Fortunately
there was no moon, and the night which followed was exceedingly
dark, so that by putting out all the lights on board and altering
our course four points, we hoped to get out of her reach. We had no
light in the binnacle, but steered by the stars, and kept perfect
silence through the night. At daybreak there was no sign of anything
in the horizon, and we kept the vessel off to her course.
Wednesday, October 1st. Crossed the equator in long. 24 deg. 24' W.
I now, for the first time, felt at liberty, according to the old
usage, to call myself a son of Neptune, and was very glad to be able
to claim the title without the disagreeable initiation which so many
have to go through. After once crossing the line you can never be
subjected to the process, but are considered as a son of Neptune, with
full powers to play tricks upon others. This ancient custom is now
seldom allowed, unless there are passengers on board, in which case
there is always a good deal of sport.
It had been obvious to all hands for some time that the second mate,
whose name was F---, was an idle, careless fellow, and not much of a
sailor, and that the captain was exceedingly dissatisfied with him.
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