Friday, February 12.—This morning a ship was seen. Hearing it was a whaler, I went up to school as usual, and did not trouble about letters. In a few minutes Mr. Repetto looked in to ask for Mary, and said it was a merchant ship, and that the men were just going off. I flew home, got my letters and dispatched them by Johnny Green. Graham was just too late with his. Soon after the three boats came back from Inaccessible. They had had bad weather, and had only caught four seals. The cave in which they are caught is very dark and has to be entered with lanterns, hence a good many got away. The other men returned from the ship in the early evening. We hear the captain would have been ready to take us. He was going to Melbourne. I am glad, though, not to go so far; it is a long round. As the time gets nearer, so the desire becomes greater to see all our home people; but we must just await our time.
[Illustration: ALL THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN]
Saturday, February 13.—Tom has just been in and told us how well they did on the ship yesterday. The captain was very kind. This morning there was another cry of "Sail, ho!" Twenty-two went off and caught the ship. It was an English one, and again bound for Melbourne. Repetto asked the captain if he would give us a passage, but he said he had no room, as he had already a passenger. I felt anxious as to whether we should have to go off, and even began to collect some books, but, rather to my relief, on looking out I saw the ship's sails going up again. Now that the prospect of getting home is so much in our thoughts it seems such a journey round by Australia. I suppose it would take us six weeks to get there.
Graham and Mr. Keytel have at last found the way up from the Goat Ridge to the Base. Mr. Keytel ascended by rather a dangerous way, but managed to hold on and pull himself up. They were so late in coming home that I went to Mrs. Repetto, and we both walked as far as the gulch to look for them; before long she saw them coming, greatly to my relief.
Monday, February l5.—William came in on Saturday night to show us a watch he had bought for five shillings from an apprentice on the last ship. He wanted to show his treasure at once. I only hope it will go, but he does not seem to have any apprehensions on that score; it is a watch, and he possesses it!
In view of our leaving, Graham has given to Repetto the Bishop's commission to hold a service every Sunday, to take baptisms, and to perform marriages.
CHAPTER XXXVI
We have now quite made up our minds not to go by any ship bound for
Australia, as we have the Greyhound to fall back upon.
Wednesday, February l7.—This afternoon, as I was contemplating a walk with Graham, Susie Repetto came to ask me to go up and see Martha, who in chopping wood had cut her foot rather badly with an axe. I found she had done it this morning; it was a bad gash on the top of the foot, and had bled profusely. Her father had bound it up, and told them to ask me to go up and see to it this afternoon. It ought to have been sewn up, and Repetto intended to do that, but Lavarello dissuaded him. Repetto is quite a doctor—and surgeon too. When, a few years ago, old Susan Swain fell and broke her left leg at the shin into splinters, he very cleverly set it, and she now walks about as well as ever, and shows no sign of lameness— even in spite of her not having altogether obeyed his instructions. His account of the setting is most amusing. He says he was never so hot in his life. His great difficulty was to get at the fracture, for as soon as he pulled up the skirt to look at it, it was promptly pulled down again by one or another of the many bystanders. He was equally successful in two cases amongst his children, one of whom had her wrist, and the other his shoulder dislocated.
[June, 1910.—As I write this for the printer, news comes of a very sad accident to poor little Florrie Swain, aged seven, by a stone falling upon her at Pig's-Bite. This is how Repetto writing on April 24 describes the case:—