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- 11325
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:14.843Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 11267
- text
- CHAPTER LVIII.
THOUGH THE HIGHLANDER PUTS INTO NO HARBOR AS YET; SHE HERE AND THERE
LEAVES MANY OF HER PASSENGERS BEHIND
Although fast-sailing ships, blest with prosperous breezes, have
frequently made the run across the Atlantic in eighteen days; yet, it
is not uncommon for other vessels to be forty, or fifty, and even
sixty, seventy, eighty, and ninety days, in making the same passage.
Though in the latter cases, some signal calamity or incapacity must
occasion so great a detention. It is also true, that generally the
passage out from America is shorter than the return; which is to be
ascribed to the prevalence of westerly winds.
We had been outside of Cape Clear upward of twenty days, still harassed
by head-winds, though with pleasant weather upon the whole, when we
were visited by a succession of rain storms, which lasted the greater
part of a week.
During the interval, the emigrants were obliged to remain below; but
this was nothing strange to some of them; who, not recovering, while at
sea, from their first attack of seasickness, seldom or never made their
appearance on deck, during the entire passage.
During the week, now in question, fire was only once made in the public
galley. This occasioned a good deal of domestic work to be done in the
steerage, which otherwise would have been done in the open air. When
the lulls of the rain-storms would intervene, some unusually cleanly
emigrant would climb to the deck, with a bucket of slops, to toss into
the sea. No experience seemed sufficient to instruct some of these
ignorant people in the simplest, and most elemental principles of
ocean-life. Spite of all lectures on the subject, several would
continue to shun the leeward side of the vessel, with their slops. One
morning, when it was blowing very fresh, a simple fellow pitched over a
gallon or two of something to windward. Instantly it flew back in his
face; and also, in the face of the chief mate, who happened to be
standing by at the time. The offender was collared, and shaken on the
spot; and ironically commanded, never, for the future, to throw any
thing to windward at sea, but fine ashes and scalding hot water.
During the frequent _hard blows_ we experienced, the hatchways on the
steerage were, at intervals, hermetically closed; sealing down in their
noisome den, those scores of human beings. It was something to be
marveled at, that the shocking fate, which, but a short time ago,
overtook the poor passengers in a Liverpool steamer in the Channel,
during similar stormy weather, and under similar treatment, did not
overtake some of the emigrants of the Highlander.
Nevertheless, it was, beyond question, this noisome confinement in so
close, unventilated, and crowded a den: joined to the deprivation of
sufficient food, from which many were suffering; which, helped by their
personal uncleanliness, brought on a malignant fever.
The first report was, that two persons were affected. No sooner was it
known, than the mate promptly repaired to the medicine-chest in the
cabin: and with the remedies deemed suitable, descended into the
steerage. But the medicines proved of no avail; the invalids rapidly
grew worse; and two more of the emigrants became infected.
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