The History and Travels of Hector Maclean, Late Sailor/Number II

by Hector Maclean

[ NUMBER II. ]

OF THE

HISTORY

AND

TRAVELS

OF

HECTOR MACLEAN,

Late SAILOR.

X X
X

EDINBURGH;

Printd by Alex. Robertson,

for HECTOR MACLEAN;

And sold for his own Benefit.

M, DCC, LXXI.

[Price Two-pence.]

 

CHRISTIAN READER.

 

MY design in this short treatisie, is only to set forth on these course of many of my voges, curious observations in my first number, and in these, I only tell simple occurences, as they happned. My reader I hope will forgive my simple innocet stile. And much have I been obliged to Ladies and Gentlemen of al lranks, for their favourable acceptance of my first number. And this my second, which I publish at the desire of all my christian readers. My loving brothers the Sailors; in every place I go to, has always contrabuted much to my distress, by frnkly buying my small books. Some may reflect and say my small book is high-priced, but if they will consider my condition, and weigh matters as they realy are, I hope they will easely get over that scruple, if there is any such men. When I was young, and in the prime of life, I did not think on this way to get my small living, but as I am still contented, and wonderfuly provided for, I joy in my condition. And when any reflections for want of the great benfite of my eye sight, I soon get over it, and so cheery am I, that I sing my murnful ditty, (which I caused to be printed) through every city and town where I travel, and is thankful for every half-penny I receive. My best blessing be on Scotland and all the generous christians who has been kind and indulgent to me, and all in distress and long life and prosperity to all sailors, and sea-fering men.

Is The Hearty Prayer
Of Your Distressed Brothr,
HECTOR MACLEAN

NUMBER II.

 

Of the HISTORY and travels,

Of HECTOR MACLEAN,

 

Late SALIOR.

 

THE

PREFACE.

 

IN my first number, I gave the facts out like any other of the languages of a learned man, as my education is but very small, (but blessed be God) my memory is very good, and what I treat of is undoubted facts, they are not adorned with that stile of eloqnence wich Authors in this present age is capable of. But they are dilightful truths, and not founded upon falshoods. As too many imposes on the public, in :his present age, my condition of life call’s upon me to do all I am capible of in this transitory life. I do not freet of my misfortune as I am deprived of the precious benefite of my eye sight, as better christian has sufered much more. So that whatsoever condition I am in, or may be in. I am resolved to be content. I publish none of my books for statiners or book-sellers, I only do it for the support of my small family, and not with a view to extort money from the public by other hands.

And shew my readers and benefactors, that I am not a deceiver, or an imposter; which is well known and attested by several Gentlemen, in Glasgow, and Greenock, where I served, and the ports I sailed to, and from. And has my Certificate, which I can produce if required. And the names of the Gentlemen, which is full in print in my first number.

 

 

NUMBER II.

 

HAVING in my first part, given a discription of my life; and how I came to be a sailor, I shall now give a relation of my advenoturs, of what I seed, did, and was witness unto, which the readers may depend upon as real certainties.

