The Tiger Tamer who went to see from History Extra charts the life of a remarkable Victorian

Britain's original long-distance wheelbarrow pedestrian.

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It was a filthy night to be at seed. They were taking such a pounding in the waves that neither Bob Carlyle nor the rest of the crew of the cargo ship, the Jane and Anne, got any sleep.

They could see the lighthouse shining brightly on the coast. It was a terrible temptation to them.

Though they sorely wished they could get to dry land, they knew they had to keep the ship away from it.

The easterly wind was blowing so hard to shore that they would have been dashed to pieces on the rocks if they'd tried to make landfall.

Dawn broke and to general relief the ship was still in one piece.

The day was clear and they could see the nearest safe haven, Sunderland, on the northeast coast of England.

But the waves were still wild and the winds

still howling. They still could not risk a run for sure. The crew did their best

to keep the J. N. N. N. N. N. N. N. A way from the coasts all morning.

It was no mean feet of a creaking sailing ship in a gathering gale.

Despite the fear of the elements, Bob Carlisle was calm. He was an experienced sailor and he knew how to handle himself.

And one blessing was that the whipping wind had briskly cleared the hangover he'd acquired

after days of hard drinking in Hamburg, where they'd loaded the ship with

wood before setting sail straight into the storm. The smell of the cargo of Herring that

they'd taken to Hamburg, however, was not so easily dismissed.

Carlisle and the rest of the crew were reassured by the steady demeanor of their captain,

Mackay.

He knew what he was about.

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