The Women Who Went Round the World E-Book

Sally Smith

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Sachliteratur, Reportagen, Biografien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 426

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

'How good that the stories of these adventurous and wonderful women who made extraordinary journeys around the world have now come to light.' – Dame Joanna Lumley. Ferdinand Magellan, Francis Drake, Captain Cook – the men who went round the world are household names. But what about the women? The Women Who Went Round the World sets the record straight, telling the stories of pioneering women and their extraordinary journeys around the globe. From sleeping with freshly cut heads in Sarawak to travelling through Siberia in the luggage cart of a rickety train, from welcoming an Aboriginal Australian into an eighteenth-century London home to being chased by a jeering mob in rural China, these are the tales of the remarkable women who've been missing from the history books … until now.

Leseprobe

Front cover: A nineteenth-century Thomas Cook travel poster. (Pictorial Press / Alamy Stock Photo)

First published 2024

The History Press

97 St George’s Place, Cheltenham,

Gloucestershire, GL50 3QB

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

© Sally Smith, 2024

The right of Sally Smith to be identified as the Authorof this work has been asserted in accordance with theCopyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprintedor reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented,including photocopying and recording, or in any informationstorage or retrieval system, without the permission in writingfrom the Publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 80399 468 0

Typesetting and origination by The History Press

Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ Books Limited, Padstow, Cornwall.

eBook converted by Geethik Technologies

CONTENTS

Introduction and Acknowledgements

1 1767 Jeanne Baret: the first woman to go round the world. Discovering the Bougainvillea plant and avoiding arrest

2 1791 Mary Ann Parker: the first woman to travel east round the world. Shocking society by welcoming an Aboriginal Australian into her home

3 1846 Ida Pfeiffer: the first woman to go round the world both ways. Sleeping next to freshly cut heads in Sarawak

4 1889 Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland: the first women to race round the world. Taking full advantage of the new steam-powered passenger liners

5 1895 Hattie McIlrath: the first woman round the world by bicycle. Using her gun to restrain jeering hoards in rural China

6 1900 Annette Meakin: the first woman round the world by train. Escaping from Russia to avoid the Boxer rebellion

7 1909 Harriet White Fisher: the first woman to drive round the world. Unable to turn when the track ended in a precipice high up in Japan

8 1929 Lady Grace Drummond-Hay: the first woman round the world by air. Meeting luxury, intrigue and danger on a giant airship

9 1963 Valentina Tereshkova: the first woman round the world in space. Working in a Soviet textile factory before beginning an extraordinary journey

10 1986-88 Jeana Lee Yeager and Kay Cottee: the first women round the world non-stop. Nine days in a tiny cockpit and 189 days tossing about in a small yacht

Bibliography

INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Humans have been great travellers for thousands of years but, until surprisingly modern times, some people and societies still believed that a flat Earth meant you could fall right off the edge. It was only thanks to more recent explorers, such as the crew of Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition in 1519 and those on Francis Drake’s westward trip in 1577, that witnesses became available to state that, following the horizon continually in one direction, they had actually ended up back where they started. The world was indeed round!

Since then, numerous other men have made a full global circumnavigation, with many of them, such as James Cook, becoming household names. For women, with their traditional roles of looking after the house and children, there were far fewer opportunities to take part in exciting expeditions.

Some, however, did manage it. According to handed-down stories, it seems that Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir, born on an Icelandic farm in around 985 CE, visited Newfoundland and the Americas as well as heading south to visit Rome – amazing journeys for a woman in those days.

In more recent times, other women have undertaken exceptional travels and have been involved in extraordinary adventures. Many of these, women such as Lady Hester Stanhope, Marianne North, Isabella Bird and Gertrude Bell, are well recognised in history, and their writings, stories and pictures continue to enthral us.

However, there is one group of women who have somehow been omitted from most of the history books and historical records, women who were true explorers and pioneers yet whose names are unrecognised and their stories virtually unknown.

These are the women who were the very first to go right around the world, to experience the extraordinary variety of different lives, languages and scenery across the entire globe, and then to return home with a wealth of fascinating stories and incredible tales that they could use to entertain their friends for the rest of their lives.

This book was written to finally record and properly set down the remarkable journeys made by these women; the very first women to achieve a full circumnavigation by sea and land and, more recently, in the air and in space. Some of their stories are breathtaking, others are simply hugely entertaining, but they all deserve a proper place in the history books.

Today, many women as well as men are still achieving records in various fields and, with new vehicles and breakthrough technology and equipment, there will be many fresh ways to go around the world. The fastest on foot, going solo by various means, using exciting new styles of engines and vehicles … records will continue to be broken; but nothing can take away the achievements of the women in this book who travelled the world in such different times to become true pioneers.

