Who takes care of the baby when the whole family is sick?

Wednesday Aug 13th



Percy was rather poorly last night & this morning he is bed sick not very bad. Washed Oscar & Guy who appear to be all right yet. Claude out first & when I got on deck found it was a lovely morning & the good ship out of sight of land in the Mouth of the Thames or off the North foreland (I am rather hazy in my geography but we are passing the buoys & lightships of the Goodwin Sands) Claude is sick & I am going to be so if no breakfast be forthcoming soon. A nice swaying rolling is all that is perceptible but I am fetched for breakfast. Down below found my wife sick in bed also Percy, Guy & Claude all sick in bed the Cabin, while baby was on the floor in the midst of it, & it was a mercy I did not tread on him for I had no idea he was there and strode right over him to Lizzie’s side. Going below out of the sunshine, the Cabin appears pitch dark, or nearly so, & its some time before ones eyes become accustomed to the change of light & one can see clearly. Oscar had gone up on deck to seek me & soon returned crying & as sick as a dog. Here was a pretty mess. Harold was feeding the fishes up stairs, with what he could spare of his last night’s supper and all the rest of my family except baby was sick in the Cabin. I commenced to try & render what assistance I could when my stomach rose and I rushed upstairs to help Harold. Joss: took & nursed baby for a while & when I again went below I brought him up stairs into the open air and some kind hearted souls in the Steerage took pity on me and took & nursed him for me. Guy was very ill so I fetched him up & nursed him. He very soon covered both himself & me & after I had got a cloth & cleaned our selves up a little, I took him again on my knees & he fell asleep so I took him to bed. Oscar had gone to bed & was fast asleep. Lizzie had been got upstairs & was very ill, after staying on deck an hour or so she complained of cold & shivering & is now in bed, asleep I hope. I do not like to go & see for fear of waking or disturbing her. I got Claude & Percy on deck & wrapped them in their great coats & they now appear all right. None of us have had a particle of breakfast and some of us would like dinner to come soon before we get into the Straits of Dover. Thames Pilot left us at Deal and the old Channel pilot is now in charge of the ship. Steward has just enquired if I would take soup for dinner. I suppose he does not want to get more than will be required as he had a great quantity of coffee to throw away this morning. We have all turned up for dinner except my wife & Mrs Tichbon, who have had a cup of tea each. Have passed Dover and see the White Cliffs of old England on our Starboard. The crew are spreading all sail, the tug still in front & we have very little wind. Nearly all the male passengers are helping the crew hauling at the ropes and they do it to a kind of song - one of the crew doing a short solo & then altogether pulling for dear life to a jolly chorus. Before tea the tug left us & now we are entirely on our own hook. Soon after the tug got clear away from us a calm came on and for 2 or 3 hours the sails flapped idly against the masts. About 7 PM a light breeze sprang up dead against us & so we are tacking against it & consequently making only little progress. Lizzie had her tea on deck, I have had a bad headache since noon, wanting a nap & not caring or daring to go below. Am better since tea but not clear of headache - think I ought to take some medecine, purgative, but dare not do so because of the usually disgraceful state of the WCs. All the passengers on deck & only one or two shewing themselves any worse for their sickness. Have just had a talk with the mate who says we are not tacking but going on our course sailing close to the wind - of course the speed is very slow. Calm again up to bed time which was tonight at 10 PM.