The Diary: 16-30 September 1878

This is a nasty morning and a wet day so that we are much confined below. We are still sailing with very little canvas as the glass is very low - I believe it fell 29 degrees this afternoon. Jeanie and I were a wearying, so we thought we would go forward to see one or two of sailors that have been very kind to us on the voyage. One of them is a fine player on the banjo - well he was just a playing and singing that song "What's a' the steer kimmer" when the boss shouts out "All hands on deck" to shorten sail and there was not a moment lost as the wind and rain was something awful. It was that bad that we had to get one of the sailors to take us along to our hatch. The boatswain allowed it was the most dangerous wind we could get. We had to put the ship about with her head to the wind with only one sail to keep her moving.

We were glad to see the light of morning for we could not sleep for the rolling of the ship and the wind - it was something tremendous. So great was the rolling that it upset the surgery next to us so that the stuff came rolling out - Camphor and Cream of Tarter and such like. We are still going with very little sail they say it is a sign we are nearing land for the seaweed is beginning to show itself and pieces of wood and so on.

I am up rather soon this morning - but it is a finie. Got breakfast and went forward to the forecastle and saw the young man that was badly. I am happy to say he is getting better. Jeanie and myself are very busy making ready for a tea party we are going to have this afternoon. We have invited two of the young women and one of the sailors - one of the young women is a Miss McCormick, a fine intelligent young woman that has been out before and going out this time to get married. She is a friend of Betsy Finlay in Wellington Street. Perhaps you would like to ken what we had to tea. Well we had tea all the way from Islay and toasted bread and a lot of fine scones of our own bake. You may think that a very plain tea, but I can tell you that it is a rare thing to get toast here so that we enjoyed it well and all the more appreciative - the little conversation was worth the whole of it. The sailor was telling us that he had it on good authority that we would sight land on Monday that is if we do 200 miles a day - I hope it is true.

This is a fine fresh morning with a heavy sea running and very cold wind, but we won't complain as long as it is dry. Jeanie is not out of bed yet and it is going for 12 o'clock. It is the best place you can be in, especially when you are cold, for there is no drawing your chair up to the fire - but then we get used to it. Our ship is sailing very moderate with very little sail, in fact we have never more than 3 sails up now.

We were caught in another fearful gale yesterday afternoon about 3o/clock and were compelled to take in all our sail, except one, and lie-to in the troughs of the sea right about to the wind 'till far on in the morning so that was lost time, but that is nothing so long as we are safe. I must confess he is a very cautious Captain. The Second Mate and he can't agree on account of that he thinks we might keep on almost all the sail, but for all that he is a good working mate but just a little venturesome. This is a fine day while I write but still cold. Ship going well just now with a fine wind.

This is a fine day after the storm although we shipped an immense lump of water last night - I never saw as much, in fact it properly drenched the 2 families at the foot of the hatch stairs. One of them is a father and mother and 9 of a family, the youngest one at the breast. I was very sorry for the mother so I asked her over to our mess to spend. She was very thankful for my offer. She told me she had a little farm of their own in Ireland but rent and taxes were so high that they were compelled to remove. While I write the ship is going along splendid - we are going right across the face of Australia - it will take us a few days to get over it. I am just looking at Jeanie passing her time away at the jumping ropes with Jessie and Jeanie. Of course we do anything to warm ourselves and pass the time, so you need not wonder at this.

This is a fearful morning - I am Captain of the mess this week again and I think this will be the last time for I expect to be there next Monday. One of our young seaman was sent aloft for stealing a loaf of bread - he had to stand at the top of the mast for a full 2 hours in a bitter cold wind, but that punishment seems nothing to them. Our ship took in a great lump of water tonight - it threw 3 strong men right on their back. I was standing by with Jessie at the time and I almost thought the men were gone over.

This is a lovely day - sun shining out brilliantly. You can scarcely get walking on deck there are that many on it and the sailors are all busy washing and scrubbing the sides of the ship and all the little houses on deck. There was a subscription got up on behalf of the stowaway to get him a suit of clothes so as that he might have a chance of getting a situation. I got my haircut on board by an old Clyde shepherd - Jeanie says I never got a cut like it before - it was all standing up on end like Hamlets ghost.

Our ship is at a dead calm this last 30 hours but to keep us from wearying they have been getting up our boxes today so we are just passing away our time looking at all our nice things but there is no sardines and cake this time. Jeanie and myself and another 2 men with their wives paid a visit down among the young men last night and I wished you had seen them. You would have thought they had never seen a woman before. They all crowded around us when we got to the end of their apartment and would have them to sing, so Jeanie gave them "The Farmers Boy" and "The Rose of Tralee" and I gave them "Erin my Country" - then some of them gave us Irish songs in real Hibernian. We were with them for about 2 1/2 hours and they strongly invited us back.

This is a very fine day - the sun is shining out well giving all on deck a cheerful appearance. The sailors are all busy scrubbing out and I expect to get orders tomorrow to begin and do likewise. We saw a fine sight this afternoon - it was a rainbow right across the heavens. Our ship is still doing very little, but we are getting along so we can't complain.

It is a fine day - the ship is going well - it is just lovely weather with the sun shining out brilliantly. We are all busy washing our tables and forms and the boxes for holding our mess tins and making all things shine. It would put you in mind of a Flitten Day at home. Our hands are all bleached with the soap and the soda - It gives the ship a fine clean appearance.

This is another fine day - I went on watch last night from 12 'till 4 morning - it was a fine starry night but a little squally. Jeanie is busy washing the Doctor's white shirts, cuffs and collars and I am putting them on the rigging for to dry so that she has always something to do, in fact you have no idea how jealous some of them are at her getting this thing an the other. It is on board a ship you need all your eyes about you.

This is like a day in summer it is so warm, but our ship is in a dead calm, there is not a breath of wind. We have had roll call and church service for the first time for how long I am nearly forgotten. We saw a very fine sight this day, just after church service was over. It was the sky - it was a perfect panoramic scene - in fact you could not express. It was indeed altogether lovely to look upon. O it is a lovely night.

This is another very fine day and we are all busy on deck speculating when we shall see land. The sailors say we shall see it at the end of the week - others say we shall see it tomorrow anyhow, but the wind is so changeable that we cannot tell. We had a visit from some sharks today but they were not very large and they kept clear of the ship. There was another of our young seaman sent up aloft for stealing a 2 shilling piece - he was caught trying to change.