too, one of them got shot by a revolver's
going off and I asked the surgeon if I might not help at the operation
so that I might learn to be useful, and to get accustomed to the sight
of wounds and surgery-- It was a wonderful thing to see, and I was
confused as to whether I admired the human body more or the way the
surgeon's understood and mastered it-- The sailor would not give way to
the ether and I had to hold him for an hour while they took out his
whole insides and laid them on the table and felt around inside of him
as though he were a hollow watermelon. Then they put his stomach back
and sewed it in and then sewed up his skin and he was just as good as
new. We carried him over to a cot and he came to, and looked up at us.
We were all bare-armed and covered with his blood, and then over at the
operating table, which was also covered with his blood. He was gray
under his tan and his lips were purple and his eyes were still drunk
with the ether-- But he looked at our sanguinary hands and shook his
head sideways on the pillow and smiled-- "You'se can't kill me," he
said, "I'm a New Yorker, by God--you'se can't kill me." The Herald
cabled for a story as to how the crew of the New York behaved in
action. I think I shall send them that although there are a few things
the people had better take for granted-- Of course, we haven't been "in
action" yet but the first bombardment made me nervous until it got well
started. I think every one was rather nervous and it was chiefly to
show them there was nothing to worry about that we fired off the U. S.
guns. They talk like veterans now-- It was much less of a strain than
I had expected, there was no standing on your toes nor keeping your
mouth open or putting wadding in your ears. I took photographs most of
the time, and they ought to be excellent--what happened was that you
were thrown up off the deck just as you are when an elevator starts
with a sharp jerk and there was an awful noise like the worst clap of
thunder you ever heard close to your ears, then the smoke covered
everything and you could hear the shot going through the air like a
giant rocket-- The shots they fired at us did not cut any ice except a
shrapnel that broke just over the main mast and which reminded me of
Greece-- The other shots fell short-- The best thing was to see the
Captains of the Puritan and Cincinnati frantically signalling to be
allowed to fire too-- A little fort had opened on us from t