Tuesday Feb 10th Got into the south-east trades. We are still about 3 degrees north of the Equator.
Wed. Feb 11th About 6 p.m. we had a heavy squall of rain and a slight breeze after being becalmed all day. During the day we went completely round the compass on account of there being no steerage way at all
Thursday Feb 12th This morning a fellow who is nicknamed Guinea-pig went up to the skipper and complained of the short rations of water that were allowed to the men. He threatened the captain that if he did not allow them more water he wouldn�t do any more work and would get the other men to do the same. The skipper ordered a gallon extra for them. That evening all the men came aft to the captain and wanted him to give them some tobacco. The captain said but my lads do you know what you signed for? You signed for a shilling a month and nothing was said about tobacco. The men then replied that they must have it, that they could not do without it, and that they would refuse to work if they did not have it. The captain said that if they liked to buy it they could have it and that they had �3 given to them before they started. He asked them why they had not kept that instead of drinking it away before leaving Queenstown. One man then began to swear at the captain who said to him �Now my man no profane language, go off the poop if you want to swear. I�ll not have it in this vessel. They all then went off the poop and one said, �Well I won�t do a stroke of work for one, if you�re too stingy to give us any tobacco� And another said �Quite right Bill and I won�t for another� �Nor will I�, �Nor will I� said most of the rest ass they sloped off the poop. About a quarter of an hour afterwards the 1st mate called for the watch to lay aft, and hoist the main topgallant sails, but here was no response and not a single man came aft. The 1st mate then sent the 3rd mate forward to tell two men to jump up and loose the top gallant sails. He went forward to where the men were standing in a group and said �Two of you jump up and loose� --- � Get away with you� said the men and his voice was immediately drowned by yells of derision. He immediately turned round and walked aft. We could hear the shouts and yells aft and all of us came out of our house to see what was up. The captain called out to us to keep aft and not to go further forward than the mainmast. At last the 1st mate singled out a man named Butler and told him to go aft immediately, but he refused to go. He then ordered the whole of the watch to lay aft, which they did. He then went to the captain & told him that the men refused to work and that Butler had flatly refused to go aloft. The captain immediately came out & said �What�s all this? Who refused duty? Butler did you refuse duty? Butler said I didn�t refuse duty sir: I said that as soon as I had some tobacco I would go aloft. The skipper replied � Well go forward all of you and set to work like men and let�s have no more of this�. The men got threatening and refused to go forward, and one man said �You can take my grub away. I would rather lose that than go without tobacco, and I will have some too. The men got so threatening that the skipper told the 1st mate to go and get his revolvers. As soon as they saw the 1st mate go into the saloon, they began to get cowed and inclined to give in. After a little more arguing the skipper said �Now go forward my lads and work well and if I see you do work well, I may allow you some.
Friday 13th Preparations are being made for Neptune, who is expected on board tomorrow.
Saturday 14th Neptune came aboard today. A whole holiday was given to the crew in honour of his visit. A large main-royal sail was rigged up to duck the unfortunates who had not crossed the in, with about 7 or 8 feet of water in; the stage was got u[p with Neptune�s throne, (made of a cask with the union jack over it) on it. At about 2 p.m. Neptune arrived with his full train of dependants accompanied by his wife. The best of it was that he was not a bit wet nor were any of the rest of them. The midshipmen were all shaved first by the barber who had a tremendous long nose on him. The lather was made of pea-soup, tar, grease, and soap mixed up together, most of it was tar though. This was dabbed on to the patient�s face with a brush made of rope-yarns. After having his eyes nose and mouth crammed full of this muck he was led forward to the end of a board, which being tilted up sent him head first into the water where two men called �the bears� immediately seized him and ducked and rolled him over and over until pretty well drowned he was hauled out. The tar takes a week to get off.
Sunday 15th Beautiful day but very calm. At 7 p.m. when I was at the wheel a sudden and very severe squall came upon us. It rained in sheets and blew great guns. In fact it was as much as I could do to hold the wheel. It lasted about an hour.
Monday 16th The gale last night carried us down at a pace of 16 knots an hour and left us becalmed on the line exactly the whole day.
Tuesday Feb 17th The south-east trades have at last begun to blow and we are going along at a moderate rate of 8 knots an hour.
Wed. Feb 18th Captain served out tobacco to every man. Tautened all the rigging.
Thursday Feb 19th Caught another shark a little bigger than the last one.
Friday 20th Sighted a vessel right astern of us with hardly any sail on her. As soon as she sighted us she clapped on every bit of canvas in order to overhaul us. She is coming up with us fast.
Saturday Feb 21st The vessel; gained on us tremendously. At 3 p.m. she began signalling to us, by which we found out that she was the �Knight of the Garter� from Liverpool with a cargo of salt At first she came close up in or wake as if she was going to run us down, but she suddenly luffed up to windward passing us on our port side (not 10 yards from us) and taking all the wind out of our sails. She then spoke to us , telling us that she had a cargo of salt bound for False Point near Calcutta. She gradually drew ahead of us as she was going much faster than us.
Sunday 22nd The �Knight of the Garter� has gone out of sight. It is very hot today. We are about 12 � degrees south of the line.
