Extracts From My South African Journal During Five Years Service In The 2nd Batt 10th Foot From January 1860 To December 1864

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1867 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XL From East London to Cape Town. On Friday the 31st June we embarked at East London, in H.M. S.S. Valorous, for Cape Town, and then commenced a voyage--most fortunately a short one--which, for extreme discomfort and wretchedness, has no parallel in my experience. The vessel--a fine paddlesteamer of 1257 tons--could doubtless have accommodated a moderate number of troops satisfactorily; but, for some reason best known to the authorities, she was crowded to the utmost, and there was little more than standing room for the six hundred men, exclusive of officers, who found themselves on board of her on the evening of the 31st June. A large proportion of the luggage had, in consequence, to be left behind on the beach at East London; whence we received it many weeks afterwards, greatly damaged, and, in some instances, the boxes and other cases robbed of their contents. But, to return to the Valorous; there was scarcely space enough for the officers to move about in, yet we were prohibited from sitting down on the quarter-deck, as being contrary to naval etiquette, and, as the passage was a rough one--so rough that the vessel had to take shelter for twelve hours in Algoa Bay, --it may easily be imagined what an infliction this regulation became to landsmen, who were, for the most part, suffering more or less from the effects of the confined atmosphere of the crowded maindeck, and the heaving and tossing sea. Surely, however necessary or proper such a rule may be in a vessel employed solely as a man-ofwar, the good of Her Majesty's Service cannot require it in a troopship, which, to all intents and purposes, the Valorous was during the time we travelled in her. Those, whose state of health, at this period, did not permit them to walk..