第3章

Couldn”tgoonthehilltoday。Itsnowed。Italwayssnowshere，I expect。 Don”tyousupposetheyhaveprettymuchquitwriting，athome？ Whenyoureceiveyournext1/4yr”ssalary，don”tsendanyofithereuntilafteryouhavetoldmeyouhavegotit。Rememberthis。IamafraidofthatH。andD。 TheyhavestrucktheledgeintheLiveYankeetunnel，andItoldthePresident，Mr。Allen，thatitwasn”tasgoodasthecroppings。Hesaidthatwastrueenough，buttheywouldhangtoituntilitdidproverich。 Heismuchofagentleman，thatmanAllen。 AndaskGasleriewhythedevilhedon”tsendalongmycommissionasDeputySheriff。ThefactofmybeinginCalifornia，andoutofhiscountry，wouldn”tamounttoad——nwithme，intheperformanceofmyofficialduties。 Ihavenothingtoreport，atpresent，exceptthatIshallfindoutallI wanttoknowaboutthislocalitybeforeIleaveit。 HowdotheRecordspay？ Yr。Bro。 SAM。 Inoneoftheforegoingletters——theonedatedMay11thereisareferencetothewriter”s“EnterpriseLetters。”Sometimes，duringidledaysinthecamp，theminerhadfollowedoldliteraryimpulsesandwrittenanoccasionalburlesquesketch，whichhehadsigned“Josh，“andsenttotheTerritorialEnterprise，atVirginiaCity—— [OnecontributionwassenttoaKeokukpaper，TheGateCity，andaletterwrittenbyMrs。JaneClemensatthetimewouldindicatethatMarkTwain”smotherdidnotalwaysapproveofherson”sliteraryefforts。Shehopesthathewilldobetter，andsometimewritesomething“thathiskinwillbeproudof。”]——Therough，vigoroushumorofthesehadattractedsomeattention，andOrion，pleasedwithanymeasureofsuccessthatmightcometohisbrother，hadallowedtheauthorshipofthemtobecomeknown。When，inJuly，thefinancialsituationbecamedesperate，theEsmeraldaminerwasmovedtoturntoliteratureforrelief。Butwewilllethimpresentthesituationhimself。 ToOrionClemens，inCarsonCity： ESMERALDA，July23d，1862。 MYDEARBRO。，——No，Idon”townafootinthe“Johnson“ledge——IwilltellthestorysomedayinamoreintelligiblemannerthanTomhastoldit。 Youneedn”ttakethetroubletodenyTom”sversion，though。Iown25 feet(1-16)ofthe1steastex。onit——andJohnsonhimselfhascontractedtofindtheledgefor100feet。Contractsignedyesterday。Butastheledgewillbedifficulttofindheisallowedsixmonthstofinditin。 AneighteenthoftheOphirwasafortunetoJohnD。Winters——andtheOphircan”tbeattheJohnsonany…… MydebtsaregreaterthanIthoughtfor；Ibought$25worthofclothing，andsent$25toHigbie，inthecementdiggings。Ioweabout$45or$5o，andhavegotabout$45inmypocket。Buthowintheh——lIamgoingtoliveonsomethingover$100untilOctoberorNovember，issingular。Thefactis，Imusthavesomethingtodo，andthatshortly，too…… NowwritetotheSacramentoUnionfolks，ortoMarsh，andtellthemI”llwriteasmanylettersaweekastheywant，for$10aweek——myboardmustbepaid。TellthemIhavecorrespondedwiththeN。OrleansCrescent，andotherpapers——andtheEnterprise。Californiaisfullofpeoplewhohaveinterestshere，andit”sd——dseldomtheyhearfromthiscountry。 Ican”twriteaspecimenletter——now，atanyrate——I”dratherundertaketowriteaGreekpoem。Tell”emthemailandexpressleavethreetimesaweek，anditcostsfrom25to50centstosendlettersbytheblastedexpress。Iftheywantlettersfromhere，who”llrunfrommorningtillnightcollectingmaterialscheaper。I”llwriteashortlettertwiceaweek，forthepresent，forthe“Age，“for$5perweek。NowithasbeenalongtimesinceIcouldn”tmakemyownliving，anditshallbealongtimebeforeIloafanotheryear…… IfIgettheother25feetintheJohnsonex。，Ishan”tcaread——n。 I”llbewillingtocurseawhileandwait。AndifIcan”tmovethebowelsofthosehillsthisfall，IwillcomeupandclerkforyouuntilIgetmoneyenoughtogooverthemountainsforthewinter。 Yr。Bro。 SAM。 TheTerritorialEnterpriseatVirginiaCitywasatthistimeownedbyJosephT。Goodman，whohadboughtitontheeveofthegreatComstocksilver-miningboom，andfromastruggling，starvingsheethadconverteditintooneofthemostimportant——certainlythemostpicturesque-papersonthecoast。ThesketcheswhichtheEsmeraldaminerhadwrittenoverthenameof“Josh“fittedintoitexactly，andwhenayoungmannamedBarstow，inthebusinessoffice，urgedGoodmantoinvite“Josh“tojointheirstaff，theEnterpriseownerreadilyfellinwiththeidea。Amongalotofminingmattersofnospecialinterest，Clemens，July3oth，wrotehisbrother：“BarstowhasofferedmethepostaslocalreporterfortheEnterpriseat$25 aweek，andIhavewrittenhimthatIwilllethimknownextmail，ifpossible。” InRoughingItwearetoldthattheminereagerlyacceptedthepropositiontocometoVirginiaCity，buttheletterstelladifferentstory。MarkTwainwasneveronetoabandonanyundertakingeasily。Hisunwillingnesstosurrenderinalostcausewouldcosthimmorethanonefortuneintheyearstocome。Aweekfollowingthedateoftheforegoinghewasstillundecided。 ToOrionClemens，inCarsonCity： ESMERALDA，Aug。7，1862。 MYDEARBRO，——BarstowwrotethatifIwantedtheplaceIcouldhaveit。 IwrotehimthatIguessedIwouldtakeit，andaskedhimhowlongbeforeImustcomeupthere。Ihavenotheardfromhimsince。 Now，Ishallleaveatmid-nighttonight，aloneandonfootforawalkof60or70milesthroughatotallyuninhabitedcountry，anditisbarelypossiblethatmailfacilitiesmayproveinfernally“slow“duringthefewweeksIexpecttospendoutthere。ButdoyouwriteBarstowthatIhavelefthereforaweekorso，andincaseheshouldwantmehemustwritemehere，orletmeknowthroughyou。 TheContractorssaytheywillstriketheFresnonextweek。Afterfoolingwiththoseassayersaweek，theyconcludednottobuy“Mr。Flower“at$50，althoughtheywouldhavegivenfivetimesthesumforitfourmonthsago。SoIhavemadeoutadeedforonehalfofallJohnny”sgroundandacknowledgedandleftinjudgeF。K。Becktel”shands，andifjudgeTurnerwantsithemustwritetoBecktelandpayhimhisNotaryfeeof$1。50。 Iwouldhavepaidthatfeemyself，butIwantmoneynowasIleavetowntonight。However，ifyouthinkitisn”tright，youcanpaythefeetojudgeTurneryourself。 Hangtoyourmoneynow。ImaywantsomewhenIgetback…… Seethatyoukeepoutofdebt-toanybody。BullyforB。！WritehimthatIwouldwritehimmyself，butIamtotakeawalktonightandhaven”ttime。Tellhimtobringhisfamilyoutwithhim。HecanrelyuponwhatIsay——andIsaythelandhaslostitsancientdesolateappearance；theroseandtheoleanderhavetakentheplaceofthedepartedsage-bush；arichblackloam，garnishedwithmoss，andflowers，andthegreenestofgrass，smilestoHeavenfromthevanishedsand-plains；the“endlesssnows“havealldisappeared，andintheirstead，ortorepayusfortheirloss，themountainsreartheirbillowyheadsaloft，crownedwithafadelessandeternalverdure；birds，andfountains，andtrees-tropicalbees——everywhere！——andthepoetdreamtofNevadawhenhewrote： “andSharonwaves，insolemnpraise，Hersilentgrovesofpalm。” andtodaytheroyalRavenlistensinadreamystuportothesongsofthethrushandthenightingaleandthecanary——andshudderswhenthegaudy—— plumagedbirdsofthedistantSouthsweepbyhimtotheorangegrovesofCarson。Tellhimhewouldn”trecognizethed——dcountry。Heshouldbringhisfamilybyallmeans。 Iintendedtowritehome，butIhaven”tdoneit。 Yr。Bro。 SAM。 Inthisletterwerealizethathehadgoneintothewildernesstoreflect——togetaperspectiveonthesituation。Hewasagreatwalkerinthosedays，andsometimeswithHigbie，sometimesalone，madelongexcursions。OnesuchisrecordedinRoughingIt，thetriptoMonoLake。Wehavenomeansofknowingwherehisseventy-miletourledhimnow，butitisclearthathestillhadnotreachedadecisiononhisreturn。Indeed，wegatherthatheisinclinedtokeepupthebattleamongthebarrenEsmeraldahills。 Lastminingletter；writtentoMrs。Moffett，inSt。Louis： ESMERALDA，CAL。，Aug。15，1862。 MYDEARSISTER，-ImailedalettertoyouandMathismorning，butsincethenIhavereceivedyourstoOrionandme。Therefore，Imustanswerrightaway，elseImayleavetownwithoutdoingitatall。Whatinthunderarepilot”swagestome？whichquestion，Ibeghumblytoobserve，isofageneralnature，andnotdischargedparticularlyatyou。Butitissingular，isn”tit，thatsuchamattershouldinterestOrion，whenitisofnoearthlyconsequencetome？Ineverhaveoncethoughtofreturninghometogoontheriveragain，andIneverexpecttodoanymorepilotingatanyprice。Mylivelihoodmustbemadeinthiscountry—— andifIhavetowaitlongerthanIexpected，letitbeso——Ihavenofearoffailure。YouknowIhaveextravaganthopes，forOriontellsyoueverythingwhichheoughttokeeptohimself——butit”shisnaturetodothatsortofthing，andIlethimalone。Ididthinkforawhileofgoinghomethisfall——butwhenIfoundthatthatwasandhadbeenthecherishedintentionandthedarlingaspirationeveryyear，oftheseoldcare-wornCaliforniansfortwelvewearyyears——Ifeltalittleuncomfortable，butIstoleamarchonDisappointmentandsaidIwouldnotgohomethisfall。 IwillspendthewinterinSanFrancisco，ifpossible。DonottellanyonethatIhadanyideaofpilotingagainatpresent——foritisallamistake。Thiscountrysuitsme，and——itshallsuitme，whetherorno…… DanTwingandIandDan”sdog，“cabin“together——andwillcontinuetodosoforawhile——untilIleavefor—— Themansionis10x12，witha“domestic“roof。Yesterdayitrained——thefirstshowerforfivemonths。“Domestic，“itappearstome，isnotwater-proof。Wewentoutsidetokeepfromgettingwet。Danmakesthebedwhenitishisturntodoit——andwhenitismyturn，Idon”t，youknow。Thedogisnotagoodhunter，andheisn”tworthshuckstowatch—— buthescratchesupthedirtfloorofthecabin，andcatchesflies，andmakeshimselfgenerallyusefulinthewayofwashingdishes。Dangetsupfirstinthemorningandmakesafire——andIgetuplastandsitbyit，whilehecooksbreakfast。Wehaveacoldlunchatnoon，andIcooksupper——verymuchagainstmywill。However，onemusthaveonegoodmealaday，andifIweretoliveonDan”sabominablecookery，Ishouldlosemyappetite，youknow。DanattendedDr。Chorpenning”sfuneralyesterday，andhefeltasthoughheoughttowearawhiteshirt——andwehadajollygoodtimefindingsuchanarticle。Weturnedoverallourtraps，andhefoundoneatlast——butIshallalwaysthinkitwassufferingfromyellowfever。Healsofoundanoldblackcoat，greasy，andwrinkledtothatdegreethatitappearedtohavebeenquiltedatsometimeorother。Inthisgorgeouscostumeheattendedthefuneral。Andwhenhereturned，hisowndogdrovehimawayfromthecabin，notrecognizinghim。Thisistrue。 Youwouldnotliketoliveinacountrywhereflourwas$40abarrel？ Verywell；then，Isupposeyouwouldnotliketolivehere，whereflourwas$100abarrelwhenIfirstcamehere。Andshortlyafterwards，itcouldn”tbehadatanyprice——andforonemonththepeoplelivedonbarley，beansandbeef——andnothingbeside。Oh，no——wedidn”tluxuriatethen！