Most of these women were not looking for fame or glory, so finding out the details of their journeys was in some cases very challenging indeed. Numerous people and organisations have assisted in uncovering the real events and indeed have provided evidence to ensure the information in this book is as accurate as possible. It would be impossible to thank all of them fully without writing another book! However, I would specifically like to acknowledge the wonderful and patient experts at various universities and illustrious bodies around the world, including the notable British historian and classicist Dr Christopher Stray, Honorary Research Fellow, Department of History and Classics, Swansea University, and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Classical Studies, University of London; Ellen Heath, Director of Research at Chicago History Museum; and Karen Pymble at the Australian National Maritime Museum, all of whom gave so much time and made so much effort to help me with my research.

When researching names and events from a long time ago, it is ridiculously exciting when one suddenly establishes contact with a direct descendant and I would seriously like to thank Jess Mortimer for all her assistance in confirming some details of her great aunt Annette Meakin, who made an extraordinary trip around the world by train in 1900, and also Rebecca Urban, whose ancestor was so involved in Harriet White Fisher’s global journey by car in 1910.

Many people, including author and writer Frank Comstock, Dominique Taylor of the Canadian Museum of History and Judith Cetina, County Archivist in Cuhahoga, Ohio, were extremely generous in sharing their research across the Atlantic. I also owe thanks to my agent Andrew Lownie and to Amy Rigg and Jezz Palmer of The History Press, without whose professional advice and assistance this book would never have been completed.

Really the list is endless. All I can do is sincerely thank everyone who has been willing to give their time to help ensure that the achievements of these true women pioneers have, at last, been properly recorded for posterity.

Sally Smith

Somerset, 2024

1

1767 JEANNE BARETTHE FIRST WOMAN TO GO ROUND THE WORLD

Two hundred and fifty years ago, plants provided a major area of exciting new study. There were so many strange and unrecognised plants around the world, and wealthy people sought prestige by creating beautiful gardens and obtaining unusual and rare flora. To be a botanist was to occupy a very respected position. Expedition leaders took experienced botanists with them, and when new plants were found, they were often named after someone connected with the expedition – a huge honour indeed.

It was in an attempt to try and hush up a scandal that the beautiful and colourful Bougainvillea plant acquired its name instead of it being called the Commerson or, even more appropriately, the Jeanne Baret.

Sometimes the biggest adventures in life are had by the least likely people.

If, in the mid-1700s, someone had pointed to a poor, illiterate French peasant girl and suggested she would one day be noted in the annals of international history, there would have been few believers. How could anyone have possibly dreamed that this simple country girl, born in a remote area and brought up in abject poverty with no schooling and very limited knowledge of the wider world, would become the very first woman ever to travel right around the world?

It was certainly not the future young Jeanne Baret dreamed of in her youth. A good meal and a warm bed would probably have been her biggest desire, for when she came into this world in 1740, her family was destitute. The family home, in La Commelle, an isolated French village around 200 miles south-east of Paris, was just a small, poorly thatched wooden house with an earthen floor. Her father exhausted himself every day, working in the nearby fields, mainly for the benefit of the landowner, a local uncaring seigneur. Her mother spent her time desperately trying to keep her family fed and warm with tiny amounts of grain, worn-out clothing and often damp wood for the fire.

In such conditions, life was precarious, and before Jeanne was 7 years old, in her small home she had experienced the death of her mother, the death of a stepmother and the death of a new baby brother.

There would have been some moments of happiness, even joy perhaps, as the summer months brought light and warmth into the little community and Jeanne could join other local children collecting wood, picking fruit and searching for herbs in the calm and peaceful countryside surrounding her small home. When winter returned, however, icy winds tore into the village, forcing their stinging chill through the gaping gaps in the roughly constructed wooden house, and once again life became a cold, miserable challenge.

Things began to change when Jeanne’s older sister married and left the village to set up home with her new husband in Toulon-sur-Arrout, a small town about 15 miles south of La Commelle. The following year, Jeanne’s father died and her older brother brought a wife into the family and into the little house. Jeanne was still working hard to keep the family fires and food going, but she no longer felt the house was really her home. As she reached her late teens, she started thinking of a different future. Maybe her sister mentioned that there were employment opportunities in the town. In any case, on one big day in her life, Jeanne packed up her few clothes and other belongings, waved goodbye to the only home she had ever known and walked down the gravelly track heading south out of the village to join her sister in Toulon-sur-Arroux.

Catholicism was the only religion allowed in France at this time, and once Jeanne arrived in Toulon, from the very first Sunday, along with her sister and all the local people, she made her way up to the big, old church in the centre of the town. It was through the local priest, Father Beau, that Jeanne found a job that was to alter her life forever.

Father Beau’s sister had recently died giving birth to a little boy. His brother-in-law, Philibert Commerson, desperately needed help in his house and also help with the motherless baby. Jeanne had found a job.

Jeanne’s life had already been one of relentless hard work. Fitting into Philibert’s household was not difficult; in fact it was made far easier because not only was Philibert a trained doctor with good earning potential, but he had inherited a lot of money from his dead wife. For the first time in her life, Jeanne was suddenly in a home not driven by grinding poverty. There was money for food; money for fuel, furniture and clothes. Suddenly Jeanne’s life changed out of all recognition. With a huge work ethic, a gentle maternal instinct for a little motherless baby and a fascination for life in general, Jeanne soon established herself as an essential part of the household.

