The Life of William Hodge

In the year 1864 when a boy of 17 years. After receiving 10 1/2 years Education in the town of Leith which is the seaport of Edinburgh my father sent me to be a clerk with a firm called John Saunders & Son. Now this was a firm that measured all the logs of Timber that came into Leith with a line of ships that used to run to Quebec for this Timber. Now these were a line of ships that was [?condemded} from carrying perishable cargo and used to go across the Atlantic to Quebec in ballast. And come home loaded with square logs of Timber. As when they were loaded with Timber there was no fear of them sinking. So this Firm I was in had to measure every log. After it was launched out of the ship port holes which was in the Bows of those old Ships. And after the Timber was rafted we used to measure it. And at the meal hours I used to get on board and have a chat with the Apprentices. And those boys used to tell me the most Lovely Stories of their Adventures in the ice fields on the Banks of Newfoundland. And at last they me persuaded to go to sea. I considered about it for a long time and at last I thought I would ask My Father about it. And at last I did broach the subject to him. But unfortunately he nearly jumped down my throat and told me that it was rogues and thieved that went to sea and also boys that their parents could do nothing with. So I could See there was no chance of getting away through my parents. So I met an acquaintance of mine by the name of James Durie. And was speaking to him about it. And I found that he was in the same mind as me. And that we simply proposed to bolt and stow away in one of those old ships. So there was one bound out in a day or two a Barque rigged vessel called the Monarch. And I knew one of the Apprentices on board of her. And he used to give us all the news when at last this old ship was hauling out through the Dock gates and when everyone was busy we jumped on board. And got down the hold amongst the coals as she was half loaded with

small coal bound to Quebec. So the Tug took hold of her and towed her well down the Firth of Forth. And when the Sailors got all Sail on her, the Tug left. So we got the news that it was time to come up. So up we came as black as two sweeps. So we was marched aft to see the Captain. And he asked us what we wanted on board his ship. And after we told him the circumstances, he told us to go forward and he would put us on shore at the Pentland Firth where the people would sooner eat you than give you any-thing. But when we got to the Pentland Firth there was nothing said. And he turned out a jolly nice man. And gave us a few clothes and so did the sailors. And I can assure you we dropped in all right. Anyhow I made the voyage in her. But when I came home there was no talk about not letting me go back to Sea. But my Father saw a ship owner called Donald McGregor who had one of his ships loading for Pt. Adelaide S.A. And got me bound apprentice in a full rigged Ship called the Melbourne. Bound to port Adelaide South Australia. Now this was a beautiful Ship when she layed along the quay in Leith Docks and loading for Australia and anyone belonging to the Melbourne in those days was reconed very lucky people to get into her. Anyhow we sailed on the latter end of 1864 for South Australia and we found when we got outsid[e] that the officers was not the best of men to sail with as far as us boy[s] was concerned for a Sailors life in those days was a hard life. Especially for the Apprentices. Anyhow we arrived in Port Adelaide on the latter end of the month of March 1865 and was there about two months when we sailed again for the point de Galle in Ceylon, But when out three days we found that the sand ballast we had in choked her pumps so we could not get the water out of her hold. So we had to put back to Pt Adelaide and by good luck it was a nice strong fair Wind. And we arrived at the Semaphore Anchorage and awaited for the tug for in those days there was only the one Tug and her name was the Eleanor and she did not show up until next-day when she towed us up to the wharf and in those days there

was only three berths for three ships and all the rest of the ships had to lay in the stream and wait their turns so we had to discharge this ballast into lighters and cleaned the ship out. And took in stone ballast. So when she was ready for sea again two of the apprentices and myself had a conference together and made it up to bolt from her rather than stand the cruelty of the second officer. So there was a boarding house in the front of the port at that time kept by a man by the name of Jack Hanley and believe me it was only a house built mostly with timber and lined with bags. Anyhow he took in what clothes we managed to get on shore. So the night before she sailed we bolted. And walked away up the old port road until we came accross a Shepherds Hut and there the three of us camped for the night. As we was the only inmates and one of the three of us called McIntire was told to call on some relations of his before he left home who was a storekeeper at a place called Kentown near Adelaide. So we thought we would get up pretty early in the morning and find out this store in Kentown and about midday we found it all right. And glad to see it as we was commencing to be pretty hungry. Anyhow McIntire entered this store and made himself known and his relations was all so overjoyed at seeing him. When McIntire stopped and told them that him and two more of the apprecentices had run away from the Ship at the port. And if they would give him a bit of tucker for the three of us we would get away at once as the police would be on our trail. And he did not want to get them into any trouble if we was caught. Anyhow out came McIntire with as much food as last us two or three days. So away we went into the bush and had a good feed for I assure you we wanted it. Anyhow, we made another start and got away somewhere about where Burnside stands today. And we came across another Store. And the three of us went in and asked if there were any work to be got. And there happened to be a tall lady im buying some stores and she asked us where we had come from. And we could tell by her broken English that she was a foreigner. Anyhow it did not much matter what she was as we were anxious to

