June 1-18, 1866

June 1: "The Capt. took his two roosters in deck to have a fight. The first pass that one of them made at the other he drove his spur through his neck and killed him, it was the quickest I ever saw one killed."

June 3: "We got some fresh mutton for dinner; one hundred and twenty-eight days out, and only one fresh dish. I don't see how they can afford it so often!"

June 6: "There has been a school of Dolphins playing around the ship; one of the men hauled one out of the water, but he got away....As we are nearly becalmed tonight, some of the men took a swim; They jumped off the martingaleMartingale

The lower stay of rope used to sustain the strain of the forestays. and came aboard on a robe which was hung over the bow."

June 7: "We caught a shark about eight feet long which had eight young ones inside of her, each twenty-six inches long; she had delivered all but one of them; when there is danger they go down the old one's mouth."

June 14: "We have got quite a fresh breeze tonight and are heading nearly on our due course. I hope it continues to breeze until we reach Frisco."

June 15: "We had a nice supper tonight; it consisted of baked beans, fritters, soft bread and cookies, and to cap it all, Mrs. Harriman sent us a plate of butter; it tasted nice after going without even a smell of it for a hundred and forty days."

June 17: "There is a great fever aboard for painting chests; everybody is getting me--their old donkey--to paint it."

June 18: "I amused myself until after four bells by marking out some stars on my diddy-boxDitty box

A small box in which a sailor keeps small tools and personal items. Similar in function to a ditty bag. cover...From four until six I spent the time in painting the stars which I had drawn in the morning."