At we sailed one time out of Greenock with my own captain an ship the Mattie, with whom I was bound, being armed as a letter of marque sixteen carriag guns twenty eight sweevels, and thirty-six men before the mast; it being in the time of ware in 1747. And as we left Clyd, the wind proved conterary so that we had with many more ships for our safety, to put into lochryan; this lochryan lies on the west of Galaway in Scotland, is bounded with high mountains round about especialy on the north, it has entrence from the sea, by a narrow mouth on the west, good ancuring ground where ships can ride in safity in all weather; and here we lay for some time. So it hapened one day, that our captain being ashore in the town of Stonerawer, which stands on the east end of the loch. In which time of his absenc, he Boyn tender commanded by captain Gentle, came into the loch about midnight, and it being in the month of October, and the weather being very cold, they went from ship to ship, and catched the most of the hands in bed, but we having our watch on deck, which gave our crew the alarm, so that we all run to arms, and fired upon their boats, and beat them off fairly, their captain desired on his word of honour, to come on board himself only, which we did allow, but none of his men, with whom we expostuated the matter how unreasonable it was to press men outward bond, who had protctions, and in their captains absence, and having a deal of his hands pressed from him before that, while he lay at the tail of the bank below Greenock; to which the said captain Gentle replied, that he would only take a man out of every five of them, to which one Ninian Stewart a furious mad fellow, who stood all the time in the gang way, with his cutless in his hand swore bloodily if he touched a man there, he would cut off both his arms, and kick him over board, then said the captain to the mate, if you’ll give me that fellow I’ll seek no more, so command your men to obey your orders, to which the mate answered he was but one man; and they being so enraged, could soon command him: then said he I'll engage the ship as soon as I go aboard, which he accordingly did, and he began to fire upon us, and we in return did the same but finding we were too many for them, droped the quarel, and seing the captain was not on board, they haled up the boats and went ashore with their small arms to defed themselves, if need should be, the tender seeing this, maned their boats and went after them to Stonrawer, but durst not atack them, for they drew up on the shore where they all loaded, and told they resolved to die every man or one of them should be taken, our captain came on board directly for fear of his ship, and one of their boats and the lievtenant came on board again, and asked the captain where he had his men, to which he said he had frighted them all away but the mate one boy and the cook, and as it blew a little hard, his ship was in danger. I being affraid of my self, I was ordred by my captain to take a little ocum, which I wiped allongst the pot bottom and there with blacked all my face, and being dressed in an old harn gressy frock of the cock's I was a most antick figure, what said he to my captain, have you no more hand but that thief like divel? go sir said he into my boat, I refused untill my master ordered me, and would have him to take the boy too since he had taken the cook, but he told him be had no use for boys, it was men he wanted; no help for me then but I must go, and into the boat I came, and sits down beside him he desired me to go afore amongst the rest of the hands, being affraid I should dirty his cloaths, to which I answered och, och na, I sat well enugh, I thank you kindly, which made the whole crew laugh at him and me, so we arived at the tender at last, and they all went aboard, but I sat still in the boat, as I had been to go no farther, the captain asked the lieutenant if he had catched any of the Matties hands, to which he answered only one, and up he comes to see me, looking over the gunnel, swore I was enough to fright the very devil. What for a black son of a b-- was that he had brought him now? how long have you been at sea said he, only two days in a fishing boat said I, and what did you do in the Mattie said he? indeed I was the cook and made the meat said I and how long time would you take to boile a peice of pork said he? about eleven or twlve hours said I, and how many men is there on board of the Mattie said he? hout hout, said I, me does not know, I never count them, but make their meat I'll give you sixpence said he, to buy gingerbread, and go ashore again, and be d--- to you; a little after I was called aboard out of the boat into the tender, where he feelt my hands and said he belived I might do, and ordrered me to wash myself, and get cloaths, in a little the boat-swen comes past and cries, you, help to haul the main-sail, I run fore and aft, betwen the cabin and the forcastle, I tramps on his toes, which set him a cursing me, saying what was I seeking there; O! said I tell me where the main-yard is, I am going there, at this he swore I was a mad man to be seeking the main-yard on the deck, he said. what do you not know the main-yard yet? and how should I know the main-yard? when I was never here before, I was next ordered up to hand the fore top-sail, and being without the clew, the other man firled his, but I roled mine together, in a very carless way, the other man when done, went down, but I keept lying over the yard, holding by the sail, the boat-swen call's out, what are you doing there, do you want up your hammock? no said I, but if I come down the sail will fa, why said he, can't you put on the gasket on it, no said I, and then lets it all fall down as it was, so another had to mount, and I came down, but och the cursses I got, he again sent me to make foxes, which I did the first two very well to his pleasure, but he was no sooner gone than I took my knife and cut some peices of the yarn, and began to plet it as a lingel to mend an old shoe, he comes again, and lookes at me, saying what are you doing now, deed said I, I am makin foxes, yoa'r making the devil sirah, takes me over tde mouth with his rattan, till the blood followed, swaring I a was the brutishest savage ever he seed in his life.

