LIFE IN INDIA. CHAPTER I. "Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean-roll! He sinks into thy depths with bubbling groan, BYRON. A VOYAGE to India has often been described; and there is, in truth, little variety in the every-day scenes on board a large vessel. The passengers you meet with are pretty much of the same stamp, and have been depicted, times out of number, by the B 2 MISFORTUNES IN THE CHANNEL. thousand and one voyagers to the East, who have given us amusing portraits of the old officer returning to join his regiment after a leave of absence; and of the young cadet, fresh from the military college of Addiscombe, with his head full of the Wellington despatches and of Bengal tigers. According to the good old custom, I kept an accurate diary, and was as punctual in noting down every little event, as our first mate was in recording in his log-book the progress of the ship or the state of the weather every twenty-four hours. In turning over the leaves of this diary, I find but little worth extracting. It is but a record of sunshine and storms, and of many sad reflections upon taking leave of all that was near or dear to me on earth. The journal of my first week on board ship presents a dreary catalogue of troubles, occasioned by the loss of masts and sails in a gale of wind coming down channel; by the sea pouring in through the seams of the deck, and deluging my bed and cabin; and by other discomforts peculiar to new ships that have been fitted out in a hurry, and with but little regard to the comfort or convenience of those destined to live so many months on board of them. But these treats were of short duration; and a few fine days set us all to rights again. The carpenter, a clever and active man, was not AN ATTEMPTED MUTINY. 3 long in completing the new spars to supply the place of those carried away, and our cabins were effectually secured against any further intrusions of the sea. Our crew consisted of a mixture of English, Irish, and Scotch sailors; and we had not been long on board before the captain discovered that there were two or three bad characters amongst them. One morning, as we were sitting at breakfast, he was summoned on deck and informed by these men, who had been selected as spokesmen by the rest, that it was their determination to work only in their watch; that he was quite at liberty to confine them below deck if he thought proper, but work at any other time they would not. Having delivered this piece of information, the mutineers returned to the forecastle, and the captain very coolly sat down again, and finished his cup of coffee with us in the cabin. As soon as the cloth was drawn, the mate was ordered to get the irons out, to load with ball three pistols, and to see that cutlasses were placed conveniently in every state-room, in case they should be wanted in a hurry. Having finished these warlike preparations, we waited the issue of the afternoon's watch, to see if the crew would turn out as usual to their duty. Two bells were at last struck, and, much to our surprise, every hand appeared on deck. The malcontents saw that they had a determined AMUSEMENT ON A LONG VOYAGE. character to deal with in the person of Captain W- and had thought it better to attend to his orders at once. As a punishment, he gave them all an extra hour's work; and the two ringleaders were set to holy-stone the decks until they begged his pardon. One condescended to do this the following morning, but the other rebel laboured at this hard and distasteful work for eight days, before his spirit was sufficiently broken to induce him to ask forgiveness for past offences. Thus were harmony and good order once more restored on board our vessel, and, I am happy to say, they were not interrupted again during the voyage. As we had a good library on board, my time was profitably passed in reading, and in noting down every event that had the slightest novelty to recommend it to notice; for the sea has a thousand charms to those who travel for instruction, or with a laudable desire to increase their acquaintance with the world which they inhabit; and, though a long voyage may eventually tire the most sanguine inquirer in the pursuit of knowledge, yet a large and marvellous page of nature is open to him whose business is in the great waters. Of such a man it may truly be said, that he shall "see the wonders of the Lord." The change of temperature which begins to be very perceptible as you draw near the lovely group of the Madeiras when you first put on the cool white dress, and enjoy your walk upon the high poop, is a pleasing relief after the fogs, rains, and chilly nights, which have depressed your spirits and made you dissatisfied with everything. The young voyager is now delighted with the different colours of the sea. When viewed in hazy weather, a yellow tinge is spread over it; but as he enters the torrid zone, a dark brown is the prevailing colour. But these hues are continually changing, for the bottom of the ocean has a wonderful influence over them; and the reflection of the sun, when the sky is clear and serene, decks the mighty expanse in the most refreshing green. When he reflects that this immense body of water which surrounds him occupies a space on the surface of our globe greater than that which is called dry land, and covers an extent of 148,000,000 of square miles, he is lost in the contemplation of so sublime a work. Again, there is his old welcome friend, the calm, pale moon-which always appears to the English eye unusually large, when viewed through the clear, tropical atmosphere-looking so bright and beautiful, that you scarcely know her again. Everything, in fact, that you see, as the ship steals through the waste of waters towards its destination, has a freshness and novelty about it which delight and en |