d Harding Davis
and Somerset kicked at their introducing "God Save the Queen" as sung
by "His Grace the Duke of Bedford" which they insist in thinking his
real title and his name; if he would only confess the truth. You
cannot have any idea of how glad I am that I took this trip, just this
particular trip, not for any interest it will be to the gentle reader
but for the benefit it has been to me. All the things I was nervous
about have been done and should I get nerves again as I suppose I
always will in one form or another I can get rid of them by remembering
how I got rid of them before during this most peculiar excursion. For
though I and we all told the truth about being well, we were in a most
trying place at times and the ride we took and the sail to get away
from possible fever was very much of a strain. I do not see how
Griscom kept up as he did for he was an invalid and very nervous when
he started. But he showed great sporting blood. It was much better
having three than two and he furnished us with much amusement at which
he never complains. His artlessness and his bad breaks which keep us
filled with terror make the most entertaining narratives and he tells
them on himself and then keeps on making new ones. One night Jeffs
came down with fever through bathing in the mountain streams, a
practice which did not hurt us but which natives of the country cannot
do in safety, and I confess I was scared. Jeffs pulled through in a
few days. It was odd that the man who had lived here eleven years
should have been the only one to give up throughout the whole trip and
he was a good sport, too.

I will have the Central American stories all done or nearly so by the
time we reach New York which is one of the comforts of this over
abundance of sea voyages. I have the lottery story nearly written and
am wondering now if Bissell will let me publish it. Would it not be a
good idea to have Dad, if he knows him, explain about how I went South
to write it and just what it is and get his official sanction or shall
I write or get the Harper's to write when I get back. The lottery
people in joke offered $10,000 if they could write the story
themselves. And sometimes I wish they would for it is the hardest kind
of work. I do not want to advertise their old game and yet I cannot
help doing it, in a way. We put in at Punta Arenas and I found a woman
looking at us with an opera glass and shortly after she sent out to say