The "Lady Nyassa" had shown herself to be a good sea-boat.The natives had proved themselves capital sailors, though before volunteering not one of them had ever seen the sea.They were not picked men, but, on paying a dozen whom we had in our employment for fifteen months, they were taken at random from several hundreds who offered to accompany us.Their wages were ten shillings per mensem, and it was curious to observe, that so eager were they to do their duty, that only one of them lay down from sea-sickness during the whole voyage.They took in and set sail very cleverly in a short time, and would climb out along a boom, reeve a rope through the block, and come back with the rope in their teeth, though at each lurch the performer was dipped in the sea.The sailor and carpenter, though anxious to do their utmost, had a week's severe illness each, and were unfit for duty.
It is pleasant enough to take the wheel for an hour or two, or even for a watch, but when it comes to be for every alternate four hours, it is utterly wearisome.We set our black men to steer, showing them which arm of the compass needle was to be kept towards the vessel's head, and soon three of them could manage very well, and they only needed watching.In going up the East Coast to take advantage of the current of one hundred miles a day, we would fain have gone into the Juba or Webbe River, the mouth of which is only 15 minutes south of the line, but we were too shorthanded.We passed up to about ten degrees north of the Equator, and then steamed out from the coast.
Here Maury's wind chart showed that the calm-belt had long been passed, but we were in it still; and, instead of a current carrying us north, we had a contrary current which bore us every day four miles to the south.We steamed as long as we dared, knowing as we did that we must use the engines on the coast of India.
After losing many days tossing on the silent sea, with innumerable dolphins, flying-fish, and sharks around us, we had six days of strong breezes, then calms again tried our patience; and the near approach of that period, "the break of the monsoon," in which it was believed no boat could live, made us sometimes think our epitaph would be "Left Zanzibar on 30th April, 1864, and never more heard of."At last, in the beginning of June, the chronometers showed that we were near the Indian coast.The black men believed it was true because we told them it was so, but only began to dance with joy when they saw sea-weed and serpents floating past.These serpents are peculiar to these parts, and are mentioned as poisonous in the sailing directions.We ventured to predict that we should see land next morning, and at midday the high coast hove in sight, wonderfully like Africa before the rains begin.Then a haze covered all the land, and a heavy swell beat towards it.A rock was seen, and a latitude showed it to be the Choule rock.Making that a fresh starting-point, we soon found the light-ship, and then the forest of masts loomed through the haze in Bombay harbour.We had sailed over 2500 miles.