Day Sixteen
No location recorded
" At 4.30 am we hauled down the main topmast staysail as the cook could not light his fire owing to the back draught of wind.
At 5.30 we braced the yards right up on the starboard tack and set the main topmast staysail again. All went peacefully and it was still a calm.
At 8 pm the Australian was in the halfdeck and declared we could not put him out, stakes one pound of tobacco each. Needless to say Jock, Joe, Bosun and myself promptly ejected him through the door. Unfortunately he had Joe in a grip and he went also. They landed on the deck in a heap. Excepting some minor bumps and bruises no damage was done. Joe's elbow met my nose in the midst of the confusion but did no damage. He then mentioned knives but on finding four healthy looking knives pointing in the vicinity of his heart on second thoughts rejected the idea."