finish the account of the day's work, after supper bread
had to be made. Alas! in the morning it turned out to be rather heavy.

Repetto, who is very fond of reading, has lent us a short biography of
Melanchthon, which we are reading aloud.

In one of the Glasgow papers that came from the _Loch Katrine_ there is a
notice of De P----'s sudden death in Paris. It is curious we should have
learnt the news in this way. We never find time to read till the evening,
and even then it often has to be put aside for writing.

We are glad to be getting through the winter. The thermometer has never
been lower than 44. The winds are very keen, and lately an east wind has
been blowing, which is unusual.

I find teaching infants needs much patience, but some days they are much
brighter than others. They are getting on, and the four elder ones can
read short words quite easily. They each have a book and read round in
turn. The others, who know their alphabet, stand round, too, but of course
take in but little. The four can actually add two to a number, and Arthur
Repetto can even add four and five together. He puts his back into
whatever he does. His mother is, I believe, rather stern with her
children; and some think they are whipped too much. However this may be,
they seem to be turning out well. Certainly all the mothers seem to teach
their children good manners; for example, if our boy William sees me
standing in school, he will get up and offer me a seat. He is very
thoughtful, and if we express a wish about anything, it is sure to be
done. His duties are to chop wood, to go to the spring for the drinking
water, and to fill the pails twice a day. If he happens not to be at home
he always sees that some one else does his work.

_Thursday, August 2_.--This afternoon after choir practice Ellen and I
went down to the rocks, although it was very cold, to try to catch
craw-fish. We had not started fishing when we saw William running towards
us. He came to say a ship was in view to the west and that the men were
going off. So of course we hurried up again to get our letters ready. The
boats put off about five o'clock and probably will not be back before
daylight.

_Friday, August 3_.--The men returned late last evening after a fruitless
journey. Although it was a moonlight night they failed to sight the ship.
They were very wet.

Graham is digging the lower part of the garden. It is covered with turf
which, as he removes, he banks up to form a little shelter from the wind
for the vegetables, if ever there are any. Flax shelters the bed on the
other side. The digging is rather laborious, as there are large stones
which have to be extracted with a crowbar. The soil is first-rate, and so
far no mildew has been met with. One of the greatest enemies to the seeds
will be the fowls, and because of them probably we shall have to sow first
in boxes. Graham has made a needle and mesh so that we can make nets.
Repetto has shown us how to start netting. It is not known who brought
flax to the isle, but Betty says her father and his contemporaries brought
it to the settlement from Sandy Point.

CHAPTER XII

_Friday, August_ 10.--We had a gale last Wednesday. It was with some
difficulty we got to the women's meeting which had been postponed the day
before on account of the weather; we had to go by a circuitous route. Only
three women came, and I was debating whether to have the meeting when I
missed my spectacles. I felt sure they had been blown off by the wind.
Mrs. Repetto and Mrs. Hagan went off to search for them, and Ellen and I
soon followed. It seemed rather a hopeless task as we had come by such a
round-about way. I went home to see if I could possibly have left them
behind; but no, they were not there. The loss of them was rather serious,
as I had broken my pince-nez the day after landing. I felt sure they would
be found if only we searched long enough, and presently I came across one
half of them. By this time about fourteen people, men as well as women,
were looking for them. The gale was terrific, and when the gusts came the
only thing to do was to crouch down. It was a comical sight, and I wish I
could have photographed it. I was caught hold of several times by one of
the elder girls and held when the gusts came. I promised a pot of jam to
the one who should find the other half of the spectacles. We had been out
over an hour and were beginning to think we must leave further search till
the morning when John Glass found it. It had been blown some distance from
the spot where I had found the first half. Glass was going to take them
home to try to mend them when he was called off to a poor cow that had
fallen down. At his suggestion Graham took them to Repetto, who brought
them down in the evening. He is going to mend my pince-nez with a watch
spring. From what he told us I fear the loss of cattle must be close upon
a hundred.

_Monday, August_ 13.--We have been building a most delightful castle in
the air to-day. If a man-of-war comes we might go back in it to Cape Town
and try to arrange with some enterprising person to come in a schooner and
buy up the cattle here at a low price. What commissions we should have to
execute for the people!

