May 23 Wednesday – Sam and Joe spent their four days on the island walking and talking, observing people, flora and fauna and the countryside. [Powers, MT A Life 405]. From Oct. to Jan. 1878, a serial publication of Sam’s about the trip ran in the Atlantic: “Some Rambling Notes of an Idle Excursion” [Wells 22]. In this four-parter, the “fool” becomes the “Ass,” but it was all in fun—the men never lost mutual respect for the other. The weather made the men cancel a planned sailboat outing [D. Hoffman 54]. From Sam’s notebook:

That piano & that tune & that rooster were silent this morning. Somebody’s been telling.

Flags at ½ mast for a citizen

Rained like everything. Couldn’t go sailing. Dined aboard the ship.

Rained all day—came home middle of afternoon—bright moonlight at night. We started at 8 & walked to North Shore & then around west & across to town, Joe stepping in an occasional puddle, to my intense enjoyment. Got caught in rain. Walked 5 or 6 miles in new shoes. They were 7s when I started & 5s when I got back [MTNJ 2: 31].