g. This was done,
and we had to be very careful with so little bread among twelve people.
We had plenty of salt beef and pork, and a half-barrel of flour, but no
beans or peas or sugar.

We had a fair run till we saw Cape Clear, at the south end of Ireland,
on the 30th of January, 1855. We all were in high hopes that a few hours
more would see us at anchor in Queenstown; but that night came on an
easterly gale, and we were driven out into the Atlantic, where for weeks
we were buffeted about, and to our dismay our last fresh-water cask we
found had leaked and was empty. We were surrounded with many other
vessels in the same plight--short of provisions. We had plenty of snow,
with which we could make coffee, but were reduced to salt meat only,
which is pretty hard fare. The hardest part was, that the captain had
his wife and two children on board, and for the youngest child a goat
had been provided to supply milk. This became a scarce article as there
was no food for the goat. So every day the carpenter used to plane up a
piece of wood to make shavings for the goat to eat. It got along as well
or better than any of us.

Finally, on the 10th of March, in the morning early, we had reached near
to the Old Head of Kinsale, and near to Cork, when we saw a boat pulling
off to us. This proved to be a pilot-boat. The pilot got on board, and
told us that ours was the first vessel that could be boarded in six
weeks, the weather having been so bad, and that only a few days before
the mail-carrier between Clonakilty and Cork had been frozen to death on
his journey. The pilot brought us a few potatoes, which gave us one each
and two for the captain's wife, and the next morning we got safely into
Queenstown, where we were able to get a good supply of milk, bread,
butter, and eggs, of which we all made pretty free use, and with a few
days' rest we forgot all our late cares, as sailors usually do.

After being in port a few days we all left the "Tropic," and I spent a
couple of weeks in seeing Cork and the beautiful country where the
people are so genial and hospitable. After seeing all I wanted to see, I
took steamer from Cork for Bristol, spent one day there, and then left
by train for London. The train left in the evening, and here a rather
amusing incident occurred. I had taken a second-class ticket, and after
taking my seat, it being cold weather, I prepared to make myself
comfortable for the night. In my valise I had a rough seal