This has been a full day from morning till evening. I began laundry work
at 7.30, made a yeast, then potato-cakes, superintended the planting of
peach-slips against the house, paid a visit to Mrs. Henry Green, and
entertained about seven visitors--several with requests to be attended to.
Graham was digging all the afternoon.

_Tuesday, August_ 14.--Little Edith Swain, one of the infants, has had a
cough, and as her mother said she thought she had not warm enough
clothing, I set to and knitted her a vest in two days. This morning Edith
appeared alone, and pushing past Ellen, who opened the door, came and put
into my hand something tied up in a pocket-handkerchief, which something
proved to be a pair of stockings. Her mother, who came in later, told me
that Edith asked if she could not give Mrs. Barrow a present, so she gave
her the pair of stockings to bring. She said to her mother, "Did you offer
Mrs. Barrow a cup of tea when she came?" She is not a very bright child
and cannot learn her ABC, though she learns by heart very nicely.

The Repetto's youngest child, Joe, who is not yet two, asked his father
for a book the other day and marched off to school with it. He got across
the brook without getting wet, and as he neared the school door was heard
singing, "Onward, Christian Soldiers." His sister Martha soon dispatched
him home, poor little fellow. Repetto came this afternoon with the
pince-nez which he had mended. He stayed supper and gave us further
instruction in netting.

_Wednesday, August 15_.--Today I sowed flower seeds; a performance which
intensely interested the children who crowded round the front door. I used
biscuit-tins for boxes, which William filled with soil. I have planted
bulbs of a Mentone creeper, love-in-a-mist, heather, sweet peas and canna
seeds. One does sadly miss the spring flowers. Afterwards I went down to
the beach with Sophy and the Repetto girls to pick up wood. Rob carried
the canvas bag which was rolled up, and it was amusing to see him
careering after the sea-hens (skua-gulls) at a tremendous pace with the
bag in his mouth. The girls picked up more wood than we could carry home.
We have had some more peach-slips brought, which we have planted under the
shelter of the flax, and yesterday William brought more than a dozen apple
trees and cuttings, and is going to bring some young fig trees. Thus we
shall have quite an orchard, if they grow, but the "if" is a big one. The
people do not seem to take any trouble with their fruit trees and hardly
ever prune them. Perhaps they are disheartened on account of the rats.
Most of the orchards are a long way off in sheltered ravines round the
island.

The men lead fairly busy lives. Last month they were occupied in drawing
out manure in the quaint bullock wagons to their potato patches, which are
about three miles off. It was no easy business as the bullocks were not up
to the work owing to their starved condition. Each man possesses about
three pairs of bullocks. This week they will begin planting potatoes, and
some of the children will have to be away from school as their help will
be needed.

This evening I made the small boys help to gather grass for the cattle,
which we threw to them over the wall. It gave me great satisfaction to see
them eating it, and a particularly lean one had quite a good feast. I try
to feed them every day, and get the Repetto girls to help.

I feel a little elated as I have made some rather good bread.

There was a thunderstorm to-day. The weather is quite spring-like, the
days are warm but the nights cold.

Ellen and I had such an evening yesterday. With much misgiving I
determined to try to develop some films--my first attempt. The kitchen was
the darkroom. We began operations soon after supper and did not get to bed
till nearly midnight. The developing was done under great difficulties.
The candle had to be renewed two or three times, and I was left in total
darkness at most critical moments. Notwithstanding, nine out of twelve
have come out fairly well. I hope I shall manage better next time.

Repetto has been talking over the cattle question with some of the men,
and telling them how much better off they would be if they limited the
number of cattle and sheep to be owned by each family, say, to ten cattle
and fifty sheep. He pointed out to them what a benefit it would be if a
schooner could come yearly to trade. He thinks the cattle ought to sell at
L3 a head. If possible Graham would go to the Cape with one of the men
chosen by themselves.

[Illustration: THE HENRY GREEN FAMILY AT WORK ON A POTATO PATCH]

_Friday, August_ 24.--Yesterday a ship came close in, but the sea was
rough and the men were busy at their potato patches.

