deck, and were massed, first aft and then forward; but the General
Havelock gave no sign. Then it was resolved to roll her, the men running
in a body from side to side. Then we tried to jump her off. The whole of
the Europeans and sepoys were set to jump in time—first on one side, and
then on the other. A funnier sight, eighty men, black and white, leaping
up and down, and then going from side to side, could not be conceived.
Everyone laughed except those who swore when their naked feet were jumped
upon by the thick ammunition-boots of some English soldier. Presently the
laughter abated, for everyone was getting too hot even to laugh. The scene
was strangest at this time, and reminded me, with the leaping figures, the
swarthy skins, and the long hair, more of a New Zealand war-dance than
anything I had ever seen. Hours passed in experiments of this sort, but
still the General Havelock remained immovable, only when the sun went down
and the wind rose she rolled almost as heavily as if afloat, and lifted on
the waves and fell into her bed with a heavy bump which was very
unpleasant. Boats were now lowered and soundings taken, and it was found
that the water was deeper on nearly every side than at the exact spot upon
which we had struck. Hawsers were got out and the men set to work at the
capstan; but the anchors only drew home through the sandy bottom, and
brought up branches of white coral. Part of the crew were all this time
occupied in shifting the cargo. But in spite of every effort the ship
remained perfectly fast. It was evident that she would not move until a
portion at least of her cargo was removed from her. While we were debating
how this was to be done, for the shore on either side was a good mile
distant, the wind fresh, and the boats small, an Arab dhow, which we had
observed running down, anchored about a hundred yards off. The Sheik came
on board, and after immense talk agreed to come alongside for three or
four hours to take a portion of the cargo and the troops on board, and so
to lighten our ship. When the bargain was closed, and the sum to be paid
agreed upon, he discovered that there was not water enough for his boat to
float alongside. The negotiations thus came to an end, and the Sheik
returned to his own craft. Soon after another and larger dhow came up and
anchored at a short distance. We sent off to see if he could help us, but
it seemed that he had no less than seventy-two camels on board bound for
Annesley Bay. How the poor brutes could have been stowed in a boat which
did not look large enough to hold twenty at the very most, I cannot
imagine, and they had come in that state all the way from Aden. About an
hour after we had got ashore, a large steamer, which we knew by her number
to be the Salsette, with a ship in tow, had passed at a distance of about
three miles, and to her we signalled for assistance. She, however, passed
on, and anchored with her consort under the lee of an island, and about
six miles off.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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