Initially Philibert was aloof and distant; with the death of his beloved wife, he had no time for small talk and Jeanne was just a simple servant girl employed to keep the house running. Quietly getting on with her chores, though, Jeanne couldn’t help but also be drawn into Philibert’s obsession with botany and natural history. In the mid-eighteenth century, medicine and botany were close partners. It is likely Jeanne already had some knowledge of local plants, as herbal remedies would have played a strong role in her youth. Philibert had carefully created a beautiful botanical garden around his house, and strolling outside with the baby, Jeanne slowly became fascinated by the huge range of unusual and beautiful plants.

It would only have needed a small question to fire up Philibert’s enthusiasm. More than passionate about plants, insects and the wider natural world, he was slowly casting aside his medical career as he spent more and more time and became more and more absorbed in a total fascination in all aspects of the natural world. His name and knowledge were already becoming recognised nationally, and while he was generally a quiet, self-absorbed man, he could become almost chatty on his favourite subject.

One day, Philibert asked Jeanne to help sort out his vast collection of plant species and Jeanne was more than willing, showing a real interest in some of the new plants he had collected. Philibert started explaining to Jeanne the basics of different species, and how to organise them properly. When he found she couldn’t read or write, he started teaching her the basics so that she could start cataloguing the items under the correct names.

For the first time, Jeanne was having an education, and she absorbed new facts easily and quickly. Her childhood years were disappearing into a hazy memory as she happily immersed herself in her brand-new life. Neglecting his medical practice, Philibert would often disappear for days, searching for new plant specimens and new variations. When he returned, Jeanne was there, ready to help sort and organise the new plants as well as looking after his baby and the house.

The inevitable happened. Although Philibert was older and still very reserved except when talking about plants, and although he was always very clear that Jeanne was just a servant, not an equal, their living together in such close proximity ended up in the most predictable conclusion. Jeanne, one month after she turned 24, became pregnant.

One can only assume it was Philibert’s child, although this was never officially stated. But once he learned of the pregnancy, there was a lot to think about. Philibert could have simply thrown Jeanne out; he certainly had no interest in the coming child. But by now perhaps he had learned to really value the constant support from a quiet, dedicated woman who was proving increasingly useful in helping to sort and categorise his extensive collections. While Philibert still dearly missed his beloved wife, Jeanne offered a level of support and comfort that he clearly appreciated. It was never a love match – plants were now the only love in Philibert’s life. But he made a decision. He would keep Jeanne on as his servant and helper. This didn’t go as far as keeping the child; once the baby was born, it would have to be adopted or put in a home. But Jeanne could stay.

For Jeanne, there were few options. While she had food and a secure roof over her head, she had no savings; where could she go to raise an illegitimate child? It is likely Jeanne was also becoming attached to her employer. Either way, Philibert’s option sounded the only way forward.

Once the decision had been made, Philibert felt the time had come for radical change. It was two years since his wife had died. He was now 36; he had no real interest in a career as a doctor; all he wanted to do was to pursue his absorbing fascination in all areas of botany. To really become acclaimed, to make a serious name for himself, he needed to leave this small country town. Philibert then acted fast. First, he visited his brother-in-law, the local priest Father Beau, and arranged for him to take on his first child.

He sent Jeanne to a nearby town to register her pregnancy – something that was decreed by French law – but interestingly he made sure his name was not included as the father on the official declaration.

Then he made arrangements that he hoped would really help him create a name for himself. He would move to Paris, the modern, vibrant French capital, where morality was not so ingrained and where he had good contacts.

For Jeanne, the idea of travelling to Paris must have been enthralling. As she helped pack up the household, sort out Philibert’s botanical collection and get ready for the four-day coach ride, she must have been in a daze. Paris, with its mass of people, exotic buildings, huge markets and elegant women; it was to be an astonishing eye opener into a new world for Jeanne.

Philibert had rented a second-floor apartment in central Paris, just south of the river and Notre-Dame Cathedral, and not far from the Jardin des Plantes. This was already one of the world’s leading botanical gardens, and as soon as they arrived, Philibert energetically pursued his acquaintances and connections.

Jeanne, in the meantime, settled in and got on with her work, learning where best to buy fresh food, keeping house and also helping Philibert with his biological records. The excitement of being in such a lively city for the first time must have been muted as Jeanne’s pregnancy progressed, and it is likely her happiness ebbed further as it became clear that Philibert definitely wanted nothing to do with the baby.

As the birth of her baby approached, arrangements were made for the child to be taken into a home and then hopefully adopted. Illegitimate children were common in Paris at the time, and organising things was fairly straightforward. Nevertheless, for a gentle, caring woman like Jeanne, it must have been a dreadfully sad time. With no family to offer support, she had her little boy in a special facility for single women and then immediately handed him over to strangers. Philibert offered no support or care either; his only love was his plants.