get clear of the police. Anyhow we told her we had come from Scotland. All right she says if you come down with me and see my husband I dare say he will take you three boys on. She never thouht for a moment we was run away sailors. Anyhow away we went with her away about two miles between the Hills. So she spoke to a man on the way and told that we was three Scotch lads, that had just come out from Scotland. So he asked us what part of Scotland we came from and we told him from Leith. So this man came from near there himself and was a shepherd, and had his sheep in the Hills and the Lady bid him good Bye and went on with the other two and I stopped behind for a bit, and told this man the truth that we was run away sailors and run away from the ship we was apprentices in. And if he would kindly say nothing and give us any news about the ships departure as she was bound to sail out from the Wharf and lay to an anchor in the Gulf waiting for us boys to be picked up. So I found we had just struck the right man and he told us to work there for a week or two and he would give us all the news about either the police or the ship. So away I went after the rest of the company and arrived at Waterfall Gully and this German took the three of us on and never asked any questions But took his wifes word for it. he kept a Market Garden and we found them very nice people to work for and agreed with him for 10/- per week and our keep. And we did not know much about Market Gardening as there was nothing but Bricks and Mortar where we came from. Anyhow we got on not so bad. A nyhow next day in came that Scotch shepherd and told us that the mounted troopers was after us and Twenty pounds reward our for each of us. Anyhow he says you need never fear as they will never think of coming down this Gully to look for you. we knew the the ship would not lay long waiting for us. But in them days Sailors was very scarce for in 1865 there was not many Sailors about in pt Adelaide out of a ship and us three being away would shorten the crew greatly. Anyhow our Scotch Shepherd arrived a day or two after with the good news that the ship had Sailed. So the police was Baffled at not finding us as it was a

Good reward if they had found us. Anyhow our German friends never found out anything. So we thought we would work on for a few weeks until we got a few Shillings. And our Scotch Shepherd used to come occasionally and have a yarn with us about the old country. As he had only been out about 5 years. Anyhow as soon as we had a few shillings we thought we would Leave our German Friends. And now that our ship was gone we thought we was simply all clear and could go where we liked. So we left the Market Garden. And made tracks for pt Adelaide and proudly thinking that we was all clear now that the ship was gone. But as soon as we got to pt Adelaide and into the Boarding house in came the Water Police and arrested the three of us. Of course we wanted to know what was wrong now as the ship was gone. Anyhow we had just to go with the police to the lock up in port Adelaide. So we was to be tried next morning. So at 10 am the Magistrate came in and asked why us Boys deserted the ship Melbourne. And we told him through being so cruelly treated. And he sympathised with us. And told us we ought to have reported it. And we told him if we had have done that, it would have been the worst for us after we got to sea. Anyhow he said he would have to give us a months hard labour. And I assure you that was more than we expected. Anyhow we thought we would be better in there for a month than walking about the port. As in those days there was not Many Ships about pt Adelaide and also a desert looking place. So the three of us was run up to the jail in Town. Anyhow when we got inside we was put in a yard where there was a crew of sailors that had refused duty on board an American Ship called the Buena Vista and got three months. Anyhow we found them a fine lot of men. And they were making Bags for the Copper Mines. And us boys tarred the twine for them. And I assure you when our month was up we was simply sorry we had to leave as we was not badly fed and ships was pretty scarce and the Governor of the jail gave us a good advice and advised us not to come back there any more and we told him how we was so cruelly treated on board but appearingly