10th March, 1849

On the evening of the 9th, we were prepared for a storm as it lightened and thundered very severely all about us but we came out easy from this. This morning, we find a fair wind and are moving on our course at the rate of 6 knots, which I hope will continue.

11 O.C. This day, a sail seen but too far to the windward to speak her. I now feel with the rest of the company in the forward cabin as independent as possible through the exertions of our sail maker who has made a bag which covers the forward hatch and will protect us against the inconvenience of water dripping through upon us.

4 O.C.—we have just now come out of the squall with the loss of the hook to the square sail jack stay. We were going 15 knots during some part of this squall. We also carried away the pin to the main sheet block . . . the Capt. says he never for 15 years experienced so long and continued heavy weather.

Just as obsessed with the weather as we were. There was one point of connection at least. A few pages later, he recorded a ‘bill of fare.’

On Sunday

Morning—Indian Meal Cakes & Cornish Hash & Coffee

Dinner—Boiled Ham—Plum Pudding—Tea—Soft Tack & Scouse

Monday

Morning—Mush, Fried Ham & Chocolate—Tea

Dinner—Beef Pork & Boiled Rice—Scouse & Hash—Tea

Tuesday

Morning—Indian Cakes—Coffee—Fried Pork

Dinner—Pork & Beans & Pancakes—Tea—Soft Tack—Tea

Wednesday

Morning—Beans warmed—Mush, Chocolate

Dinner—Codfish & Apple Dumplings—Tea—Hash & Scones

On Thursday

Morning—Codfish Hash—Hard Bread & Coffee

Dinner—Beef Pork & Plum Pudding—Tea—Soft Tack—Black Tea

Friday

Morning—Indian Meal Cakes—Coffee & Fried Pork

Dinner—Pork & Beans—Pancakes

Supper—Tea—Soft Tack

Saturday

Morning—Warmed Beans—Mash & Chocolate

Dinner—Codfish & Apple Dumplings

Supper—Tea & Scones

Soft tack? Couldn’t bring an image to mind. Mush or beans I could easily identify with. Odd that just reading about food could be soothing. This two-hundred-year-old menu was little better than what we got in the Mess, though there was plenty of chocolate and coffee, rare treats at Unca Joe. And his fish would have been ocean-fresh. Some of the dens tried fish-farming, but we’d had little success with it. Too hard to find really clean water. I read on.

“I had a misunderstanding with Heyden which, if his disposition is good & his word is worth the breath that gave it life, will be as good as a friend as before. I find it is worth something to know the disposition of men, to know how far to depend upon them in future emergencies.”

Well, there you go. Some things don’t ever change. Like, who could I depend on when it mattered? Crazy Jenn? Sick Rubio? Since the Wave, I’d depended on Rousseau, but was the boss man right about not fighting back?