ed from coming yesterday.

At seven o'clock Mr. and Mrs. Loftie and Mr. Young came to dinner, and
Tom being too ill to appear, I had to do my best to entertain them.
After dinner, having seen the invalids made as comfortable as
possible, we started, well wrapped up--for it was bitterly cold--for
the dance at the Court-House, which is built on so steep a hill that,
although the building is three storeys high towards the sea, yet by
entering at the back the level of the top storey is at once reached.
The dancing had just begun, and it proved a most cheery little ball.
All present were hearty, kindly, and genial.

[Illustration: The Port Watch]

_Tuesday, May 17th._--A lovely morning, perfectly calm. Tom much
better, and anxious to be off. Mails and farewell messages were
accordingly sent on shore, and Mr. Loftie came off with parting words
of kindness and farewell, and laden with flowers. Precisely at eleven
o'clock, with signals of 'Good-bye' and 'Thanks' hoisted at the main,
we steamed out of the snug harbour where we have passed such a
pleasant week and have received so much kindness. The pilot soon
quitted us, and we were once more on the broad ocean. The wind outside
was dead ahead, and the heavy rollers tumbling in foreboded a still
heavier swell as we got further away from the land. In fact, Tom more
than once asked me if we had not better put back. As it was too rough
to steam, a certain amount of snug sail was set; and, close-hauled, we
steered as near our course as circumstances would permit.

There are a good many invalids on board among the crew and servants,
the symptoms in each case being very similar. This morning the two
maids, two stewards, and three of the men had more or less succumbed
to 'malarial colds'--nothing serious, the doctor says, but very
uncomfortable. It is quite certain that many more are now laid up than
we ever had on the sick-list in the tropics; but the sudden change
from heat to cold may of course account for this state of things.

_Wednesday, May 18th._--The wind was rather more favourable; but,
although close-hauled, we were nearly two and a half points off our
course, the head-sea running very high. Although the air was warm I
remained in my cabin all the morning, feeling wretched and
uncomfortable. At noon we had run 110 miles--100 under steam and 10
under sail--and were in lat. 35 deg. 44' S., long. 119 deg. 53' E., Kangaroo
Island being 820 miles distant. The total distance