The Autobiography of a Super Tramp 12

The Autobiography of a Super Tramp 12

I shall never forget the first night's experience, when the cattle

were brought to the ship in a train of cars. A large sloping gangway

was erected to span the distance between ship and shore, and up this

incline the poor beasts were unmercifully prodded with long poles,

sharpened at the end, and used by the shore cattlemen. The

terror-stricken animals were so new to the conditions, that they had

no notion of what was expected of them, and almost overleaped one

another in their anxiety to get away. What with the shout of savage

triumph, the curse of disappointment, and the slipping and falling of

the over-goaded steers, I was strongly tempted to escape the scene. As

the cattle were being driven aboard, we cattlemen, who had signed for

their future charge, caught their ropes, which we were required to

fasten to a strong stanchion board. Sometimes one would run up behind,

and prevent himself from turning. On one of these occasions, I crossed

the backs of others, that had been firmly secured, so as to force this

animal to a proper position. The animal, whose back I was using for

this purpose, began to heave and toss, and at last succeeding in

throwing me across the back of the other, this one tossing and rearing

until I was in danger of my life, only the pressure of the other

beasts preventing him from crushing my limbs. Taking possession of

his rope, I held it to a cattleman, who was standing waiting and ready

in the alley, and he quickly fastened this refractory animal to the

crossboards. Now the foreman had been watching this, and coming to the

conclusion that I was a good man with cattle, said he would like me to

be the night watchman. This undoubtedly does require a good man, as I

soon discovered, on the first night out. There were two lots of cattle

aboard, and for these two foremen, two lots of cattlemen, and two

watchmen. As all hands are available in the day, any difficulty with

the cattle can soon be attended to; if necessary, all hands taking

part. But when there is any trouble at night, one watchman only has

the assistance of the other, who, of course, expects the same aid from

him, in cases of emergency. Now if a number of cattle have broken

loose, and worked themselves into intricate positions, the watchman is

supposed to awake the foreman and his men to assist him, but one would

rather struggle all night with his difficulties than to take these men

at their word, knowing their peevishness and dislike for a man who has

disturbed them from a sound sleep. A watchman is therefore told to

call up all hands, if he cannot cope with the cattle under his charge,

but he is never expected to do so.

 

What soon breaks the spirit of these wild animals is the continual

motion of the vessel. There is always plenty of trouble at first, when

they slip forward and backward, but in a few days they get their

sea-legs, and sway their bodies easily to the ship's motion. The wild

terror leaves their eyes, and, when they can no more smell their

native land, they cease bellowing, and settle calmly down. This

restlessness breaks out afresh when nearing shore on the other side,

and again they bellow loud and often, long before the mariner on the

look-out has sighted land.

 

We also had on this trip two thousand head of sheep, quartered on the

hurricane deck. When we were six days out there came a heavy storm,

and the starboard side was made clean, as far as pens and sheep were

concerned, one wave bearing them all away. This happened at night, and

on the following morning the sheep men were elated at having less work

to do during the remainder of the voyage. The cattle, being protected

on the main deck, and between decks, and their breath filling the air

with warmth, make the cattleman's lot far more comfortable than that

of the sheep-men. The condition of the cattle can be seen without

difficulty, but ten or fifteen sheep lying or standing in the front of

a crowded pen, may be concealing the dead or dying that are lying in

the background. For this reason it is every morning necessary to crawl

through the pens, far back, in quest of the sick and the dead, and it

is nothing unusual to find half a dozen dead ones. The voyage would

not be considered bad if thirty sheep only died out of two thousand.

 

What a strange assortment of men were these cattlemen and sheepmen.

One man, called Blacky, a bully without being a coward, fell in love

with a small white cat, which we had found in the forecastle. His

ruffianism at once disappeared, and every time he was at liberty,

instead of looking for trouble with his fellow-men, he could be seen

peacefully nursing this cat, at the same time addressing it

endearingly as "Little White Dolly," and such simple language as a

child might use.

 

It was our duty to keep the cattle standing, and not to allow them to

rest too long on their knees; and not let them, on any account,

stretch full length in the pens. One reason for this was that a

kneeling steer would be overstepped by his nearest neighbour, and if

the latter happened to rise, their ropes, which were so fastened as to

give them very little freedom, would be tightened and crossed,

bringing their heads together in such close proximity, that they would

make frantic efforts to escape each other's presence. And another

reason for not allowing them to lie down for any length of time was

that their joints would become so stiff as to make them almost

incapable of rising, though goaded by the most heartless cruelty. I

used the most humane methods to attain this end, and sought to inspire

terror in them by the use of the most ferocious war-cry, which often

succeeded. If that failed to raise them, I struck them with a flat

stick on the haunches, which they could scarcely feel, at the same

time not forgetting to use my voice. Not succeeding in this, I

resorted to the old remedy, which rarely fails, standing at their

backs and twisting their tails. A bullock can kick in any direction.

