"I feel pretty well now--have had dinner and am smoking a good
Manila cheroot. I wrote hard all day, wrote fifteen sheets of
foolscap and made about a dozen drawings--got pretty tired.
"I have had a hard scramble for the service and only got in by the
skin of my teeth. I guess I will go to bed--I will sleep well
to-night--Thursday.
"I did not hear from the Naval Secretary, Tuesday, so yesterday
morning I went up to the Admiralty and sent in my card. He came
out and received me very well--said I had passed a 'very splendid
examination'; had been recommended very strongly to the Viceroy,
who was very much pleased; that the Director of the Naval College
over at the Arsenal had wanted me and would I go over at once? I
_would_. It was about five miles. We (a friend, who is a great rider
here) went on steeplechase ponies--we were ferried across the Pei
Ho in a small scow and then had a long ride. There _is_ a path--but
Pritchard insisted on taking all the ditches, and as my pony jumped
like a cat, it wasn't nice at first, but I didn't squeal and kept my seat
and got the swing of it at last and rather liked it. I think I will keep
a horse here--you can hire one and a servant together for $7 a
month; that is $5.60 of our money, and pony and man found in
everything.
"Well--at last we got to the Arsenal--a place about four miles
around, fortified, where all sorts of arms--cartridges, shot and
shell, engines, and _everything_--are made.
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