Well Al I certunly put some thing over on the rest of the bunch Al and I bet theyll be sore when they find it out. All the rest of them got there japan money changed to U.S. money at Honk Honk because U.S. money is the reglar money in the Philip Bean ilands and now come to find out the japan money is worth 4 times its reglar price in the Philip Bean ilands and they will give me $10.00 dollars for what I got and in japan and china it isent only worth $2 and ½. Evans was teling me a bout it tonight and he wanted I should sell him my 5 yens for $8.00 and I told him to go and take a jump in to the Ocean only it aint no Ocean but the china Sea wear rideing threw now. I guess Im a rummy or something hey Al.
Well we get to Vanila tommorow and theys a hole lot of americans there and Mcgraws promused Im going to pitch and my arm feels grate. I cant hardily wait till we get to Vanila not on acct of me going to pitch but I bet may be theyll surely be a letter for me.
on the Ship bord. Dec. 17.
Al: What time do you think it is Al and here I am writeing you a letter at ½ past 6 in the morning and we will be in Vanila in 2 hrs. Well Al weve had some exitemunt on the bord and I been up since 5 and now its to late to go back to bed again so Im writeing you this letter to tell you what come off.
steve Evans come to my room about 5 and awoke me up and says let me in so I got up and let him in and he come in and slamed the door and locked it and I says Whats the matter is they bergers on the boat and he says No theys some thing worst then bergers and he was so scarred he couldent say nothing for a while. And then he told me what it was and heres what it was Al. 1 of the night watch men was going by dutch Schaefers birth room a bout ½ past 4 and he herd some thing in there and he tride the door and the door come open and he went in and Schaefer was sqeeking like a rat and nawing on the door and when the watch man come in Schaefer sqeeked at him and tride to bite him and the watch come runin out and for got to shut the door and Schaefer come out after him and chassed him and the watch men got a way and then Schaefer run to Evans room and done some more sqeeking out side of the door and Evans got up and come out and seen who was it and Schaefer made a grab at him like he was going to bite him and Evans got back in his room and locked the door and then hollered threw the key hole and ast Schaefer what was the matter. And Schaefer says they wasent nothing the matter but he must have some cheese. So then Evans come and give me warning and says I should keep my door locked because it was me Schaefer was after and I dident believe it at 1st but pretty soon sure enough we herd a noise out side of the door and sqeeking like a rat and Evans says he would open the door and see if he could catch Schaefer and lock him up and Evans started for the door to unlock it open and I grabbed him and throwed him on to the bed and set on him and pretty soon some body hollered in from out side of the door and says evry thing was OK and the Dr. had got a hold of Schaefer and tooken him to his room. So I got off of Evans and opened the door and Joe Farrell come in and says the danger was all over and we ast him what was the matter and he told us what the Dr. says and the Dr. says Schaefer must of got some rat poson from that meat he was eating in Honk Honk but the Dr. give him some anicdotes and he was all OK now but if he had went a little longer before the Dr. got a hold of him he would of had a bad atack of what they call rat hiderofobeya and he might of bit some body else and they would of got it and pretty soon every body on the bord of the Ship would of been contajus. You see Al what suckers them fellows was that ett that china dope and may be it was the poson ivey in them sand witchs only of coarse it must of been the chop suy or he wouldent of sqeeked like a rat and nawed at them bords. We made up our mind that we wouldent say nothing a bout it to the wommen in the party because what would be the use scarring them now its all over and wommens libel to have histerks when they get scarred and there scarred easy no matter how many big stropping men like I they got on the Ship bord to see that nothing dont hapen to them. And wear not going to say nothing to Schaefer a bout it on acct of the Dr. teling us that he probily never knowed what come off but thot he was in bed all the wile and Evans wanted I should go in and help Schaefer pack his things up but I told him a bout me haveing to write you
