On Board S.S. Padnsay

Jan. 30, 1934

Tonight there is a full-tropical moon shining down on us. It is gorgeous! Anyone with a speck for romance would be bowled over by it. As long as I have lived I have never seen anything that looks like it.

We have come through winter, spring, summer and now we have tropical weather. I like it here on shipboard. The land might be different but I don't think so. I wish you could see it.

The women were up on the second deck tonight lounging in their deck chairs. Someone had brought an organ and we played it for a couple of hours. The Captain, First mate and the Purser were there and the Captain was spinning his best South African yarns. Down on the main deck the Second engineer and the cook were talking. Back aft there was a poker game going full swing among the Philipinos and our mess boy.

Today we saw a couple of shark and porpoise. They swam at our bow for hours and seemed tobe leading the ship.

The missionaries are swell. I don't know what my idea of a missionary was but it isn't that now.

We have been taking quinine the last five days. I don't mind it at all but it is bitter, so bitter. We had all the water filled with it tonight, even the pitcher, you never saw so many wiry faces in your life.