Perhapsnot。Butwesaidwiseandseverethingsaboutthevanityandwickednessofhighliving。Wepreachedourdoctrineandpractisedit。WhichcourseIrespectfullyrecommendtotheclergymenofSt。Louis。 WhereisBeackJolly？——[apilot]——andBixby？ YourBrotherSAM。 IV LETTERS1863-64。“MARKTWAIN。”COMSTOCKJOURNALISM。ARTEMUSWARD Thereisalonghiatusinthecorrespondencehere。Foraspaceofmanymonthsthereisbutonelettertocontinuethestory。Otherswerewritten，ofcourse，butforsomereasontheyhavenotsurvived。ItwasabouttheendofAugust(1862)whentheminerfinallyabandonedthestruggle，andwithhispackonhisshoulderswalkedtheoneandthirtymilesoverthemountainstoVirginiaCity，arrivingdusty，lame，andtravel-stainedtoclaimatlasthisrightfulinheritance。AttheEnterpriseofficehewaswelcomed，andinabrieftimeenteredintohisown。Goodman，theproprietor，himselfamanofgreatability，hadsurroundedhimselfwithagroupofgay-heartedfellows，whosefresh，wildwayofwritingdelightedtheComstockpioneersfarmorethananysoberpresentationofmerenews。SamuelClemensfittedexactlyintothisgroup。Bytheendoftheyearhehadbecomealeaderofit。WhenheaskedtobeallowedtoreportthecomingCarsonlegislature，Goodmanconsented，realizingthatwhileClemensknewnothingofparliamentaryprocedure，hewouldatleastmaketheletterspicturesque。 Itwasinthemidstofthisworkthatheadoptedthenamewhichhewastomakefamousthroughouttheworld。Thestoryofitsadoptionhasbeenfullytoldelsewhereandneednotberepeatedhere——[SeeMarkTwain：A Biography，bythesameauthor；ChapterXL。] “MarkTwain“wasfirstsignedtoaCarsonletter，February2，1863，andfromthattimewasattachedtoallofSamuelClemens”swork。Thelettershadalreadybeenwidelycopied，andthenamenowwhichgavethempersonalityquicklyobtainedvogue。Itwasattachedtohimselfaswellastotheletters；heretoforehehadbeencalledSamorClemens，nowhebecamealmostuniversallyMarkTwainandMark。 ThisearlyperiodofMarkTwain”sjournalismisfullofdelicioushistory，butwearepermittedheretoretellonlysuchofitaswillsupplyconnectiontotheinfrequentletters。HewrotehomebrieflyinFebruary，butthelettercontainednothingworthpreserving。Thentwomonthslaterhegivesusatleastahintofhisemployment。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandMrs。Moffett，inSt。Louis： VIRGINIA，April11，1863。 MYDEARMOTHERANDSISTER，——Itisverylateatnight，andIamwritinginmyroom，whichisnotquiteaslargeorasniceastheoneIhadathome。Myboard，washingandlodgingcostmeseventy-fivedollarsamonth。 Ihavejustreceivedyourletter，Ma，fromCarson——theoneinwhichyoudoubtmyveracityaboutthestatementsImadeinalettertoyou。That”sright。Idon”trecollectwhatthestatementswere，butIsupposetheywereminingstatistics。Ihavejustfinishedwritingupmyreportforthemorningpaper，andgivingtheUnreliableacolumnofadviceabouthowtoconducthimselfinchurch，andnowIwilltellyouafewmorelies，whilemyhandisin。Forinstance，someoftheboysmademeapresentoffiftyfeetintheEastIndiaG。andS。M。Companytendaysago。Iwasofferedninety-fivedollarsafootforit，yesterday，ingold。Irefusedit——notbecauseIthinktheclaimisworthacentforIdon”tbutbecauseIhadacuriositytoseehowhighitwouldgo，beforepeoplefindouthowworthlessitis。Besides，whatifoneminingclaimdoesfoolme？Ihavegotplentymore。Iamnotinaparticularhurrytogetrich。IsupposeIcouldn”twellhelpgettingrichheresometimeorother，whetherI wantedtoornot。YoufolksdonotbelieveinNevada，andIamgladyoudon”t。Justkeeponthinkingso。 IwasattheGouldandCurrymine，theotherday，andtheyhadtwoorthreetonsofchoicerockpiledup，whichwasvaluedat$20，000aton。 Igatheredupahat-fullofchunks，onaccountoftheirbeautyasspecimens——theydon”tleteverybodysupplythemselvessoliberally。I sendMr。Moffettalittlespecimenofitforhiscabinet。Ifyoudon”tknowwhatthewhitestuffonitis，Imustinformyouthatitispurersilverthanthemintedcoin。Thereisaboutasmuchgoldinitasthereissilver，butitisnotvisible。Iwillexplaintoyousomedayhowtodetectit。 Pamela，youwouldn”tdoforalocalreporter——becauseyoudon”tappreciatetheinterestthatattachestonames。Anitemisofnouseunlessitspeaksofsomeperson，andnotthen，unlessthatperson”snameisdistinctlymentioned。Themostinterestingletteronecanwrite，toanabsentfriend，isonethattreatsofpersonshehasbeenacquaintedwithratherthanthepubliceventsoftheday。NowyouspeakofayoungladywhowrotetoHollieBensonthatshehadseenme；andyoudidn”tmentionhername。ItwasjustamerechancethatIeverguessedwhoshewas——butIdid，finally，thoughIdon”trememberhername，now。IwasintroducedtoherinSanFranciscobyHon。A。B。Paul，andsawherafterwardsinGoldHill。Theywereaverypleasantlotofgirls——sheandhersisters。 P。S。Ihavejustheardfivepistolshotsdownstreet——assuchthingsareinmyline，Iwillgoandseeaboutit。 P。S。No2——5A。M——Thepistoldiditsworkwell——oneman——aJacksonCountyMissourian，shottwoofmyfriends，(policeofficers，)throughtheheart——bothdiedwithinthreeminutes。Murderer”snameisJohnCampbell。 The“Unreliable“ofthisletterwasarivalreporteronwhomMarkTwainhadconferredthisnameduringthelegislativesession。HisrealnamewasRice，andhehadundertakentocriticizeClemens”sreports。ThebriskreplythatRice”slettersconcealedwithashowofparliamentaryknowledgea“festeringmassofmisstatementstheauthorofwhomshouldbeproperlytermedthe”Unreliable，“fixedthatnameuponhimforlife。Thisburlesquewarfaredelightedthefrontieranditdidnotinterferewithfriendship。ClemensandRicewereconstantassociates，thoughcontinuallyfiringsquibsateachotherintheirrespectivepapers——aformofpersonaljournalismmuchinvogueontheComstock。 Inthenextletterwefindthesetwojournalistic“blades“enjoyingthemselvestogetherinthecoastmetropolis。Thisletterislabeled“No。2，“meaning，probably，thesecondfromSanFrancisco，butNo。1 hasdisappeared，andevenNo，2isincomplete。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandMrs。Moffett，inSt。Louis： No。2——($20。00Enclosed) LICKHOUSE，S。F。，June1，”63。 MYDEARMOTHERANDSISTER，——TheUnreliableandmyselfarestillhere，andstillenjoyingourselves。IsupposeIknowatleastathousandpeoplehere——a，greatmanyofthemcitizensofSanFrancisco，butthemajoritybelonginginWashoe——andwhenIgodownMontgomerystreet，shakinghandswithTom，DickandHarry，itisjustlikebeinginMainstreetinHannibalandmeetingtheoldfamiliarfaces。IdohatetogobacktoWashoe。Wefagourselvescompletelyouteveryday，andgotosleepwithoutrocking，everynight。Wedineoutandwelunchout，andweeat，drinkandarehappy——asitwere。Afterbreakfast，Idon”toftenseethehotelagainuntilmidnight——orafter。IamgoingtotheDickensmightyfast。Iknowaregularvillageoffamilieshereinthehouse，butIneverhavetimetocallonthem。Thunder！we”llknowalittlemoreaboutthistown，beforeweleave，thansomeofthepeoplewholiveinit。 WetaketripsacrosstheBaytoOakland，anddowntoSanLeandro，andAlameda，andthoseplaces；andwegoouttotheWillows，andHayesPark，andFortPoint，anduptoBenicia；andyesterdaywewereinvitedoutonayachtingexcursion，andhadasailinthefastestyachtonthePacificCoast。Ricesays：“Oh，no——wearenothavinganyfun，Mark——Oh，no，I reckonnot——it”ssomebodyelse——it”sprobablythe”gentlemaninthewagon”！“(popularslangphrase。)WhenIinviteRicetotheLickHousetodinner，theproprietorssenduschampagneandclaret，andthenwedoputonthemostdisgustingairs。Ricesaysourcalibreistoolight——wecan”tstandittobenoticed！ IrodedownwithagentlemantotheOceanHouse，theotherday，toseetheseahorses，andalsotolistentotheroarofthesurf，andwatchtheshipsdriftingabout，here，andthere，andfarawayatsea。WhenIstoodonthebeachandletthesurfwetmyfeet，IrecollecteddoingthesamethingontheshoresoftheAtlantic——andthenIhadaproperappreciationofthevastnessofthiscountry——forIhadtraveledfromoceantooceanacrossit。 Remaindermissing。) NotfarfromVirginiaCitytherearesomewarmspringsthatconstantlysendupjetsofsteamthroughfissuresinthemountainside。Theplacewasahealthresort，andClemens，alwayssubjecttobronchialcolds，nowandagainretiredthereforacure。 Aletterwritteninthelatesummer——agay，youthfuldocument—— belongstooneoftheseperiodsofconvalescence。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandMrs。Moffett，inSt。Louis： No。12——$20enclosed。 STEAMBOATSPRINGS，August19，”63。 MYDEARMOTHERANDSISTER，——Ma，youhavegivenmyvanityadeadlythrust。 Behold，Iampronetoboastofhavingthewidestreputation，asalocaleditor，ofanymanonthePacificcoast，andyougravelycomeforwardandtellme“ifIworkhardandattendcloselytomybusiness，ImayaspiretoaplaceonabigSanFranciscodaily，someday。”There”sacommentonhumanvanityforyou！Why，blastit，IwasundertheimpressionthatI couldgetsuchasituationasthatanytimeIaskedforit。ButIdon”twantit。NopaperintheUnitedStatescanaffordtopaymewhatmyplaceonthe“Enterprise“isworth。IfIwerenotnaturallyalazy，idle，good-for-nothingvagabond，Icouldmakeitpayme$20，000ayear。 ButIdon”tsupposeIshalleverbeanyaccount。Ileadaneasylife，though，andIdon”tcareacentwhetherschoolkeepsornot。Everybodyknowsme，andIfarelikeaprincewhereverIgo，beitonthissideofthemountainsortheother。AndIamproudtosayIamthemostconceitedassintheTerritory。 Youthinkthatpicturelooksold？Well，Ican”thelpit——inrealityIamnotasoldasIwaswhenIwaseighteen。 Itookadesperatecoldmorethanaweekago，andIseducedWilson(aMissouriboy，reporteroftheDailyUnion，)fromhislabors，andwewentovertoLakeBigler。ButIfailedtocuremycold。Ifoundthe“LakeHouse“crowdedwiththewealthandfashionofVirginia，andIcouldnotresistthetemptationtotakeahandinallthefungoing。ThoseVirginians——menandwomenboth——areastirringset，andIfoundifIwentwiththemonalltheireternalexcursions，Ishouldbringtheconsumptionhomewithme——soIleft，daybeforeyesterday，andcamebackintotheTerritoryagain。AlotofthemhadpurchasedasiteforatownontheLakeshore，andtheygavemealot。Whenyoucomeout，I”llbuildyouahouseonit。TheLakeseemsmoresupernaturallybeautifulnow，thanever。ItisthemasterpieceoftheCreation。 ThehotelhereattheSpringsisnotsomuchcrowdedasusual，andIamhavingaverycomfortabletimeofit。Thehot，whitesteampuffsupoutoffissuresintheearthlikethejetsthatcomefromasteam-boat”s”scapepipes，anditmakesaboiling，surgingnoiselikeasteam-boat，too-hencethename。Weputeggsinahandkerchiefanddiptheminthesprings——they“softboil“in2Minutes，andboilashardasarockin4minutes。