26 WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD 
The wind is howling through the rigging, the decks are _ 
awash. It is hard to say whether it is raining, for the spray _ 
cut off by the wind makes rain a somewhat insignificant 
event. As he makes his way up on to the bridge, not a very 
lofty climb, he looks to see what sail is set, and judges so 
far as he can the force of the wind. 
Campbell, for he is the officer of the morning watch 
(4 a.M.-8 a.M.) has a talk with the officer he is relieving, 
Bowers. He is given the course, the last hour’s reading 
on the Cherub patent log trailing out over the stern, and 
the experiences of the middle watch of the wind, whether 
rising or falling or squalling, and its effect on the sails and 
the ship. “If you keep her on her present course, she’s all 
right, but if you try and bring her up any more she begins 
to shake. And, by the way, Penelope wants to be called 
at 4.30.” Bowers’ ‘snotty,’ who is Oates, probably makes 
some ribald remarks, such as no midshipman should to a 
full lieutenant, and they both disappear below. Campbell’s 
snotty, myself, appears about five minutes afterwards try- 
ing to look as though some important duty and not bed 
had kept him from making an earlier appearance. Mean- 
while the leading hand musters the watch on deck and 
reports them all present. 
“How about that cocoa ?”’ says Campbell. Cocoa is a 
useful thing in the morning watch, and Gran, who used to 
be Campbell’s snotty, and whose English was not then 
perfect, said he was glad of a change because he “ did not 
like being turned into a drumstick”’ (he meant a domestic). 
So cocoa is the word and the snotty starts on an adven- 
turous voyage over the deck to the galley which is forrard ; 
if he is unlucky he gets a sea over him on the way. Here 
he finds the hands of the watch, smoking and keeping 
warm, and he forages round for some hot water, which he 
gets safely back to the pantry down in the wardroom. 
Here he mixes the cocoa and collects sufficient clean mugs 
(if he can find them), spoons, sugar and biscuits to go 
round. These he carefully ‘‘chocks off” while he goes 
and calls Wilson and gives him his share—for Wilson gets 
up at 4.30 every morning to sketch the sunrise, work at his 