Next day I was ordered out to bend the sprit sail, I thought I would not wait to lose the romans, but took out my knife and cut them from the head cran, cuted them all the way to the parl as the other man's back was to me, it fell in the water, and had almost pulled the other man along with it. The cry, and cursing rose about it and who it was, and at last it was found to be me, the little Scots man; which caused them swear I was either a great rogue, or a great fool. My last and worst adventure here was, thre was a great big Irish-man on board, who had been pressed but was not wanting to stay with them, he had been a smugler, and denied he knew any thing about sailing, he had got no cloathing nor hamock, but lay in the hold upon rops, and old sails, he pititioned me several times to let him sleep in my hamock when I was on watch, which I feared he might, knowing what situation he was in, so taking him to see where my hammock hung over the hold. And he trying to get into it, I gave him a trip, and down he goes to the very botom, amongst the gravel and stones and then reard out. ah! dear honey, a be my shoul I am killed, the little Scots man has killed me, I am dead, I am dead. Next morning a court martial was called, and I was brought before them, they aſked me if it was me that killed the Irish-man, I told them I did not but I drove him ⟨down to the hold, what said they, did not you kill the Irish man? no gentlemen said I, I did not kill him but kicked him down to the hold, what would I confess no more? I was ordered⟩ to be striped and whipt if I would not confess directly I had killed him, and while they were striping me, they asked for what I kicked him down to the hold? why said I he was going into my hamock, and I would not let him, as he is all in a vermin of lice. but said they, how can you prove that? O! said I, the lice that is on him will prove that, the Irish-man was sent for, who came and told he was not killed but his thumb was off joint, and he was much better now, come near said the captain and let me know if it be true the Scoch-man says, throw off yor coat, which he no sooner did, than the vermin appeared in swarms, on his westcoat, made the captain cry out he had an army sufficient to feight the French himself, were they all humun mortals, and well armed, such a sight he never seed, he was enough to polute the very deivel, besides to defile his whle ships crew. so ordered him to the gangway, to get six duzen of lashes and then he was stript naked on the deck, and salt water pumped upon him, and rubed over with oat meal even scoured as a pair of rusty tongs' from top to toe, his thumb set in joint, and newly cloathed; so as he said the Scots-man had made him better. So in two days there after my own captain come on board the tonder, and I was sent away with him, as they thought I was not fit for their turn.

After I served my time with Captain Gray, and several other voyages to sea in the late war, I went a voyage with Captain Collin Campbell to North Carolina, and being landed there with lumber, bound for Jamaica; and off the east-end of Cuba, we fell in with a French privateer which took us prisoners, and about eight they shipped off all we had. Our Captain having given a pair of silver buckles to his boy, he was no sooner gone into the boat among the French that took us on board their privateer, than they took them out of his shoes, which grieved the poor boy very much: and about twelve that very day they had another engagement, with another Scotch Captain, Wylie, a letter of marque, belonging to Glasgow. We prisoners were all commanded down to the pit during the egagement, and as soon as any of the French were wounded, the rest tumbled them down to the doctor who was along with us; which fall and the dashing they got with it, was enough to kill them whither they were wounded or not the very second that was tumbled down was a man cut in two halves through the middle, and in his shoes were the boy’s silver buckles, which I perceived, and told my Captain, then he took out the one, and I the other; so the fellow had only the pleasure to enjoy them about four hours: the next thing that come down was a great flame of fire, and was within a little of lighting on their magazine, which would have undoubtedly blown us all in the air if it had; one of their canons split in pieces and killed a great many of them, at which very instant they were resolved to strike: But unluckily for us our countrymen in the letter of marque had struke their flag; and we were all carried prisoners to Haspinalo, where we were kept for som time, having about eighteen pence a day: one shilling from our own King, and six-pence from the French; but was relieved by a cartel and sent over with a flag of truce, in a scooner commanded by one Captain Birk an Irishman, who had amind to deliver us every man into the fleet, then riding off kingstown in which we no sooner understood by his behaviour when coming within sight of the fleet, we then lower’d down his sails put out the boat, and came ashore about 13 miles below kingston, he for fear of bust made his appology, that we did very well in so doing, for in taking the boat ourselves we saved his oath, as he was sworn to deliver us to the Admiral. We were no sooner on shore than we called at the first publick house we could find and refreshed ourselves, the land-lord of which asked us if we were prisoners of war, to which we answered, we was; then said he, I have orders to take you all up for the service of the navy, we boldly asked him by whom he would do so? He told us, he had three hundred negroes; then we all drew our knives, and swore we would cut the hearts out of him and his negroes both before one of us were taken, we being in all about fifty men, but had no armour but our knives: from thence we set out through woods, and over the high blue mountains being affraid to go near Rockfort lest the soldiers should sally out upon us, so we came that night to a wild plantation where there was a black negroe’s wedding, with about five hundred negroes at it, and not a white person amongst them all. we was greatly affraid of them being so many in number, lest they should kill us in the night time, but they proved very kind gave us bread and rum, and shewed us the right road in the morning. We next met with a black negroe in the woods who directed us to another plantation, where we found about two hundred men and women negroes working at the sugar boiling, and grinding the sugar cnaes, their master came and asked what we was? and we freely told him we were prisoners of war, and that we had come that road to avoid being taken aboard of the man of war, he then ordered us all to sit down, and asked if we could drink any hot? (which is a juce made from sugar) But considering it might do us, harm ordered rum punch, and every man a herring and a plantin, which is like a green bean-code, asking what countrymen we were? And when we told him there were so many of us Scotchmen, he ordered all the Scotch to go up to his house, where he treated us with the finest of chesser cheese, and the best drink his house could afford: He told us he was a native of Falkirk in Scotland, whose name I do not here mention; he likewise sent some of his negroes to be our guides, and ordered us to go into Kingston two by two, which we did, and here we found our own ship, which was retaken from the French and carried in there.