Thesefissuresextendmorethanaquarterofamile，andthelonglineofsteamcolumnslooksverypretty。Alargebathhouseisbuiltoveroneofthesprings，andwegoinitandsteamourselvesaslongaswecanstandit，andthencomeoutandtakeacoldshowerbath。 Yougetbaths，boardandlodging，allfor$25aweek——cheaperthanlivinginVirginiawithoutbaths…… YrsaftMARK。 Itwasnowtheautumnof1863。MarkTwainwastwenty-eightyearsold。OntheCoasthehadestablishedareputationasagailyoriginalnewspaperwriter。Thusfar，however，hehadabsolutelynoliterarystanding，noristhereanyevidencethathehadliteraryambitions；hisworkwasunformed，uncultivated——allofwhichseemsstrange，now，whenwerealizethatsomewherebehindlaythesubstanceofimmortality。RudyardKiplingattwenty-eighthaddonehisgreatestwork。 EvenJosephGoodman，whohadafineliteraryperceptionandadeepknowledgeofmen，intimatelyassociatedwithMarkTwainashewas，receivedatthistimenohintofhisgreaterpowers。AnothermanonthestaffoftheEnterprise，WilliamWright，whocalledhimself“DandeQuille，“agracefulhumorist，gavefarmorepromise，Goodmanthought，offuturedistinction。 ItwasArtemusWardwhofirstsuspectedthevalueofMarkTwain”sgifts，andurgedhimtosomemoreimportantuseofthem。Artemusinthecourseofatranscontinentallecturetour，stoppedinVirginiaCity，andnaturallyfoundcongenialsocietyontheEnterprisestaff。 Hehadintendedremainingbutafewdays，butlingeredthreeweeks，aperiodofcontinuouscelebration，closingonlywiththeholidayseason。Duringonenightoffinalfestivities，Wardslippedawayandgaveaperformanceonhisownaccount。HislettertoMarkTwain，fromAustin，Nevada，writtenadayortwolater，ismostcharacteristic。 ArtemusWard”slettertoMarkTwain： AUSTIN，Jan。1，”64。 MYDEARESTLOVE，——Iarrivedhereyesterdaya。m。at2o”clock。Itisawild，untamableplace，fulloflionheartedboys。Ispeaktonight。Seesmallbills。 Whydidyounotgowithmeandsavemethatnight？——ImeanthenightI leftyouafterthatdinnerparty。Iwentandgotdrunker，beating，Imaysay，AlexandertheGreat，inhismostdrinkinistdays，andIblackenedmyfaceattheMelodeon，andmadeagibbering，idioticspeech。God-damit！ IsupposetheUnionwillhaveit。Butletitgo。IshallalwaysrememberVirginiaasabrightspotinmyexistence，asallothersmustorrathercannotbe，asitwere。 LovetoJo。GoodmanandDan。Ishallwritesoon，apowerfullyconvincingnotetomyfriendsof“TheMercury。”Yournotice，bytheway，didmuchgoodhere，asitdoubtlesslywillelsewhere。ThemiscreantsoftheUnionwillbebattedinthesnoutiftheyeverdarepollutethisrapidlyrisingcitywiththeirloathsomepresence。 Someofthefinestintellectsintheworldhavebeenbluntedbyliquor。 Donot，sir——donotflatteryourselfthatyouaretheonlychastely- humorouswriterontothePacificslopes。 Good-bye，oldboy——andGodblessyou！ThematterofwhichIspoketoyousoearnestlyshallbejustasearnestlyattendedto——andagainwithverymanywarmregardsforJo。andDan。，andregardstomanyofthegoodfriendswemet。 IamFaithfully，gratefullyyours，ARTEMUSWARD。 TheUnionwhichWardmentionswastherivalVirginia。Citypaper； theMercurywastheNewYorkSundayMercury，towhichhehadurgedMarkTwaintocontribute。Wardwroteasecondletter，afterasiegeofillnessatSaltLakeCity。Hewasafrailcreature，andthreeyearslater，inLondon，diedofconsumption。HisgeniusandencouragementundoubtedlyexertedaninfluenceuponMarkTwain。 Ward”ssecondletterherefollows。 ArtemusWardtoS。L。Clemens： SALTLAKECITY，Jan。21，”64。 MYDEARMARK，——Ihavebeendangerouslyillforthepasttwoweekshere，ofcongestivefever。Verygravefearswereforatimeentertainedofmyrecovery，buthappilythemaladyisgone，thoughleavingmevery，veryweak。Ihopetobeabletoresumemyjourneyinaweekorso。IthinkIshallspeakintheTheaterhere，whichisoneofthefinestestablishmentsofthekindinAmerica。 TheSaintshavebeenwonderfullykindtome，Icouldnothavebeenbetterormoretenderlynursedathome——Godblessthem！ Iamstillexceedinglyweak——can”twriteanymore。LovetoJoandDan，andalltherest。WritemeatSt。Louis。 Alwaysyours，ARTEMUSWARD。 IfonecouldonlyhaveMarkTwain”slettersinreplytothese！buttheyhavevanishedandareprobablylongsincedust。AletterwhichhewrotetohismotherassuresusthatheundertooktofollowWard”sadvice。Hewasnotready，however，forseriousliteraryeffort。 Thearticle，senttotheMercury，wasdistinctlyoftheComstockvariety；itwasaccepted，butitapparentlymadenoimpression，andhedidnotfollowitup。 Foronething，hewasjustthentoobusyreportingtheLegislatureatCarsonCityandrespondingtosocialdemands。FromhavingbeenascarcelyconsideredunitduringtheearlydaysofhisarrivalinCarsonMarkTwainhadattainedahighdegreeofimportanceinthelittleNevadacapital。IntheLegislaturehewasapower；ascorrespondentfortheEnterprisehewasfearedandrespectedaswellasadmired。Hishumor，hissatire，andhisfearlessnessweredreadedweapons。 Also，hewasofextraordinarypopularity。Orion”swife，withherlittledaughter，Jennie，hadcomeoutfromtheStates。TheGovernorofNevadahadnohouseholdinCarsonCity，andwasgenerallyabsent。 OrionClemensreignedinhisstead，andindeedwasusuallyaddressedas“Governor“Clemens。Hishomebecamethesocialcenterofthecapital，andhisbrilliantbrotheritschiefornament。Fromtheroughestofminersofayearbeforehehadbecome，oncemore，almostadandyindress，andnooccasionwascompletewithouthim。WhenthetwoHousesoftheLegislatureassembled，inJanuary，1864，aburlesqueThirdHousewasorganizedandproposedtoholdasession，asachurchbenefit。AfterverybriefconsiderationitwasdecidedtoselectMarkTwaintopresideatthisThirdHouseassemblyunderthetitleof“Governor，“andaletterofinvitationwasaddressedtohim。Hisreplytoitfollows： ToS。PixleyandG。A。Sears，Trustees： CARSONCITY，January23，r86？ GENTLEMEN，Certainly。Ifthepubliccanfindanythinginagravestatepaperworthpayingadollarfor，Iamwillingthattheyshouldpaythatamount，oranyother；andalthoughIamnotaverydustyChristianmyself，Itakeanabsorbinginterestinreligiousaffairs，andwouldwillinglyinflictmyannualmessageupontheChurchitselfifitmightderivebenefitthereby。Youcanchargewhatyouplease；Ipromisethepublicnoamusement，butIdopromiseareasonableamountofinstruction。 IamresponsibletotheThirdHouseonly，andIhopetobepermittedtomakeitexceedinglywarmforthatbody，withoutcaringwhetherthesympathiesofthepublicandtheChurchbeenlistedintheirfavor，andagainstmyself，ornot。 Respectfully，MARKTWAIN。 ThereisaqualityinthislettermoresuggestiveofthelaterMarkTwainthananythingthathasprecededit。HisThirdHouseaddress，unfortunately，hasnotbeenpreserved，butthosewhohearditregardeditasaclassic。Itprobablyaboundedinhumorofthefrontiersort-unsparingridiculeoftheGovernor，theLegislature，andindividualcitizens。Itwasalltakeningoodpart，ofcourse，andasarecognitionofhissuccesshereceivedagoldwatch，withthecaseproperlyinscribedto“TheGovernoroftheThirdHouse。” Thiswasreallyhisfirstpublicappearanceinafieldinwhichhewasdestinedtoachieveverygreatfame。 V LETTERS1864-66。SANFRANCISCOANDHAWAII LifeontheComstockcametoanendforMarkTwaininMay，1864。ItwasthetimeofTheFlourSackSanitaryFund，thestoryofwhichhehastoldinRoughingIt。Hedoesnot，however，refertothetroubleswhichthisspecialfundbroughtuponhimself。ComingintotheEnterpriseofficeonenight，afteragaydayof“Fund“ celebration，Clemenswrote，fornextday”spaper，aparagraphintendedtobemerelyplayful，butwhichprovedhighlyoffendingtocertainladiesconcernedwiththeflour-sackenterprise。Nofilesofthepaperexisttoday，sowecannotjudgeofthequalityofhumorthatstirreduptrouble。 Thetrouble，however，wasgenuineenough，Virginia”srivalpaperseizeduponthechancetohumiliateitsenemy，andpresentlywordswerepassedbackandforthuntilnothingwaslefttowritebutachallenge。Thestoryofthisduel，whichdidnotcomeoff，hasbeenquitefullytoldelsewhere，bothbyMarkTwainandthepresentwriter；butthefollowingletter——arevelationofhisinnerfeelingsinthematterofhisoffense——hasneverbeforebeenpublished。 ToMrs。Cutler，inCarsonCity： VIRGINIA，May23rd，1864。 MRS。W。K。CUTLER： MADAM，——Iaddressaladyineverysenseoftheterm。Mrs。ClemenshasinformedmeofeverythingthathasoccurredinCarsoninconnectionwiththatunfortunateitemofmineabouttheSanitaryFundsaccruingfromtheball，andfromwhatIcanunderstand，youarealmosttheonlyladyinyourcitywhohasunderstoodthecircumstancesunderwhichmyfaultwascommitted，orwhohasshownanydispositiontobelenientwithme。Hadthenoteoftheladiesbeenproperlyworded，Iwouldhavepublishedanampleapologyinstantly——andpossiblyImightevenhavedonesoanyhow，hadthatnotearrivedatanyothertime——butitcameatamomentwhenI wasinthemidstofwhatoughttohavebeenadeadlyquarrelwiththepublishersoftheUnion，andIcouldnotcomeoutandmakepublicapologiestoanyoneatsuchatime。Itisbadpolicytodoitevennow(aschallengeshavealreadypassedbetweenmyselfandaproprietoroftheUnion，andthematterisstillinabeyance，)butIsupposeIhadbettersayawordortwotoshowtheladiesthatIdidnotwilfullyandmaliciouslydothemawrong。 Butmychiefobject，Mrs。Cutler，inwritingyouthisnote(andyouwillpardonthelibertyIhavetaken，)wastothankyouverykindlyandsincerelyfortheconsiderationyouhaveshownmeinthismatter，andforyourcontinuedfriendshipforMolliewhileothersaredisposedtowithdrawtheirsonaccountofafaultforwhichIaloneamresponsible。 Verytrulyyours，SAM。L。CLEMENS。 Thematterdidnotendwiththefailureoftheduel。Averystrictlawhadjustbeenpassed，makingitafelonyeventosendoracceptachallenge。Clemens，onthewhole，rathertiredofVirginiaCityandCarson，thoughtitagoodtimetogoacrossthemountainstoSanFrancisco。WithSteveGillis，aprinter，ofwhomhewasveryfond—— aninveteratejoker，whohadbeenmorethanhalfresponsiblefortheproposedduel，andwastohaveservedashissecond——hetookthestageonemorning，andinduetimewasintheCaliforniametropolis，atworkontheMorningCall。 ClemenshadbeenseveraltimesinSanFrancisco，andlovedtheplace。Wehavenoletterofthatsummer，thefirstbeingdatedseveralmonthsafterhisarrival。HewasstillworkingontheCallwhenitwaswritten，andcontributingliteraryarticlestotheCalifornian，ofwhichBretHarte，unknowntofame，waseditor。 HartehadhisofficejustabovetheroomsoftheCall，andheandClemensweregoodfriends。SanFranciscohadarealliterarygroupthat，foratimeatleast，centeredaroundtheofficesoftheGoldenEra。