| ⚪ | Sunday, 24th | Very squally. Going along pretty well. Today I have been acting kind of instructor to Brown at the wheel from 12 - 2, showing him how to steer by the wind. Beginning to feel it kind of stale again. | |
| Monday, 25th | All day bending sail. We bent all square sails except Main Royal. We were turned out in our watch below to help, because we washed clothes on Sunday. He worked us so late on Sat. that we thought we would have revenge, but as usual it didn't work. He is going (so he says) to make us “turn to” on Sunday morning. The Port watch were also turned out for not doing enough work. The blooming mate is going rather far. There is a row brewing. Tonight at tea the mate has done nothing else but run us down. He came from the Fo'c'stle, and therefore hates apprentices. If he hates me as much as I hate him, he hates me pretty bad. This is a beautiful night. Grand moonlight, calm sea (just a slight swell), a slight breeze, and not too warm. A proper tropical evening. | ||
| Tuesday, 26th | Painting “half round”. Had another burst up with second mate. Subject: whether he or I had the most common sense. I have just come from the wheel, and in the whole two hours, I don't think she has gone ahead three inches. The trades are now finished and it is a dead calm. We “turned to” half an hour earlier this morning. This ship is fast turning into a work-house. It is getting harder every day. Tonight the mate stoped us playing the banjo before six. | ||
| Wednesday, 27th | A lot of whales knocking about today. One of the A.B.'s in our watch has got his foot poisoned and is now in dry dock. So we got another hand instead of him, and last night he was taken away again because we would not sing out on the ropes, which makes six wheels in one watch and eight in the other. The men are in a great excitement about it, and no wonder. | ||
| Thursday, 28th | Getting ready for bad weather. Lashing everything. Had a long yarn with the Old Man on the poop this afternoon. He was very decent, which quite surprised me. He said we got 27 new plates in and 17 new ribs put in after the collision. The docking expenses were over £1,400. Tomy is out of his time today. I wish I was! This passage is getting stale. Perhaps it is with looking forward to all the bad weather we have yet to get. Potatoes ran out today. So that is a pleasant look out, no more “spuds”. The 3rd mate has been chucked out of the mate's watch into ours, which makes another officer to boss us about. | ||
| Friday, 29th | Chipping bulwarks and deadeyes. Had a nice little pow-wow with Joss Pym for breaking a chipping hammer. | ||
| Saturday, 30th Lat 31°43’S Long 24°41’W |
We haven't seen ths sun for the last three or four days. Worked till 5 p.m. Great excitement forid. Sighted a vessel on the horizon, and another came up and past us, but is not gaining on us so much now, as there is now a good breeze. | ||
| Sunday, 31st | I am writing this on deck. It is such a splendid day. A bit better than what you are having at home I think. Our good days are numbered now, I am afraid. We are heeling over like a yacht, and the lee scupper holes are flush with the water line. It's grand! We have re-past and left astern the ship which past us yesterday, and there is also another there which we must have past in the night. There has been a terrible row forid this morning about washing clothes on Sunday, and as usual I was one of the “speakers”. A sailing ship is grand when forging ahead, but miserable when stoped. This is the kind of day you would like to lie and bask in the sun and refuse to move for anyone. | ||
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