adventures and letters-第62章

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　all　like　its　pictures；　which；　as　I　remember　them　were　all　taken　in　winter。　　It　is　a　perfectly　new；　good　brick　barracks…like　town。　I　am　landing　now。　　The　two　servants　seem　very　satisfactory　and　I　am　in　excellent　health。　　Today　Cecil　has　been　four　days　at　Hong　Kong。　　Please　send　the　gist　of　this　letter　dull　as　it　is　to　Mrs。　Clark。　　When　I　began　it　I　thought　I　would　have　plenty　of　time　to　finish　it　on　shore。　　Of　course；　after　this　all　I　write　and　this　too；　I　suppose　will　be　censored。　　So；　there　will　not　be　much　liveliness。　　I　have　no　taste　to　expose　my　affections　to　the　Japanese　staff。　　So；　goodbye。

R。



July　31st；　1904。　DEAR　MOTHER：

We　have　been　met　here　with　a　bitter　disappointment。　　We　are　all　to　be　sent　north；　although　only　18　hours　away。　　We　can　hear　the　guns　at　Port　Arthur　the　fall　of　which　they　promised　us　we　would　see。　　To　night　we　are　camping　out　in　one　of　the　Russian　barracks。　　To…morrow　we　go；　partly　by　horse　and　partly　by　train。　　A　week　must　elapse　before　we　can　get　near　headquarters。　　And　then　we　have　no　guarantee　that　we　will　see　any　fighting。　　This　means　for　me　a　long　delay。　　It　is　very　disappointing　and　the　worst　of　the　many　we　have　suffered　in　the　last　four　months。　　I　have　written　Cecil　asking　her　to　seriously　think　of　going　home　but　I　am　afraid　she　will　not。　　Were　it　not　for　that　and　the　disappointment　one　feels　in　travelling　a　week's　journey　away　from　the　sound　of　guns　I　would　be　content。　　My　horse　is　well　and　so　am　I。　　It　is　good　to　get　back　to　drawing　water；　and　carrying　baggage　and　skirmishing　about　for　yourself。　　The　contractor　gave　us　a　good　meal　and　the　servants　are　efficient　but　I　like　doing　things　myself　and　skirmishing　for　them。　　We　make　a　short　ride　this　morning　of　six　miles　to　Kin　Chow　and　then　30　miles　by　rail。　　〃Headquarters〃　is　about　a　five　days　ride　distant。　　Tell　Chas　my　outfit　seems　nearly　complete。　　Maybe　I　can　buy　a　few　things　I　forgot　in　Boston　at　Kin　Chow。　　Fox　and　I　will　get　out　just　as　soon　as　we　see　fighting　but　before　you　get　this　you　will　probably　hear　by　cable　from　me。　　If　not；　it　will　mean　we　still　are　waiting　for　a　fight。　　The　only　mistake　I　made　was　in　not　going　home　the　first　time　they　deceived　us　instead　of　waiting　for　this　and　worst　of　all。

to　you　all。

DICK。


MANCHURIA；　August　14；　1904。

We　have　been　riding　through　Manchuria　for　eleven　days。　　Nine　days　we　rode　then　two　days　we　rested。　　By　losing　the　trail　we　managed　to　average　about　20　miles　a　day。　　I　kept　well　and　enjoyed　it　very　much。　　As　I　had　to　leave　my　servant　behind　with　a　sick　horse；　I　had　to　take　care　of　my　mule　and　pony　myself　and　hunt　fodder　for　them；　so　I　was　pretty　busy。　　Saiki　did　all　he　could；　but　he　is　not　a　servant　and　sooner　than　ask　him　I　did　things　myself。　　We　passed　through　a　very　beautiful　country；　sleeping　at　railway　stations　and　saw　two　battle　fields　of　recent　fights。　　Now　we　are　in　a　Chinese　City　and　waiting　to　see　what　should　be　the　biggest　fight　since　Sedan。　　The　Russians　are　about　ten　miles　from　us；　so　we　are　not　allowed　outside　the　gates　of　the　city　without　a　guide。　　Of　course；　we　have　none　of　that　freedom　we　have　enjoyed　in　other　wars；　but　apart　from　that　they　treat　us　very　well　indeed。　　And　in　a　day　or　two　they　promise　us　much　fighting；　which　we　will　be　allowed　to　witness　from　a　hill。　　This　is　a　very　queer　old　city　but　the　towns　and　country　are　all　very　primitive　and　we　depend　upon　ourselves　for　our　entertainment。　　I　expect　soon　to　see　you　at　home。　　In　three　more　days　I　shall　have　been　out　here　five　months　and　that　is　too　long。　　Good　luck　to　you　all。