_Monday, August_ 27.--Saturday was very blustery, and the rain came down
in torrents. We kept thinking of the poor cattle. Several were sheltering
under the wall at the bottom of the garden and looking so miserable. Ellen
and I felt sure one or two would be gone by morning; and sure enough they
were. Altogether twelve died that night. It really made me feel ill. The
number of deaths has now reached to one hundred and eighty-four. Betty's
cow that has several times clambered into the garden comes round sometimes
in the middle of the night, clattering up the stone pathway to see if it
can get in. It has just calved. The men are all very down-hearted, never
having had such losses before. Henry Green has lost over forty. Repetto,
who does not own many, has lost four, two bullocks and two cows, within a
few days. The two cows he had lately kept in his garden. Graham told him
that he thought the islanders had brought the loss upon themselves by
keeping too many.

_Tuesday, August_ 28.--Yesterday the wind was bitterly cold, to-day we are
in the lee and it is quite mild.

We had an early dinner as Graham had promised Rebekah to help her plant
potatoes. He went off with spade on shoulder and did not get home till
supper-time. Rebekah, accompanied by young Mrs. Swain, brought in some
cooked lamb for his supper. Mrs. Swain said Tom was full of his praises
because of the way he had worked; "he had done it better than any
stranger, and real splendid."

We heard to-day that the number of lost cattle has reached two hundred. A
very wet night.

_Wednesday, August_ 29.--To-day we have come across so many dead animals.
This morning close to the school a heifer, then this afternoon when Graham
and I went out for a walk we saw near Miss Cotton's field close to the
stream a poor dying ox. Graham went in search of some one and met
Lavarello coming with a bag of grass, but the poor beast was too far gone
to eat. I told Lavarello I hoped he would kill it, and he said he would
fetch a knife. We went on to the shore; there a young heifer lay dying, it
had fallen off the cliff. Further on we saw a dead donkey, and coming up
the cliff I saw another dead heifer. It makes one feel very sad and very
angry.

Ellen, who is anxious to do a little teaching, is taking on Monday and
Wednesday afternoons the children who are most backward in reading.

_Saturday, September_ 1.--Yesterday just across the watering we came upon
a poor cow which was down. I got it some grass, and the Swain girls coming
up helped to heave it up into a better position. Then old Mrs. Glass
brought it some more food, which it ate ravenously. We fed it again in the
afternoon. It belongs to the Lavarellos, who in the morning managed to get
it home. This is the only case I know of a cow which was down getting
better.

_Monday, September_ 3.--Betty's cow that we are so interested in has lost
its calf. If more to eat had been given the mother I do not think this
would have happened. The cow has been up to the house two or three times
to-day, and I have fed her well each time. Poor thing, it is so hungry. We
have had better weather the last few days, and are hoping for the animals'
sake this will be a fine month.

_Wednesday, September_ 5.--A most beautiful day. Graham and Repetto have
been sowing carrots, onions, lettuce, and parsley. I have put in some
flower seeds. I went several times to feed a poor bullock of Henry
Green's. It was standing when we first saw it in the morning and was just
able to get down to the stream to drink. I fed it frequently in the
afternoon, but when I went again at five o'clock it would eat nothing and
soon afterwards died.

The men were out fishing and brought back seven sacks of fish.

_Monday, September 10_.--Yesterday the fowls had a field day in the
flower-bed, and scratched up and ate a good many of the sweet peas.

This morning news was brought that "Molly," Betty's sick cow, was down.
Rebekah had found her early with her head caught under her body and too
weak to free herself. She was got up, and we have been feeding her on and
off all day. She stood in the field at the bottom of this garden until the
evening, when to our great surprise she dragged herself to the front of
the house where she has been so often fed. It is a wet rough night. I hope
she will not succumb.

_Wednesday, September l2_.--Poor "Molly" died yesterday morning. It had
poured hard all night, and she was found lying in Bob Green's yard. They
got her up, but she fell, and was pulled up again. Then she ate a little,
but again fell down panting, and nothing more could be done for her. I
feel very indignant about it, for if she had had shelter and more food,
both of which were possible, she would probably not have died. About two
hundred and eighty cattle have now died, and each day is adding to the
list.

