We have just had a most satisfactory day of riding, and sketching, and walking; and anything equal to the beauty of this place I never dreamed of. We are all charmed with it. Good-bye, dearest! Love to all. We sail at four to-morrow, and expect to be at the Cape in three weeks. God bless you!
My dearest Mary,—I wished very much for time to write to you from Rio, but could not make it; and, besides, we are all very shy of writing a quantity of letters home, because it is past the wit of man to make variety out of a sea voyage. There must be a great sameness in our letters, and when you are all assembled within reach of each other, you must all be bored with our repetitions.
It sounds comfortable to be ‘within reach of each other.’ It seems to me that I am in reach of nothing (God help me!) but the pole of my
