Christmas on the briny: The innocents abroad; or, A holiday trip to the Abrolhos Islands

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Christmas on the Briny.

THE INNOCENTS ABROAD.

. . OR . .

A Holiday Trip to the Abrolhos Islands.

By W. B. CHRISTIE.

1909.

Constantine and Gardner, Printers.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE.

The editor of the “Geraldton Guardian” has to acknowledge with thanks the author’s courtesy in supplying him with the following interesting account of a trip to the Abrolhos Islands for publication in that paper. It has been suggested that their re-publication in booklet form might do much to advertise these islands as a holiday resort, and Mr. Christie courteously gave his permission, hence this unpretentious booklet.

THE INNOCENTS ABROAD.

CHRISTMAS ON THE BRINY.

(By W. B. Christie.)

“What shall we do with ourselves during the holidays?” was a question put by one to another amongst a dozen or so of the new and old residents of Geraldton a few weeks ago.

“What about the Abrolhos?” someone suggested. The idea caught on, and Mr. George Baston volunteered the use of has fishing boat the “While-away” to take a party of us for a cruise round the islands. The offer was accepted. The provisioning arrangements were left in the hands of Mr. Baston.

We were all to be aboard by midnight on Thursday, 24th December, but an hour before that time most of the party had staggered down singly or in groups of two or three to the Esplanade jetty, where the “While-away” was moored. Some were accompanied by friends to see the party safely off.

At twelve o’clock the cry of “A Merry Christmas” was reciprocated from shore to deck, and ere we had time to “blow the froth off,” the order was given to cast off the shore lines, and a few minutes later we were gliding slowly and silently through the maze of boats, which lay at their moorings, out into the expanse of still waters of Champion Bay, on whose face the gentle land breeze left scarce a ripple; out on to the mighty deep, on whose bosom some two or three of our party were to distinguish themselves as only landsmen can when they “go down to the sea in ships.”

We ought to have been in bed, but were so interested in the navigation of the Bay that our rugs were unrolled on the deck, and from the recumbent lounge of the hard boards we watched the leading lights of the Bluff as they came into line, and, the helm being put down, we stood out through the channel in the Five Fathom bank, under the fitful and intermittent glare of the revolving light of Point Moore, which shot its rays far across the bounding billows of the ocean. But they didn’t bound much; they simply rose and fell in long heavy undulations, and as our good boat climbed to the top of one, and gently slithered down, half sideways, into the trough beyond, some of our party crept softly to the side, and taking an apparent interest in the sparkling ripples as they danced past, remarked, “Ough-h-h,” while another retorted “Ach-h-h”--remarks which were quite irrelevant to the general topic of conversation--about the memorable revolt of the shipwrecked crew of the Batavia on Pelsart Island, under the bloodthirsty “Captain General” 280 years ago, when the attempt of the Dutch to colonise New Holland came to an abrupt and tragic termination.

Point Moore light faded from view--the pleiades--Aldebaran, Orion and Sirius--had passed their meridian, and were slowly sinking to the West. Achernar had dipped into the bank of clouds which lay over the southern horizon, Canopus blazed and twinkled as he swept in his majestic circle round the pole; the Cross and its attendant Centauro were clinging to their upper culmination, when the grey of the east told us that Christmas morning was about to break.

In the gathering grey the stars faded where they hung, and as the light broadened, we saw that our horizon was bounded by the heaving waters. The fleecy and burnished clouds seemed to part to make way for the sun as he emerged from the eastern sea and lighted up a glittering path direct to our craft, as though he had singled us out as the only participants of his glory. Scarcely a ripple was on the water. The sails flopped lazily, and with every heave of the swell the boom gave a dull thud as it jerked the main sheet taut, and lazily swung back to gather force for the next thud.

“Coffee. Who says coffee?” shouted the chef, who was presiding at the primus stove below. We all said “coffee,” and a mug of that steaming beverage, with a biscuit, was passed round to all hands as we lay in our rugs about the deck.

“How’s her head?” someone called to our skipper at the helm.

“Her head’s anyhow,” growled Nicholas; “we’re becalmed,” and the boom gave another thud as we slipped over the summit of the swell.

“What depth of water here?”

“About twenty fathoms,” replied Nick.

“Any fishing here?”

“No; it’s a sandy bottom. Try if you like.”

Lines were got out, baited and thrown over. How very true the description of fishing: “a long string, with a hook at one end and a fool at the other.” Not a bite rewarded our efforts, although we sat with the lines till long after breakfast. We threw over an empty match box. It bobbed up and down beside us for a long time till a little puff of wind blew us away from it, and then ceased so that the boom might continue its flopping, as it toyed with the main-sheet. The conversation drifted from the Captain General to the facility with which mutinies could be fomented on sailing ships when they were becalmed. Then, naturally, from mutiny to slavery, and the condition of Carolina was discussed, and the wisdom of the remark made by the Governor of the northern half of that State to the Governor of the southern half--that it “was a long time between drinks.” The idea caught on like a fish-hook to a trouser leg, but it took Mr. Baston, who was in charge of the locker, some time to find the corkscrew. But when he did find it--ah!