I having now a great desire after the whale-fishing, where I saw a wonderful performance, done by a savage Indian in the straits of St. David's; He came off the shore in a small boat made of leather without and wands within, having a piece of wood in his hand in shape like a long oar, broad at both the ends, and round in the middle, he stroke the water first with one end and with the other timeabout, with great swiftness and kept his course after a whale from one part she blew in to another, till at last he came up to her, jumped out of the boat on the back of the whale, and as she had done blowing out the water, he flopped in a fede, (a piece of long wood made for the purpose) into her blow hole, where her breath comes out; so when she came up again she had no breath, being all chocked in a moment, so she instantly died, and the rest of the Indians came off from the shore, like a flock of gul maws in their leather canoes to his assistance, hawled her ashore, and and eat her blubber both raw and unroasted.

After this I went to the Greenland fishing, which I liked extremely well, and sailed with Captain M'cCallum in the princess of wales: After we arrived at the ice we were all set to post in our different stations.

Our only care and attention was first to hear the blowing of the whales breath, and spouting up of the water, which they do to a proeigious hight in the air, and the noise of their breath is like a mighty wind at a distance; we keep all manner of silence, comes in behind her, or alongside of her, the darts or harpun are wittered above the point, so that when it goes fairly in it cannot be drawn out without the wound be made more; the line or small cord is made fast to the end of the harpun, which line lies with us in the boat the whale no sooner gets the wound with the harpun than she dives down, and runs for it, and hawls the boat after her by the line, with such swiftness that they need to row no more, but sets their oar up us a mast, by way of a sign to the ship, and those other boats about her.

That they stroke a fish to come to their aid, lest they should need help, or their line run out, for they must sometimes pay it out with such speed, that one has to throw water upon the boats stem least it should take fire: and till their line brake, or the harpun slip, no other ships crew must throw out a dart at her. She runs without rest only up to blow out the water, and take breath then down again, and runs so far below water before she rise. If she runs below the ice and rises there in a mistake, it weakens her greatly: by foundering herself on the ice, and being deprived of breath. I was in the boat myself in chace of one, when she turned and rose dirrectly below our boat, and carried us up out of the water on her back, as on the top of a black rock, but providence was so kind, that our boat hurled down by her broad side for had we falen down before her. she had run us down, or had we come down behind her, she would kove our boat in peices, with a swash of her tail.

We was another time out on the Bran-watch, and lying to beside the ice, listening to hear the blow of some whale; as I looked along a great way off on the ice, I saw like a great white ox coming runing toward us; which proved to be a great bear, who had found the smell of us: we rowed off from the ice thinking he would not take the water but in he came with a plunge, and after us he comes; one of our harpineers makes a nose, or loop, and most dexterously throws it about his neck, and hawls, him in to the stem, for had he come a-long-side of us, we had been overset, by his weight and strength, fixed his long claws in the stern, the rope kept him closs to, while we thrust a lance into his throat, and with one of his great fore paws he gripped the lance and bowed it so, that it was at the coming out till we run in another on the other side of his throat, and after a tedious strugle and blooding, expired.

