already, and THEIR
GETTING NOTHING, or our all getting the 4th or 5th class and of course
I choose that they should get something and so they did and for my
aimable unselfishness in the matter they have frequently drunken my
health. I was delighted when Somers got his for he was happier over it
than I have ever seen him over anything and kept me awake nights
talking about it. I consider it the handsomest order there is after
the Legion of Honor and I have become so crazy about Bolivar who was a
second Washington and Napoleon that I am very glad to have it, although
I still sigh for the third class with its star and collar.

The boys are especially glad because we have organized a Traveller's
Club of New York of which we expect great things and they consider that
it starts off well in having three of the members possessors of a
foreign order. We formed the club while crossing Honduras in sight of
the Pacific Ocean and its object is to give each other dinners and to
present a club medal to people who have been nice to and who have
helped members of the club while they were in foreign parts. It is my
idea and I think a good one as there are lots of things one wants to do
for people who help you and this will be as good as any. Members of
the club are the only persons not eligible to any medal bestowed by the
club and the eligibility for membership is determined by certain
distances which a man must have travelled. Although the idea really is
to keep it right down to our own crowd and make each man justify the
smallness of the club's membership by doing something worth while. I
am President. Bonsal is vice president. Russell treasurer and Griscom
Secretary. Somerset is the solitary member. You and Sam and Helen and
Elizabeth Bisland are at present the only honorary members. We are
also giving gold medals to the two chaps who crossed Asia on bicycles,
to Willie Chanler and James Creelman, but that does not make them
members. It only shows we as a club think they have done a sporting
act. I hope you like the idea. We have gone over it for a month and
considered it in every way and I think we are all well enough known to
make anybody pleased to have us recognize what they did whether it was
for any of us personally or for the public as explorers. On this trip
for instance we would probably send the club medals in silver to
Admiral Meade, to Kelly, to Royas the Venezuelan Minister for the
orders to the Governor