the world and life by saying my age in years is twenty two then there were the simple straight out homely and letters of young boys lacking in the of expression it is true but desiring greatly to make the voyage these were the hardest of all to decline and each time i declined one it seemed as if i had struck youth a slap in the face they were so earnest these boys they wanted so much to go am sixteen but large age said one and another seventeen but large and healthy i am as strong adventure at least as the average boy of my size said an evident not afraid of any kind of work was what many said while one in particular to me no doubt by wrote i can pay my way to the pacific coast so that part would probably be acceptable to you going around the world is the one thing i want to do said one and it seemed to be the one thing that a few hundred wanted to do i have no one who cares whether i go or not was the pathetic note sounded by another one had sent his photograph and speaking of it said i m a sort of a chap but looks don t always count and i am confident that the lad who wrote the following would have turned out all right my age is years but i am rather small and consequently won t take up much room but i m tough as the devil and there was one thirteen year old that and i fell in love with and it nearly broke our hearts to refuse him but it must not be imagined that most of my were boys on the contrary boys constituted a very small proportion there were men and women from every walk in life and offered in large numbers to come along and like all the professional men offered to come without pay to serve in any capacity and to pay even for the privilege of so serving there was no end of and who wanted to come to say nothing of experienced and civil were keen on the voyage lady companions up for while i was with the of would be private many high the of the and university students for the voyage and every trade in the working class developed a few the and being especially strong on the trip j was surprised at the number who in law offices heard the call of adventure and i was more than surprised by the number of elderly retired sea captains who were still � the sea several v fellows with millions coming to later on were wild for the adventure as were also several county of schools fathers and sons wanted to come and many men with their wives to say nothing on a level sea f the young woman who wrote write immediately if you need i shall bring my on the first train but the best of all is the following � observe the delicate way in which he worked in his wife i thought i would drop you a line of inquiry as to the possibility of making the trip with you am years of age mar if ij h hi h h adventure and broke and a trip of that kind would be just what we are looking for come to think of it for the average man it must be fairly difficult to write an honest letter of self recommendation one of my was so that he began his letter with the words this is a hard task and after vainly trying to describe his good points he wound up with it is a hard job writing about one s self nevertheless there was one who gave himself a most glowing and character and in conclusion stated that he had greatly enjoyed writing it but suppose this your cabin boy could run your engine could repair it when out of order suppose he could take his turn at the wheel could do any carpenter or work suppose he is strong healthy and willing to work would you not rather have him than a kid that gets and can t do anything but wash dishes it was letters of this sort that i hated to decline the writer of it self taught in english had been only two years in the united states and as he said i am not wishing to go with you to earn my living but i wi h to learn and see at the time of writing to me he was a for one of the big companies he had been to sea quite a bit and had been used all his life to the handling of small boats i have a good position but it matters not so with me as i prefer travelling wrote another as to salary look at me and if i am worth a dollar or two all right and if i am not nothing said as to my honesty and character i shall be pleased to show you my never drink no tobacco but to be honest i the of the myself after a little more experience want to do a little writing i can assure you that i am eminently respectable but find other respectable people tiresome the man who wrote the foregoing certainly had me and i am still wondering whether or not he d have found me tiresome or what the deuce he did mean i have seen better days than what i am passing through to day wrote an old salt but i have seen them a great deal worse also but the to sacrifice on the part of the man who wrote the following was so touching that i could not accept i have a father a mother brothers and sisters dear friends and a position and yet 