| ⚪ | Sunday, 8th | Still dead head wind. It is a lovely day and as I have been a “farmer” (no wheel or anything) I have spent the day in my trusty friend the hammock and at present am writing this in it. The Captain has taken down some casing from underneath the break of the poop, and there is now an iron beam which does splendidly for hanging the hammock. So far thank goodness we have been free from bugs, but it is no uncommon thing to see a small detachment of enraged men armed with sheath knives hunting on the main hatch and slaughtering bugs by the score. | |
| Monday, 9th | Miserable day, continually heavy rain squalls. We filled up all empty barrels with water for washing purposes. Last night anyone standing on the main deck could have witnessed a most curious scene in the moonlight. The bugs had taken the Bosun's house by storm, and swarmed about in such numbers as to make life miserable, and sleeping impossible. So the Bosun, ‘Chips’, ‘Sails’, and ordinary seaman started carting bedding, chests, bags and did not leave off till they had emptied the house of everything. This was all done in shirt-tails. I never laughed so much in my life. Two men would start along the deck at each side of a chest, and suddenly one would drop his side and scrach himself, and then no sooner would they start again than the other end would go down, and the same thing happen again, one man of course cursing the other all the time. | ||
| Tuesday, 10th Lat 28°13’S Long 131°37’W |
At last today we have succeeded in getting the S.E. trades. We have been expecting them for the last week. This is the hottest day I have ever experienced. Had to go to the wheel this afternoon with no shirt on, only a thin pynjama jacket with no buttons on. It was too hot to stand more. I was watching the flying fish the whole two hours and have come to the conclusion they must be the most unfortunate fish in the world. They are chased through the water at a great rate by large bonetas, dolphins and albercones, and if they don't get caught by them and should come out of the water to escape their ocean enemies, they are immediately seized by Boobies, Mollyhawks, Trade birds and “Bosuns's” and then if they go to the water again the fish are waiting for them, and if they fly aboard a ship they are immediately put in a frying pan. It is a wonder there is any left at night to tell the tale. Loosing a [- ? -] or [- ? -] must be an everyday occurrance. | ||
| Wednesday, llth | Trades, if they are trades, are very squally, and I don't expect they will last long. Great excitement tonight, the steward is suspected of doing away with parcels of hops, as one of the men wished to make the bread. Ours being sour and uneatable. | ||
| ⚪ | Thursday, 12th | Steward kicked out of the cabin this morning and ordered into the fo'c'stle. He had to shift his belongings immediately. He hadn't been in the fo'c'stle half an hour untill the mean came aft and said they would refuse duty unless he was made to take his things out at once. Skuse and I intend to do the same, if they try and pawn him off on us. The poor fellow has to doss under the fo'c'stle head now on a coil of rope. He is very dirty and has to clean all the brass work on board now. Brown was put Steward, but I with a little navigation got him shifted out of there and the ‘Professor’ in instead. The pantry is no place for an apprentice. Skuse and I let them know that didn't intend to attend upon them. | |
| Friday, l3th | Trades finished and the wind from N.W. I don't think these could have been the trades, only a S.E. wind. Beautiful day. Shipping yards. Great rows about the scales being wrong. The mate has been in several severe squalls, forid. | ||
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