Jeanne showed enormous resilience and, hiding her desperate sadness, returned to Philibert’s flat to resume her chores. A few weeks later, Jeanne received news that her baby had died. Death in those days was far more common among babies and young children; nevertheless, Jeanne must have spent some restless, painful, tear-filled nights as she tried to recover emotionally and physically. The energy of Paris life may have helped her move forward.

A few months later, in the summer of 1765, Philibert suddenly became seriously ill, suffering chest pains and lying in bed sweating as he breathed. Along with her household duties, Jeanne now took on the role of nurse. For the rest of 1765, she simply spent her days shopping, looking after the house and looking after Philibert. Maybe this was the time when he at last began to grow fond of Jeanne, or at least value her properly for all the support and help she was giving him. Every day she would ensure his plant collection was well looked after; every day she brought him food, helped him wash, told him what was happening around the house and outside. Philibert was now relying almost totally on Jeanne’s support, and it was a comfort for him to know that she now knew enough about his precious plants and collections to look after them properly.

For Jeanne, this time may well have brought about another change. From being the quiet servant running around after an educated employer, she was beginning to take a lot more control and also making most of the day-to-day decisions. She was proving to be very capable, responsible and astute. The balance between the two was changing.

Philibert was very sick, but he didn’t die, and as he slowly recovered, some of his youthful energy returned. Lying in bed, he had kept up correspondence with his colleagues and other leading biologists of the day; he was also visited by some of the contacts he had already made in Paris. As his health improved, once again he pursued his ambition to be fully recognised as a biologist of real note and esteem.

The middle of the eighteenth century was still very much the age of discovery, and in Europe major powers, especially the ambitious Spanish, Portuguese, French and British with their substantial navies, were desperately trying to outdo each other in finding and then claiming new lands. It was also an era when countries everywhere were involved in intensive research in both philosophical and scientific areas.

Philibert heard through his many colleagues of an exciting new maritime voyage being organised. Commissioned by the French government and led by the renowned military man and navigator Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, it was to be a voyage of scientific discovery, with two ships sailing together to make France’s first official trip right around the world. From the first, the plan attracted interest from the highest level, including from King Louis XV. It was ambitious and generously funded, for its success would ensure France was right up there helping to lead the world in global exploration and scientific discovery.

As the plans for the voyage took shape, thanks to his network of friends, his experience and his enthusiasm, Philibert’s name was raised as a possible nomination for the important position of scientific botanist on the trip. Exploring and preparing reports on the flora of new lands, plus discovering and bringing back samples of exciting new plants, were vital aspects of the voyage; and with Philibert’s background, he seemed a good potential candidate. He stood to receive an excellent salary as the official botanist and naturalist for the voyage. On return, he would more than likely receive huge recognition, a medal and a big bonus. It would set him up for the rest of his life.

By December 1765, Philibert had been officially asked to go on the voyage. By now it seems that Jeanne may well have been pregnant again, with a baby due the following March. This did not deter Philibert, who accepted the offer with enthusiasm and started making detailed plans immediately. They would be covering huge oceans in small ships. It would be quite a risky voyage: in the mid-eighteenth century, many ships foundered in the wild oceans, while disease and lack of provisions also accounted for many on-board deaths. Philibert was advised he should make a will. Jeanne was growing in confidence and it is likely that she now raised the issue of her future. After nursing him back to health and caring for his plant collection so well, and with the obvious close relationship between them, Jeanne was now far more than just a domestic assistant; she was beginning to show signs of being as astute and self-assured young woman. While Philibert left his main effects to his brother and his plant collections to the Royal Collection, in the will he agreed to give formal recognition to Jeanne. He named her as his housekeeper, stating that he wanted to leave her a small yearly allowance and his furniture, plus the use of the apartment he was renting for up to a year, so that she could look after and finally sort all his plants before giving them to the Royal Collection.

Having written his will, Philibert’s life was then dominated by plans for the voyage. The more he learned about the trip, the more enthusiastic he became. It was to be a big expedition with two ships: the Boudeuse and the Etoile. Philibert, holding the prestigious position of official botanist, would be paid more than either of the two captains. He would sail on the smaller of the two ships, the Etoile, and could take an assistant/valet with him, also paid for by the expedition organisers. Philibert’s job was to discover and make collections from all the countries they visited, keeping detailed records, and prepare a full account on his return of the plants he had encountered.

During the early months of 1766, preparations for the trip began in earnest, but they didn’t affect Jeanne a great deal. It seems likely she gave birth to a second son in March, and again the baby was put out for immediate adoption. After that, she continued with her work as Philibert’s housekeeper and assistant, spending a lot of time helping to carefully sort and categorise all the plants in his vast collection. Her writing was improving and her knowledge was growing daily: the official botanical names of plants were becoming familiar and she was beginning to understand how plants could be classified into genus, family, order and class. Slowly Jeanne was herself becoming a very knowledgeable botanist.

