“Had a good night’s rest & have only a riddle to give for today. Why is a ship like a lady? Because she requires a man to look after her. It being rather dry work writing such things as these & it being also Harry Mundy’s birthday Joey & I drunk his health in a […]
2nd December 1878 – 67th day
“Up at 7.30. Fine day but doing very little in the way of pace. Joey caught a large Cape Hen this morning, it measured 6ft 6” from wing to wing. One of the sailors skinned it & a pretty object it looked afterwards, no meat at all hardly; but still the men are going to try […]
1st December 1878 – 66th day
“What a night we have had. Any amount of shaking about as a gale of wind suddenly sprung up at 1am and all hands were called out to reef the sails; two were split right through, the noise they made was something awful. Some of the men are looking very seedy as they have been […]
30th November 1878 – 65th day
“Up at 7.30 after a better night as there was less rolling. It is a beautiful day & as warm in the sun as any summer day. A dead calm has been on all this morning & we have actually been going backwards at times. The men have been busy to-day moving a spare spar […]
29th November 1878 – 64th day
“Left my coffin at 8 after nearly 12 hours shaking. I’m afraid Joey & I made use of some ugly words during the night when the rolling landed us suddenly all of a heap at the foot of the bed & then with your feet onto the pillow. The cook however says that the prayers […]
28th November 1878 – 63rd day
“Up at 8. Wind cold but weather fine. We are now so used to the sea that we do not notice hardly when it is very rough or not. The sea is running very high this morning but we are not shipping much water. Some of the fowls (the doomed ones) have been let out […]
27th November 1878 – 62nd day
“The first part of the day was the worst I have experienced since on board. The wind was high. The sea breaking over us all the time & a nice fine rain that got in everywhere. 12 knots an hour all day. In the evening (at 5) the sun came out & the wind changed. […]
26th November 1878 – 61st day
“Did not get to sleep till nearly four this morning it being so awfully up & down. We have been doing the pace though & we did 290 miles yesterday which is the best day’s work we have done as yet. The 1st mate was washed clean off his legs this morning early & Joey […]
Striking an Iceberg – 25th November 1878 – 60th day at sea
“Just one month till Xmas day arrives. I wonder whether we shall be at our destination by then. Mr Wilson says that while in bed last night he felt us strike on something But we think it must have been a straynge moonbeam. Had a fair wind all day & have done at times 13 […]
24th November 1878 – 59th day
“This is now our 9th Sunday on board, but it doesn’t seem so very long ago since we left home; time passes so quickly. It is nothing else but eating, smoking, drinking & sleeping. Very rough all day. It would be a trial for you all to have seen us holding on to the cups […]