InaletterthatfollowsClemenswouldseemtohavescornedthispublication，buthewasafrequentcontributortoitatoneperiod。JoaquinMillerwasofthisbandofliterarypioneers；alsoPrenticeMulford，CharlesWarrenStoddard，FitzhughLudlow，andOrpheusC。Kerr。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandMrs。Moffett，inSt。Louis： Sept。25，1864。 MYDEARMOTHERANDSISTER，——Youcanseebymypicturethatthissuperbclimateagreeswithme。Anditought，afterlivingwhereIwasneveroutofsightofsnowpeakstwenty-fourhoursduringthreeyears。Herewehaveneithersnownorcoldweather；firesareneverlighted，andyetsummerclothesareneverworn——youwearspringclothingtheyearround。 SteveGillis，whohasbeenmycomradefortwoyears，andwhocamedownherewithme，istobemarried，inaweekortwo，toaveryprettygirlworth$130，000inherownright——andthenIshallbealoneagain，untiltheybuildahouse，whichtheywilldoshortly。 Wehavebeenhereonlyfourmonths，yetwehavechangedourlodgingsfivetimes，andourhoteltwice。Weareverycomfortablyfixedwhereweare，now，andhavenofaulttofindwiththeroomsorwiththepeople——wearetheonlylodgersinawell-to-doprivatefamily，withonegrowndaughterandapianointheparloradjoiningourroom。ButIneedachange，andmustmoveagain。Ihavetakenroomsfurtherdownthestreet。Ishallstayinthislittlequietstreet，becauseitisfullofgardensandshrubbery，andtherearenonebutdwellinghousesinit。 Iamtakinglifeeasy，now，andImeantokeepitupforawhile。Idon”tworkatnightanymore。Itoldthe“Call“folkstopayme$25aweekandletmeworkonlyindaylight。SoIgetupatteneverymorning，andquitworkatfiveorsixintheafternoon。YouaskifIworkforgreenbacks？ Hardly。WhatdoyousupposeIcoulddowithgreenbackshere？ Ihaveengagedtowriteforthenewliterarypaper——the“Californian“—— samepayIusedtoreceiveonthe“GoldenEra“——onearticleaweek，fiftydollarsamonth。Iquitthe“Era，“longago。Itwasn”thigh-tonedenough。The“Californian“circulatesamongthehighestclassofthecommunity，andisthebestweeklyliterarypaperintheUnitedStates——andIsupposeIoughttoknow。 IworkasIalwaysdid——byfitsandstarts。IwrotetwoarticleslastnightfortheCalifornian，sothatletsmeoutfortwoweeks。Thatwouldbeaboutseventy-fivedollars，ingreenbacks，wouldn”tit？ BeendowntoSanJose(generallypronouncedSannozay-emphasisonlastsyllable)-todayfiftymilesfromhere，byrailroad。Townof6，000 inhabitants，buriedinflowersandshrubbery。Theclimateisfinerthanourshere，becauseitisnotsoclosetotheocean，andisprotectedfromthewindsbythecoastrange。 Ihadaninvitationtoday，togodownonanexcursiontoSanLuisObispo，andfromthencetothecityofMexico，tobegonesixoreightweeks，orpossiblylonger，butIcouldnotaccept，onaccountofmycontracttoactaschiefmournerorgroomsmanatSteve”swedding。 Ihavetriumphed。TheyrefusedmeandotherreporterssomeinformationatabranchoftheCoroner”soffice——Massey”sundertakerestablishment，afewweeksago。IpublishedthewickedestarticleonthemIeverwroteinmylife，andyoucanrestassuredwegotalltheinformationwewantedafterthat。 Bythenewcensus，SanFranciscohasapopulationof130，000。Theydon”tcountthehordesofChinamen。 Yrsaftly，SAM。 IsendapictureforAnnie，andoneforAuntElla——thatis，ifshewillhaveit。 RelationswiththeCallceasedbeforetheendoftheyear，thoughnotinthemannerdescribedinRoughingIt。MarkTwainlovedtomakefictionofhismishaps，andtoshowhimselfalwaysinabadlight。Asamatteroffact，helefttheCallwithgreatwillingness，andbeganimmediatelycontributingadailylettertotheEnterprise，whichbroughthimasatisfactoryfinancialreturn。 Inthebiographicalsketchwithwhichthisvolumeopens，andmoreextendedlyelsewhere，hasbeentoldthestoryofthetroublegrowingoutoftheEnterpriseletters，andofMarkTwain”ssojournwithJamesGillisintheTuolumneHills。Alsohow，inthefrowsyhotelatAngel”sCamp，heheardthefroganecdotethatwouldbecomethecorner-stoneofhisfame。Therearenolettersofthisperiod——onlysomenote-bookentries。Itisprobablethathedidnotwritehome，believing，nodoubt，thathehadverylittletosay。 Formorethanayearthereisnotalinethathassurvived。Yetithadbeenanimportantyear；thejumpingfrogstory，publishedinNewYork，hadbeenreprintedEastandWest，andlaughedoverinatleastamillionhomes。Famehadnotcometohim，butitwasontheway。 Yethisoutlookseemsnottohavebeenahopefulone。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandMrs。Moffett，inSt。Louis： SANFRANCISCO，Jan。20，1866。 MYDEARMOTHERANDSISTER，——Idonotknowwhattowrite；mylifeissouneventful。IwishIwasbacktherepilotingupanddowntheriveragain。Verily，allisvanityandlittleworth——savepiloting。 Tothinkthat，afterwritingmanyanarticleamanmightbeexcusedforthinkingtolerablygood，thoseNewYorkpeopleshouldsingleoutavillainousbackwoodssketchtocomplimentmeon！“JimSmileyandHisJumpingFrog“——asquibwhichwouldneverhavebeenwrittenbuttopleaseArtemusWard，andthenitreachedNewYorktoolatetoappearinhisbook。 Butnomatter。Hisbookwasawretchedlypoorone，generallyspeaking，anditcouldbenocredittoeitherofustoappearbetweenitscovers。 ThisparagraphisfromtheNewYorkcorrespondenceoftheSanFranciscoAlta： (Clippingpastedin。) “MarkTwain”sstoryintheSaturdayPressofNovemberi8th，called”JimSmileyandHisJumpingFrog”hassetallNewYorkinaroar，andhemaybesaidtohavemadehismark。Ihavebeenaskedfiftytimesaboutitanditsauthor，andthepapersarecopyingitfarandnear。Itisvotedthebestthingoftheday。CannottheCalifornianaffordtokeepMarkalltoitself？ItshouldnotlethimscintillatesowidelywithoutfirstbeingfilteredthroughtheCaliforniapress。” TheNewYorkpublishinghouseofCarleton&Co。gavethesketchtotheSaturdayPresswhentheyfounditwastoolateforthebook。 ThoughIamgenerallyplacedattheheadofmybreedofscribblersinthispartofthecountry，theplaceproperlybelongstoBretHarte，Ithink，thoughhedeniesit，alongwiththerest。Hewantsmetoclubalotofoldsketchestogetherwithalotofhis，andpublishabook。 Iwouldn”tdoit，onlyheagreestotakeallthetrouble。ButIwanttoknowwhetherwearegoingtomakeanythingoutofit，first。However，hehaswrittentoaNewYorkpublisher，andifweareofferedabargainthatwillpayforamonth”slaborwewillgotoworkandpreparethevolumeforthepress。 Yoursaffy，SAM。 BretHarteandClemenshadbythistimequittheCalifornian，expectingtocontributetoEasternperiodicals。Clemens，however，wasnotyetthroughwithCoastjournalism。TherewasmuchinterestjustatthistimeintheSandwichIslands，andhewasselectedbytheforemostSacramentopapertospyouttheislandsandreportaspectsandconditionsthere。Hislettershomewerestillinfrequent，butthiswassomethingworthwriting。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandMrs。Moffett，inSt。Louis： SANFRANCISCO，March5th，1866。 MYDEARMOTHERANDSISTER，——IstarttodoSandwichIslandsdayaftertomorrow，(IsupposeAnnieisgeographerenoughbythistimetofindthemonthemap)，inthesteamer“Ajax。”Weshallarrivethereinabouttwelvedays。MyfriendsseemdeterminedthatIshallnotlackacquaintances，forIonlydecidedtodaytogo，andtheyhavealreadysentmelettersofintroductiontoeverybodydownthereworthknowing。Iamtoremainthereamonthandransacktheislands，thegreatcataractsandthevolcanoescompletely，andwritetwentyorthirtyletterstotheSacramentoUnion——forwhichtheypaymeasmuchmoneyasIwouldgetifI staidathome。 IfIcomebackhereIexpecttostartstraightacrossthecontinentbywayoftheColumbiariver，thePendd”OreilleLakes，throughMontanaanddowntheMissouririver，——only200milesoflandtravelfromSanFranciscotoNewOrleans。 Goodbyeforthepresent。 Yours，SAM。 Hishomelettersfromtheislandsarenumerousenough；everythingtherebeingsonewandsodelightfulthathefoundjoyintellingofit；also，hewasstillyoungenoughtoairhistriumphsalittle，especiallywhenhehasdinedwiththeGrandChamberlainandisgoingtovisittheKing！ ThelanguorouslifeoftheislandsexactlysuitedMaskTwain。Allhislifeherememberedthem——alwaysplanningtoreturn，someday，tostaythereuntilhedied。Inoneofhisnote-bookshewrote：“WentwithMr。Damtohiscool，vine-shadedhome；nocare-wornoreager，anxiousfacesinthislandofhappycontentment。God，whatacontrastwithCaliforniaandtheWashoe！“ Andagain： “Oh，IslandsthereareonthefaceofthedeepWheretheleavesneverfadeandtheskiesneverweep。” Theletterstellthestoryofhissojourn，whichstretcheditselfintonearlyfivemonths。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandMrs。Moffett，inSt。Louis： HONOLULU，SANDWICHISLANDS，April3，1866。 MYDEARMOTHERANDSISTER，——Ihavebeenheretwoorthreeweeks，andlikethebeautifultropicalclimatebetterandbetter。Ihaveriddenonhorsebackalloverthisisland(Oahu)inthemeantime，andhavevisitedalltheancientbattle-fieldsandotherplacesofinterest。IhavegotalotofhumanboneswhichItookfromoneofthesebattle-fields——IguessIwillbringyousomeofthem。IwentwiththeAmericanMinisterandtookdinnerthiseveningwiththeKing”sGrandChamberlain，whoisrelatedtotheroyalfamily，andalthoughdarkerthanamulatto，hehasanexcellentEnglisheducationandinmannersisanaccomplishedgentleman。ThedinnerwasasceremoniousasanyIeverattendedinCalifornia——fiveregularcourses，andfivekindsofwineandoneofbrandy。Heistocallformeinthemorningwithhiscarriage，andwewillvisittheKingatthepalace——botharegoodMasons——theKingisaRoyalArchMason。Afterdinnertonighttheycalledinthe“singinggirls，“andwehadsomebeautifulmusic；sunginthenativetongue。 ThesteamerIcamehereinsailstomorrow，andassoonassheisgoneI shallsailfortheotherislandsofthegroupandvisitthegreatvolcano——thegrandwonderoftheworld。Begonetwomonths。 Yrs。 SAM。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandMrs。Moffett，inSt。Louis： WAILUKUSUGARPLANTATION，ISLANDOFMAUI，H。I。，May4，1866。 MYDEARMOTHERANDSISTER，——11O”clockatnight——Thisistheinfernalistdarkestcountry，whenthemoondon”tshine；Istumbledandfellovermyhorse”slariataminuteagoandhurtmyleg，soImuststayheretonight。 Igotthesameleghurtlastweek；IsaidIhadn”tgotholdofaspiritedhorsesinceIhadbeenontheisland，andoneoftheproprietorsloanedmeabigviciouscolt；hewasaltogethertoospirited；Iwenttotightenthecinchbeforemountinghim，whenheletoutwithhisleftleg(？)andkickedmeacrossaten-acrelot。AnativerubbedanddoctoredmesowellthatIwasabletostandonmyfeetinhalfanhour。ItwasthenhalfafterfourandIhadanappointmenttogosevenmilesandgetagirlandtakehertoacardpartyatfive。 