September 18 Monday – Sam wrote from Elmira to James R. Osgood, upon his return from a European vacation. Sam was struggling with the Mississippi book.

Welcome home! I have been half dead with malaria ever since you left; and these last few days am two-thirds dead. I work all the time, but accomplish very little—sometimes as little as 200 words in 5 hours.

What is worse than all that is that I find I still lack about 30,000 words, whereas a few days ago I thought it was only a third of that—dismal miscalculation! I shall peg along, day by day, but shan’t be through when we leave for home 2 weeks hence [MTLTP 157-8].

Sam added after his signature a remark that Lem Gray died of his injuries from an explosion on the Gold Dust, the very boat that Sam had used in his trip up the Mississippi River. See Aug. 8 entry.

Chatto & Windus wrote to Sam that as per his “charitable instructions” they’d sent a selection of his books to the Vicarage near Birmingham, debiting his account £4 [MTP].