Fitful little puffs of wind tightened the sails at fitful intervals, and sent the waters sparkling behind us, as the sun began to sink towards the west. As sundown approached, a steady but light breeze began to waft us slowly forward. The light clouds of the western horizon were painted in bright golden hues, and the sun sank beneath the waters a glaring ball of fire amid the living flame into which he had touched the burnished clouds which overhung him.

“Plenty of wind by and bye,” remarked the skipper, as our sympathies again went out to the slaves of Carolina. Under the influence of the rising breeze our boat danced merrily through the waves until Nicholas, who had mounted the masthead, said he could hear the distant roll of the breakers as they broke over the coral-capped reefs of the Abrolhos, and we must lay the boat to for the night. The boat was thrown up into the wind, and everything made safe as the new moon sank beneath the horizon, and under the splashing music of the waters we rolled into our rugs and were lulled into that soft slumber which was only disturbed by the hardness of the deck on which we lay. An occasional “Ough--h--h” or “Ach--h--” smote dreamily on our ears, telling us that some, at least, of our party did not trouble particularly whether the ducks came home or the cows laid.

Thus was our Christmas spent. “Coffee!” shouted Miles at about five o’clock, and we roused up to find the boat slightly careening under a pleasant breeze, which was blowing us along at about six or seven knots. We had drifted a good way back and northerly during the night, and it was not till near ten o’clock, before we sighted Goss Island, the most easterly of the middle group of the Abrolhos--a low, sandy spit, rising only a few feet above the surrounding waters. Our unaccustomed eyes could not distinguish it from the crested foam of a rolling wave till long after our watchful skipper pointed it out to us, and told us he was on the look-out for a beacon-pole which was erected on its shore.

Passing this island at a respectful distance, so as to keep well away from its outlying reefs, the Wallaby and Pigeon Islands hove in view, and, entering the channel which lay between them, sailed up to a sheltered cove, which afforded good anchorage, and dropped anchor at about noon, having been thirty-six on a journey which with a moderate breeze would have occupied about eight.

PIGEON AND WALLABY ISLANDS.

The channel narrowed till it was not more than three hundred yards or so wide. Pigeon Island lay on our left, with deep water right up to its precipitous rocky bank. The island is one rocky coral mass, with scarce a sign of vegetation. Its surface is covered with mounds of rocks thrown together or built into rough walls gleaming white in the sun, and we are told that these stones were built up as they were removed from the deposit of guano which was worked here. Sixteen hundred tons of this useful manure has been shipped from the island, which has an area of perhaps 200 acres. Going ashore we find it a barren, inhospitable rock--a gull or mollyhawk sits here or there--a few hover about, but there is no sign of the bird life which we were prepared to see here in such abundance. Since the removal of the guano, the island appears to have been so disturbed that the birds have almost entirely forsaken it. It is too rough to walk about on with any comfort, so, looking round it, we return to the dinghy and put off to the boat, where luncheon is ready for us.

To the right, and about half a mile away, is East Wallaby Island. From the deck we see the channel line clearly defined against the shoal water, out of which the island rises. As four of our party have to get back by Monday to resume their business--and this is Saturday--some of those who are going to remain put off in the afternoon to Wallaby Island to select a camp in which to wait till the boat returns from Geraldton, whither she is to start on Sunday morning. We expect her to return by Tuesday, at furthest. There is little likelihood of rain, and we are going to camp on the beach, with the prospect of plenty of sport in fishing and wallaby and pigeon shooting. The dinghy puts off with four of the party, her full capacity, but ere she has reached halfway to the shore the water suddenly shoals and they have to get out and walk the remaining distance up to their knees in water, over the sharp coral rocks which form the base on which the island stands. It is fortunate that we brought strong, heavy boots with us, for the sharp coral would have cut light ones to pieces, and it would be impossible to walk over that stretch of shallow water in the bare feet. The prospecting party returned in a couple of hours with a couple of wallabies, and reported having found a good wind-break, where Mr. Drewry had camped some twelve months or so ago. In the afternoon the dinghy was again despatched with provisions, cooking utensils, and a sail to cover over the wind-break, and so provide a shade shelter for the eatables. Those left on board the boat put out the lines and in a very short time had a good bucketful of small schnapper. Mr. Randell proved himself to be the piscatorialist-in-chief, and to the culinary skill of Mr. Nathan we owed a delightfully fried fish supper.