Family History 4.17

Robinson story

Joshua's diary

Another two incidents

Another incident occurred.

I must first remind you we had on board a number of young men and women, about half a dozen of each. The young men with one exception were educated and well behaved, full of hope, expecting to get into good billits and make a rapid fortune. They had their quarters with the married people, the single women's quarters were amidships, a bulkhead parted them from the cabins and steerage. the entrance to their berths was by a small booby-hatch on or near the main hatch.

With the young men was a farm servant and with the women a dairy-maid. These two were known to the captain (I think they came from the same place) and were to have been married before coming on board, but somehow there was not time, and the captain had promised to marry them on board. Poor Sally and William did a deal of courting on deck and in the steerage but at night she had to go to her apartments with her companions.

Very soon after leaving whenever Sally saw the captain, to the amusement of all on deck, she would go up to him and importune him and say you promised to marry me. The captain would say and so I will Sally, but I must be so many miles away from land before it would be legal for me to fulfil my promise. But by now it being fine weather, the day was fixed and great preparations were made.

There being two clergymen on board there was no difficulty fixing up the event, a great turnout with feasting, singing and other entertainments, the captain giving away the bride and so the two became Mr and Mrs Wells and duly took up their quarters with the married people.

 

 

Soon after this another event not of a joyous kind and very near proving a tragic affair. There was with the young women, a woman about thirty years of age, the name of Wagett, purporting to be the wife of the sailmaker of the ship that preceded us. She had agreed to act as matron for her passage out to join her husband in New Zealand. She had with her a quiet well behaved girl of about twelve years of age, which she represented as her daughter. 

 

Well some days before reaching the Cape it was reported to the captain that the second mate was in the single women's apartments. The captain came up in a great rage and found as reported. He went below and a scuffle ensued both below and on deck and but for assistance coming to the captain, murder might have resulted. Having with difficulty secured the delinquent, for he was a powerful man, the captain confined him to the forecastle and ordered the cabin boy to take all of his things out of his cabin to the forecastle. A great sensation was created for a time.

 

By some means it came out the woman was the sister of the woman she represented and aun t to the child. The mother was dead and she had invented this plan with the intention of marrying the brother-in-law.