The months passed steadily as Philibert finalised his plans, but the answer to one question – who could he take as his assistant – remained elusive. He would definitely need expert help in sorting and categorising all the exciting new plants he expected to find; but he also might need physical help, as his health was still far from perfect. At some point during the summer of 1766, it was suggested that possibly, just possibly, Jeanne could accompany Philibert as his assistant. Who came up with the idea is not known; but Jeanne by this time was 26, had matured and gained enormous confidence, and she may have thought the position on board with Philibert would be preferable to being left alone to look after the apartment. It is also likely that, despite the fact that he had refused to take any interest in her pregnancies, she had grown really fond of Philibert. He was without doubt the rock that, at this time, was holding her life together. Possibly, though, the suggestion came from Philibert himself; after all, he knew what an excellent assistant Jeanne was, plus she had already proved herself as a good nurse when he was sick. If his health deteriorated on the voyage, he would be able to rely on Jeanne to look after him and also to help collect new species. There must have been many discussions in the little flat in Paris as Jeanne and Philibert worked out a plan. Jeanne herself was no longer a poor, submissive domestic servant. It is more than likely she was fascinated by the idea of travelling right around the world with a man she knew so well, although her concept of what it would entail would have been very limited. However, there was one hugely important aspect that needed consideration: no women served in the navy, no women were allowed on official ships; the only way Jeanne could go on the voyage would be to disguise herself as a man.

Could it be done? As an assistant and valet, Jeanne wouldn’t have to dress in similar clothes to those worn by the other sailors on the ship; she could choose loose garments that could work as a disguise. If she bandaged her breasts with strips of fabric, she could probably flatten them enough below a loose shirt. If she had short hair and kept herself to herself, could it work? Jeanne must have spent many hours pondering on whether she should really do this. If she were discovered, she would be sent home in disgrace to face trial – or worse. On a shipload of vigorous, uneducated men, there were many dangers to consider.

Finally the decision was made. Jeanne agreed to go on the trip as Philibert’s male assistant and valet. Really it was an extraordinary and hugely courageous idea, but once Jeanne had made up her mind, she didn’t hesitate. Immediately she became involved in the preparations, helping to pack equipment, containers and all the other items Philibert felt vital to carry out his commission. Jeanne’s ethics of hard work and quiet dedication now came into play; she was going to do all she could to help her employer and make the voyage a success.

When all was ready, early in 1767, Jeanne Baret said goodbye to her past and became a man. She flattened her chest with fabric wrapping, donned loose clothes and stepped up from the position of domestic servant into the role of assistant and valet to a recognised, respected and well-paid botanist. From the moment she clambered up into the carriage in Paris for the 300-mile journey to Rochefort, on the west coast of France, Jeanne carefully took on her new role. Jeanne’s childhood had taught her to live by the day, live in the present. Nevertheless, Jeanne was more than aware there would be many challenges and surprises in the weeks and months ahead.

She had never seen the sea; arriving at the naval town at the estuary of the Charente river, she would have seen a million new sights as ships of all sizes crowded the waterway and sailors and tradesmen rushed to and fro, carrying big bundles and loads. The ship they were to sail on, the Etoile, was 100 years old and was just 110ft long by 30ft wide. However, the ship was well appointed and Philibert had been allocated a cabin in the stern of the ship, an area reserved for officers and passengers. The room was small, the headroom low, but at least it offered some privacy. Many officers brought servants with them on a voyage, often boys as young as 13, and sleeping arrangements were haphazard. Sharing cabins was common, and some of the ship’s boys didn’t have allocated spaces and just slept where they could. For Jeanne to share the cabin space with Philibert was not an issue of major comment.

When Philibert arrived with a mass of equipment, plans were changed at the last minute. He was offered a slightly larger cabin so that he could successfully store all the plants he expected to collect. This extra space would have been a blessing for Jeanne, as she stayed quietly in the cabin sorting things, away from the endless noise and frantic activity that accompanies any ship preparing for a long voyage.

Philibert was happy in his important role; he met the officers and was treated with respect and dignity. While the ship was towed to Ile d’Aix, an island just off the coast, for final preparations, Philibert and Jeanne experienced their first days of living on water. Both seemed unaffected by the gentle roll of the ship and Philibert stated to friends that he was clearly a good sailor and everything was going well.

Jeanne, meanwhile, was keeping herself below deck, speaking to as few as people as possible, as she looked after the cabin and Philibert. She had to collect food, which she ate in the cabin, but she said little and attracted little comment. She was just the botanist’s assistant who kept herself to herself … or, as the sailors assumed, himself to himself.

Finally, all was ready, and on 1 February 1767, the sailors started work in earnest. The huge sails were hauled up and started filling out with the wind. Slowly and creakily, the Etoile edged forward through the water, rocking gently and then steadily gaining speed. She was on her way, first stop South America. The expedition’s leader, Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, was on the sister ship of the voyage, the Boudeuse. They had sailed earlier, leaving France in December 1766, and planned to rendezvous with Jeanne’s ship in the southern Atlantic.