Ihavebeenclatteringaroundamongtheplantationsforthreeweeks，now，andnextweekIamgoingtovisittheextinctcraterofMountHaleakala—— thelargestintheworld；itistenmilestothefootofthemountain；itrises10，000feetabovethevalley；thecrateris29milesincircumferenceand1，000feetdeep。Seenfromthesummit，thecityofSt。 Louiswouldlooklikeapictureinthebottomofit。 AssoonasIgetbackfromHaleakala(pronouncedHally-ekka-lah)IwillsailforHonoluluagainandthencetotheIslandofHawaii(pronouncedHah-wy-ye，)toseethegreatestactivevolcanointheworld——thatofKilauea(pronouncedKee-low-way-ah)——andfromthencebacktoSanFrancisco——andthen，doubtless，totheStates。Ihavebeenonthistriptwomonths，anditwillprobablybetwomorebeforeIgetbacktoCalifornia。 YrsaffySAM。 Hewashavingaglorioustime——oneofthemosthappy，carefreeadventuresofhiscareer。NoformoftravelorundertakingcoulddiscountenanceMarkTwainatthirty。 ToMrs。OrionClemens，inCarsonCity： HONOLULU，May22，1866。 MYDEARSISTER，——Ihavejustgotbackfromaseavoyage——fromthebeautifulislandofMaui，Ihavespentfiveweeksthere，ridingbackwardsandforwardsamongthesugarplantations——lookingupthesplendidsceneryandvisitingtheloftycraterofHaleakala。Ithasbeenaperfectjubileetomeinthewayofpleasure。 Ihavenotwrittenasingleline，andhavenotoncethoughtofbusiness，orcareorhumantoilortroubleorsorroworweariness。Fewsuchmonthscomeinalifetime。 Isetsailagain，aweekhence，fortheislandofHawaii，toseethegreatactivevolcanoofKilauea。Ishallnotgetbackhereforfourorfiveweeks，andshallnotreachSanFranciscobeforethelatterpartofJuly。 Soitisnousetowaitformetogohome。Goonyourselves。 IfIwereintheeastnow，Icouldstopthepublicationofapiraticalbookwhichhasstolensomeofmysketches。 Itislate-good-bye，Mollie，YrBroSAM。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandMrs。Moffett，inSt。Louis： HONOLULU，SANDWICHISLANDS，June21，1866。 MYDEARMOTHERANDSISTER，——IhavejustgotbackfromahardtripthroughtheIslandofHawaii，begunonthe26thofMayandfinishedonthe18thofJune——onlysixorsevendaysatsea——allthebalancehorse-back，andthehardestmountainroadintheworld。Istaidatthevolcanoaboutaweekandwitnessedthegreatesteruptionthathasoccurredforyears。 Ilivedwellthere。Theycharge$4adayforboard，andadollarortwoextraforguidesandhorses。Ihadaprettygoodtime。Theydidn”tchargemeanything。Ihavegotbacksick——wenttobedassoonasI arrivedhere——shallnotbestrongagainforseveraldaysyet。Irushedtoofast。Ioughttohavetakenfiveorsixweeksonthattrip。 AweekhenceIstartfortheIslandofKauai，tobegonethreeweeksandthenIgobacktoCalifornia。 TheCrownPrincessisdeadandthousandsofnativescryandwailanddanceanddanceforthedead，aroundtheKing”sPalaceallnightandeverynight。Theywillkeepitupforamonthandthenshewillbeburied。 Hon。AnsonBurlingame，U。S。MinistertoChina，andGen。VanValkenburgh，MinistertoJapan，withtheirfamiliesandsuites，havejustarrivedhereenroute。Theyweregoingtodomethehonortocallonmethismorning，andthataccountsformybeingoutofbednow。Youknowwhatconditionmyroomisalwaysinwhenyouarenotaround——soIclimbedoutofbedanddressedandshavedprettyquickandwentuptotheresidenceoftheAmericanMinisterandcalledonthem。Mr。BurlingametoldmeagooddealaboutHon。JereClemensandthatVirginiaClemenswhowaswoundedinaduel。HewasinCongressyearswithbothofthem。Mr。B。sentforhisson，tointroducehim——saidhecouldtellthatfrogstoryofmineaswellasanybody。ItoldhimIwasgladtohearitforInevertriedtotellitmyselfwithoutmakingabotchofit。AthisrequestIhaveloanedMr。 BurlingameprettymucheverythingIeverwrote。Iguesshewillbeanalmightywisemanbythetimehewadesthroughthatlot。 IftheNewUnitedStatesMinistertotheSandwichIslands(Hon。EdwinMcCook，)wereonlyherenow，sothatIcouldgethisviewsonthisnewconditionofSandwichIslandpolitics，IwouldsailforCaliforniaatonce。ButhewillnotarrivefortwoweeksyetandsoIamgoingtospendthatintervalontheislandofKauai。 IstoppedthreedayswithHon。Mr。Cony，DeputyMarshaloftheKingdom，atHilo，Hawaii，lastweekandbyafunnycircumstancehekneweverybodythatIeverknewinHannibalandPalmyra。Weusedtositupallnighttalkingandthensleepallday。HeliveslikeaPrince。ConfoundthatIsland！Ihadastreakoffatandastreakofleanalloverit——gotlostseveraltimesandhadtosleepinhutswiththenativesandlivelikeadog。 OfcourseIcouldn”tspeakfiftywordsofthelanguage。Takeitaltogether，though，itwasamightyhardtrip。 YoursAffect。 SAM。 BurlingameandVanValkenburghwereontheirwaytotheirposts，andtheircomingtotheislandsjustatthistimeprovedamostimportantcircumstancetoMarkTwain。Weshallcometothispresently，inasummaryofthenewspaperletterswrittentotheUnion。June27thhewrotetohismotherandsisteraletter，onlyafragmentofwhichsurvives，inwhichhetellsofthearrivalinHonoluluofthesurvivorsoftheshipHornet，burnedontheline，andofhissecuringthefirstnewsreportofthelostvessel。 PartofalettertoMrs。JaneClemensandMrs。Moffett，inSt。Louis： HONOLULU，June27，1866……withagillofwateradaytoeachman。Igotthewholestoryfromthethirdmateandtwoofthesailors。IfmyaccountgetstotheSacramentoUnionfirst，itwillbepublishedfirstallovertheUnitedStates，France，England，RussiaandGermany——allovertheworld；Imaysay。Youwillseeit。Mr。Burlingamewentwithmeallthetime，andhelpedmequestionthemen——throwingawayinvitationstodinnerwiththeprincesandforeigndignitaries，andneglectingallsortsofthingstoaccommodateme。YouknowhowIappreciatethatkindofthing——especiallyfromsuchaman，whoisacknowledgedtohavenosuperiorinthediplomaticcirclesoftheworld，andobtainedfromChinaconcessionsinfavorofAmericawhichwererefusedtoSirFrederickBruceandEnvoysofFranceandRussiauntilprocuredforthembyBurlingamehimself——whichservicewasdulyacknowledgedbythosedignitaries。Hehuntedmeupassoonashecamehere，andhasdonemeahundredfavorssince，andsaysifIwillcometoChinainthefirsttripofthegreatmailsteamernextJanuaryandmakehishouseinPekinmyhome，hewillaffordmefacilitiesthatfewmencanhavethereforseeingandlearning。HewillgivemeletterstothechiefsofthegreatMailSteamshipCompanywhichwillbeofservicetomeinthismatter。Iexpecttodoallthis，butIexpecttogototheStatesfirst——andfromChinatotheParisWorld”sFair。 Don”tshowthisletter。 YoursafflySAM。 P。S。ThecrownPrincessofthisKingdomwillbeburiedtomorrowwithgreatceremony——afterthatIsailintwoweeksforCalifornia。 ThisconcludesMarkTwain”spersonallettersfromtheislands。 Ofhisdescriptivenewsletterstherewereabouttwenty，andtheywereregardedbythereadersoftheUnionasdistinctlynotable。 Re-readingthoseoldlettersto-dayitisnotaltogethereasytounderstandwhy。Theyweresetinfinenonpareiltype，foronething，whichpresent-dayeyessimplyrefuseatanyprice，andthereward，bypresent-daystandards，isnotespeciallytempting。 ThelettersbeganintheUnionwiththeissueofAprilthe16th，1866。Thefirst——ofdateMarch18th——tellsofthewriter”sarrivalatHonolulu。Thehumorinitisnotalwaysofahighorder；itwouldhardlypassforhumortodayatall。ThatthesamemanwhowrotetheHawaiianlettersin1866(hewasthenoverthirtyyearsold)could，twoyearslater，havewrittenthatmarvelousbook，theInnocentsAbroad，isaphenomenoninliterarydevelopment。 TheHawaiianletters，however，doshowthetransitionstagebetweentheroughelementalhumoroftheComstockandtherefinedandsubtlestylewhichfloweredintheInnocentsAbroad。CertainlyMarkTwain”sgeniuswasfindingitself，andhisassociationwiththerefinedandculturedpersonalityofAnsonBurlingameundoubtedlyaidedinthatdiscovery。Burlingamepointedouthisfaultstohim，anddirectedhimtoabetterway。Nomorethanthatwasneededatsuchatimetobringaboutatransformation。 TheSandwichIslandsletters，however，musthavebeenpreciselyadaptedtotheiraudience——alittlemorerefinedthanthelogComstock，alittlelesssubtlethantheAtlanticpublic——andtheyaddedmateriallytohisCoastprestige。ButletusconsiderasampleextractfromthefirstSandwichIslandsletter： Ourlittlebandofpassengerswereaswellandthoughtfullycaredforbythefriendstheyleftweepinguponthewharf，aseverwereanysimilarbodyofpilgrims。Thetravelingoutfitconferreduponmebeganwithanavaluniform，continuedwithacaseofwine，asmallassortmentofmedicinalliquorsandbrandy，severalboxesofcigars，abunchofmatches，afine-toothedcomb，andacakeofsoap，andendedwithapairofsocks。(N。B。IgavethesoaptoBrown，whobitintoit，andthen。 shookhisheadandsaidthat，asageneralthing，helikedtoprospectcurious，foreigndishes，andfindoutwhattheyweremadeof，buthecouldn”tgothat，andthrewitoverboard。) Itisnearlyimpossibletoimaginehumorinthisextract，yetitisafairsampleoftheentireletter。 Heimprovesinhisnext，atleast，indescription，andgivesusapictureofthecrater。Inthisletter，also，hewriteswellandseriously，inapropheticstrain，ofthegreattradethatistobeestablishedbetweenSanFranciscoandHawaii，andarguesforalineofsteamersbetweentheports，inorderthattheislandsmightbepopulatedbyAmericans，bywhichcourseEuropeantradeinthatdirectioncouldbesuperseded。Butthehumorinthisletter，suchasitis，wouldscarcelyprovokeasmileto-day。 Astheletterscontinue，hestillurgesthefosteringoftheislandtradebytheUnitedStates，findshimselfimpressedbytheworkofthemissionaries，whohaveconvertedcannibalstoChristians，andgivespicturesquebitsofthelifeandscenery。 HawaiiwasthendominatedchieflybyFrenchandEnglish；thoughtheAmericaninterestswerebynomeanssmall。 ExtractfromletterNo。4： Cap。Fitchsaid“There”stheking。That”shiminthebuggy。IknowhimasfarasIcanseehim。” Ihadneverseenaking，andInaturallytookoutanote-bookandputhimdown：“Tall，slender，dark，full-bearded；greenfrock-coat，withlapelsandcollarborderedwithgoldbandaninchwide；plughat，broadgoldbandaroundit；royalcostumelookstoomuchlikelivery；thismanisnotasfleshyasIthoughthewas。 IhadjustgotthesenoteswhenCap。Fitchdiscoveredthathe”dgotholdofthewrongking，orrather，thathe”dgotholdoftheking”sdriver，oracarriagedriverofoneofthenobility。Thekingwasn”tpresentatall。Itwasagreatdisappointmenttome。Iheardafterwardsthatthecomfortable，easy-goingking，KamehamehaV。，hadbeenseensittingonabarrelonthewharf，thedaybefore，fishing。Buttherewasnoconsolationinthat。Thatdidnotrestorememylostking。 