Three Friends 149 



discovered some person stepping into the Canal Zone 

 without advising him. 



It stands about 80° F. now at night but with a fan 

 it's not so bad. Did you ever hear of a big crab making 

 right for you? I went barefooted with a flashhght 

 about 3.30 last night to read the thermometer and an 

 enormous crab started right for me. I had no other 

 tool than my flashlight so I struck at it with that. It 

 fought fiercely and I had the terrible feeling — "What 

 if the flashlight goes out and leaves me there in the 

 dark barefooted to fight this crab?" Luckily I knocked 

 him out before the flash went out and retired behind 

 the screen door. The thing was so sudden and so fierce 

 and exciting that I got a big thrill from it that kept me 

 awake until dawn. Strange how one's environment 

 irnpinges on one when he least expects it! I fell over 

 a big oak tree root below my study and busted a vein 

 in my leg and the leg swelled up to a big size but is 

 all right now. 



That fight in the desert sands [Libya] must be the 

 nearest approach to Hell that humans ever have ex- 

 perienced. And for what? Because of an insane vision 

 of the world by a paranoiac and his fanatics. 



Love to you all up there from us all here. 



David 



