From Leonard Darwin to Horace Darwin [1872–3]

Dear Jim

I am not writing to amuse you, its only to amuse me   I am so jolly dull so you had better get a pipe and keep cool. 1^st. its Sunday thats against it, but its not much of a Sunday at that for the local parson was took worse this morning and could not come and give us an open air sermon bless him. 2^nd. I’m on duty, well the duty aint much, In fact there’s no duty at all, but that’s the worst of it but it just gums one to camp. We have a lot of people here today and Morris thought the officer on duty ought to stop in. All the others have gone to feel at the House of the ill parson to congratulate him. 3^rd. It first rains then it gets hot as blazes and then it rains again. First you have to go into the tent to escape and then your driven out by the heat, it is such fun.

I went over and dined at the other camp last night, fished for trout for hours, caught nothing, and nearly lost my way coming home across &c &c &c to be continued perhaps