I gave them some beer on
Saturday, making a short oration. To-day when they went ashore, and I
came on board, they gave three cheers, whether for me or the ship I
hardly know, but I had just bid them good-bye, and the ship was out of
hail; but I was startled and hardly liked to claim the compliment by
acknowledging it.

"_SS. Elba, May 25._

"My first intentions of a long journal have been fairly frustrated by
sea-sickness. On Tuesday last about noon we started from the Mersey in
very dirty weather, and were hardly out of the river when we met a
gale from the south-west and a heavy sea, both right in our teeth; and
the poor _Elba_ had a sad shaking. Had I not been very sea-sick, the
sight would have been exciting enough as I sat wrapped in my oilskins
on the bridge; [but] in spite of all my efforts to talk, to eat, and
to grin, I soon collapsed into imbecility; and I was heartily thankful
towards evening to find myself in bed.

"Next morning I fancied it grew quieter, and, as I listened, heard,
'Let go the anchor,' whereon I concluded we had run into Holyhead
Harbour, as was indeed the case. All that day we lay in Holyhead, but
I could neither read nor write nor draw. The captain of another
steamer which had put in came on board, and we all went for a walk on
the hill; and in the evening there was an exchange of presents. We
gave some tobacco, I think, and received a cat, two pounds of fresh
butter, a Cumberland ham, 'Westward Ho!' and Thackeray's 'English
Humourists.' I was astonished at receiving two such fair books from
the captain of a little coasting screw. Our captain said he [the
captain of the screw] had plenty of money, five or six hundred a year
at least. 'What in the world makes him go rolling about in such a
craft, then?' 'Why, I fancy he's reckless; he's desperate in love with
that girl I mentioned, and she won't look at him.' Our honest, fat,
old captain says this very grimly in his thick, broad voice.

"My head won't stand much writing yet, so I will run up and take a
look at the blue night sky off the coast of Portugal.

"_May 26._

"A nice lad of some two-and-twenty, A---- by name, goes out in a
nondescript capacity as part purser, part telegraph clerk, part
generally useful person. A---- was a great comfort during the miseries
[of the gale]; for when with a dead head wind and a heavy sea, plates,
books, papers, s