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Joshua Slocum - Sailing Alone Around The World
weather immediately after passing it. It was only a few hours' sail to Tasmania across the strait, the wind
being fair and blowing hard. I carried the St. Kilda shark along, stuffed with hay, and disposed of it to
Professor Porter, the curator of the Victoria Museum of Launceston, which is at the head of the Tamar.
For many a long day to come may be seen there the shark of St. Kilda. Alas! the good but mistaken
people of St. Kilda, when the illustrated journals with pictures of my shark reached their news-stands,
flew into a passion, and swept all papers containing mention of fish into the fire; for St. Kilda was a
watering-place - and the idea of a shark there! But my show went on.
The Spray was berthed on the beach at a small jetty at Launceston while the tide driven in by the
gale that brought her up the river was unusually high; and she lay there hard and fast, with not enough
water around her at any time after to wet one's feet till she was ready to sail; then, to float her, the ground
was dug from under her keel.
In this snug place I left her in charge of three children, while I made journeys among the hills and rested
my bones, for the coming voyage, on the moss-covered rocks at the gorge hard by, and among the ferns I
found wherever I went. My vessel was well taken care of. I never returned without finding that the decks
had been washed and that one of the children, my nearest neighbor's little girl from across the road, was
at the gangway attending to visitors, while the others, a brother and sister, sold marine curios such as
were in the cargo, on "ship's account." They were a bright, cheerful crew, and people came a long way to
hear them tell the story of the voyage, and of the monsters of the deep "the captain had slain." I had only
to keep myself away to be a hero of the first water; and it suited me very well to do so and to rusticate in
the forests and among the streams.
CHAPTER XIV
A testimonial from a lady - Cruising round Tasmania - The skipper delivers his first lecture on the
voyage - Abundant provisions-An inspection of the Spray for safety at Devonport - Again at
Sydney - Northward bound for Torres Strait - An amateur shipwreck - Friends on the Australian coast -
Perils of a coral sea.
February 1,1897, on returning to my vessel I found waiting for me the letter of sympathy which I
subjoin:
A lady sends Mr. Slocum the inclosed five-pound note as a token of her appreciation of his bravery in
crossing the wide seas on so small a boat, and all alone, without human sympathy to help when danger
threatened. All success to you.
To this day I do not know who wrote it or to whom I am indebted for the generous gift it contained. I
could not refuse a thing so kindly meant, but promised myself to pass it on with interest at the first
opportunity, and this I did before leaving Australia.
The season of fair weather around the north of Australia being yet a long way off, I sailed to other ports
in Tasmania, where it is fine the year round, the first of these being Beauty Point, near which are
Beaconsfield and the great Tasmania gold-mine, which I visited in turn. I saw much gray, uninteresting
rock being hoisted out of the mine there, and hundreds of stamps crushing it into powder. People told me
there was gold in it, and I believed what they said.
I remember Beauty Point for its shady forest and for the road among the tall gum-trees. While there the
governor of New South Wales, Lord Hampden, and his family came in on a steam-yacht, sight-seeing.
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