106 MEMOIR OF FLEEMING JENKIN 



board, they gave three cheers, whether for me or 

 the ship I hardly know, but I had just bid them 

 good-bye, and the ship was out of hail ; but I was 

 startled and hardly liked to claim the compliment 

 by acknowledging it. 



'S.S. Elba, May 25, 

 ' My first intentions of a long journal have been 

 fairly frustrated by sea-sickness. On Tuesday last 

 about noon we started from the Mersey in very 

 dirty weather, and were hardly out of the river 

 when we met a gale from the south-west and a 

 heavy sea, both right in our teeth ; and the poor 

 Elba had a sad shaking. Had I not been very sea- 

 sick, the sight would have been exciting enough, 

 as I sat wrapped in my oilskins on the bridge ; 

 [but] in spite of all my efforts to talk, to eat and 

 to grin, I soon collapsed into imbecility ; and I 

 was heartily thankful towards evening to find 

 myself in bed. 



' Next morning, I fancied it grew quieter and, as 

 I listened, heard, " Let go the anchor," whereon I 

 concluded we had run into Holyhead Harbour, as 

 was indeed the case. All that day we lay in Holy- 

 head, but I could neither read nor write nor draw. 

 The captain of another steamer which had put in 

 came on board, and we all went for a walk on the 

 hill ; and in the evening there was an exchange of 

 presents. We gave some tobacco I think, and 



