now, geting tiresome
now. since they have taken all of our ditty Boxes and benches and all
extra mess chests and stored them away, we have no place to sit down
except on deck and let our feet hang over. then the men forward cant
get enough water to keep themselves clean. I am more lucky than most of
them for I have a chance to steal a Bucketful one every night. our cook
is no good, he makes sour Bread and would make good schrapnel for
clearing the decks, and of corse your humble servant has to chew Hard
Tack. had more Targate practis to day.

_April_ 28. good stiff Breeze to day. Expect to have more targate
practis to day with ful charges of amanition; no practis, wind too
high.

_April_ 29. good day to day, guess we will have it to day, no we dont
have it. the old man has changed his mind and we will try and make Port
to morrow.

_April_ 30. Started to pul out this morning at 5.30 A.M, useing forsed
draught, making 14.5 knots, going to try and make it by 4 P.M, have a
head wind and light head sea. Droped anchor at 3 P.M. in the beautyfull
harber of Rio de Janeiro, and befor the Mud hook struck the botom we
had the news that war was declared on the 21st of April 1898, the very
day we puled out of Sandy Point. as soon as every thing was put to
order we Broke out the Band to give us the Star Spangled Baner, and the
Crew diden do a thing But yell and whoop her up, so they had to play it
over 4 times. The Marietta got in at 7 P.M. The Forts at this place
were not going to let her in. But when they see her Signal they let her
pass O.K. started to coal up at 8.25 P.M. and we get out of hear as
soon as we can. I hear the Spanish has got one of our Merchant ships,
the Shanandore, loaded with English goods. I wonder how that is going
to com out. Every one on this ship is crasie to get at the Spanish.

_May_ 1. Just com on watch. Beautyfull morning and still coaling ship.
Hear is where you can get lots of sour frute and Bananas by the ship
load for a little mony. But we are not aloud to Buy any thing that
isent sour on account of Yellow Feaver at this place. The Brazilian
soldiers stop up all night to be up erly in the morning; they started
to give us Revelee about 3 O clock this morning, diden get through until
4 A.M. it sounds very pretty early in the morning when you are all
ready awake, and such a beautyfull morning as this is you can hear the
echo of the drums up in the hils far away. You would all most wish you
could s