R。　H。　D。


MANCHURIA；　August　18th；　1904。


We　still　are　inside　this　old　Chinese　town。　　It　has　rained　for　five　days；　and　this　one　is　the　first　in　which　we　could　go　abroad。　　Unless　you　swim　very　well　it　is　not　safe　to　cross　one　of　these　streets。　　We　have　found　an　old　temple　and　some　of　us　are　in　it　now。　　It　is　such　a　relief　to　escape　from　that　compound　and　the　rain。　　This　place　is　full　of　weeds　and　pine　trees；　cooing　doves　and　butterflies。　　The　temples　are　closed　and　no　one　is　in　charge　but　an　aged　Chinaman。　　We　did　not　come　here　to　sit　in　temples；　so　John　and　I　will　leave　in　a　week；　battle　or　no　battle。　　The　argument　that　having　waited　so　long　one　might　as　well　wait　a　little　longer　does　not　touch　us。　　It　was　that　argument　that　kept　us　in　Tokio　when　we　knew　we　were　being　deceived　weekly；　and　the　same　man　who　deceived　us　there；　is　in　charge　here。　　It　is　impossible　to　believe　anything　he　tells　his　subordinates　to　tell　us；　so；　we　will　be　on　our　way　back　when　you　get　this。　　I　am　well；　and　only　disappointed。　　Had　they　not　broken　faith　with　us　about　Port　Arthur　we　would　by　now　have　seen　fighting。　　As　it　is　we　will　have　wasted　six　months。

Love　to　Dad；　and　Chas　and　Nora　and　you。

DICK。

　　In　writing　of　his　decision　to　leave　the　Japanese　army；　Richard；　after　his　return　to　the　United　States；　said：

〃On　the　receipt　of　Oku's　answer　to　the　Correspondents　we　left　the　army。　　Other　correspondents　would　have　quit　then；　as　most　of　them　did　ten　days　later；　but　that　their　work　and　Kuroki；　so　far　from　being　fifty　miles　north　toward　Mukden；　as　Okabe　said　he　was；　was　twenty　miles　to　the　east　on　our　right　preparing　for　the；　closing…in　movement　which　was　just　about　to　begin。　　Three　days　after　we　had　left　the　army；　the　greatest　battle　since　Sedan　was　waged　for　six　days。

〃So；　our　half…year　of　time　and　money；　of　dreary　waiting；　of　daily　humiliations　at　the　hands　of　officers　with　minds　diseased　by　suspicion；　all　of　which　would　have　been　made　up　to　us　by　the　sight　of　this　one　great　spectacle；　was　to　the　end　absolutely　lost　to　us。　　Perhaps　we　made　a　mistake　in　judgment。　　As　the　cards　fell　we　certainly　did。

〃The　only　proposition　before　us　was　this：　　There　was　small　chance　of　any　immediate　fighting。　　If　there　were　fighting　we　would　not　see　it。　　Confronted　with　the　same　conditions　again；　I　would　decide　in　exactly　the　same　manner。　　Our　misfortune　lay　in　the　fact　that　our　experience　with　other　armies　had　led　us　to　believe　that　officers　and　gentlemen　speak　the　truth；　that　men　with　titles　of　nobility；　and　with　the　higher　titles　of　General　and　Major…General；　do　not　lie。　　In　that　we　were　mistaken。〃

Greatly　disappointed　at　his　failure　to　see　really　anything　of　the　war；　much　embittered　at　the　Japanese　over　their　treatment　of　the　correspondents；　Richard　reached　Vancouver　in　October。　　As　my　father　was　seriously　ill　he　came　to　Philadelphia　at　once　and　divided　the　next　two　months　between　our　old　home　and　Marion。

On　December　14；　1904；　my　father　died；　and　it　was　the　first　tragedy　that　had　come　into　Richard's　life；　as　it　was　in　that　of　my　sister　or　myself。　　As　an　editorial　writer；　most　of　my　father's　work　had　been　anonymous；　but　his　influence　had　been　as　far…reaching　as　it　had　been　ever　for　all　that　was　just　and　fine。　　All　of　his　life　he　had　worked　unremittingly　for　good　causes　and；　in　spite　of　the　heavy　burdens　which　of　his　own　will　he　had　taken　upon　his　none　too　strong　shoulders；　I　have　never　met　with　a　nature　so　calm　；　so　simple；　so　sympathetic　with　those　who　were　weakweak　in　body　or　soul。　　As　all　newspaper　men　must；　he　had　been　brought　in　constant　contact　with　the　worst　elements　of　machine　politics；　as　indeed　he　had　with　the　lowest　strata　of　the　life　common　to　any　great　city。　　But　in　his　own　life　he　was　as　unsophisticated；　his　ideals　of　high　living；　his　belief　in　the　possibilities　of　good　in　all　men　and　in　all　women；　remained　as　unruffled　as　if　he　had　never　left　his　father's　farm　where　he　had　spent　his　childhood。　　When　my　father　died　Richard　lost　his　〃kindest　and　severest　critic〃　as　he　also　lost　one　of　his　very　closest　friends　and　companions。

During　the　short　illness　that　preceded　my　brother's　death；　although　quite　unconscious　that　the　end　was　so　near；　his　thoughts　constantly　turned　back　to　the　days　of　his　home　in　Philadelphia；　and　he　got　out　the　letters　which　as　a　boy　and　as　a　young　man　he　had　written　to　his　family。　　After　reading　a　number　of　them　he　said：　　〃I　know　now　why　we　were　such　a　happy　It　was　because　we　were　always；　all　of　us；　of　the　same　age。〃



CHAPTER　XV

MOUNT　KISCO


During　my　brother's　life　there　were　four　centres　from　which　he　set　forth　on　his　travels　and　to　which　he　returned　to　finish　the　articles　for　which　he　had　collected