Continuing the account of the Thomas Arbuthnot. Here Strutt describes the catching of albatross and keening by the girls (the latter was posted earlier, but will repeat here for continuity if the article) PART 9 -EMIGRATION OF IRISH ORPHANS, continued On the 6th of December we sighted the island of Trinidad, and the next day crossed the tropic of Capricorn. With the exception of a few rainy days, always very unpleasant with so many persons on board, the weather was extremely fine, and we made good progress every day. On the 19th we saw several albatrosses and other sea-birds. The albatross by far the largest; when old, the plumage is almost white; but the prevailing colours are a white body and neck, brown wings with a white spot on each wing near the body. The under part of the body is white with a dark tip to the wings. The plumage of the young albatross is brown. These birds fly in graceful curves, occasionally rising to a considerable height, then rapidly shooting away before the wind. They seem rather to sail than fly; in windy weather they have merely to stretch out their immense wings, and away they go, regulating their direction by small changes in the position of their wings, apparently to vary the impulsive force of the winds. In calm weather they are compelled to flap much more; accordingly they prefer resting on the surface of the water attentively watching, for cuttle fish, medusee, and other gelatinous creatures. It is not a very easy matter for such large birds to rise from the water again; they accomplish it at last by running along at full speed, and flapping their wings at the same time, and thus they gradually acquire sufficient impetus to fly once more. If the ship is not sailing too quickly, they may be easily taken by a hook, baited with a piece of pork or fat. As soon as they have taken the bait, they are dragged through the water, hoisted, half-drowned, on to the deck, and their formidable sharp hooked beak securely tied with a piece of string. They may then be allowed to walk about the deck, without fear of escaping, as they cannot rise on the wing from its level surface. An albatross which we caught measured 12 feet across the wing. On Christmas-day we were off the Cape of Good Hope. The weather fine, and wind fair, but a heavy rolling sea kept the decks almost constantly wet. And ample supply of plum pudding was provided, with a due accompaniment of punch; and the honours of the day were observed as well as our circumstances would permit. The preceding evening had been passed in keening, as it was called. Seven or eight girls would assemble together in a little circle, lamenting their fate, and Old Ireland, and deploring their absence from their ever-loved country and friends. These lamentations soon degenerated into fits of crying and dismal howling, to which apparently there was no end. Circle and circle rapidly formed and soon the sounds of grief and woe were heard throughout the ship. To yield too much to sorrow is exceedingly wrong, as well as prejudicial; so if dispersed one or two of these little clubs; some of the girls began to laugh at the excessive weeping of their companions, which quickly changed their grief to wrath, and the matron routed the remainder by expressing her opinion that those who persisted in keening would be better without any of the Christmas pudding. In half an hour all traces of this extraordinary lamentation had vanished.
Posted on: Fri, 30 Aug 2013 08:27:43 +0000
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