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[Page 17]
dinner is quickly seized when thrown overboard. Some Bread is treated in the same way.
Fishing is the limit here. The niggers get a fish break off its head, chew some of the body, scatter some of the result on the water. The niggers get a short bamboo rod (about 2ft) with a 2 ft line with a little hook. Fish about 9" long like mullet come round in hundreds & they flick the hook out & catch one by the tail, back or anywhere. Sometimes they dip a little net in & caught catch them like that. Very [tame?] sport. A red coloured fish about 1 ft long is caught easily on an ordinary line with the mullet as bait. Our mess put 1/- in each & got oranges at 16 a 1/-
Another Is. is visible on the other side of ship. Post containing a big number of my letters will go off here. At even night no lights were shown by any of the ships and the place seemed rather dreary in comparison to the Cape
[Note referring to post]
Did not go.
[Text in margin]
The island is very dry & barren. As rain has not fallen for about 15 years water & fruit has to be obtained from neighbouring islands.
8 Saturday
Still in port on rising and trade with "bum boats" continues. A life belt & hammock inspection parade took place at 9 am. The naval pinnances look well flying about between & men-o'-war & the transports.
The Machine Gunners bought a big fish weighing about 1 cwt from natives & pretty well all the amateur photographers got busy. About a dozen of the chaps went overboard for a swim this morning and got their names taken when they were pulled back on ropes.
Staying here for today is rather wearisome as there is not much to see as we cannot get a shore & we all know we are not making progress towards our destination.
[Text in margin]
The island was named "St Vincent" just after the battle of St Vincent in honor of the British who under Wellington were then carrying on the Peninsular Wars to Portugal's help.