aboutââ¦
M ARCH 19
Commenced with light breeze at NE. Misty till 2. From 2 till 4 wind ENE with passing showers. From 4 till 10, ditto wind. At 11, a vessel came in sight bearing NE, distance 12 miles bound out.
At 2pm the Yatala arrived. There is no word from Mr Sam. I have sent letters to the Marine Board and the authorities at Donington and made a request for a second horse. Mrs Bellows received a large package that has put her in an unusually high-spirited mood.
Second and third keepers employed in bringing up oil from the Returnâ24 gallons. In the process of bringing up the oil the barrow slipped off a stone, capsized the oil tins and burst one. (Wasted 5 qrts of oil.âCpt SL)
M ARCH 20
Commenced with moderate breeze at ENE with clear blue sky till noon. Very warm.
I have deduced Mrs Bellowsâ package must have been a new hat and gown as she is wearing these today, despite the temperature and their excessive grandeur in these remote surroundingsâ¦
A PRIL 5
Commenced with moderate breeze SW by W. From 8 till noon, light breezes and overcast.
The mare is no longer lame. Miss Lily proposed riding to Donington to seek news of Mr Sam. I said we could not spare the horse and the journey was too hazardous for her to undertake alone. We pray that the Yatala âs next visit brings confirmation Mr Sam is safe and the miscreants he pursued are in custody.
Mrs Bellows continues to parade herself daily in her new outfit. She appears so incongruous in this environment it is almost amusing. However, I sense she deliberately seeks to differentiate herself from the more plainly clad Mrs Sutton and Miss Lily. I fear this provocative campaign may damage moraleâ¦
A PRIL 9
Commenced with strong wind at WNW, dark and gloomy with passing showers. From 4, steady rain and wind gusts at WNW.
With heavy rains restricting us from outside toils for the past three days, I overheard Miss Lily express sympathy to Mrs Sutton about how hard it must be to entertain the children indoors. Mrs Sutton replied, âFor all I care it can rain for a month so long as I do not lay eyes on that ridiculous frockââ¦
A PRIL 15
Commenced with steady moderate breeze at SE by E and cloudy till 8. From 8 till noon calm and clear.
At 10, the Yatala arrived. Making my way to Nolanâs Return I was surprised to hear laughter and indignant screams penetrate the scrub. The mare was tethered, rendering the flying fox stationary, with an irate Mrs Bellows suspended in midair halfway between the jetty and the storerooms. She had apparently been there for some time. When I asked who was responsible for this, Mrs Sutton replied that it was very much Mrs Bellowsâ own doing. I took this to mean that she was being punished for her contemptuous attitude towards the other women. Mr Bellows was on duty at the light and did not witness this incident. No word from Mr Sam, the Marine Board or Doningtonâ¦
A PRIL 18
Commenced with moderate breezes at ENE with clear blue sky till 4. From 4 till 6 ditto breeze with a heavy dew falling.
We are all on tenterhooks. The youngest of the Sutton children, Robert, has taken ill with dreadful fever. Raised the signal for medical assistance but he is failing fastâ¦
A PRIL 21
Commenced with heavy mist and passing showers until 5. Moderate breeze at SSW and overcast from 6 to 10.
Our signals have been to no avail. Robert Sutton died at 7 this evening. God rest his soul.
A PRIL 22
Commenced with steady fresh breeze SSW and cloudy till 8. From 8 till noon moderate breeze and passing showers.
We held a graveside service for young Robert Sutton at Nolanâs Return. Mrs Bellows stood apart from the other women as Miss Lily attempted to comfort Mrs Sutton. I fear our community is splintering. Indeed, Mr Bellows needed urging to assist with digging the graveâ stating to me that it was a task for the third keeper. I replied that no father should dig his own childâs
M ARCH 19
Commenced with light breeze at NE. Misty till 2. From 2 till 4 wind ENE with passing showers. From 4 till 10, ditto wind. At 11, a vessel came in sight bearing NE, distance 12 miles bound out.
At 2pm the Yatala arrived. There is no word from Mr Sam. I have sent letters to the Marine Board and the authorities at Donington and made a request for a second horse. Mrs Bellows received a large package that has put her in an unusually high-spirited mood.
Second and third keepers employed in bringing up oil from the Returnâ24 gallons. In the process of bringing up the oil the barrow slipped off a stone, capsized the oil tins and burst one. (Wasted 5 qrts of oil.âCpt SL)
M ARCH 20
Commenced with moderate breeze at ENE with clear blue sky till noon. Very warm.
I have deduced Mrs Bellowsâ package must have been a new hat and gown as she is wearing these today, despite the temperature and their excessive grandeur in these remote surroundingsâ¦
A PRIL 5
Commenced with moderate breeze SW by W. From 8 till noon, light breezes and overcast.
The mare is no longer lame. Miss Lily proposed riding to Donington to seek news of Mr Sam. I said we could not spare the horse and the journey was too hazardous for her to undertake alone. We pray that the Yatala âs next visit brings confirmation Mr Sam is safe and the miscreants he pursued are in custody.
Mrs Bellows continues to parade herself daily in her new outfit. She appears so incongruous in this environment it is almost amusing. However, I sense she deliberately seeks to differentiate herself from the more plainly clad Mrs Sutton and Miss Lily. I fear this provocative campaign may damage moraleâ¦
A PRIL 9
Commenced with strong wind at WNW, dark and gloomy with passing showers. From 4, steady rain and wind gusts at WNW.
With heavy rains restricting us from outside toils for the past three days, I overheard Miss Lily express sympathy to Mrs Sutton about how hard it must be to entertain the children indoors. Mrs Sutton replied, âFor all I care it can rain for a month so long as I do not lay eyes on that ridiculous frockââ¦
A PRIL 15
Commenced with steady moderate breeze at SE by E and cloudy till 8. From 8 till noon calm and clear.
At 10, the Yatala arrived. Making my way to Nolanâs Return I was surprised to hear laughter and indignant screams penetrate the scrub. The mare was tethered, rendering the flying fox stationary, with an irate Mrs Bellows suspended in midair halfway between the jetty and the storerooms. She had apparently been there for some time. When I asked who was responsible for this, Mrs Sutton replied that it was very much Mrs Bellowsâ own doing. I took this to mean that she was being punished for her contemptuous attitude towards the other women. Mr Bellows was on duty at the light and did not witness this incident. No word from Mr Sam, the Marine Board or Doningtonâ¦
A PRIL 18
Commenced with moderate breezes at ENE with clear blue sky till 4. From 4 till 6 ditto breeze with a heavy dew falling.
We are all on tenterhooks. The youngest of the Sutton children, Robert, has taken ill with dreadful fever. Raised the signal for medical assistance but he is failing fastâ¦
A PRIL 21
Commenced with heavy mist and passing showers until 5. Moderate breeze at SSW and overcast from 6 to 10.
Our signals have been to no avail. Robert Sutton died at 7 this evening. God rest his soul.
A PRIL 22
Commenced with steady fresh breeze SSW and cloudy till 8. From 8 till noon moderate breeze and passing showers.
We held a graveside service for young Robert Sutton at Nolanâs Return. Mrs Bellows stood apart from the other women as Miss Lily attempted to comfort Mrs Sutton. I fear our community is splintering. Indeed, Mr Bellows needed urging to assist with digging the graveâ stating to me that it was a task for the third keeper. I replied that no father should dig his own childâs
Similar Books
