CHAPTER XVIII 



A FIVE months' trip 



Sight of Cape Horn — Teaching Card Games — Run out of Grog — Last 

 Bottle of Brandy — Medical Comforts — Stocked up again — The 

 jNIate and the Pig — Sharks' Supper 



• The five months' trip I have mentioned from Aus- 

 tralia to England was in a barque called the Scottish 

 Prince. She was well found enough, the cabins being 

 comfortable, with a good bathroom. One of my sons 

 — then a little chap of two and a half — had not been 

 very robust (look at him now, you who go racing, with 

 his six feet and fifteen stone, and you will hardly 

 believe it). I decided therefore to go by sail ; one 

 thing, it was cheaper ; and there was nothing in parti- 

 cular to be in a violent hurry for. It was all right after 

 the first few days, and later there was the usual experi- 

 ence of having a magnificent view of Cape Horn. Few 

 have been round it, and only a small proportion of those 

 have seen that wonderful coast-line, the extreme south 

 of South America. It made a great impression on me, 

 I can remember, but what a delight to steer a northern 

 course again, for we had been down to nearly 60° south, 

 and, my ! it was cold. There were only two passengers 

 besides my family — a Scotsman, who had been in the 

 army, and who kept himself to his books, and a Dutch- 

 man, a resident of Sydney. The skipper was a simple 

 soul who delighted in reading. I had two packs of 

 cards with me, and he had two or three as well. He 

 carried them as he did a big American organ, in case 

 they " might be wanted." He was over fifty, and had 



