From the Journal of Ship's Carpenter

Jas. Apple

From the Journal of Ship's Carpenter, Jas. Apple:

 Mr. Roberts having all but his man Vassermann to help to assist as he went about his dailies, was as it seemed at a loss for a doctor's mate but as fate would have it a Frenchman who was found in long clothes and self professed to having never been to sea and being not more than a farmer with no real trade or papers was pressed into our service and taken aboard our good ship as a landsman in hopes that although he be ripened on the vine that he would in our time make at the least, if not a able seaman a somewhat tolerable one. 

Gerard Taken up ashore.

He was, as we would find not by any great means, but by admission of his with much back and filling of his true identity in fact a surgeon's mate on any number of French ships, and was a great addition for the crew and for the doctor I might add, for unlike Vassermann, he was not mute as a stump. One time having been set in the doldrums and quite idle, and many on board being full of constant drip and bleats and being quite tiresome to the Frenchman Mr. Gerard, he insisted that we should go tend to the bugs and birds in the doctors cabin. And having done that he took to telling me the names and uses of the this-and-that and how to administer any number of cures.

Having lost track of time and no bell to be heard the ship shook and lurched and as we climbed to the sun found us full sail and well underway and a great speed I might add, heading as the devil his self and Mr. Gerard my only witness straight off the known edge of the world, having heard from some that the world was once flat it would that day prove to hold true.

The Frenchman was as fearful and was found holding his beads and whispering to them, then shouting only to tell me in a great panic that all was to be lost and he was sorry for having sailed with me this day and that should we meet again on the other side that we might still be friends, just as our ship began to break up and all our men lost in the water that shot us over the edge like broadside of chain shot, I was stuck in place as water and stars mixed, between heaven or hell when Mr. Roberts rescued us from certain death and took us bellow, shaking his head the whole way, but never breathing a foul or unkind word amongst us. The doctors new mate might very well know the words and uses of Mr. Roberts medical chest, but I do not believe the doses translate well from French to English, and the good Doctor now uses a lock that only has one key.