It is good to be underway again.  It limits the scope of mischief available to our more restless partisans.  Mr O'Flaherty and Lady Cowperthwaite between them caused quite a sensation in Port Victoria during our short stay.

I am amazed to say that Wilhelmina was quite retiring compared to her usual behaviour.  While she did attempt to go out into the streets disguised as a chinese servant girl, she at least allowed herself to be guided, somewhat, by suggestions from Sir Cosmo and myself.  I am certain that the courtesy given her in her own right by Sir Miles helped maintain relative contentment with being Wilhelmina.

Her interest in the art of disguise seems recently rekindled.  Perhaps this is because neither Wilhelmina nor Edward is inconspicuous here, with the added inspiration of the so-called Dragon Lady's successful impersonation of the gaol cook.  It is a useful ability to cultivate, and I have often thought of trying it myself.  But when would I have time to learn such a thing?  Though Benton tells me that half the trick of it is to be a good observer of people, and then to learn to behave as they do, and to appear to be what they expect to see.  Though Edward seems to be an exception to this--Who could ever expect an Edward?  Yet, no one has questioned his authenticity-- recent anatomical developments have made matters trickier, but still not impossible.

I am pleased to be on shipboard again, free of the heat of Labuan and the squalor of the less-savoury quarters of Port Victoria.  I look forward to the fresh air and exercise of climbing the rigging for a good look around.  And I am very happy to relinquish the bustle.


Friday, 23 April, 1875

Today passed well, the weather fine and the seas smooth and easy.  It was high time to resume proper studies for the young people, so I contained them all in the schoolroom-cabin at various intervals today.  Since Lobsang has joined our party, I have asked Lt Turner's permission to include him in our academic endeavours.  Lt Turner was most obliging--not surprising since I believe he has never had a batman, and hardly knows what to do with a personal servant.  Lobsang, for his part, has never held such a position and has only passing familiarity of what it entails.  I believe that Caine gave him a short lesson in the duties of the post before we sailed, and Lobsang seems determined to fulfill his duties faithfully.

He is a very engaging young person--intelligent and earnest.  He reads well, and speaks fluently in both English and one of the Chinese languages. I thought I heard him speaking German or possibly Dutch, but he stopped before I got close enough to be certain.  I think he was talking to Turgenov at the time.


Saturday, 24 April 1875

We are all belowdecks, as the weather is a touch stormy above.  Of course the children are restless.  Caroline is suffering a touch of mal-de-mer, as she sometimes does when she can't go out on deck.  Galen seems to find the rolling of the ship entertaining.  He, Olivia, and Robert are having races with assorted rolling toys--lining them up so the tilting of the floor sends them careening toward the far wall, only to roll back again just short of the mark.  I found them having an earest discussion as to how to make the wheels roll more freely about the axles--at least for the moment I have dissuaded them from stealing any grease from the engine room.  I will need to warn the sailors there to be an the alert for young prowlers.  Come to think of it, I'd better warn the galley staff as well.  Otherwise, we will have grease spots and slippery patches everywhere.  Perhaps Wilhelmina and Sir Cosmo will consent to coach them in the correct application and clean-up of grease.    

I am feeling a bit under the weather myself, now.  Perhaps I will take Caroline up above-decks for air despite the storm.


Sunday, 25 April, 1875

The weather has cleared, and the remaining breeze is fresh.  the children have been running about the open area of the deck with great abandon.  All of us have gladly resumed our Defence Exercises.  The children did their own exercises, too, once they had run off some of their excess restless energy.  Mr Salmalin has contimued to develop "games" to play with them, the most recent addition being designed to teach them safe falling--they have been doing tumbling for the past year, but during the past week or so he is teaching them how to fall from greater heights and land safely.  Not one of them has complained of the bumps and bruises they have sustained.  For all that my heart is often in my throat when I observe, I know that these "games" could save them in an emergency.  And they do sleep better for the exercise.


