CHAPTER XVII
Simon's Town—The Alabama had just sailed from the port—Two of the Georgia's engineers, the boatswain, gunner, and several seamen get "cold feet" and leave us—Our first lieutenant, Mr. Chapman, ordered to Europe—Visit the city of Cape Town—Skippers of burned ships not friendly and disposed to start a rough-house—H.M. troopship Himalaya—"Dixie"—Exciting experience with Malay fishermen—Albatross and Cape pigeons—Meet the tea fleet—Also the U.S.S. Vanderbilt—Myriads of fish follow the Georgia making the ocean at night appear to be in flames.
Passing into False Bay, which lies behind the Cape of Good Hope, on August 16 we dropped our anchor in front of Simon's Town, situated on Simon's Bay, a small indentation of the land on the great False Bay. We had no sooner let go our anchor than a British official boarded us and ordered us to put to sea at the expiration of twenty-four hours. But we knew many a trick to get around international law, and showed him that our engine was broken down, omitting to add that the disaster had occurred just before we came to anchor. It was a habit of that engine to break down just as we entered port if we wanted to remain over the legal twenty-four hours. Besides, we wanted to caulk our decks which leaked badly, as the oakum, in the bad weather to which we had been subjected, had worked loose; besides we had been constantly at sea for four months in tropical waters and the iron bottom of the Georgia was covered with a growth of sea-grass from eight to twelve inches long which impeded her speed more than one half. The British authorities ordered their own officials to hold a survey on her and report on the absolutely necessary repairs.
The first news of interest to us was that the Alabama had sailed from Simon's Town a few hours before our arrival. It seemed that she had got into hot water with the authorities by capturing the bark Conrad too close to the line of the ubiquitous marine league, had changed her name to
