They encountered storms virtually from the beginning of the trip, but, 
     
     while he admitted that it was terrifying, Stuart seems to have reveled in 
     
     the awesome power and beauty of the sea. While he reported grim 
     
     events of the voyage, Stuart kept to his practice of displaying a 
     
     comparatively light tone in his letters; his account did indicate, 
     
     however, that conditions could well have warranted the reported 
     
     instructions that "if the ship foundered the men would be better to 
     
     forget their lifejackets- without them they would drown more quickly in 
     
     the freezing sea." 
     
    
   
   
    
     ON BOARD PROTESILAUS 
     
     DECEMBER 27, 1918 
     
     My Dearest: 
     
    

    
     Now that the rush and confusion are all over we can settle down I 
     
     suppose for the voyage. I am going to write a little every day and send 
     
     you a good long letter from Japan. 
     
    

    
     We are now out on the wide waste of the Pacific having set sail 
     
     yesterday evening about six thirty. We got the men shaken down into 
     
     their quarters and fed about seven o'clock, though it was a great agony. 
     
     I had dinner, a cold one, about eight. I rolled into bed at nine or 
     
     thereabouts. During the night and this morning the ship has pitched 
     
     considerably so that there was no great rush for breakfast. I was up and 
     
     fussing over the men this morning so that I was pretty hungry 
     
     Up till Sunday we expected to sail on December24th-but on that day 
     
     we were told it would be the 26th so arrangements were at once made 
     
     for Xmas dinner. The lODE [Imperial Order Daughters of the 
     
     Empire] took the thing in hand and engaged the manager of the 
     
     Empress to run the thing. They bought turkey and all the trimmings 
     
     and the night previous everybody at the Empress and the camp were 
     
     working. 
     
    
   
   
    
     December 28, 1918 
     
     The evening of the second day out. Although I have not felt well 
     
     today I have no ground for complaint. The pain I had wore away and I 
     
    
   
   
    
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