Monday, 26 April, 1875

Weather today is still and hot.  I am glad that the engines allow us to continue even without much wind, for all that they make such ghastly smoke.  If we were stuck here unmoving, I should become quite surly.  As it is, our two vessels travel fairly close, and I can observe the discussions of the two captains as to course and speed.  We are scarcely more than halfway to the point where we hope to find some trace of the phenomena of the hidden island.  

I spent some time watching Wilhelmina working on a recent invention, which she calls a "gob gun."  She refuses to explain its function, insisting it be a surprise.  I don't often like Wilhelmina's surprises.  Sir Cosmo seems satisfied that the invention is reasonably safe.  All I can guess from my limited glimpses of the device is that it has a chamber with a heating element and a nozzle to deploy a directed stream of liquid.  That doesn't sound safe, even if it works as planned.  I just hope it won't be ready for testing until we are back in England, and out of this confined space.


Tuesday, 27 April, 1875

Today has seen us break out of the figurative doldrums. We have engaged in anti-piracy battle, taken prisoners, and defended a beleaguered American merchant vessel.

It all began with the distant sound of cannon to the North.  I alerted the bridge, and as the alarm sounded, I hurried with as much calm as I could muster to secure the children.  They have been through many drills, at my insistence, and they knew exactly what was expected of them—to stay in the nursery cabin with the Nursemaids until and unless signaled to evacuate to the lifeboats.  

However, the children are quite astute enough to tell the difference between a drill and genuine action.  They are every one of them the same as their parents, and they all escaped the watchful eyes of  their keepers and came above decks to help and keep lookout.  I admit a bit of pride was mixed with my anxiety and exasperation.  

I decided to contain them by creating a “fort” on deck with a sizable piece of canvas and assigning the children to man it and watch for enemies, each assigned a direction and taking turns with the spyglass I gave them.  Shortly Galen was called away by his mother, who asked him to pass her ammunition as she loaded her rifle, but the others kept their stations. 

Mrs Salmalin attempted to get all of us mothers to draw straws as to who should go in the lifeboat with the children should evacuation be necessary.  I put paid to that idea by telling her in no uncertain terms that she would go.  I had little time to explain my reasoning.  Not only is she Expecting, and therefore to be protected, by she has the best chance of getting a tiny lifeboat to safety with her ability to control the elements.

As we approached the source of the cannon fire, we determined that 3 ships were attacking a single vessel flying American colours.  The attacking vessels all flew a red flag with Chinese symbols, which Mrs Salmalin translated as “Children of the Storm Dragon”—in other words the vassals of Wu Chang.  They consisted of 2 frigates and a Chinese boat known as a “junk.”  This last was smaller than the other two, but still of a sufficient sea-going size.

The battle was joined swiftly.  I think the pirate vessels were quite surprised to be set upon by a pair of yachts, even if one of them had been so unmistakably a warship previously.  They soon enough knew that we meant business, as the the ranging shots directed by Lt Wooster approached them.

The junk was the first to sink under the barrage.  The nearer of the pirate Frigates received the benefit of Mr Salmalin, who deployed himself to that vessel in an extraordinary manouever with George's help--he was flung though the air some 1500 yd and plummeted through its deck.  The result was something akin to watching a stoat chasing a mouse inside of a sock--muffled, with details unseen, but unmistakably ferocious.  

Mrs Salmalin and I took it in turn to keep watch over the children (along with Daru and Violet, of course).  Whichever of us was not watching the children kept busy with one of the elephant rifles, harrying the pirates on the decks of the enemy vessels.  We concentrated on the vessel which was undergoing the paroxysm of Mr Salmalin belowdecks--it being closer, and already the subject of Mrs Salmalin's intense scrutiny as she waited for her husband's reemergence.  We continued to pick off the pirates as they tried to fire their weapons at our sailors.  We had considerably better range and accuracy than any of their rifles or muskets.