Thishassomethingoftheflavorofthemanweweretoknowlater； thequaint，gentleresignationtodisappointmentwhichisoneofthefinesttouchesinhishumor。 Furtheronhesays：“IhadnotshavedsinceIleftSanFrancisco。 AssoonasIgotashoreIhuntedupastripedpole，andshortlyfoundone。Ialwayshadayearningtobeaking。Thismayneverbe，Isuppose，but，atanyrate，itwillalwaysbeasatisfactiontometoknowthat，ifIamnotaking，Iamthenextthingtoit。 Ihavebeenshavedbytheking”sbarber。” Honoluluwasaplaceofcats。Hesawcatsofeveryshadeandvariety。Hesays：“Isawcats——tomcats，Mary-Anncats，bobtailedcats，blindcats，one-eyedcats，wall-eyedcats，cross-eyedcats，graycats，blackcats，whitecats，yellowcats，stripedcats，spottedcats，tamecats，wildcats，singedcats，individualcats，groupsofcats，platoonsofcats，companiesofcats，armiesofcats，multitudesofcats，millionsofcats，andallofthemsleek，fat，andlazy，andsoundasleep。”Whichillustratesanothercharacteristicofthehumorweweretoknowlater——thehumorofgrotesqueexaggeration，inwhichhewasalwaysstrong。 Hefoundtheislandsduringhisperiodsofinactionconducivetoindolence。“IfIwerenotsofondoflookingintotherichmassofgreenleaves，“hesays，“thatswathethestatelytamarindrightbeforemydoor，Iwouldidleless，andwritemore，Ithink。” TheUnionmadegooduseofhisletters。Sometimesitprintedthemonthefrontpage。Evidentlytheywerepopularfromthebeginning。 TheUnionwasafine，handsomepaper——beautifulinitsminutetypography，andinitspress-work；morebeautifulthanmostpapersofto-day，withtheirmachine-settype，theirvulgarillustrations，andtheirchain-lightningpresses。Afewmoreextracts： “Theonlycigarsherearethosetrifling，insipid，tasteless，flavorlessthingstheycallManilas——tenfortwenty-fivecents——anditwouldtakeathousandofthemtobeworthhalfthemoney。Afteryouhavesmokedaboutthirty-fivedollars”worthofthemintheforenoon，youfeelnothingbutadesperateyearningtogooutsomewhereandtakeasmoke。” “Captainsandministersformabouthalfthepopulation。ThethirdfourthiscomposedofKanakasandmercantileforeignersandtheirfamilies。ThefinalfourthismadeupofhighofficersoftheHawaiiangovernment，andtherearejustaboutenoughcatstogoround。” InNo。6，Aprilthe2d，hesays：“AnexcursiontoDiamondHead，andtheking”scocoanutgrove，wasplannedto-day，at4。30P。M。，thepartytoconsistofhalfadozengentlemenandthreeladies。Theyallstartedattheappointedhourexceptmyself。Somebodyremarkedthatitwastwentyminutespastfiveo”clock，andthatwokemeup。 ItwasafortunatecircumstancethatCap。Phillipswastherewithhis”turn-out”ashecallshistopbuggythatCap。Cookbroughtherein1778，andahorsethatwasherewhenCap。Cookcame。” Thisbithassomethingthesavorofhissubsequentwork，but，asarule，thehumorcomparespoorlywiththatwhichwastocomelater。 InNo。7hespeaksofthenativessingingAmericansongs——notalwaystohiscomfort。“MarchingThroughGeorgia“wasoneoftheirfavoriteairs。Hesays：“IfithadbeenallthesametoGen。 Sherman，IwishhehadgonearoundbythewayoftheGulfofMexico，insteadofmarchingthroughGeorgia。” LettersNos。8，9，and10werenotofspecialimportance。InNo。10 hegivessomeadvicetoSanFranciscoastothetreatmentofwhalers。Hesays： “IfIweregoingtoadviseSanFranciscoastothebeststrategytoemployinordertosecurethewhalingtrade，Ishouldsay，”Crippleyourfacilitiesfor“pulling“seacaptainsonanypretencethatsailorscantrumpup，andshowthewhaleralittlemoreconsiderationwhenheisinport。”” InNo。11，May24th，hetellsofatriptotheKalehiValley，andthroughhistoricpoints。AtoneplacehelookedfromaprecipiceoverwhicholdKamehamehaI。drovethearmyofOahu，three-quartersofacenturybefore。 Thevegetationandgloryofthetropicsattractedhim。“Inoneopenspotavineofaspeciesunknownhadtakenpossessionoftwotalldeadstumps，andwoundaroundandaboutthem，andswungoutfromtheirtops，andtwinedtheirmeetingtendrilstogetherintoafaultlessarch。Man，withallhisart，couldnotimproveuponitssymmetry。” HesawSamBrannan”spalace，“TheBungalow，“builtbyoneShillaberofSanFranciscoatacostoffromthirtytofortythousanddollars。 Initsdayithadoutshoneitsregalneighbor，thepalaceoftheking，buthadfallentodecayafterpassingintoBrannan”shands，andhadbecomeapicturesqueThebanruinbythetimeofMarkTwain”svisit。 InNo。12，June20th(writtenMay23d)，hetellsoftheHawaiianLegislature，andofhistriptotheislandofMaui，where，ashesays，heneverspentsopleasantamonthbefore，orbadeanyplacegood-bysoregretfully。 InNo。13hecontinuestheLegislature，andgivesthispictureofMinisterHarris：“Heissixfeethigh，bonyandratherslender； long，ungainlyarms；standssostraightheleansbackalittle；hassmallsidewhiskers；hisheadlong，upanddown；hehasnocommandoflanguageorideas；oratoryallshowandpretence；abigwashingandasmallhang-out；weak，insipid，andadamnfoolingeneral。” InNo。14，June22d，publishedJulyi6th，hetellsofthedeathandburialceremoniesofthePrincessVictoriaK。K。，and，whatwastobeofmoreimportancetohim，ofthearrivalofAnsonBurlingame，U。S。MinistertoChina，andGen。VanValkenburgh，U。S。MinistertoJapan。Theyweretostaytenorfourteendays，hesaid，butaneffortwouldbemadetohavethemstayoverJuly4th。 SpeakingofBurlingame：“Burlingameisamanwhocouldbeesteemed，respected，andpopularanywhere，nomatterwhetherhewasamongChristiansorcannibals。”Then，inthesameletter，comesthegreatincident。“Aletterarrivedhereyesterday，givingameagreaccountofthearrival，ontheIslandofHawaii，ofnineteenpoor，starvingwretches，whohadbeenbuffetingastormysea，inanopenboat，forforty-threedays。Theirship，theHornet，fromNewYork，withaquantityofkeroseneonboardhadtakenfireandburnedinLat。2d。 north，andLong。35d。west。Whentheyhadbeenentirelyoutofprovisionsforadayortwo，andthecravingsofhungerbecomeinsufferable，theyyieldedtotheship-wreckedmariner”sfearfulandawfulalternative，andsolemnlydrewlotstodeterminewhooftheirnumbershoulddie，tofurnishfoodforhiscomrades；andthenthemorningmistslifted，andtheysawland。TheyarebeingcaredforatSanpahoe(Notyetcorroborated)。” TheHornetdisasterwasfullytoldinhisletterofJune27th。ThesurvivorswerebroughttoHonolulu，andwiththeassistanceoftheBurlingameparty，Clemens，laidupwithsaddleboils，wascarriedonastretchertothehospital，where，aidedbyBurlingame，heinterviewedtheshipwreckedmen，securingmaterialforthemostimportantpieceofseriouswritinghehadthusfarperformed。 LetterNo。15totheUnion——ofdateJune25th——occupiedthemostofthefirstpageintheissueofJuly19。Itwasadetailedaccountofthesufferingsofofficersandcrew，asgivenbythethirdofficerandmembersofthecrew。 FromletterNo。15： InthepostscriptofaletterwhichIwrotetwoorthreedaysago，andsentbytheship“LiveYankee，“IgaveyouthesubstanceofaletterreceivedherefromHilo，byWalkerAllenandCo。，informingthemthataboat，containingfifteenmeninahelplessandstarvingcondition，haddriftedashoreatSanpahoe，IslandofHawaii，andthattheyhadbelongedtotheclippership“Hornet“——Cap。Mitchell，master——hadbeenafloatsincetheburningofthatvessel，aboutonehundredmilesnorthoftheequator，onthethirdofMay——forty-threedays。 TheThirdMate，andtenoftheseamenhavearrivedhere，andarenowinthehospital。Cap。Mitchell，oneseamannamedAntonioPassene，andtwopassengers，SamuelandHenryFerguson，ofNewYorkCity，eighteenandtwenty-eightyears，arestillatHilo，butareexpectedherewithintheweek。IntheCaptain”smodestepitomeoftheterribleromanceyoudetectthefineoldherothroughit。ItreadslikeGrant。 Herefollowsthewholeterriblenarrative，whichhassincebeenpublishedinmoresubstantialform，andhasbeenrecognizedasliterature。ItoccupiedthreeandahalfcolumnsonthefrontpageoftheUnion，and，ofcourse，constitutedagreatbeatforthatpaper——afactwhichtheyappreciatedtotheextentofonehundreddollarsthecolumnuponthewriter”sreturnfromtheislands。 InlettersNos。14。and15。hegivesfurtherparticularsofthemonthofmourningfortheprincess，andfuneralceremonials。HereferstoBurlingame，whowasstillintheislands。Theremaininglettersareunimportant。 TheHawaiianepisodeinMarkTwain”slifewasoneofthosespotsthatseemedtohimalwaysfilledwithsunlight。Frombeginningtoendithadbeenalongluminousdream；inthenextletter，writtenonthehomeward-boundship，becalmedunderacloudlesssky，werealizethefittingendoftheexperience。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandMrs。Moffett，inSt。Louis： ONBOARDSHIPSmyrniote，ATSEA，July30，1866。 DEARMOTHERANDSISTER，——Iwrite，now，becauseImustgohardatworkassoonasIgettoSanFrancisco，andthenIshallhavenotimeforotherthings——thoughtruthtosayIhavenothingnowtowritewhichwillbecalculatedtointerestyoumuch。Weleftthe，SandwichIslandseightortendays——ortwelvedaysago——Idon”tknowwhich，Ihavebeensohardatworkuntiltoday(atleastpartofeachday，)thatthetimehasslippedawayalmostunnoticed。Thefirstfewdayswecameatawhoopinggaitbeinginthelatitudeofthe“North-easttrades，“butwesoonranoutofthem。Weusedthemaslongastheylasted-hundredofmiles——andcamedeadstraightnorthuntilexactlyabreastofSanFranciscopreciselystraightwestofthecityinabee-line——butalongbee-line，aswewereabouttwothousandmilesatsea-consequently，wearenotahundredyardsnearerSanFranciscothanyouare。Andhereweliebecalmedonaglassysea——wedonotmoveaninch-wethrowbananaandorangepeeloverboardanditliesstillonthewaterbythevessel”sside。SometimestheoceanisasdeadlevelastheMississippiriver，andglittersglassilyasifpolished——butusually，ofcourse，nomatterhowcalmtheweatheris，werollandsurgeoverthegrandground-swell。Weamuseourselvestyingpiecesoftintotheship”slogandsinkingthemtoseehowfarwecandistinguishthemunderwater——86feetwasthedeepestwecouldseeasmallpieceoftin，butawhiteplatewouldshowaboutasfardownasthesteepleofDr。Bullard”schurchwouldreach，Iguess。Theseaisverydarkandbluehere。 Eversincewegotbecalmed——fivedays——IhavebeencopyingthediaryofoneoftheyoungFergusons(thetwoboyswhostarvedandsuffered，withthirteenothers，inanopenboatatseaforforty-threedays，lately，aftertheirship，the“Hornet，“wasburnedontheequator。)Boththeseboys，andCaptainMitchell，arepassengerswithus。IamcopyingthediarytopublishinHarper”sMagazine，ifIhavetimetofixitupproperlywhenIgettoSanFrancisco。 Isuppose，frompresentappearances，——lightwindsandcalms，——thatweshallbetwoorthreeweeksatsea，yet——andIhopeso——Iaminnohurrytogotowork。 