"
P.S.--To-morrow morning we expect to sight land. In spite of minor
evils, our voyage has been a singularly pleasant one. The condition
of the ship and her machinery warrants the strongest condemnation,
but her discipline is admirable, and so are many of her regulations,
and we might have had a much more disagreeable voyage in a better
ship. Captain Blethen is beyond all praise, and so is the chief
engineer, whose duties are incessant and most harassing, owing to
the critical state of the engines. The Nevada now presents a
grotesque appearance, for within the last few hours she has received
such an added list to port that her starboard wheel looks nearly out
of the water.
I.L.B.
LETTER II.
HAWAIIAN HOTEL, HONOLULU, Jan. 26th.
Yesterday morning at 6.30 I was aroused by the news that "The
Islands" were in sight. Oahu in the distance, a group of grey,
barren peaks rising verdureless out of the lonely sea, was not an
exception to the rule that the first sight of land is a
disappointment. Owing to the clear atmosphere, we seemed only five
miles off, but in reality we were twenty, and the land improved as
we neared it. It was the fiercest day we had had, the deck was
almost too hot to stand upon, the sea and sky were both
magnificently blue, and the unveiled sun turned every minute ripple
into a diamond flash.
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