Meanwhile, Mr O'Flaherty and a contingent of marines was crossing to the other pirate frigate by shinning along a rope which had been deployed from the Foxglove by one of those rocket grapple devices.  They had a bit of rough going as the pirates attempted to reach the Foxglove by the same rope, but they could hardly be equal to Mr O'Flaherty.

Mr Salmalin finally appeared on the nearer vessel's deck, along with vile-looking gouts of smoke.  All the enemy's cannons (at least all on the side visible to us) had been disabled at once, and there was plainly uncontrolled fire below.  As the realisation of doom dawned on the pirates, they seemed to think somewhat less about attacking Mr Salmalin and more about getting off the ship before the fire reached the powder magazine.  Unfortunately, this meant they were yet more eager to find their way to take our vessel.  Sir Cosmo was able to field-test his new Etheric Pulse Cannon.  It seemed to work--the accustomed lightnings flew about the deck rigging of the other ship, exploding muskets and cannon, and several of the pirates fell prostrate.  Mr Salmalin had been somehow forewarned and had leaped high into the air, not coming back to the deck until the lightnings dissipated.

To my surprise, Wilhelmina's new device was also tested.  It spews hot melted sugar, which cools and hardens rapidly to immoblise the target.  I assume it was inspried by Wilhwlmina's acquaintance with Mr Wonka.  She was trying, she says, to develop a non-lethal way to disable enemies.  This sounds very humane, until one has heard the shrieks of the pirates hit by the stuff--it causes severe burns and is impossible to scrape off.  The only hope is to plunge instantly into cold water, but only a cook would recognise that, and we don't meet many cooks in battle.   

Mr Salmalin had accidentally freed a prisoner in his belowdecks adventures.  The two of them made their way back to us by the unlikely means of as pair of rocket kites which they had found there on the pirate frigate--apparently the independent invention of one of the Chinese pirate captains.  Mr Salmalin landed with considerably better grace than the other fellow.  This man, we quickly determined, was none other than the notorious Will Sparrow.  Not that he admitted it.  He stubbornly insisted that he was "Mr John Smith of Portsmouth."  We secured him below for a time, after seeing to his basic requirements and confiscating most of his "effects."  

Mrs Cuthbert and the rest of the mystics, as well as Wilhelmina, Sir Cosmo, and Helen MacGreggor, were kept quite busy attending the wounded, starting with our own.  These were blessedly few and none serious, except that George had mysteriously taken several slashes, contusions, and ugly bruises, though he stayed aboard the Selene and did not see direct combat.  They next attended the injured aboard the American freighter.  Then, they patched up some of the pirates.

We were in some difficulty as to what to do with the captured pirates, but fortunately an American warship came upon us, drawn by the smoke and the sound of cannon.  This ship took our captives (except for "Mr Smith," whom we kept to ourselves), and agreed to escort the damaged freighter to a safe port.  

The rest of the night was taken up with various of us trying different approaches to learning what we could from "Captain" Sparrow.  His "Effects" included some artifacts which were very impressive to the mystics--a broken compass, a pair of lopsided chinese spectacles, and a tattered map.  

After the requisite arguing amongst ourselves, we decided to enlist the captive's assistance and accept his parole.  As long as our interests are aligned, he can be of great use.  He has now agreed to help us find the hidden island, and if possible to locate the Arabis.  We have promised to allow him to leave once he has done that, and that we would allow him to take some other ship that we might salvage in the course of our probably-inevitable fight with Wu Chang.  Capt Sparrow's interests in curtailing Wu Chang's activities are in alignment with our own, at least for now, since he was Wu Chang's captive when we found him.

For tonight, he has gone to sleep in our makeshift brig.  Tomorrow we will return his artifacts to him so that he might help us find our way to the Island.  I have misgivings, to be sure--we must be vigilant and not trust this man with any advantage over us, for all that he seems a buffoon. Even so, this seems the surest way of reaching our goal. 

Proceed to Stubborn and impulsive

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