The skin was sold for five guineas in Edinburgh, but I would assist at the killing of twenty whales or I engaged such a monster again. We likewise brought home two young bears with us, and as our cook was taking them up to Edinburgh, one of them snaped off his thumb.

During the late war, I was taken by the French and retaken, and afterwards pressed on the coast of Ireland and served six years aboard of the man of war, was aboard of the Hero, and with Admiral hawk when he beat the French fleet in capron-bay, of which battle I shall give a relation of it in this part of my book, at the end of the war I was discharged from the Hero, and returned to Greenock and engaged to go a voyage to Virginia with Captain William Clark, commander of the Ellot-snow, when lying at single anchor in Greenock-rhode, waiting a fair wind; I got a fall down on my head against an anchor; by which accident my head was so terribly crushed that the blood fell down in my eyes, and in one night-time I lost my sight: which is known in and about Greenock, and is attested by several Gentlemen of character; and have applyed to the supposed best Doctors in Britain for the recovery of my sight again, but to no purpose: which is the cause of my traveling in this manner for my bread.

Having formerly promised to give an account of what I saw at the battle of Brest in Capron-bay, which I do not mind exactly whither it was in the year Fifty-nine, or Sixty; but we was lying off Palmouth on the South coast of England at anchor, being a fleet of twenty-five men of war, under the command of Admiral Hawk; at midnight the inteligence came from France of the Brest-fleet, at which time our Admiral gave the signal by firing a gun, which was to weigh our anchors and follow him, which was done directly, and about eleven o'clock next day we was off Brest on the coast of France, where the French fleet was coming out in great pomp and splendor: When they saw us they formed the line a head to the number of thirty great capital ships of war, and we were only twenty-five. The ship I was in was called the Hero, commanded by Captain Eatch-comb, mounted 74 Guns, our Admiral's ship was the Royal George and mounted an hundred and twelve guns, but was pierced for an hundred and fifteen. Between three and four in the afternoon we came to action, the two French Admirals was in the very middle of the French line, both together. we knew them by their large white flags: Our brave Admiral Hawk stood on the gunnel of his own ship and ordered her to be run directly between the two French Admirals, and when opposite to both, having his ports open and all things ready, gave each of them such a broad side, as cut down both their riggings and made their whole broad sides above the water ⟨to⟩ open as the side of an old big house: this fatal blow given to the two Admirals discouraged the whole French fleet, and gave the rest of the English fleet the less to do; the Duke of York was on board our ship and beheaved like a hero: But indeed many of the English ships there got little to do, but to look on and save what lives they could; for some of the French ships being intirely sank, others with their masts and rigging cut clean away, the sailors and marins with cufrage-boxes on their bellies came sweaming past us like flocks of wild ducks, some crying “O, mercy, mercy dear Country Inglateer,” our Captain ordered out a boat to save what they could of them, but after they had taken in what the boat could hold, they came so thick that the boat was overset and all perished: and our Captain would suffer no more boats to be lanshed. The Duke received a shot between wind and water, which was like to prove her ruin, they yocked their chain pomps and all they had to work to keep her above, but still the water increased without and within, and none could reach the lake till at last a scotchman, a native of Glasgow called James Kellburn striped and jumped overboard, dived down to the lake and stoded it with a piece of beef, then they pumped out the water and got to it within, and so saved the ship: for which sigular action, the said Kellburn was made a mid ship man as soon as he came on board, besides other compliments, and his recomendation to the Duke, the Admiral, and the board of admirality. Night coming then upon us, we pursued the French fleet what remained of them into the bay, then anchored in the bay near the Bellsisle, to keep them from coming out, for their transports with their land forces did not come out of the river untill they saw the fate of the battle, and when they knew it they disimbarked directly the remainder of this fleet, we blocked in there at Brest for the space of seventeen months, so that they durst never look out, or if they did, their reception was so hot that they soon put about, for the English men of war lay stationed here by turns, and kept the passage either from going out, or coming in. We were then ordered on a crouse towards the coast of Spain, our Captain intimating the voyage to us, we had a man on board who's name was Gilbert Taylor, a Scotsman and native of Aberdeen, who was eirher a prognosticator or a he witch, now said he to the Captain, we shall have a prosperous voyage, and on the twenty-seventh of next month we shall catch a prize so away we came to an anchor off Cap-finister, where we lay for some time and on the said day the Captain called on Taylor and said, Sir did not you say, that this day we should catch a French prize, at least it is here marked so in my book: yes Sir said he, and if you'll put about to sea you will get her yet: so away we came cursing Gilbert a high rate, and in a short time we came in sight of a French privrteer, which had taken an English ship and was carrying her into Spain, gives them chace and takes them both. This made many of the English sailors believe, that many of the Scots were divels, or more than than men.

