February 4th —
Your cable received all right. We were very glad to
hear. We have decided to go on by mules to Manaqua, the
Capital of Nicaragua, and from there either to Corinto or to
Lemon on the Atlantic side. We had to do this or wait here
ten days for the boat going south at Amapala. It is moonlight
now so that we can avoid the heat of the day. Yesterday we
went out riding with the President, who put a gold revolver in
his hip pocket before he started and made us feel that uneasy
lies the head that rules in this country. He had two horses
that had never been ridden before, as a compliment to our
powers, the result was that the Vice-president's horse almost
killed him, which I guess the President intended it should and
the horse Griscom rode backed all over the town. He was a
stallion and had never been ridden before that day. Mine was
a gentle old gee-gee and yet I felt good when
we were all on the ground again. The British consul gave
Somers a fine reception and raised the flag for him and had
the band there to play "God Save the Queen," which he had
spent the whole morning in teaching them. Griscom and I
called on our Consul and played his guitar. We bought one for
ourselves for the rest of the trip.
I want you to do something for me: keep all the
unfavorable notices you get. I know Mother won't do it, so I
shall expect Nora to make a point of saving them from the
waste-paper basket. If there is not a lot of them when I get
back, I will raise a row.
DICK.