So far, Jeanne had shown an indomitable spirit, quietly weathering all obstacles as she steadfastly got on with life. She had developed a very pragmatic character and lived life quietly by the day; thoughts of rough seas and huge storms ahead didn’t bother her too much as she went about her daily chores. Soon, however, her resolve was going to be tested yet again. As the ship sailed west into the notoriously rough seas of the Bay of Biscay, both Philibert and Jeanne went down with very bad seasickness. For Philibert, able to sit openly in the fresh air on deck and discuss his symptoms with fellow gentlemen, things were bad enough. For Jeanne, though, keeping herself hidden in the dark, stuffy, enclosed cabin, it was a time of real endurance. For days on end, she stayed below, feeling truly dreadful. However, after ten days, as the Etoile reached steadier seas far out in the Atlantic, both Philibert and Jeanne improved and got over their seasickness.

Jeanne did go up on deck occasionally, carefully keeping herself distant from the crew. However, it didn’t take long for the other 100-plus sailors, who lived and worked so closely together, to start talking about this aloof young assistant who kept so hidden. As the days went by, all sorts of rumours started spreading and finally someone suggested she could even be a woman. Eventually all this came to the ears of the captain, François Chenard de la Giraudais.

It was a prestigious appointment to be captain of one of the ships in this important expedition. François didn’t want trouble. If Philibert’s assistant did turn out to be a woman, what was he to do? It would cause an enormous scandal; he would have to remove her from the ship as soon as possible, and that might upset Philibert, a key player in the voyage. Nevertheless, he had to do something. He summoned Philibert and Jeanne to his cabin. Their response must have originated from Philibert; despite Jeanne’s growing experience in life, it is unlikely she would have been aware of eunuchs. This, however, was the solution decided upon. When Jeanne was asked about her reluctance to join in as part of the crew, Jeanne stood steadfast before the captain and stated that she was similar to the feminised men kept by the Ottoman emperor: she was a eunuch. It was a subject no man wanted to discuss, as the fear of being captured and made a slave in the Ottoman empire terrified many sailors. All François wanted was a successful voyage. This admission, whether François believed it or not, was the perfect solution.

With the very strict discipline on any sailing ship of the time, the crew had to accept the captain’s decision and any talk about the strange assistant soon stopped.

The traditional celebration when crossing the Equator was another problem Jeanne had to cope with … if celebration is the right word. Crossing the line, as it was called, was a major event on every ship at the time, with those who had never crossed the Equator before subjected to a range of quite brutal ‘baptism’ rites to appease Neptune, a god of the sea. Paired with senior officers, Philibert could escape fairly lightly, but there was no way out for Jeanne.

As the ship neared the Equator, Jeanne must have dreaded the coming events; how could she possibly maintain her disguise when everyone else was stripping off and being submersed in a specially constructed pool of filthy water? It seems the celebrations on the Etoile were especially vigorous, but Jeanne stood her ground and quietly refused to strip off. Heeding the earlier comments from their captain, the crew did not insist on Jeanne’s full participation, and although she was still subjected to a horrible dousing in foul sewage-filled water, she escaped fairly lightly and gave no conclusive proof that she was a woman. However, it was all very unpleasant and this must have been another tough time for Jeanne.

As the weather improved, and as Jeanne spent a little more time on deck without the continual pestering of the ship’s men, her confidence returned. Bad ulcers had started appearing on Philibert’s legs and Jeanne’s days were now busy looking after him as he rested on his bed. Life in some ways was monotonous and repetitive, and with only Philibert as someone she could talk to freely, Jeanne was leading a very solitary existence. But she liked the sea and was very happy when she had a quiet moment, just to sit on a secluded part of the deck and watch the water rushing past.

Finally, after weeks steadily sailing to the south-west, the Etoile dropped anchor in the waters off Rio de Janeiro to meet up with the Boudeuse, the other ship in the voyage. Jeanne must have been staggered by the beauty of the harbour, with Sugarloaf Mountain rising high on the southern shore. It would be another 150 years before the giant Statue of Christ was built overlooking the town, but the harbour was still hugely impressive. While expedition leader Louis-Antoine de Bougainville and the two ships’ captains sorted out their provisions and plans, Philibert and Jeanne quickly went ashore.

Yet again, Jeanne was on a steep learning curve. The town was busy: a mix of wealthy Portuguese and local poverty. Sugarcane was already well established as a thriving industry, and African slaves had been brought in to work on the plantations. But there was no time to stop and stare; there was exciting work ahead. The couple quickly headed out of the town onto the narrow tracks winding up and down the steep hillsides that surrounded the town, and almost immediately they spotted a wealth of fascinating new species to collect and take back to the ship. It was exciting work, spotting and collecting so many plants they had never seen before, but after a couple of tiring days Philibert realised he was not really up to the task; his legs were still causing him pain. From then on, while he sat on the lower slopes, Jeanne scurried up and down the hills, looking for new plants that offered something different. When she came across the deep-red leaves of what we now know as the Bougainvillea plant, she was impressed. This was a plant unlike anything she had seen before and she knew immediately it was something worth examining. Jeanne picked some samples to take back to Philibert and the ship.

Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, the expedition leader, although based on the other ship, had already met Philibert and Jeanne and had heard the rumours that Jeanne was not a man. Philibert thought perhaps that naming this new plant after him would help smooth out any problems, and this proved to be the case. Louis-Antoine was delighted to learn that a dramatic new plant find would be named in his honour. He also realised that, with Philibert clearly unable to undertake strenuous exploration because of his leg problems, Jeanne’s help was essential to ensure the expedition returned with a good variety of exciting new plants; so he kept any thoughts about Jeanne to himself. Jeanne was safe for a while.

Once the ships were stocked and ready, the little fleet headed off south, calling in at Montevideo and then at various anchorages as they steadily sailed down towards the southern tip of the Americas. At each stop, Philibert was eager to collect as many samples as possible, but his legs were now covered in ulcers and he was finding every movement challenging. So Philibert stayed near the shore while directing Jeanne on where to go. On her own, Jeanne headed inland and started exploring new lands. She walked through forests, climbed steep hills and scrambled up rocky headlands, searching relentlessly for interesting plants. Her knowledge was enough to help her decide what sort of plants might be useful, might be worth investigating. Time after time, she struggled back down to the coast laden with armfuls of plant samples that then needed to be carried back to the ship for sorting, labelling and drying. It was backbreaking, exhausting and relentless work, but she kept going. It would be nice to think that sometimes, at the top of a hill with a magnificent view of the land and far ocean, Jeanne found the time to stop for a moment, to sit down and wonder at the new scenery, to think about what she was doing and seeing.

As the ships headed south, Jeanne would have noted and probably discussed with Philibert the different soils, the different landscapes, the new animals and changing insects and birdlife as they left the tropics for cooler climates. When the ships reached the southern latitudes, the weather deteriorated fast. Storms became more frequent; at one point a ferocious gale tore off the large middle topsail on the Etoile. Along with the violent motion and noise, Jeanne and Philibert, hanging on in their small, dark cabin, would have been very aware of the drama taking place on the deck above as the sailors frantically rushed around, trying to save the sails and get the ship back under control. With the roaring water and winds pounding the rolling vessel, there must have been some truly terrifying moments.

The ships survived, though, and finally, in early December 1767, they reached the Straits of Magellan on the southern tip of the American continent. After the close heat of the tropics, the ships were now trying to sail in furious icy winds in very restricted passageways. Nights were often spent in dire anxiety, as the crew looked out for signs the creaking vessels were dragging their anchors and heading for the steep, rocky shorelines. At one point, despite it being mid-summer, snow fell on the decks. For Jeanne, life was again becoming a serious struggle, but there were compensations. At each stop Jeanne headed onto the land, often fighting against bitterly cold winds, as she sought new plants and tried to pull up samples from the hard and sometimes frozen soil. She found ferns and lichen, different grasses and sometimes more colourful plants, including daisies, blooming lilies and a type of bilberry bush that would later prove effective in the world of medicine. At one point, the ships were met by a group of hardy Patagonians, who had horses and somehow survived in this barren southern landscape. When they saw what Jeanne was doing, they helped by collecting and bringing her plants. The collection on board was growing fast, the number of boxes was taking up increasing space in the small cabin and the work continued relentlessly as each specimen was carefully examined, described and labelled.

At the end of January 1768, a year after they had left France, the Etoile finally entered the Pacific Ocean and headed north-west, aiming for the far-distant spice islands of Indonesia. At last there was some respite for Jeanne; she could spend days in the cabin with Philibert, sorting out and itemising their vast collection of plant samples, seed pods and other vegetation. For the next two months the little ship sailed steadily into warmer waters, passing no visible land and with only the sights of new fish and occasional dolphins to break the monotony of endless horizons.

Then, eventually, land appeared. On 5 April, amid much excitement, the voyage reached Tahiti in French Polynesia. Jeanne and Philibert rushed ashore, keen to explore the wonderful tropical vegetation. As soon as they stepped down from the little rowing boat, however, they hit a problem.

They were greeted by a crowd of Polynesian men who, in their traditional way, examined the visitors carefully, studying their faces and their clothes. It didn’t take long for the cry to go out – this one is a woman. It was clear to the staring, examining Polynesians that Jeanne was not a man. Jeanne looked around as the men began to surge forward to examine this strange visitor, who dressed as a man but was not one of them. One of the men approached Jeanne and tried to pick her up. As Jeanne called out in fright, a nearby French officer drew his sword. Jeanne quickly escaped their clutches and fled back to the landing boat; she was rowed fast back to the Etoile.

Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, the leader of the expedition, was annoyed. Now it had been made pretty clear to everyone that Jeanne could really be a woman, he realised at some point he would have to deal with the situation. At that moment, though, there was too much going on. He had to keep the crew motivated to do the repairs and restocking rather than spending too much time ashore; he needed to work out navigation, and he had to sort out a dispute after a fight involving his crew left three Polynesians dead. Also, he had been impressed by Jeanne’s sheer hard work and dedication in ensuring the botanic aims of the voyage were fulfilled. So, for the time being, Louis-Antoine put aside the subject of Jeanne’s sex. While there was now much stronger talk among the sailors, they were still wary of saying too much against the expedition leader’s instructions.

