NOTEBOOK

to those below and we remained in bed all night, while
the other passengers realizing the great danger all got up
and dressed.

The ship was down too much by the head, and just
doggedly fought the seas, instead of climbing over them.

Nearly everybody seasick. Happily I escaped—Had
something worse—lay in bed and received passengers'
reports.

A sea that broke over the ship about midnight carried
away 20 ft. of the bulwarks forward. The forward cabin
was drenched with water and the steerage fairly flooded—
a case of claret floated into a stateroom in the forward
cabin. The water must have been 6 in. deep if a case of
claret float, or wash, at all. A man's boots were washed
to farther end of the room. Various things were afloat.

They prepared the boats for emergency.

Old ship captain of 28 years' experience said he had
never seen the equal of this storm. He instructed a friend
to stay by him till all but the ship's officers were adrift
and he and they would make a raft—"Curse the boats in
such a sea and such a lot of passengers." Men were pray-
ing all about the cabin on their knees. Brown went to one
and said: "What's the matter?" and he said: "0, don't
talk to 'me. Oh my!" Passenger said he had served 14
years at sea, but considered his time had come now, but
added: "If anybody can save her it's old Wakeman." l
I perceive by these things that we might have gone to
the bottom unaware that we were in danger—why the
Ajax cut up worse in a dead calm.

Sunday i6th. This is a long, long night. I occupy lower
berth and read and smoke by ship's lantern, borrowed
from the steward. I won the middle berth, but gave it

1 Captain Ned Wakeman, later to figure in Roughing It as "Cap-
tain Ned Oakley," and as "Captain Stormfield" in the Visit to
Heaven. Capt. Wakeman also appears as Capt. Hurricane Jones, in
"Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion."

33