After supper last night the Repettos came in. He was a little anxious
about his leg, which he cut just above the knee when skinning an animal.
The cut was rather deep, but it did not bleed. Now there is a lump which
seems to be gathering. I bathed it with Condy's fluid then and again next
morning, and told him to rest for two or three days.

It has been a lovely day; we have had so few with right sunshine and no
wind.

_Thursday, September 13_.--This morning I photographed the Sam Swain
family at their special request. Swain wants to send a photograph of the
family to his mother at the Cape. There was such an attiring of themselves
beforehand, but all the picturesqueness was gone when they appeared, for
they had discarded their handkerchiefs. Charlotte wanted to know if they
should wear hats instead. I was thankful to be able to say it would not do
as they would cast a shadow on their faces.

On Thursdays we have choir practice. It is amusing to see the harmonium
being carried up in triumph by two of the elder boys, a bevy of little
boys following at their heels, and one proud boy bearing some music. At
the end of the practice I have been teaching the children prayers for
morning and evening. I told them that as soon as they could say them off
by heart they should have the printed card. Last Thursday and to-day the
children came up in turn to say them. It took rather a long time, but
nearly all have gained the card.

Every afternoon now Graham is very busy building up the wall of the field
below our garden as he is anxious to grow a crop of hay. The men are very
dubious about it, but he intends to try for the sake of the cows. Tom
Rogers took a cow and calf in a boat to the other side of the island where
there is plenty of pasture. When he went to look at them yesterday the cow
was dead. It had probably been taken too late.

_Friday, September 14_.--Another full day. I have been three times to
young Mrs. Rogers to poultice an abscess. I have also been to bathe
Repetto's leg. Then old Mrs. Rogers came in for some arrowroot which
I had promised her for her daughter, Mrs. Bob Green, who has a baby girl.
We had the sewing-class as usual, and after it Ellen and I with a group
of children went to gather wood on Big Beach and got back home soon
after five o'clock. Graham, helped by Johnny Green, spent the afternoon
in building the wall of the field. It is rather heavy work getting
large stones up the bank. The other evening while Ellen and I were
developing films he was soling a pair of shoes. It was his first attempt
at boot-mending, and he has done it remarkably well.

This is the season for penguin eggs, and we have had a number given us. We
find them a great help in the daily menu. Milk at present is not
obtainable and potatoes are getting very scarce.

_Saturday, September 15_.--This morning I photographed the Repetto and the
Lavarello families, who want to send photographs to their relatives in
Italy.

CHAPTER XIII

_Monday, September 17_.--We are taking a week's holiday, but to-day there
has been little rest. I was up by 7.15 to do laundry work, then at 9.30
was with Mrs. Rogers dressing her wound. This afternoon I went to see Mrs.
Bob Green and her baby, also Miss Cotton. The latter seems to think these
are the worst times she has known. The people have never been without milk
before. The number of cattle that have died has now reached three hundred
and fifteen. The cow Bob Green is trying to save is slung in a shed. It is
so weak it can hardly walk. Little Charlie frightened it the other day and
it fell on its side. On Sunday it fell across the brook, from which
position it was extricated with the greatest difficulty. If it had not
been discovered it would have died.

_Wednesday, September 19_.--We have had two wet ays and have been very
busy in-doors. The people being short of tea and sugar, we thought that on
the anniversary of our wedding-day we would give out some we brought with
us. Notice having been given, they appeared en masse at the hour named,
but without anything to take provisions away in, so the younger women went
back to get tins. Graham gave out the sugar (2 lbs. each), and I the tea
(1 lb. each); but only half this quantity was given to widows and
unmarried women. The people were very pleased, and one or two came back
with offerings. I should think that in the last ten days we have had one
hundred eggs given us. Tom Rogers went to Sandy point and brought back
over two hundred penguin eggs. The men when they have spare time hunt for
young eaglets, of which they are now bringing in great quantities. These
are sea-birds, and look like grey, fluffy balls.

