216 WHITE— A Sketch of the Life of Samuel While. 



the shortening of his life. My father took a greater command 

 over the yacht, and he set her course south, and day after day 

 battled through a heavy sea, and the owner of the ship kept 

 her on her course for hours drenched to the skin. He put 

 few, if any, complaints on paper, but seems to have written a 

 few notes at odd moments, and these I will give as they are 

 written from day to day. 



Sunday, 8th. "Since yesterday the wind has been 

 changeable. We have been making between three and four 

 knots, although I have had the craft close hawled. My watch 

 on deck is almost continuous now, I cannot trust anyone. If 

 the weather keeps as it is now I will keep the vessel on this 

 (starboard) tack for about a week, and if she still steers south 

 will bring about the Coburg Peninsula, then lay along the 

 coast of Australia to Cape York. The glass is falling, and 

 the weather looks like changing. Monday, 9th. Since yes- 

 terday the weather has kept dull and threatening. I am hav- 

 ing continual trouble with my officers and crew. There, have 

 been, numbers of birds about us, although we are hundreds of 

 miles from land. This morning there were several tropic 

 birds round the ship, and all the morning thousands of flying 

 fish were rising out of our course. There seems to be two 

 species of them, one a much larger one than the other, and 

 they are not seen together. This morning I discovered that 

 there were bugs in my cabin, some of the beautiful crew for- 

 ward had brought a stock on board at Sydney, and they have 

 now found their way aft. I have lived most of my life 

 amongst vermin in the bush, but I am sure if I had flies, mos- 

 quitoes, ants, sandflies, leaches, spiders, centipedes, scorpions, 

 snakes, and a thousand other pests found in the bush, and 

 put them all together they are not a tenth part as 'bad as that 

 disgusting pest. I find a white crew can be in every way as 

 dirty and treacherous as a black one." A few notes written 

 by my father, and which I fancy were made on the 10th 

 simply say: "A heavy wind came up last night, and we have 

 been plunging into a terrific sea. There is not a dry spot on 

 deck, and it is impossible to keep dry. The continual watch- 

 ing and exposure is making it hard for me. While at the 

 islands I did not use a coat, but now I have warm clothing 

 and an oilskin overall, but cannot keep dry or warm. Wed- 

 nesday, 11th. Last night I went aloft and saw a red glow 

 which I fancy was from a bush fire on the Australian coast. 

 I put the yacht about, but at sunrise there was no land in 

 sight. A nasty heavy sea is running, and we are taking it at 

 a bad angle, which causes much water to come on board. I 



