ssage under steam
everybody pulled at the ropes--Tom, children, and all--as if they had
never seen sails set before; the men working with a will, and shouting
their loudest and merriest songs. All sounded most cheery; but the
wind was unsteady, and the result was that the sails, which had been
sent up with the fervent hope that they might remain set for the next
six weeks, had to be lowered abruptly in as many minutes, and the
anchor hastily dropped, to avoid a Dutch brig moored close to us, into
which we were rapidly drifting in consequence of a sudden shift in the
wind. The poor brig having already been in collision, and having lost
her bowsprit and foretopmast, it would indeed have been hard to damage
her again, though I expect we should have got the worst of it, for she
was of a good old-fashioned bluff build. It was annoying to fail in
getting under way under sail, and still more so to have to wait two
hours while steam was being got up. At 8.30 P.M. we started again,
more successfully this time, and proceeded quietly through the night.

_Thursday, April 21st._--Muriel's birthday. Ceased steaming at 6 A.M.
A heavy roll throughout the day, with occasional strong squalls. All
suffering more or less from the motion. At noon we had steamed
sixty-three miles and sailed twenty-one. In the afternoon the weather
improved. At 7 P.M. the ship was put before the wind in order to let
Neptune come on board, after which the ceremony of crossing the line
was carried out with due solemnity and with great success. The
costumes were capital, the procession well managed, and the speeches
amusing. Muriel was delighted with an offering of shells, and Neptune
finally took his departure amid a shower of one rocket (we could not
afford more for fear of accident) and a royal salute of eight rifles.
We could watch the flames of the tar-barrel in which Neptune was
supposed to have embarked, as it rose and fell on the crests of the
waves for many miles astern, looking like a small phantom ship.

[Illustration: Fishing-boat, Allas Strait]

_Friday, April 22nd._--Bad night; heavy squalls throughout the day.
Made and rounded the Paternoster at 8 A.M. Much cooler on deck; no
apparent difference below.

At noon we had come 174 miles under sail, and were in lat. 7 deg. 56' S.,
long. 116 deg. 56' E. In the afternoon we made the entrance to the Allas
Strait.

The Strait of Allas is one of several navigable channels by which
ships can pass from