Jeanne did not risk going back ashore. Stuck in her cabin, she must have been upset and disturbed by the confrontation and frustrated that she was unable to go ashore to discover and collect some fabulous new flora. She was also becoming nervous. She had struggled under her disguise for so long, but it seemed now that everyone knew she was a woman. She had broken the law by going on the ship. What would happen to her?

After ten days moored safely in the beautiful bay at Papeete, the two ships raised their sails and headed out west across the South Pacific. Jeanne continued with her masculine style, dressing in large, loose clothing, although at last she felt she could remove the constant pressure of the bandages around her breasts.

As the ships slowly made their way across the large expanse of empty ocean, tempers began to get ragged. It was hot; the dried food didn’t last well in the constant humid heat and the drinking water was tepid and unpalatable. Then Philibert’s legs started playing up again, with one causing him immense pain. Jeanne went back to her old routine of nursing him, and looking after his food and the collections as he slowly recovered. The voyage was becoming highly dangerous, with uncharted islands appearing and minimal maps to help navigation. The ships sailed on west, but by the end of May supplies were becoming dangerously low.

On 6 June 1768, the crew spotted breaking waves above a coral reef, now known as the Bougainville Reef, part of the Great Barrier Reef off north-east Australia. It was clearly a dangerous area and so Louis-Antoine de Bougainville turned his ships sharply north. They totally missed Australia, but there were more pressing concerns. It had been two months since Jeanne or anyone else had had fresh water for washing; in the constant heat, the last remains of the fresh fruit had rotted away; the unpalatable food that was left, together with drinking water, had to be rationed. As Jeanne continued to look after Philibert, she herself began to suffer from various skin conditions brought on by a lack of proper nourishment. Life and morale on the ships were deteriorating fast.

They stopped off at one island and took on fresh water, but there was no food, and so the two ships upped anchor and sailed on, desperately collecting fish when they could to supplement their meagre rations.

The crew were still discussing Jeanne, and finally Louis-Antoine called Jeanne over to his ship to talk to her. After strong questioning, she confessed that the assumptions were true – she was indeed a woman. This annoyed Louis-Antoine intensely; it was a major problem he could do without. At that moment, though, his priority was survival and the life-threatening situation of being unable to find sufficient food. He would deal with Jeanne later.

With food and water running out, there were some desperate weeks to follow, but finally the ships reached Buru in the Moluccan islands. Here they were given a warm welcome by the Dutch, and an abundance of fresh meat and fruit was available. Jeanne’s situation, much to her relief, was now being ignored by the captain, and with better food, she found her health quickly returning. Together with Philibert, she must have relished going ashore and seeing the wonderful tropical wildlife and amazing plants. Along with new flora, they also collected some extraordinarily coloured birds.

With more provisions, life on board soon returned to normal. Sailing west, the ships stopped for a short time at what is now Jakarta. Few new plants were collected here, but with repairs and restocking completed the little fleet then headed west out into the Indian Ocean. So far, Louis-Antoine felt the voyage had gone well: they had charted and even claimed some new land and made many observations. The botanical aspects, thanks to Philibert and Jeanne, also looked very good indeed. Now he was anxious to complete the trip back to France. He once again put the problem of Jeanne being a woman at the back of his mind.

Day after day, the ships continued steadily on their westerly passage, heading towards Mauritius. Jeanne spent the time carefully going through all the plant – and now some bird, shell and insect – samples; labelling them; checking the descriptions; ensuring their careful preservation and storage; plus once again looking after Philibert who was once more suffering badly from leg problems. It was repetitive work and life on board was now becoming tedious, not just for Philibert and Jeanne, but for all the crew. They had been on their constantly rolling and moving ship for over a year and a half, and the novelty had long worn off for everyone.

In early November 1768, land was spotted far ahead. The ships had reached Mauritius. Despite the distance from France, it must have felt like arriving home. Following rule by the French East India Company for many years, the French government had recently taken control of the island and the French language was widely spoken. Even better, there was a friend of Philibert’s waiting to greet him. Pierre Poivre was a French administrator on the island who had known Philibert in France. For Jeanne, despite the joy of stepping onto dry land, there must have been some real anxiety. Would she be arrested for her impersonation; what would happen to her now?

On French soil, Louis-Antoine de Bougainville could have officially declared that a woman had smuggled herself onto his expedition, but he chose not to. After all, it would bring some discredit to the voyage and to him. If this became an official report, there would probably have to be a court hearing and who knows where that could lead? Instead, Louis-Antoine brushed the problem aside and concentrated on repairing and restocking the ships for the final voyage back to France. However, it seems likely it was Louis-Antoine who was behind the idea that Philibert and Jeanne should stay behind on the island to help examine the medicinal plants there. If they were left in Mauritius, he could then arrive back in France as the leader of a hugely successful voyage, the country’s first ever fleet to sail around the world, with no threat of scandal to dent his achievement.