109

Bahia,   23rd Oct. 1894

My dear Mother,

My last letter went by the “Nile” a fortnight ago. Since then I have recv^d your welcome letters of 24th Sept. and 1st Oct. I am exceedingly sorry to hear of the death of my friend Ferguson. How did the Weinbergs know of it? Was it through Julian?^[1]

I am finishing up here. My steamer, which will take this, comes in in three days. I have done a fair business, all things considered, and have considerably extended the list of our customers here. I have never done so much in Bahia before.

The Hoyers have been awfully good to put me up all this time and they have not shown any impatience to get rid of me.^[2] On the contrary they ask me to stay longer. I must think of some present to send them, and as I have no hotel bill here (except at the restaurant where I lunch) I think the firm must pay for it or for the greater part of it.

S.S. “Clyde”   27th Oct.

I did not get any further with my letter on shore, so now I must finish it on board, so as to send it on by this steamer.

Mr & Mrs Hoyer came off to the steamer with me to say good-bye. Eggers came too & a number of the English fellows were on board so there was the usual thirsty leave-taking.^[3]

We are due in Pernambuco to-morrow, Sunday, morning. It is rather an uncomfortable day for landing as the customhouse is closed and the luggage must remain there till Monday. It is difficult to find porters too, but I expect there will be someone on the look-out for me as I wired I was coming.

The officers on the Clyde have all been changed lately. I know the purser Dyer, – a friend of Taylor’s of Dundee, – and Capt. Bell slightly, none of the others.^[4]

The passengers mostly belong to an Italian Opera Company, – fat women and stagey men, not particularly clean. They are going to Lisbon I suppose.

It is always an effort to write on board, so I will cut this letter short, and make the next one longer. There will be a French steamer in a week or ten days.

Best love to all,

Jack