There is terrible power in his side kick, also his front kick,

throwing his hind leg forward with a speed that is remarkable for such

an unwieldy animal. But his back kick, when you stand back to back

with him, has not the least power to cause hurt. The other watchman

and myself had about an equal number of cattle under our charge, and

when I was in difficulty he kindly came to my assistance, and I did

likewise for him, although he seldom seemed to need other help than

his own. We made our rounds about every half hour. Sometimes I found a

steer in the alley; by some means or other he had cleared the head

board and, still being a prisoner, stood fastened outside the pen

instead of inside. Another time we would find one standing with his

tail to the head-board, instead of his head, owing to the rope getting

loose, or being broken; after which he had turned himself around to

see if there was any way of escape behind him. It required great care,

in cases of this kind, to place them again in their original

positions.

 

Up till the fourth night we had experienced no bad weather, and the

cattle had been quiet and requiring little care. On this particular

night my attention had been drawn several times to a big black steer,

which, time after time, had persisted in lying down. At last, in pity

for the poor beast, I let him rest, thinking to get him into a

standing position at the last moment, when I went off duty, after

calling the foreman and his men. But when that last moment came I

failed in all my efforts to raise this animal, whose joints, I

suppose, had become stiff after a prolonged rest. I was not therefore

greatly surprised when the foreman came, after I had gone off duty, to

the forecastle, with the complaint of having found a number of cattle

lying down, and one, he said, in particular, which must have been

lying down half of the night. "When I left the cattle," I said,

"nothing seemed to be wrong." "Come up and see this one," he answered.

I followed him on deck, and there I saw several cattlemen standing in

front of a pen, in which I recognised the big black steer. He was now

lying full length in the pen, the others having had to be removed for

his convenience. "See this," said the foreman, "this creature should

be standing. Twist his tail," he continued, to a cattleman, who at

once obeyed. During this operation another cattleman fiercely prodded

the poor creature's side with a pitchfork, which must have gone an

inch into the body. At the same time another beat the animal about

the head with a wooden stake, dangerously near the eyes. The animal

groaned, and its great body heaved, but it made no attempt to move its

legs. "Wait," said the foreman then, "we will see what this will do."

He then took out of his mouth a large chew of tobacco, and

deliberately placed it on one of the animal's eyes. My heart sickened

within me, on seeing this, and I knew that I would have to be less

gentle with these poor creatures to save them the worst of cruelty. In

a second or two the poor beast, maddened by pain, made frantic efforts

to rise, tried again and again, and after seeing its great sides

panting, and hearing a number of pitiful groans, it succeeded in the

attempt.

 

These cattlemen are, as a rule, great thieves, and well the sailors

and firemen know it, and especially the steward and cook. One evening,

when the men had finished their day's work, and I was preparing to go

on duty for the night, I heard Blacky propose a night's raid on the

captain's chickens, which were kept in a small coop under the bridge,

and rather difficult to rob, considering the bridge was always

occupied by the captain or one of his first officers. But, next

morning, on coming to the forecastle I was not greatly surprised to

smell a peculiar and a not unpleasant odour, coming from that place.

Blacky and another had made their raid during the previous night,

leisurely killing the chickens on the spot, which was certainly the

best plan. When I descended the forecastle steps, I saw that the stove

was red hot, on which was a large tin can full of potatoes, onions and

chicken. I am not ashamed to say that I did not scruple to partake of

this rogue's mess, knowing from experience how this company ran their

boats, allowing their stewards such miserly small amounts for

provisions, that the common sailors and firemen did not get sufficient

food to eat, bad as its quality was.

 

When we arrived at Liverpool, we were not long clearing our decks of

cattle. After one is forced to lead, which is often difficult to do,

they all follow, and it is the same with the sheep. It is more often

necessary to control their mad rush than to goad them on. We received

payment aboard--Red two pounds, myself thirty shillings, one other a

pound, and the rest ten shillings each, which was to board and lodge

us ashore for six days, when we would have passenger tickets back to

the port from which we had sailed. If the ship, from any cause, was

delayed over this number of days, we were to receive an extra half a

crown for every day over. Red, having been in Liverpool several times

previously, led the way to a cheap house, at which place I persuaded

them to pay down six nights' lodging, so as to make sure of some

shelter, not forgetting to caution them against drink, as they would

need every penny of the remainder for food, which would be more

difficult to obtain in this country than their own.

 

These cattlemen are recognised as the scum of America, a wild, lawless

class of people, on whom the scum of Europe unscrupulously impose.

They are an idle lot, but, coming from a land of plenty, they never

allow themselves to feel the pangs of hunger until they land on the

shores of England, when their courage for begging is cooled by the

sight of a greater poverty. Having kind hearts, they are soon rendered

penniless by the importunities of beggars. Men waylay them in the

public streets for tobacco, and they are marked men in the public

houses--marked by their own voices. First one enters and makes a

successful appeal, who quickly informs another, and others as quickly

follow. These wild, but kind-hearted men, grown exceedingly proud by a

comparison of the comfortable homes of America with these scenes of

extreme poverty in Liverpool and other large sea-ports, give and give

of their few shillings, until they are themselves reduced to the

utmost want. And so it was on this occasion. The next day after

landing, I made my way to the public library, for I had not enjoyed

books for a considerable time. When I returned from this place,

Australian Red at once approached me to borrow money, with his old

hint of having some concealed. On questioning the others, six in

number, I found that these men had not the price of a loaf of bread

among them. As for myself, I had not been drinking, and had only spent

seven shillings, and a part of that had been given away in charity.