| ⚪ | Saturday, 17th | Continual rows and nearly fights all through the night. The mate is hated Fore and Aft. Skuse and the Old Man have had a great talk for an hour and a half about the ship and grub. I believe there is now going to be a slight difference. The mate never speaks to me now. He tells everyone he hates me, and that he has no use for “that” Linklater. He is frightened to say more. I have got him on a string properly. He was drunk one night and let out more than he intended. I have taken every opportunity of letting him know it too. Going ahead well and beautiful day. Chipping. Times are very interesting and exciting. | |
| Sunday, 18th | Discontent and hatred still continues. We are now going ahead in the right direction well. Fine day, but the strong wind makes it rather cold. | ||
| Monday, 19th | All day there has been a vessel right astern on the horizon. We both seem to have the same sailing powers, as our positions don't seem to change. The work today is Chipping Fore and Main lower masts. Painting Mizzen Mast and scuppers. The poor old cook was in a terrific squall yesterday, and nearly got thrown out of his galley. The water the men gave him to make porridge with he used for washing clothes. Of course great excitement. | ||
| Tuesday, 20th | This morning the ship astern was much closer and gaining fast. So we bent three more sails. Topgallant staysails and flying jib, but still she gained. We were both going about 8 knots, but there was no weight in the wind. At one oclock she was about a half a mile astern, and the Old Man commenced signalling. The Old Man reading the flags out of the signal book and I picking them out and hoisting them. The vessel proved to be ‘The Firth of Forth’ from Newcastle to Cokimbo in Chili. She is 29 days out and we are 35, so you can see what our head wind has done. It has driven us into the track of the South Americian vessels instead of the North Americian ones. Today we are 42° South. Strange to say, as soon as we finished signalling, the wind seemed to get more weight in it, and as ours is a heavy ship it takes a good lot to move her. Over we went like a yacht, and by 4 p.m. the Firth of Forth is a good mile and a half astern. A small and light vessel can gain easily on a large and heavy one in a light breeze, but in a strong breeze it is soon left behind. Beautiful day. Taring down on Mizzen. | ||
| Wednesday, 21st Lat 42°5’S Long 152°24’W |
The wind has fallen again, and the other ship is now a little ahead of us. We lost a lot through unbending the Storm foresail and puting up the fine weather one. We are drifting apart now, as we are keeping up North and she is going more to the East. All hands chipping and painting. Scrubbing oilskins. Beautiful weather. | ||
| Thursday, 22nd | Light winds. The other ship is away ahead of us now. Chipping and painting. I can't believe Christmas is so near. Of course there are no preparations being made here. | ||
| ⚪ | Friday, 23rd | Light winds, but still going ahead a little. All the iron work on deck has been chipped and painted. Bulwarks, bits, winches, anchors, etc. and even as far up as the lower masts. Fine weather. | |
| Saturday, 24th | Worked all the morning, but not in the afternoon. Supposed to be a holliday which had to be spent washing clothes etc. I hope by next Xmas eve I will be past that. The other ship is now out of sight. Christmas will come and go just the same as any other day. I spent the evening in bunk with candle lit reading home letters and thinking of you all. | ||
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