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。