| Sunday, 7th | Miserable day. Raining the whole time. Standing by halyards all day. Very squally. | ||
| ⚪ | Monday, 8th | The whole night was spent in hauling on braces, etc. A lot of seas coming aboard. I succeeded in washing the second mate from the weather braces. A great number of albatrosses, molliehawks, cape hens and cape pigeons flying astern. Things are not running nearly so well this time. Continual rows with the officers and crew. No one respects any of the officers. Life aboard is stale enough. I can't help thinking I was an ass coming this voyage. They can't have had much to eat at table tonight because they must have taken up all their time running us down. Mrs. Scott has discovered we are not Grentlemen. The mate ditto. He said he hates us, and only wished he could find an excuse to pick a row with us. | |
| Tuesday, 9th | Fine day. Set all sail, heading E. by S.½ S. We are on the meridian of Greenwich. Sorting things up aloft. Mrs. Scott has been overhauling me “good oh*” tonight, including all my relations, whom she knows more about than myself. She is below my notice now. | ||
| Wednesday, 10th | Half a gale right astern. Furled mainsail and Royals. All hands making [- ? -]. This has been a proper war-like day. Terrible argument between Mate, Captain, second mate,Bosun, third mate and myself. The second mate and bosun, were almost going to fight. Everyone is against the poor second mate. I don't envy his position at all. Mrs. Scott thinks the Bosun a “Gentleman”. I expected as much. He is as much a gentleman as she is a lady, but that's not saying much. | ||
| Thursday, llth | Splendid breeze. No sights. Running dead reckoning. The mate started lee wheels this afternoon for spite because one of the men was thrown clean over the top of the wheel onto the lee rail. The mate said he must have been playing with it. Like as if any man is fool enough to play at getting thrown over the wheel. | ||
| Friday, 12th | Got sights today and discovered we were much further E. than they thought, and shifted the time suddenly from 5.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. All sail set forging ahead about 10 knots. | ||
| Saturday, 13th Lat 38°17’S Long 15°27’E |
Thsre has been another row about washing down too late on Saturday afternoons, and today I was told to wash down and finished at half past one, to the great joy of the men. We are just a day ahead now of the place this ship was in when she came out before, and the day we crossed the line we were 14 days behind time. Running a long passage like this, within a day's sail of the place you were the passage before, is very good sailing. The mate tried to stop us playing cards tonight, which resulted in a very hot argument, and to spite him, we blew out the lamp and lit the candle. | ||
| ⚪ | Sunday, 14th | Fine day, but dull. Sad to say playing cards all day. I have had a terrible burst up with the officers in which I got the Captain for a witness. It was through a rope being coiled down in an “improper” way on the poop. One of the men did it and I got hauled up in my watch, below to coil it again. What passed between us cannot be put down here. After I had finished with the mate on the poop, I went into the Second's room and gave him a taste of my mind. He was going to bang my nose in and I am sure if he had tried it I would have hit him back. The thing has not blown over yet. Another of “Life's little worries”. | |
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