fused to boil at the spectacle of such
a monster Empire getting the worst of it from an untrained band of
farmers-- I found I admired the farmers. So we decided to chuck it and
go to London. I would not have missed it for anything. I would never
have been satisfied, if we had not come. I have seen much of the
country and the people, and of the army and its wonderful organization
and discipline. I enjoyed two battles--and the relief of Ladysmith is
one of the things to have seen, almost the best, if not the best.
Every officer and correspondent agrees that I got the pick of the
fighting and the "best story." By the way, I beat all the London
papers in getting out the news by one day. At least, so Pryor, The
Mail manager tells me. The paper was very much pleased. We have now
decided to come home by the East Coast. It was Cecil's idea and wish
and I was only too glad to do it. She says we certainly will never
come to this country again. God help us if we do--and that it would be
criminal to spend seventeen blank days on the West coast when we could
fill in the entire trip North on the East Coast at many ports. It is a
rather complicated trip as one has to change frequently but it will be
a great thing to have seen. Cecil has really seen nothing at Cape Town
and on this trip she will be paid for all the boredom that has gone
before. I have been over part of it and am sure. Durban alone is one
of the most curious cities I ever saw. It is like the Midway at the
Fair. I want her to have some fun out of this. She has been so
unselfish and fine all through and I hope I can make the rest of the
adventure to her liking-- It is sure to be for after Delagoa Bay it is
all real Africa not the shoddy "colonial" shopkeepers' paradise that we
have here. And we are going to stop off at Zanzibar for some time
where we have letters to everybody and where Cecil is to draw the
Sultan and I am to play him the "Typical Tune of Zanzibar." You will
see by our route that we spend two days or a day at many places and so
shall get a good idea of the country. The Konig is a 5,000 ton ship
and we have two cabins-- From Port Said we will run up to Cairo to get
a dinner and then over to Constantinople to see Lloyd Griscom and the
city which Cecil has never visited. Then to Paris by way of the Orient
Express. Then London and back with Charley to Aix. I feel sure that
one more course there will cure my leg for always. As it is it h