THE FIJIS 323 



TO SIR JOHN MURRAY 



Cambridge, May 16, 1897. 

 On my return from Mexico I find yours of the 9th 

 of February. I have been way up on the west side of 

 the great Mexican Plateau, anywhere between 8500 and 

 9000 feet, riding mule-back, camping out and living 

 outdoors and getting into fine shape. lam now as tough 

 as the mules I 've associated with, but I hope not as 

 obstinate ! Food was not all that was desirable and our 

 cook, an old cowboy, would not pass as a French chef. 

 Max and a friend of mine composed the party ; we were 

 all ready for anything, and finally managed ten to eleven 

 hours in the saddle a day without being the worse for 

 it. I quite regretted getting back to civilization. I move 

 to Newport to-morrow, when I shall try and finish my 

 Australian Report before starting for the Fiji. All my 

 preparations are now made for that. I have a fine twin 

 screw steamer, 200 feet on water line, lots of room — she 

 will meet me at Suva end of October. I am going to have 

 a launch and take with me a boring apparatus and the 

 most skillful man of the Diamond Drill Company. We 

 go prepared to go to 350 feet, and I shall put a hole in 

 an elevated reef and in the edge of an atoll if I can find 

 solid ground anywhere to start. To obviate difficulty of 

 water supply, I take a kerosene motor with me to run 

 the Diamond Drill. The company are of course interested 

 in the success, and they say that the man who goes with 

 me is noted for always landing on his feet. I take with 

 me the same assistants I had in Australia, and trust we 

 shall have better luck. Still I am going prepared to be 

 more or less disappointed. I have just published a fine 

 Monograph on Crinoids by Wachsmuth and Springer, 



