XI

took my name, which I mubled mumbled out very abruptly and hastily dp departed, as I wanted to have no part in the incident, especially to testify against any of my brother enlisted slaves.

I was standing on deck about two this afternoon, when the same officer approached me and asked me what my name was.  I told him, and I could see that he had evidently lost my name since the previous ight, as when he told me that he was going to use me as a witness, I asked him what I was going to witness.  I I guess he was fairly sure that I was the same person that he had seen the night before, but when I gave him no help and pleaded complete ignorance to his questions, he left well enough alone and departed.

There are some thirty or forty nurses aboard ship, and most of th them are were very horrible looking specmen specimens when they I first saw them, as they came aboard, but now, the homliest is a beauteous creature, and working here, where they all eat, I see a lot of them. There are probably three hundred officers aboard, as the nurses get a tremendous play, and I don’t imagine any of them have been ever had the time they are having now, as I have talked to quite a few and they aren’t too bright. There is one cute little number, who is about the most popular on the boat, and she sat yesterday at the table I was waiting on. I was giving out lemon-meringue pie for desert and had three plates in my hand, and she reached up and tried to take the biggest piece out of my hand, as I proceeded to give her the smallest, giving the others to two neighboring officers, and she remarked “this is an awfully small piece.” I returned to the counter and took two pieces of pie in either hand, returned to her table and dumped all four pieces in front of her, which caused a lot of laughter from the officers and a rosy glow behind the nurses ears. Yep, I am having a great time in my own childish way!

Kaminsky and Hurst, two of the second lieutenants in

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