Manila, Luzon Island – Entry made in parlor of No. 2 Calle Santa Elena, Tondo
Feel tired tonight & more like retiring to bed than writing a diary.
Am kept on the jump from morning till night.
Read a chapter in Numbers, a psalm, prayed, cooked breakfast, then turned to & wrote & copied my 26th weekly letter to Lieut Col. Alice Lewis, New York and a letter to Admiral Geo. Dewey, who sails in the “Olympia” next Saturday for home. I thanked the Admiral for permitting me to visit the vessels of his fleet thus making the services possible I led on the “Concord”, “Raleigh”, “Charleston”, “Baltimore”, “Monterey” and “Monadnock”. The letter finished I went down to the post office and mailed them. Rec’d a letter from Bro. Wm Eletson of the Flagship “Olympia”. Requested me to see him in case I have any message to take home. Is to leave the hospital to on the “Olympia” Friday & sail Saturday. Concluded to go over to Cavite tomorrow morning (D.V.)
Met. Rev. C. Owens in the P.O. Together we called at the new American barbershop, opened yesterday for the first time. We waited a weary time for our turn to get shaved & then had to pay 50 cents, Mexican, for the shave!
Rev. Owens paid me $17.50 mex. rent for his room in No. 2, for the month April 16 to May 15th. Receipted for the money. Got back home just in time to escape a heavy shower. Took a lunch & after the shower cleared away. Owens called a quilez or we two drove down to the Post Captains Office. At the quay I hired a sampan for $2.50 mex. 3 Filipino boatmen, to take us out to H.M.S. “Powerful” and back. Crawling in under the low bamboo roof. Owens & I cut down close to the floor on a seat about 2 inches above the bottom. It was on hard row out & back to near the sea wall. Here our boatmen threw a line to some bargemen who were being towed in by a tug. After that we went flying over the bay and up the Pasig.
My visit to the “Powerful” was in answer to a letter of invitation written by Private Wm Hy. Barnes, Mess 48; Royal Marines. Took 1 copy London War Cry & 1 copy London War Cry & I copy Toronto do, Easter edition. A marine received us at the landing. Had only 30 minutes to 4 p.m. when visitors must go ashore. During this brief period. I met & spoke to 3 of the 9 comrades. One of them is in the hospital. A comrade shared us over part of the vessel. The war vessel is a monster. The Britishers hold service on the upper deck every night, amidships but the attendance is small. There are many backsliders on board. When we left one of the comrades asked me to call again. There are 840 men on the vessel.
From the quay (Pasig) landing O & I walked back to No. 2. Met Mr. Randall, British Bible Society colporteur & a negro sitting in a Chinese store. We halted. Talk. Answered their question stating we were just in from H.M.S. the “Powerful.” “Are you not afraid to go abroad?” inquired. “Oh no,” I replied, “England is our friend.” Negro. “Yes – the most friendly of our enemies.” Owens. “England can whip the United States can whip England”. “We had better part company or there’ll be trouble”. Exit Owens & the writer.
Cooked supper after my return home & now for bed is past 9.