Sunday, 21 April 2013

Monday 5th September, 1836

A disaster averted today.

The voyage nearly ruined when Lion, my spaniel, fell overboard!


Imagine my horror when I was informed that he was last seen some ten minutes before the alarm was raised. I was frantic with grief and distress, but managed to pull myself together and come to action.


Fortunately the crew were magnificent and on my order, managed to turn the ship around - no easy task as a lumbering old merchant ship like the Buffalo hardly turns on a sixpence - and head back to retrieve the poor animal, who was shaken and damp but tremendously brave and had even started to swim after the ship!


Adams, my steward, whose job it was to care for the dogs was all apologies, but if the dog had drowned I need hardly say that his life would have been very miserable indeed! As it is I cannot understand how ten minutes passed before he noticed that Lion was missing. He says that he was fully occupied with Towser, who insists on biting his arms and legs continually in playful fun, but truth to tell, is the care of seven dogs really so hard?


I am most displeased with him.

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