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for being detained a week in Sydney where we are transhipped to the Vortigern an English ship.
During a week of detention we had a great deal of trouble with Stevens & Co. In the office
of that firm they seem to be all masters and no men. We wanted the horses sent
on shore and they promised to send them afterwards then objected to do so unless we took all liability
as to their landing and reshipping which liability of course we would not undertake.

Sent Stevens a letter or rather left one at his office which I wrote while there
as I could not see him. In this letter I told him that the horses would be ruined for
our purpose as they were standing between decks with their heads over a hatchway from which
the men were discharging coal so the poor brutes were breathing an atmosphere of coal dust
and that the men could not get at them to supply the necessary hay and water
and that if Stevens did not alter this state of things I intended but call upon the
secretary of the Animals Protection Society to see if a prosecution should not be instituted.
Stevens got in a great rage and threatened to publish the letter which is just what I should like.
He complained both to Sid and to Kilfoyle about having received such a letter
when he was doing all he could to send us off again as soon as possible but as Sid told
him he was doing that for his own pleasure and profit and not especially for us.
There cannot surely be a more selfish and worse managed firm in Sydney.
On Sunday the horses were trans-shipped and we left Mort's Dock about mid day but after
proceeding as far as Bradleys Head we anchored as there were not enough firemen on board
and those who were on board refused to work unless others were engaged.