We have quite made up our minds to go to Cape Town to see about a
schooner. Though there will be no cattle to sell there will be a great
number of sheep. We shall take the first vessel we can get after October.

This morning it took me four hours to bake bread in a very hot kitchen.

_Thursday, September 20_.--This afternoon Ellen and I went to look at Mrs.
Hagan's grey cow, which is slowly pulling round. As we were watching it
the poor creature tripped going in at the gate, and falling on its side
had to be pulled up.

_Saturday, September 22_.--I spent nearly all yesterday at photography.
The morning was given to printing, the afternoon to developing the prints,
and the evening to developing negatives, which were mostly groups of the
different families and which came out fairly well.

Ellen and I have spent today at the potato patches. We started early,
wending our way slowly. At Hill Piece Rebekah joined us. It was sad to see
so many dead cattle lying about in every direction; the air is quite
vitiated. The potatoes are coming on well. We had our lunch under the lee
of a hill, at the foot of which were grazing a few miserable-looking
cattle. We came home most leisurely, and just as we were arriving at the
settlement heard that a vessel was to be seen to the west, and that the
men were going out to her. Repetto came for our letters on his way down to
the shore. But after all the men did not go, for when they got down to the
boats they found the ship was not coming this way, but passing between the
islands--that is, between us and Inaccessible and Nightingale, so they had
to bring all their things up from the beach again.

_Monday, September 24_.--We began school to-day feeling much fresher for
our holiday. Some of the men have gone off for penguin eggs. I wish they
did not take them in quite such a wholesale way.

_Tuesday, September 25_.--The men returned to-day from Sandy Point with
shoals of penguin eggs. Four different families have sent us some, seventy
in all, and as they are a good size, rather larger than a duck's, it will
take us some time to get through them.

This morning and afternoon I went to look at the invalid cows. Rebekah is
not wanting in spirit. Her cow was "down" at the potato patches. She had
it lifted into a cart and brought home at night. She has it slung and lets
it take an airing in the day. To-day we found it lying down on its side as
if dead, and if left long in this position it would have died. It was
hauled up by the women and girls and set on its legs. I went to see the
Hagans' and Tom Rogers' cows, which were out on the common. Both had to be
pulled up, which was done with the utmost difficulty. Their poor sides get
so sore from constant falls. The grass is really beginning to show a
little growth, but not enough to get much food off it.

This has been a most beautiful day and the air quite balmy. The seeds,
such as stock, nasturtium, linum, phlox, and sweet pea, are doing well in
the garden. The greater number of the apple-trees are showing life. We
watch everything growing with the greatest interest.

_Wednesday, September 26_.--About nine o'clock we heard there was a ship
to the westward; but Graham went off to school. While there he was told
Lavarello's cow was in the bog; and so he went out to it with Johnny and
two of the elder girls, they fetched a rope, then he and Johnny took off
their shoes and socks and waded into the bog. Soon several men came, who
heaved up the back legs of the cow while Graham and the others pulled at
the rope fastened to its horns. It was at last pulled out broadside on.
Its legs had completely sunk in the bog, and it would probably have
eventually sunk altogether, as many others before it, had it not been seen
in time. When I arrived at school I found the children as quiet and good
as if Graham were there. He soon came back, and almost immediately
dismissed school as the men were starting for the ship. He made up his
mind to go too. Only one boat was going, as some of the men had gone off
early in the other boat to hunt birds and get eggs. There was such a
packing of the animals into the boat; I do not like looking at them, they
are so frightened. One poor lamb died on its way to the shore. Some one
declared its death was caused by a child sitting on it, but I do not think
it was. They started off about eleven o'clock and did not get to the ship
till nearly three. At about six we went down to the shore with Mrs.
Repetto to meet them returning. They had no sooner landed than Rob had a
tremendous fight with her fox terrier. For some time we could not get them
separated. Graham got Rob by the back legs and dragged at him. In the
scramble we found ourselves in the surf, where I fell down. Still Rob held
on. At last by slapping him on the head and by pulling at his collar he
was made to let go. The fox terrier was snatched up and carried off.

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