48 Crossing the Line 



1768, continued 



by means of a Swinging Table I had made for that purpose, we could be 



Certain of the Dip to two Degrees at most. The Observed Latitude and that 



by account nearly Agree. Wind S. E. by E.; course S. 30° W.; distance 95 m.; 



lat 0° 15' S., long. 29° 30' W.; at noon,' Bonavista, S. E. point, N. 26° E., 358 



leagues. 



Wednesday, 26th. — First part light Airs and Cloudy weather, the remainder 

 a Moderate Breeze and Cloudy. After we had got an observation, and it was 

 no longer Doubted that we were to the Southward of the Line, the Ceremony 

 on this occasion practis'd by aU Nations was not Omitted. Every one that 

 could not prove upon the Sea Chart that he had before Crossed the Line was 

 either to pay a Bottle of Rum or be Duck'd in the sea . . . and the weather was 

 favourable for tliat purpose, this Ceremony was performed on about 20 or 30, 

 to the no small Diversion of tlie Rest. Wind S.E. to S.S.E.; course S. 31° W.; 

 distance 77 m.; lat. 1° 21' S., long. 30° 18' W.; at noon, Bonavista, S. E. point, 

 N. 25° 30' E., 385 leagues. 



ships' logs follow tradition, probably, and aside from courses, winds, distance, and such reveal- 

 ing pictures — for the fellow seaman — seem to frown on anything else. On this trip, however, 

 we have one of the scientists. Sir Joseph Banks, setting doviTi in his diary a much more "human 

 side of the news" as he pictures it for us in his Journal . . . during Captain Cook's voyage in H.M.S. 

 Endeavour, . . . edited by Sir Joseph Hooker, London, 1896, p. 18-20: 



25th. (Oct., 1768. ) This morning about eight o'clock we crossed the equinoc- 

 tial hne in about 33 W. from Greenwich, at the rate of four knots, which our 

 seamen said was uncommonly good, the thermometer standing at 79°. (The 

 thermometers used in this voyage are two of Mr. Bird's making, after Fahren- 

 heit's scale, and seldom differ by more than a degree from each other, and 

 that only when they are as high as 80°, in which case the mean reading of the 

 two instruments is set down.) This evening the ceremony of ducking the 

 ship's company was performed, as is always customary on crossing the line, 

 when those who have crossed it before claim a right of ducking aU that have 

 not. The whole of the ceremony I shall describe. 



About dinner-time a Hst was brought into the cabin containing the names 

 of everybody and thing aboard the ship ( in which the dogs and cats were not 

 forgotten ) ; to this was fixed a signed petition from the ship's company de- 

 siring leave to examine everybody in tliat list, that it might be known whether 

 or not they had crossed the Hne before. This was immediately granted, every- 

 body being called upon the quarter-deck and examined by one of the Heu- 

 tenants who had crossed the Une: he marked every name either to be ducked 

 or let off as their qualification directed. Captain Cook and Dr. Solander were 

 on the black List, as were I myself, my servants, and dogs for all of whom 

 I was obhged to compound by giving the duckers a certain quantity of brandy, 

 for which they willingly excused us the ceremony. 



Many of the men, however, chose to be ducked rather than give up four 

 day's allowance of wine, which was the price fixed upon, and as for the boys 