SundayMorning，Aug。6。 Thisisratherslow。Westilldrift，drift，driftalong——atintervalsaspankingbreezeandthen——driftagain——hardlymoveforhalfaday。ButI enjoyit。Wehavesuchsnowymoonlight，andsuchgorgeoussunsets。 Andtheshipissoeasy——eveninagalesherollsverylittle，comparedtoothervessels——andinthiscalmwecoulddanceondeck，ifwechose。 Youcanwalkacrack，sosteadyisshe。VerydifferentfromtheAjax。 Mytrunkusedtogetlooseinthestateroomandripandteararoundtheplaceasifithadlifeinit，andIalwayshadtotakemyclothesoffinbedbecauseIcouldnotstandupanddoit。 Thereisashipinsight——thefirstobjectwehaveseensinceweleftHonolulu。Wearestill1300or1400milesfromlandandsoanythinglikethisthatvariesthevastsolitudeoftheoceanmakesallhandslight- heartedandcheerful。Wethinktheshipisthe“Comet，“whichleftHonoluluseveralhoursbeforewedid。Sheisabouttwelvemilesaway，andsowecannotseeherhull，butthesailorsthinkitistheCometbecauseofsomepeculiarityaboutherfore-top-gallantsails。Wehavewatchedheralltheforenoon。 AfternoonWehadpreachingonthequarter-deckbyRev。Mr。Rising，ofVirginiaCity，oldfriendofmine。Spreadaflagonthebooby-hatch，whichmadeaverygoodpulpit，andthenrangedthechairsoneithersideagainstthebulwarks；lastSundaywehadtheshadowofthemainsail，buttodaywewereontheoppositetack，closehauled，andhadthesun。Iamleaderofthechoironthisship，andasorryleaditis。IhopetheywillhaveabetteropinionofourmusicinHeaventhanIhavedownhere。 Iftheydon”tathunderboltwillcomedownandknockthevesselendways。 TheothershipistheComet——sheisrightabreastthreemilesaway，sailingonourcourse——bothofusinadeadcalm。Withtheglasseswecanseewhatwetaketobemenandwomenonherdecks。Iamwellacquaintedwithnearlyallherpassengers，andbeingsocloseseemsrightsociable。 Monday7——Ihadjustgonetobedalittleaftermidnightwhenthe2dmatecameandrousedupthecaptainandsaid“TheComethascomeroundandisstandingawayontheothertack。”Iwentupimmediately，andsodidallourpassengers，withoutwaitingtodress-men，womenandchildren。Therewasaperceptiblebreeze。Prettysoontheothershipsweptdownuponuswithallhersailsset，andmadeafineshowintheluminousstarlight。 Shepassedwithinahundredyardsofus，sowecouldfaintlyseepersonsonherdecks。Wehadtwominutes”chatwitheachother，throughthemediumofhoarseshouting，andthensheboreawaytowindward。 Inthemorningshewasonlyalittleblackpegstandingoutoftheglassyseainthedistanthorizon——analmostinvisiblemarkinthebrightsky。 Deadcalm。Sotheshipshavestood，alldaylong——havenotmoved100 yards。 Aug。8——Thecalmcontinues。Magnificentweather。Thegentlemenhaveallturnedboys。Theyplayboyishgamesonthepoopandquarter-deck。Forinstance：Theylayaknifeonthefife-railofthemainmast——standoffthreesteps，shutoneeye，walkupandstrikeatitwiththefore-finger； (seldomhitit；)alsotheylayaknifeonthedeckandwalksevenoreightstepswitheyescloseshut，andtrytofindit。Theykneel——placeelbowsagainstknees——extendhandsinfrontalongthedeck——placeknifeagainstendoffingers——thenclasphandsbehindbackandbendforwardandtrytopickuptheknifewiththeirteethandriseupfromkneeswithoutrollingoverorlosingtheirbalance。Theytieastringtotheshrouds—— standwithbackagainstitwalkthreesteps(eyesshut)——turnaroundthreetimesandgoandputfingeronthestring；onlyamilitarymancandoit。Ifyouwanttoknowhowperfectlyridiculousagrownmanlooksperformingsuchabsurditiesinthepresenceofladies，getonetotryit。 Afternoon——Thecalmisnomore。Therearethreevesselsinsight。Itissosociabletohavethemhoveringaboutusonthisbroadwasteofwater。 Itissunnyandpleasant，butblowinghard。Everyragabouttheshipisspreadtothebreezeandsheisspeedingoverthesealikeabird。Thereisalargebrigrightasternofuswithallhercanvassetandchasingusatherbest。Shecameupfastwhilethewindswerelight，butnowitishardtotellwhethershegainsornot。Wecanseethepeopleontheforecastlewiththeglass。Theraceisexciting。Iamsorrytoknowthatweshallsoonhavetoquitthevesselandgoashoreifshekeepsupthisspeed。 Friday，Aug。10——Wehavebreezesandcalmsalternately。Thebrigistwomilestothreeastern，andjuststaysthere。Wesaildirectlyeast——thisbringsthebrig，withallhercanvasset，almostintheeyeofthesun，whenitsets——beautiful。Shelookssharplycutandblackasacoal，againstabackgroundoffireandinthemidstofaseaofblood。 SanFrancisco，Aug。20——WeneversawtheCometagaintillthe13th，inthemorning，threemilesaway。Atthreeo”clockthatafternoon，25daysoutfromHonolulu，bothshipsenteredtheGoldenGateofSanFranciscosidebyside，and300yardsapart。Therewasagaleblowing，andbothvesselsclappedoneverystitchofcanvasandsweptupthroughthechannelandpastthefortressesatamagnificentgait。 IhavebeenuptoSacramentoandsquaredaccountswiththeUnion。Theypaidmeagreatdealmorethantheypromisedme。 YrsaffSAM。 VI。 LETTERS1866-67。THELECTURER。SUCCESSONTHECOAST。INNEWYORK。 THEGREATOCEANEXCURSION ItwasAugust13thwhenhereachedSanFranciscoandwroteinhisnote-book，“Homeagain。No——nothomeagain——inprisonagain，andallthewildsenseoffreedomgone。Cityseemssocrampedandsodrearywithtoilandcareandbusinessanxieties。Godhelpme，I wishIwereatseaagain！“ Thetransitionfromthedreamlandofabecalmedsailing-vesseltothedull，cheerlessrealitiesofhisoldlife，andtheuncertaintiesofhisfuture，depressedhim——filledhimwithforebodings。Atonemomenthefelthimselfonthevergeofsuicide——theworldseemedsolittleworthwhile。 Hewishedtomakeatriparoundtheworld，aprojectthatrequiredmoney。Hecontemplatedmakingabookofhisislandlettersandexperiences，andtheacceptancebyHarper”sMagazineoftherevisedversionoftheHornetShipwreckstoryencouragedthisthought。 FriendsurgedhimtoembodyinalecturethepicturesqueaspectofHawaiianlife。Thethoughtfrightenedhim，butitalsoappealedtohimstrongly。Hebelievedhecouldentertainanaudience，oncehegotstartedontherighttrack。AsGovernoroftheThirdHouseatCarsonCityhehadkepttheaudienceinhand。Meninwhomhehadtheutmostconfidenceinsistedthathefollowupthelectureideaandengagethelargesthouseinthecityforhispurpose。Thepossibilityoffailureappalledhim，buthefinallyagreedtotheplan。 InRoughingIt，andelsewhere，hasbeentoldthestoryofthisventure——thetaleofitssplendidsuccess。Hewasnolongerconcerned，now，astohisimmediatefuture。Thelecturefieldwasprofitable。Hisaudiencelaughedandshouted。Hewaslearningtheflavorofrealsuccessandexultinginit。WithDennisMcCarthy，formerlyoneofthepartnersintheEnterprise，asmanager，hemadeatourofCaliforniaandNevada。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandothers，inSt。Louis： VIRGINIACITY，Nov。1，1866。 ALLTHEFOLKS，AFFECTIONATEGREETING，——Youknowtheflushtime”sarepast，andithaslongbeenimpossibletomorethanhalffilltheTheatrehere，withanysortofattraction，buttheyfilleditforme，nightbeforelast——full——dollaralloverthehouse。 IwasmightydubiousaboutCarson，buttheenclosedcallandsometelegramssetthatallright——Ilecturetheretomorrownight。 TheyofferafullhouseandnoexpenseinDayton——gotherenext。SandyBaldwinsaysIhavemadethemostsweepingsuccessofanymanheknowsof。 IhavelecturedinSanFrancisco，Sacramento，Marysville，GrassValley，Nevada，YouBet，RedDogandVirginia。IamgoingtotalkinCarson，GoldHill，SilverCity，Dayton，Washoe，SanFranciscoagain，andagainhereifIhavetimetore-hashthelecture。 ThenIamboundforNewYork——lectureontheSteamer，maybe。 I”11leavetoward1stDecember——butI”lltelegraphyou。 Lovetoall。 Yrs。 MARK。 HislecturetourcontinuedfromOctoberuntilDecember，aperiodofpicturesqueincident，thestoryofwhichhasbeenrecordedelsewhere—— [SeeMarkTwain：ABiography，bythesameauthor]——Itpaidhimwell； hecouldgohomenow，withoutshame。Indeed，fromhisnextletter，fulloftheboyishelationwhichalwaystohislastyearswasthecomplementofhissuccess，wegatherthatheisgoinghomewithspecialhonors—— introductionsfromministersandtheliketodistinguishedpersonagesoftheEast。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandfamily，inSt。Louis： SANF。，Dec。4，1866。 MYDEARFOLKS，——IhavewrittentoAnnieandSammyandKatiesometimeago——also，tothebalanceofyou。 IcalledonRev。Dr。WadsworthlastnightwiththeCityCollegeman，buthewasn”tathome。Iwassorry，becauseIwantedtomakehisacquaintance。IamthickasthieveswiththeRev。Stebbings，andIamlayingfortheRev。ScudderandtheRev。Dr。Stone。Iamrunningonpreachers，now，altogether。Ifindthemgay。Stebbingsisaregularbrick。IamtakinglettersofintroductiontoHenryWardBeecher，Rev。 Dr。Tyng，andothereminentparsonsintheeast。Wheneveranybodyoffersmealettertoapreacher，nowIsnaffleitonthespot。IshallmakeRev。Dr。BellowstrotoutthefastnagsoftheclothformewhenIgettoNewYork。Bellowsisanable，uprightandeloquentman——amanofimperialintellectandmatchlesspower——heisChristianinthetruestsenseofthetermandisunquestionablyabrick…… Gen。DrumhasarrivedinPhiladelphiaandestablishedhishead-quartersthere，asAdjutantGenl。toMaj。Gen。Meade。Col。LeonardhasreceivedaletterfromhiminwhichheoffersmeacomplimentarybenefitifIwillcomethere。Iammuchobliged，really，butIamafraidIshan”tlecturemuchintheStates。 TheChinaMailSteamerisgettingreadyandeverybodysaysIamthrowingawayafortuneinnotgoinginher。Ifirmlybelieveitmyself。 IsailfortheStatesintheOppositionsteamerofthe5thinst。，positivelyandwithoutreserve。Myroomisalreadysecuredforme，andisthechoicestintheship。Iknowalltheofficers。 Yrs。AffyMARK。 Wegetnohintofhisplans，andperhapshehadnone。IfhispurposewastolectureintheEast，hewasinnohurrytobegin。 ArrivinginNewYork，afteranadventurousvoyage，hemetanumberofoldCalifornians——menwhobelievedinhim——andurgedhimtolecture。Healsoreceivedoffersofnewspaperengagements，andfromCharlesHenryWebb，whohadpublishedtheCalifornian，whichBretHartehadedited，cametheproposaltocollecthispublishedsketches，includingthejumpingFrogstory，inbookform。WebbhimselfwasinNewYork，andofferedthesketchestoseveralpublishers，includingCanton，whohadoncerefusedtheFrogstorybyomittingitfromArtemusWard”sbook。ItseemscuriousthatCantonshouldmakeasecondmistakeandrefuseitagain，butpublisherswerewaryinthosedays，andeventhenewspapersuccessoftheFrogstorydidnottempthimtoventureitasthetitletaleofabook。 Webbfinallydeclaredhewouldpublishthebookhimself，andClemens，afterafewweeksofNewYork，joinedhismotherandfamilyinSt。