My roommate, in stateroom No. 1, is Mr. W. H. 
Francis of Philadelphia — a business man evidently, about 
forty years of age and an exceedingly pleasant fellow. He 
is travelling with his niece, a rather plain but very 
bright and interesting girl of about twenty. She is a 
member of the Appalachian Club and knew Bolles. She also 
knows the Pickerings well and Spelman slightly. 
I see a good deal, also, of Carruth’s partner, 
Phillips; he took this trip last year on the C aribbea and 
tells me much that I am glad to know about the islands. 
Riley is omnipresent — a mercurial fellow and a 
great talker. 
10 P. M . The afternoon and evening have been 
delightful and a great change from yesterday or even this 
forenoon. Through the afternoon the sun shone brightly 
on a summer sea, rippling and curling under a fresh but 
steady breeze. The color of the water has been -unlike any¬ 
thing that I ever saw before, a pure dark blue without a 
tinge of slaty or gray or lead color. I cannot describe 
this color but it is certainly never seen in either salt 
or fresh water at the North. 
The Sargossa or Gulf weed appeared at shorter and 
shorter intervals until finally the sea was dotted with it 
as far as the eye could reach, some of the beds being 
several yards square, but most of them.only three or four 
