Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 198
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[Page 198]
rite of saying grace.
The visit to the mess decks over we pulled our socks up and prepared to wade into the mass of delicacies which our mess man had provided. Later we sought relief in slumber.
About four some of the more energetic souls went ashore again and had supper and a dance. The good people of Nassau went to no end of trouble to give us a good time and threw their furniture into the street to make room for the dances.
Next day was Sunday and in the night it had begun to blow. Several of the ships company had slept ashore and it seemed as though it would be impossible to get them aboard.
In the early dawn of Sunday the Captain had been awakened by the wind and he came on deck to see how things were. He called for the side boy who was not in evidence. The quarter master and ships corporal were also absent lulled to sleep no doubt by the frivolities of the previous hours. Just then on looking over the side the Skipper saw a cutter which had broken adrift from the boom drifting past the starboard gangway. He rushed down and jumped in hoping to catch hold of something.& bring the boat to. But there was nothing handy and as rowing a cutter in a heavy sea is far from being a one man job he drifted inshore clad in a night gown bellowing loudly for assistance. The spectacle of a post captain adrift in an open boat in a night shirt must have been good to see. The Officer of the watch lucky man arrived on deck in time to see it.
Just as all appeared hopeless and the cutter was near the rocks the steam boat came off. She had gone inshore early for beef when the coxswain saw what looked like a white