I hope nothing further unpleasant has happened between Alice & her friends, after the Woodbridge affair!

 

Cape de Verde

Juniata

Monday Sep 27 – 86.

 

Dear Cordelia

                        I mailed 4 letters for you, one for Alice Frank & George each by a steamer yesterday, or rather Saty, a steamer bound for Lisbon & by which the Post office sent full mail. today the regular mail bound for Liverpool direct came in so am going to send this you may get it before you get the other 4. We leave this evening for Rio & M—V—

 

We can't get our mail here as stmr does not come in until 4^th Oct so it will be forwarded to Rio. We got in here on Friday. A poor market here. We dined this p.m. on pigs liver &c, & goat chops (called lamb) & a little fruit. We expect to / remain a while at M—V—cooler & pleasanter there.

 

            Paymaster (Tarbell) telegraphed home last Friday p.m. 4, to Readville, Mass. & yesterday afternoon got an answer that he was a father, Mother & Daughter both well.

 

            I went ashore with the Paymaster Friday afternoon after coal, &c. There are no hotels or eating places in the town, plenty to drink. Lawrence, Herbert & several others were trying to find something to eat, no go, all poor Africans except a very few white people. They kept asking so many in broken English for a place to eat, that they had had nothing for five days that about a dozen boys were shortly hunting them up & offering to take them to a place where much could be given to eat. Darkeys / old & young all gaping at them as a lot who were starving or had been. They got a place at last where a few eggs, some goat steaks & beer could be had. Pay & I looked in on them, & about fifty darkeys were watching them eat.

 

I mentioned in my last to write to Monte Video c/o US Consul, until Nov 1^st after that to c/o US Consul at Panama, via New York, be sure to put title & ship on all letters.

 

A large Australian stmr just in, going via the Cape to Australia.

 

            Tell George that yesterday two little darky boys came alongside & begged for coppers. Some of the officers threw a copper pennies down & one of the boys would dive after it & after a long time come up with / it in his teeth, it is about 80 feet deep and the water is full of sharks at times.

 

            I hope you are all well. I mentioned in my #4 letter that the officers are going to get up a system of telegraphing in cipher to a friend in Navy Dept the arrival &c of Juniata & he would telegraph in English to each of the officers families who belonged to it. so we would pay this end, which is at rate of 1.00 each word for message & address & each receiving it in U.S. would pay on receipt, cost of message from Washington. D^r is going to fix it so you may get message when we get to Rio, & M—V— & Valparaiso. I mention this so you may know what to do if you get message from the party in Washington, & will understand it.

 

            Capt telegraphed our arrival to the Dept on Saty at suggestion of Paymaster, so it might be in Sunday papers or perhaps today.

 

            Much love for all,

 

I hope Frank is getting along all right.                      

 

from George.

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