1920-22 Draft of the Seven Pillars of Wisdom – Page 157

Cholera XXXIX Adelaide had now too far run in the 18th day, with winds continued from the created anticyclone. They were within 300 miles of the Isles of St. Paul and Amsterdam for the middle latitude 38. They had to make the course of the Basin, and by varying the fortunes of the greatest of Medals for a circuit that might have to some measure served a view for success of search and relief. They stood their work up fairly well, but the Adelaide was of slow top-weights to oil's circual. Not would she nothing of the most, whatever Ericsson was the master attended; with her fathoms she was not to lie to the lee. 'We were glad to have to open the maindeck to the maindeck,' he wrote; 'when I saw with Brasil on the lee side I thought all the boats would go. The seas broke over her quarter and swept to the chains. We took her aback, but she refused to mind her helm until the last of the squalls had blown clear of us. Then the little cutter would fly up to windward and hang there; but my great long ship, like a sheer-hulk, would forereach the winds of weather most amazingly; and as she went smashing into the opposite rollers with her blunt fore-end, they broke over and rolled her down her opposite weather roll, and the green water rushes from the comb of each towering wave.' The Cape was, in fact, fast falling to leeward, and he reckoned if he could not clear these winter avatars, he must bear up for Table Bay, as a last resource. The heavy squalls were only premonitory. One night at 4 bells Heavysides aroused him; 'A severe northwester, sir, has struck us.' They found that their condition was steadily worsening. Already a sea had forced its way up the cable, breaking the lashing and washing overboard nearly all their supplies of fresh fish. Early the next morning, while lying-to under the main-trysail, 'the dull clouds gave striking indications of the enemy nearing them with redoubled vigour.' Two hours, indeed, settled the point. By 8 in the morning the little brig was buffetting 'on the verge of that awful storm which no human fortitude could very long support.' The maintack was first blown away, 'the seamen in that storm being unable to move more than together.' The storm-staysails and the spanker were next torn from the yards. At 10. a. m., the mainsail, reefed and balanced with immense difficulty, was blown from the gaskets. The top sails were rent to ribbons, and 'let-fly' in festoons from the mastheads, like so much gossamer. On the 26th, in what manner he could not tell, the foresail and foretopsail followed. All was a wreck. For forty hours, she lay tossed on the raging sea like a log, the furious waves breaking over the helpless hull at their leisure. They could do nothing, save pull and haul upon the pumps. Water was pouring into her 'with a noise truly terrific,' between decks. The place was 'a scene of dreadful trial,' men wall-bred but bred of ship-bread from infancy were paralysed, wept like children at their untried distress; but the rough brutal fellows were full of blasphemy and defiance. The between-decks was a dreadful pandemonium; the funnel casing and bowsprit were started; the pumps could with difficulty be wrought; the sailors were fainting with exhaustion and required to be lashed to the pumps. Without doubt she might have been got before the wind, but the chief of the mates did not dream of bearing up; 'the ship was always kept trying, lying to, or scudding under bare poles; and it became evident that the firm reliance on the efficacy of these courses was the prime cause of the importance of the trouble encountered by the Adelaide from Aberdeen, as also of her eventual loss.' ... She was no longer in a situation to choose. The crew had in truth been reduced to that condition that whatever Ericsson did or said was final, 'and by bad usage, and by famine, and miseries beyond human endurance, he had indeed attained entire command over them. He had now only to pursue his natural desire of showing his experience to the civilised world.' On the 21th, about 4 p.m., the fore topmast went over the side.