A Cruise in an Opium Clipper
Alexander Christie
language
(, April 19, 2010)
This juvenile fiction book was published in 1891. Excerpt from book: Chapter I - I take Service on Board an Opium Clipper at Shanghai In the course of a wandering and adventurous life, I found myself one morning, sitting on a stone seat, at the gate of the British Consulate at Shanghai. It was early in the year 1859, and there was at the time much talk about the opening up of Japan to European commerce. While I was patiently waiting for the Consulate to open its portals, that I might see if there were any letters for me, a gentleman in the garb of a sea captain came towards me, eyeing me steadily and seemingly taking my measure. As soon as he arrived within speaking distance, he accosted me with a polite " Good morning, sir." " Good morning," I replied, raising my hat. " Waiting for the Consulate to open, I suppose," he said. " Yes, sir." " Excuse me," he continued, " but might I ask if you are a seafaring man ? " " Oh, yes," I replied, " I have been well trained to the sea. I suppose I have been in all kinds of ships belonging to almost every nation under the sun. As for my capa- bilities, I leave that to my superiors to judge upon." " Well," he observed, " I am in want of some men and officers. Would you care about joining our service ? " " What service is it ? " I asked. " The opium trade, and there is the vessel," pointing towards a moderately sized, trim-looking schooner lying at anchor in the river not far from where we were standing. She looked a perfect beauty as she lay there, with her boarding nettings triced up all round her, and her guns run out and shining in the rays of the sun, so brightly were they polished. Her booms were also swung out for the various boats to hang on to, for there was more room in the river then, than there is now. I doubt much if the increased traffic would admit of vessels having boat booms swung out nowadays. I had heard a good deal about this opium trade, one way and another. Some condemned it, while others laughed at their conscientious scruples. I was young and eager for adventures out of the ordinary way of a seafaring life, so I replied to my questioner that I had no objections to join him, pay and other conditions being satisfactory. " Well," he said, " I am Captain Gulliver, the schooner is named the Eamont, built in the Isle of Wight, by White, the celebrated yacht builder. She is nearly solid mahogany, and cost as much as would build a good oak ship of ten times her size. I will give you the post of third officer," and he named a rate of pay that would make the mouth of a chief officer of nowadays water. " You can join to-night or to-morrow morning, and if during the day you can pick up any European seamen, you can bring them with you, and their pay will be forty dollars a month, or five more if they are the right sort. We carry a large crew, so the work is light, if it is attended with some danger. There is no stint of food, and everything of the best." Be sure to look for the companion book, "Among Typhoons and Pirate Craft" for your Kindle by the same author.