“July 26th to August 4th.—­There has been nothing to record.  The wind has been fair as yet throughout, though it dropped yesterday (Aug. 3rd), and we lay for some hours in a dead calm.  We have recovered our spirits altogether by this time.

“August 5th.—­One of our hands, Griffiths, fell overboard to-day and was drowned.  He and Colliver were out upon the fore-yard when Griffiths slipped, and missing the deck, fell clear into the sea.  The captain was below at the time, but rushed upon deck on hearing Colliver’s alarm of ‘Man overboard!’ It was too late, however.  The vessel was making eight knots an hour at the time, and although it was immediately put about, there was not the slightest hope of finding the poor fellow.  Indeed, we never saw him again.”

[At this point the Journal becomes strangely meagre, consisting almost entirely of disconnected jottings about the weather, while here and there occurs merely a date with the latitude and longitude entered opposite.  Only two entries seem of any importance:  one of August 20th, noting that they had doubled the Cape, and a second written two days later and running as follows:—­]

“August 22nd.—­Dr. Concanen came into my cabin early this morning and told me that his wife had just given birth to a son.  He seemed prodigiously elated; and I congratulated him heartily, as this is the first child born to them.  He stayed but a moment or so with me, and then went back to attend to his wife.  I spent most of the day on deck with Captain Holding, who is unceasingly vigilant now.  Wind continues steadily S.E.”

[After this the record is again scanty, but among less important entries we found the following:—­]

“August 29th.—­Mrs. Concanen rapidly recovering The child is a fine boy:  so, at least, the doctor says, though I confess I should have thought it rather small.  However, it seems able to cry lustily.

“Sept. 6th.—­Sighted Ascension Island.

“Sept. 8th, 9th.—­Wind dropping off and heat positively stifling.  A curious circumstance occurred today (the 9th), which shows that I did well to be careful of my Journal.  I was sitting on deck with the Concanens, beneath an awning which the doctor has rigged up to protect us from the heat, when our supply of tobacco ran short.  As I was descending for more I met Colliver coming out of my cabin.  He was rather disconcerted at seeing me, but invented some trivial excuse about fetching a thermometer which Captain Holding had lent me.  I am confident now that he was on the look-out for my papers, the more so as I had myself restored the thermometer to the captain’s cabin two days ago.  It is lucky that I confided my papers to the Concanens.  As for Railton, the hangdog look on that man’s face has increased with his travels.  He seems quite unable to meet my eye, and returns short, surly answers if questioned.  I cannot think his dejection is solely due to poor Wilkins’ death, for I noticed something very like it on the outward voyage.”