Transcribe Hornaday, W. T. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1878-09-14)

No. 12. 3 ft 10 3/4 in. I think you must have received my No. 13. 4 " 5 1/2 " telegram </s about > yesterday, or perhaps before. No. 14. 3 " 8 " I believe it </s has been > ^is^ just six weeks since No. 15. 3 " 9 " I recd a letter from you, one coming from No. 16. 2 " 6 3/4 " Fred meanwhile in which he me^n^tions the receipt No. 17. 3 " 2 1/8 " of my Ceylon list two weeks previous. Are you No. 18. 4 " 6 " </u never > going to send me any percussion primers? No. 19. 2 " 11 1/2 " The first lot was sent clear ahead of me, tho No. 20. 3 " 8 1/4 " authorities doubtless found out the contents No. 21. 4 " 2 3/4 " of your black-walnut package - and de- No. 22. 3 " 1 3/4 " stroyed the lot, of course. If you had taken No. 23. 3 " 5 1/4 " the caps out of the boxes. rolled them up in No. 24. Baby. cotton & put them in the inside of newspapers, No. 25. 4 fr 3 " as I suggested. I feel sure I would have No. 26. 4 " 1 1/2 " them now. Now my fine old monkey killer, No. 27. 3 " 6 " the No 10 double-barrel is quietly laid aside No. 28. 3 " 8 3/4 " because I have only 70 percussion primers No. 29. 4 " 0 " left, and I must treasure them up for the No. 30 4 " 1/4 No 31 3 " 5 1/2 rifle cartridges & Orangs. When they are gone -, well I will have the pleasure of shooting slugs out of an old musket, or else not shoot atall. If you had only been persevering enough to have sent three or four different lots of primers as that </u one > at least would surely have reached me what a difference it would make now! On our last trip up the river we actually passed by scores of Proboscis monkeys, Macaques & Presbytes, passed within gunshot and simply could not afford to fire at them. And I can tell you that a common gun, such as my hunter has, won't kill at more than </u half > the distance my big gun does. more than </u half > the distance my big gun does.

    I have $184. left, about enough for another month.

By the end of that time I daresay my future will be known, or suspected at any rate? Wouldn't it be best to jump Java, Macassa, & Amboyna altogether, and quit with the Archipelago while our credit is good? And how about Aus- tralia? For my part I should be quite willing - nay more than willing; </u anxious > to go almost directly to Australia from Singapore. And if it were not for the awful idea of reaching home in the dead of winter & thereby literally freezing to death some fine morning, I wouldn't object to going home as soon as we are done with Borneo. Perhaps that will be the programme anyhow. But at all events, remember that I am "game"