Introduction

The troopship carrying Joseph and his fellow soldiers continued to sail eastward through the Mediterranean Sea, with the north coast of Africa sighted. It was not a good day for Joseph, however. There was insubordination, snow, ongoing sea sickness, and to top it all off, a hammock mishap.

The Diary Entry

13.2.89

At 4 Am, a Petty Officers & called for the watch. Then I mustered them. There was about 40 of them out of the 100 which should have been there. I reported it to the Officer of the watch & he told me to tell the bugler to sound the watch call, but there was only a Sergt, a Corprl, & one or two turn out. The name of the men who where there I took & reported it, to the Adjutant in the morning, or I might have got in trouble myself & so passed one of the roughest night I have ever been out in during my soldiering.

Both of us very sick & it hailed & snowed. We saw land nearly all day, the African coast. Each had a high dried herring for supper which stopped the sickness. Then went to rest. Unfortunately my hammock was tied up careless, so just as I was dosing off, down it came & it was a mercy I did not crack my head.