9th December 1859
Fine, warm and very calm. Sighted Cape di Verde Isles. Tweet: deck cleaned and scraped by the sailors. 2 dolphins follow the ship all the morning. Doctor shot twice but missed them. 2nd mate threw at them with a barbed instrument about 2 yards long with 5 prongs about 4 in. long but did not catch either, it appeared to me that it struck 1 of them. They were about 2 ft long. Seem to keep very near the surface and I understand their principal food is the flying fish, which they catch by jumping out of the sea after.
No ships today. Beautiful sight, in the midst of an apparent circle of a very calm sea as far as the eye can reach,sailing very slow towards the south .... 6 o'clock the sun setting on our right between some dark, but very grand clouds, a beautiful blue sky over us and on our left the moon rising in silvery grandeur.
10th
Latitude
14 North
Very fine and a nice breeze. One
of the sailors caught a fish about a half a yard
long. Splendid colour, called Beseta. Large quantities of flying fish
seen today.
11th Latitude 12 North
Very fine and hot, a strong wind causing the vessel to
toss about a great deal. Several seasick,
myself and wife included, our children not so. Church prayers on the poop, the Captain
absent on account of a cold. Dissenters service on the Poop in the evening, on acct of its being too hot in our cabin.
A steamer passed us apparently
homeward bound but not near enough to speak to.
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