Torrey's Narrative; or, The Life and Adventures of William TorreyTorrey, William
History
Torrey's Narrative; or, The Life and Adventures of William Torrey
Torrey, William
Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia); Seafaring life
The next day we spoke the ship Boston, Capt. Reed,
of Fair Haven, bound to Brazil, whaling; they offered
us provisions, which our Captain refused, probably
thinking it economy for his men to catch their own.
In a few days we saw land, took on a pilot; soon came
to anchor. As is always the case, seamen's duty is
done the moment the anchor is let go, though they
usually stow the sails; but the moment the anchor was
cast we took our things, put them in a boat to go ashore,
leaving the sails hanging to the yards. The Captain
begged of us to stow them. We told him we had been
with him long enough, and were now happily free from
his authority; and that it would give us much pleasure
to see him stow them himself. He was soon leaving
the ship himself; for the owners came on board, and
ordered him, and all that he had, out of the ship immediately,
or it would go overboard. Thus terminated
my second voyage with still poorer success than my
former one, having taken only 150 barrels sperm, and
10 black fish oil, after a voyage of nearly 13 months.
This voyage, like the first, left me in debt, and with no
other way, seemingly, than to again try and see what
another voyage would do. I went to the boarding
house without a cent in my pocket.
[54]
CHAPTER IV.
Sail on board the Huntress, bound for the Pacific, on a whaling
Expedition. Encounter a heavy Storm. A Man lost. Reach the
Falklands. Description of them. Storm at the Cape. Icebergs.
Island of Juan Fernandez. Arrive at the Sandwich Islands.
A Sketch of them.
I shipped myself on board the Huntress, Capt.
Post, then fitting for a cruise to the Pacific.
We set sail from New Bedford, 1832, August
3d. About the middle of the month a violent
gale arose from the southeast. We stowed our top-gallant-sails;
reefed our top-sails; furled our main course,
and stood to the eastward. The gale increasing, we
were obliged to furl our fore and mizen top-sails, jib
and spankers, and heave our ship to under close reefed
main-top-sail, fore-sail, and fore-top-mast, main and
mizen stay-sail. Thus we ran many hours. The wind
subsiding in a degree, enabled us to run quarterly with
the wind, with fore-top-mast studding-sail set. Most of
the hands were below when the ship fetched a lurch
and roll at the same time, with a head sea, carrying the
fore-top-mast in three pieces, and the top-gallant-mast;
springing the main and mizen top-mast; throwing one
man who was aloft into the water. A boat was lowered,
but no trace of him found save his hat. By the blood
on the rigging, it was thought he received serious injury
before he reached the water. All hands were called,
and the wreck cleared fast as possible.
[55]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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