Day Thirty Eight
Lat. 47° 25' S Long. 118° 31' W Dist. 141 miles
"At 4.10 am we hauled down the main topmast staysail as the cook could not light his fire. We set it again at 7 am.
I chipped and scraped paint all afternoon under the foc's'le head. The carpenter made an implement for burning paint off It consists of a piece of flat iron riveted onto a piece of rod iron. The operator heats the flat iron on the forge and then presses it on the paint causing much smoke and a delightful odour. Operator No 2 then scrapes the burnt paint off.
We had a talkable evening and a free fight after. Joe nearly choked the Australian and then the Australian returned the compliment in the same manner on the Bosun, much to his disgust. "