There was a little Irish boy aboard of aship, which made many admire him for his ready wit, it blowing very hard one day, and the boy being taking up some salt water to wash the kettle, the kettle drops over board, the Mate seeing this, was taking up a rope to beat him with, stop stop, crys the boy, dont beat me dear Mate, untill I tell the Captain of it, the Mate follows him to the cabin door, to hear what excuse he would make for himself; arra dear Captain, says the boy, is a thing lost when people knows where it is? no sirrah! said he, how can it be lost, when you know where it is? Ah: then dear Captain, then your tea kettle is fallen into the loch and I cannot get at it, this made the Captain and Mate, both to laugh heartily at the jock, and forgive the poor boy.

An account of two ships bound for New-found Land, from some part in the West of England, whom by distress of Weather, lost Company; some days after, being bad weather, one of the ships sprang a leak, and foundred in the Sea, where every Soul perished, except one old man, who had lasht himself on the main hatch, and committed himself to the mercy of the Sea and God's Providence, where he was floating three days and three nights; in which time about the middle of the second day, the Devil assuming a Maremaid starts up before him, and bids him be of good heart, for, if he would but make a contract with him, he would ingage a deliverance for him in 24 hours; the Old man being sensible it was the Devil, and doubtless, having been proving of his heart to God, as the circumstance of Providence he was under, more immediatly called for, found in himself a renewed strength put into him inabling him to hold up his head, and looking the Tempter in the face, Replys, 'Ah Satan, if thou can'st prophecy deliverance for me know, my God, in whom I trust, will deliver me without thy help but however, know I will not comply to thy wiles, therefore avoyd Satan, avoyd, So immediatly he Vanished, and appeared no more to him: But so it fell out, the other ship being at that time in the same perril or latitude, that night the Cabin Boy dreams a dream, that such a ſhip there abouts was foundred and every Soul lost except such an old man nameing his name, who was saved on a peice of the ship, and floating in the Sea; which dream, the Boy in the morning comfidently tells it to the company and his master; at last the Boy began to shew more cofidence, affirming it, as if it must be true, insomuch, he received some checks from his master, but however, at last, the Boy grew so restless, that he; running up from one mast to another, sometimes at fore-top mast head and then from off the main-top mast head looking abroad, that at last, crying out aloud 'Alow there, I see him, I see him under row 'Lowbow; thus confidently affirming it, some of the men stept up, and spy'd something at a distance no bigger than a Crow to appearance floating, which advised the Master it who presently commanded the Helm to be born up, and stood away to it, and when come near, found it the old man as the Boy said; so they hoyst out their Boat, and took him in, who then was speechless, and almost spent: but by the care of the Master and Surgeon and God's blessing, recovered and gave a verbal account of his misfortune, and yet wonderful deliverance togethr with Satans temptation as before recited: which ship, in due time arrived safe at her Port in New found-Land, where this man was well landed a-shore.

This last Story, you will find in the book called the Remarkable Sea deliverance, wrote by Mr James Janeways.

FOR my third and last number, which I hope will give general satisfaction, as it will give a short and particular account, of the produce of several Forign countries: With the maners of the Inhabitants, their customs, their laws, government, and religion, with several curious observatious, and the behaviour of the Dutch and Irish, in those parts of the world, and the high esteem the Natives bears to the Britains.

N B Price 2^d which will only make ſixpence all my three Numbers.

Its intreated that care will be taken of each Number, to preserve them until this my last Number be finished, and the Public may depend that it shall be done with all convenient speed.

The End of the Second PART.