Transcribe Hornaday, W. T. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1877-06-11)

[page number:] 3

I have your letter written from Moville. Am always eagerly anxious for letters from you, for each letter never fails to settle some important points in my mind. For instance, you said "You *may* be able to get Elephants on the Neilgherries," also "You are now in the Neilgherries"-- which convinces me that I did right in coming here &c &c.

In my last letter I wrote about the matter of my writing too much. It occurs to me now that I may have put it too strong, as I wrote about as I felt. But you must remember that according to the terms of our agreement I am running a great risk in this enterprise as well as yourself. If I get badly sick it is simply my ruination financially, even supposing I get well in the course of time. A very little sickness would knock my years work into nothing or even less. This time I lost four days from my work, and will count off four Sundays on which I worked against it, which I think is fair. I would never leave counted the Sundays except for that.

[Crossed off: I enclose a letter from Don Alfredo Dally Costa.]