When are we gonna get there? - the question of thousands. The trip from England was usually about three months, but first you had to leave and this was not as easy as it sounds. Sailing ships had to , well ,sail, and the wind did not always blow in the right direction. And so it was for Ephraim. There they were with all the excitement of the voyage in front of them and they went home again. The second attempt was better. The wind came up, blew the right way and they were off. They had begun loading on 26th June, added a few more on the 29th, then sailed from Portsmouth on the 3rd July . By the 15th, they were back home and the trip did not restart till the 26th. None of them demanded compensation for the late start, fortunately for the captain who had his mind on more important matters. It was the responsibility of the surgeon and the captain to get the cargo to Van Diemen’s Land in good condition. As it was, four did not make it.
P. E consisted of daily laps on the deck. In fact, whether they liked it or not, that’s where they were most of the day, except when they were scrubbing the decks with saltpetre. Extra beef and vegetables were taken on at Teneriffe. I hope it wasn’t parsnips as they really don’t taste nice. Quite a few became ill after a couple of months, despite all the vegies. Scurvy blackened the teeth despite doses of vinegar, and ruined their smiles.
Rough weather, whales, dolphins, seabirds would have differentiated one day from another. The constant sound of sails being hoisted, flapping in the wind and the strain of the timbers would have reminded them they were at sea.
Still, after 135 days, the ripples of the Derwent, the soft green of the gum trees, and the seagulls welcomed them to land. They probably were down in the hatches, polishing up their chains and sprucing up the suits, making sure they were wearing matching socks and had a handkerchief.
A ship full of unwilling invaders was about to disembark on a sunny December morning in 1839.
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