On 11 July at dawn we entered the Bosphorus. Turkish Customs officers came aboard. Paid bribes. All correct. Sailed on at 4 p.m.

On 12 July through the Dardanelles. More Customs officers and the flagboat of the guard squadron. More bribes. The officers were thorough, but quick. They want us to move on. At dark we sailed into Archipelago.

On 13 July we sailed past Cape Matapan. The crew were unhappy about something. They seemed scared, but would not tell us why.

On 14 July I was a bit worried about the crew. The men are all steady fellows, who have sailed with me before. The mate could not find out what was wrong. The men only told him there was something, and crossed themselves. That day the mate lost his temper with one of the men and hit him. I expected an angry quarrel, but all was quiet.

Vocabulary:

Customs: People who check what you have at a country's borders
Bribes: Paying money that you should not pay for services
Flagboat: The boat with the person in charge
Squadron: A unit of ships or aircraft
Thorough: Doing everything completely
Steady: Calm, reliable
Crossed themselves: Made the sign of the cross
Lost his temper: Became very angry
Quarrel: Between an argument and a fight