Gus turned away, with a sick feeling in his stomach. His first impression – that he was under an authority which imposed discipline through means that were basically benevolent – had been rudely dispelled. It seemed to him now that he had escaped one brutal regime only to fall into the hands of another.

The storm of Christmas day abated and by December 29th the Shenandoah was sailing under full canvas.

A few weeks later, rumours began to circulate that they were bound for Australia. The crew were delighted with the prospect, but Gus gathered from listening to the conversation in the wardroom over meals that the officers had doubts about the wisdom of the idea. The seas around them were a prime area for Union-owned whaling ships, which presented a very tempting target, and the officers felt that they should be pursuing them rather than heading for port. They were worried, too, that there might be Union ships already there and that their position would quickly become known to their enemies. The captain, however, had other ideas and, the winds having fallen light, ordered the engineers to get up steam. His hopes of a rapid passage were dashed, however, when the engine broke down and it was discovered that the propeller was also damaged. This made a stop in harbour all the more vital.

Gus forgot his doubts in his excitement at the thought of seeing one of the places he had only heard of from Captain Thomas’s stories, and his sense of anticipation was fuelled by the tales told by crew members who had visited Australia before. None of them had been ashore since they set sail from Las Desertas, and Gus longed to feel solid ground under his feet again.

On January 29th they heard the welcome cry of ‘Land Ho!’, and soon afterwards the Shenandoah glided into Port Philip Bay and anchored off a busy dockyard.

‘Where are we?’ Gus asked one of the older crewmen.

‘Melbourne,’ was the answer.

They had scarcely dropped anchor before a whole flotilla of small boats put out from the shore and came to encircle them. Many of them carried bundles of newspapers, which were eagerly seized upon. In this way, they learned for the first time that Abraham Lincoln had been re-elected as president of the United States and that General Sherman had captured Atlanta. The war was not going well for the Confederates.

None of that concerned Gus particularly, though he was sorry to see his fellow crew members disappointed. All his thoughts were directed to the possibility of going ashore. Two days of frustrating waiting followed.

He managed to catch the attention of Midshipman Mason for a few minutes.

‘Beg pardon, sir. What are we waiting for? When will we be able to go ashore?’

‘When we have established that the state governor is prepared to let us stay.’

‘Why wouldn’t he?’