The influenza with her has taken
the form of bronchitis and pleurisy. The other children are still
ailing. Heavy squalls of wind and rain, and continuous rolling,
prevailed throughout the day.
_Tuesday, January 9th_.--The wind fell light, and the weather
improved; but we tumbled about more than ever. The thermometer in the
nursery stood at 90 deg.. The children are a shade better.
_Wednesday, January 10th_.--Very hot, and a flat calm. Steam was up at
7.30 a.m. Mabelle is convalescent; Muriel not so well; Baby certainly
better. In the afternoon one of the boiler-tubes burst. It was
repaired, and we went on steaming. In the evening it burst again, and
was once more repaired, without causing a long stoppage.
(_Thursday, January 11th_, had no existence for us, as, in the
process of crossing the 180th meridian, we have lost a day.)
_Friday, January 12th_.--Wednesday morning with us was Tuesday evening
with people in England, and we were thus twelve hours in advance of
them. To-day the order of things is reversed, and we are now twelve
hours behind our friends at home. Having quitted one side of the map
of the world (according to Mercator's projection), and entered upon
the other half, we begin to feel that we are at last really 'homeward
bound.'
At four a.
Pages:
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407