Louisandgavehimselfuptoaconsiderableperiodofvisiting，lecturingmeantimeinbothHannibalandKeokuk。 Fatehadgreatmattersinpreparationforhim。TheQuakerCityMediterraneanexcursion，thefirstgreatoceanpicnic，wasannouncedthatspring，andMarkTwainrealizedthatitofferedapossibleopportunityforhimtoseesomethingoftheworld。HewroteatoncetotheproprietorsoftheAlta-Californiaandproposedthattheysendhimastheircorrespondent。Tohisdelighthispropositionwasaccepted，theAltaagreeingtothetwelvehundreddollarspassagemoney，andtwentydollarseachforletters。 TheQuakerCitywasnottosailuntilthe8thofJune，buttheAltawishedsomepreliminarylettersfromNewYork。Furthermore，WebbhadtheFrogbookinpress，andwouldissueitMay1st。Clemens，therefore，returnedtoNewYorkinApril，andnowoncemorebeingurgedbytheCalifornianstolecture，hedidnotrefuse。FrankFuller，formerlyGovernorofUtah，tookthematterinhandandengagedCooperUnionfortheventure。HetimeditforMay6th，whichwouldbeafewdaysaftertheappearanceofWebb”sbook。 ClemenswasevenmorefrightenedattheprospectofthislecturethanhehadbeeninSanFrancisco，andwithmorereason，forinNewYorkhisfriendswerenotmany，andcompetitionforpublicfavorwasverygreat。TherearetwoletterswrittenMay1st，onetohispeople，andonetoBretHarte，inSanFrancisco；thatgiveusthesituation。 EndLettersVol。2 byMarkTwainVOLUMEII。 MARKTWAIN”SLETTERS1867-1875 ToBretHarte，inSanFrancisco： WESTMINSTERHOTEL，May1，1867。 DEARBRET，——ItakemypeninhandtoinformyouthatIamwellandhopethesefewlineswillfindyouenjoyingthesameGod”sblessing。 Thebookisout，andishandsome。ItisfullofdamnableerrorsofgrammaranddeadlyinconsistenciesofspellingintheFrogsketchbecauseIwasawayanddidnotreadtheproofs；butbeafriendandsaynothingaboutthesethings。Whenmyhurryisover，Iwillsendyouanautographcopytopisenthechildrenwith。 IamtolectureinCooperInstitutenextMondaynight。Prayforme。 WesailfortheHolyLandJune8。Trytowriteme(tothishotel，)anditwillbeforwardedtoParis，whereweremain10or15days。 RegardsandbestwishestoMrs。Bretandthefamily。 TrulyYrFriendMARK。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandfamily，inSt。Louis： WESTMINSTERHOTEL，May1，1867。 DEARFOLKS，——Don”texpectmetowriteforawhile。Myhandsarefullofbusinessonaccountofmylectureforthe6thinst。，andeverythinglooksshady，atleast，ifnotdark。Ihavegotagoodagent——butnowafterwehavehiredCooperInstituteandgonetoanexpenseinonewayoranotherof$500，itcomesoutthatIhavegottoplayagainstSpeakerColfaxatIrvingHall，Ristori，andalsothedoubletroupeofJapanesejugglers，thelatteropeningatthegreatAcademyofMusic——andwithallthisagainstmeIhavetakenthelargesthouseinNewYorkandcannotbackwater。Letherslide！IfnobodyelsecaresIdon”t。 I”llsendthebooksoon。Iamawfullyhurriednow，butnotworried。 Yrs。 SAM。 TheCooperUnionlectureprovedafailure，andasuccess。WhenitbecameevidenttoFullerthattheventurewasnotgoingtopay，hesentoutafloodofcomplimentariestotheschool-teachersofNewYorkCityandthesurroundingdistricts。Nooneseemstohavedeclinedthem。Clemenslecturedtoajammedhouseandacquiredmuchreputation。Lectureproposalscamefromseveraldirections，buthecouldnotacceptthemnow。 HewrotehomethathewaseighteenAltalettersbehindandhadrefusedeverything。Thos。Nast，thecartoonist，theninhisfirstfame，proppedajointtour，Clemenstolecturewhilehe，Nast，wouldillustratewith“lightning“sketches；buteventhiscouldnotbeconsiderednow。Inalittlewhilehewouldsail，andthedayswereoverfull。Aletterwrittenaweekbeforehesailedisfullofthehurryandstrainoftheselastdays。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandfamily，inSt。Louis： WESTMINSTERHOTEL，NEWYORK，June1，1867。 DEARFOLKS，——IknowIoughttowriteoftener(justgotyourlast，)andmorefully，butIcannotovercomemyrepugnancetotellingwhatIamdoingorwhatIexpecttodoorproposetodo。Then，whathaveIlefttowriteabout？Manifestlynothing。 Itisn”tanyuseformetotalkaboutthevoyage，becauseIcanhavenofaithinthatvoyagetilltheshipisunderway。HowdoIknowshewilleversail？Mypassageispaid，andiftheshipsails，Isailinher——butImakenocalculations，haveboughtnocigars，nosea-goingclothing——havemadenopreparationwhatever——shallnotpackmytrunktillthemorningwesail。YetmyhandsarefullofwhatIamgoingtodothedaybeforewesail——andwhatisn”tdonethatdaywillgoundone。 AllIdoknoworfeel，is，thatIamwildwithimpatiencetomove——move——move！HalfadozentimesIhavewishedIhadsailedlongagoinsomeshipthatwasn”tgoingtokeepmechainedheretochafeforlaggingageswhileshegotreadytogo。Cursetheendlessdelays！Theyalwayskillme——theymakemeneglecteverydutyandthenIhaveaconsciencethattearsmelikeawildbeast。IwishIneverhadtostopanywhereamonth。 Idomoremeanthings，themomentIgetachancetofoldmyhandsandsitdownthaneverIcangetforgivenessfor。 Yes，wearetomeetatMr。Beach”snextThursdaynight，andIsupposeweshallhavetobegottenupregardlessofexpense，inswallow-tails，whitekidsandeverythingenregle。 IamresignedtoRev。Mr。Hutchinson”soranybodyelse”ssupervision。 Idon”tmindit。Iamfixed。Ihavegotasplendid，immoral，tobacco- smoking，wine-drinking，godlessroom-matewhoisasgoodandtrueandright-mindedamanaseverlived——amanwhoseblamelessconductandexamplewillalwaysbeaneloquentsermontoallwhoshallcomewithintheirinfluence。Butsendontheprofessionalpreachers——therearenoneIlikebettertoconversewith。Ifthey”renotnarrowmindedandbigotedtheymakegoodcompanions。 IaskedthemtosendtheN。Y。Weeklytoyou——nocharge。Iamnotgoingtowriteforit。Likeallother，papersthatpayonesplendidlyitcirculatesamongstupidpeopleandthe”canaille。”IhavemadenoarrangementwithanyNewYorkpaper——IwillseeaboutthatMondayorTuesday。 LovetoallGoodbye，YrsaffySAM。 The“immoral“room-matewhoseconductwastobean“eloquentexample“wasDanSlote，immortalizedintheInnocentsas“Dan“—— afavoriteontheship，andlaterbelovedbycountlessreaders。 Thereisonemoreletter，writtenthenightbeforetheQuakerCitysailed-aletterwhichinasensemarksthecloseofthefirstgreatperiodofhislife——theperiodofaimlesswandering——adventure——youth。 Perhapsaparagraphofexplanationshouldprecedethisletter。 PoliticalchangeshadeliminatedOrioninNevada，andhewasnowundertakingthepracticeoflaw。“BillStewart“wasSenatorStewart，ofNevada，ofwhomweshallhearagain。The“SandwichIslandbook，“asmaybeimagined，wasmadeupofhisletterstotheSacramentoUnion。Nothingcameoftheventure，exceptsomechaptersin”RoughingIt”，rewrittenfromthematerial。“ZebandJohnLeavenworth“werepilotswhomhehadknownontheriver。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandfamilyinSt。Louis： NEWYORK，June7th，1867。 DEARFOLKS，Isupposeweshallbemanyaleagueatseatomorrownight，andgoodnessknowsIshallbeunspeakablygladofit。 Ihaven”tgotanythingtowrite，elseIwouldwriteit。IhavejustwrittenmyselfclearoutinletterstotheAlta，andIthinktheyarethestupidestlettersthatwereeverwrittenfromNewYork。CorrespondinghasbeenaperfectdrageversinceIgottothestates。Ifitcontinuesabroad，Idon”tknowwhattheTribuneandAltafolkswillthink。 IhavewithdrawntheSandwichIslandbook——itwouldbeuselesstopublishitinthesedullpublishingtimes。AsfortheFrogbook，Idon”tbelievethatwilleverpayanythingworthacent。Ipublisheditsimplytoadvertisemyself——notwiththehopeofmakinganythingoutofit。 Well，Ihaven”tanythingtowrite，exceptthatIamtiredofstayinginoneplace——thatIaminafevertogetaway。ReadmyAltaletters——theycontaineverythingIcouldpossiblywritetoyou。TellZebandJohnLeavenworthtowriteme。Theycangetplentyofgossipfromthepilots。 Animportinghousesenttwocasesofexquisitechampagneaboardtheshipformetoday——VeuveClicquotandLacd”Or。Iandmyroom-matehavesetaparteverySaturdayasasolemnfastday，whereinwewillentertainnolightmattersoffrivolousconversation，butonlygetdrunk。(Thatisajoke。)HismotherandsistersarethebestandmosthomelikepeopleI haveyetfoundinabrownstonefront。Thereisnostyleaboutthem，exceptinhouseandfurniture。 IwishOrionweregoingonthisvoyage，forIbelievehecouldnothelpbutbecheerfulandjolly。Ioftenwonderifhislawbusinessisgoingsatisfactorilytohim，butknowingthatthedullseasonissettinginnow(itlookedlikeithadalreadysetinbefore)IhavefeltasifIcouldalmostanswerthequestionmyself——whichistosayinplainwords，Iwasafraidtoask。IwishIhadgonetoWashingtoninthewinterinsteadofgoingWest。IcouldhavegougedanofficeoutofBillStewartforhim，andthatwouldatoneforthelossofmyhomevisit。ButIamsoworthlessthatitseemstomeIneverdoanythingoraccomplishanythingthatlingersinmymindasapleasantmemory。MymindisstoredfullofunworthyconducttowardOrionandtowardsyouall，andanaccusingconsciencegivesmepeaceonlyinexcitementandrestlessmovingfromplacetoplace。IfIcouldsayIhaddoneonethingforanyofyouthatentitledmetoyourgoodopinion，(Isaynothingofyourlove，forIamsureofthat，nomatterhowunworthyofitImaymakemyself，fromOriondownyouhavealwaysgivenmethat，allthedaysofmylife，whenGodAlmightyknowsIseldomdeserveit，)IbelieveIcouldgohomeandstaythereandIknowIwouldcarelittlefortheworld”spraiseorblame。 Thereisnosatisfactionintheworld”spraiseanyhow，andithasnoworthtomesaveinthewayofbusiness。Itriedtogatherupitscomplimentstosendtoyou，buttheworkwasdistastefulandIdroppedit。 YouobservethatunderacheerfulexteriorIhavegotaspiritthatisangrywithmeandgivesmefreelyitscontempt。Icangetawayfromthatatsea，andbetranquilandsatisfied-andso，withmypartingloveandbenedictionforOrionandallofyou，IsaygoodbyeandGodblessyouall——andwelcomethewindthatwaftsawearysoultothesunnylandsoftheMediterranean！ Yrs。Forever，SAM。 VII。 LETTERS1867。THETRAVELER。THEVOYAGEOFTHE“QUAKERCITY“ MarkTwain，nowatsea，waswritingmanyletters；notpersonalletters，butthoseuniquedescriptiverelationsoftravelwhichwouldmakehimhisfirstgreatfame——thosefreshfirstimpressionspreservedtousnowaschaptersofTheInnocentsAbroad。Yethereandthereinthemidstofsight-seeingandreportinghefoundtimetosendabrieflinetothoseathome，merelythattheymighthaveawordfromhisownhand，forhehadorderedthepaperstowhichhewastocontribute——theAltaandtheNewYorkTribune——senttothem，andthesewouldgivethestoryofhistravels。Thehomelettersreadlikenotebookentries。