Sunday morning.
"My dear father,
The boat has come for Philip to take him to the care of my friend Capt. Barth, at the gold mines Aquacate:
pray send him on short after breakfast with his things, as his passport is made out and the packets and
correspondence made up.
I hope to get a passage to Bocatoro for yourself, James and me in the British man of war which sails
today or tomorrow but say nothing about it, for God's sake, or Polhemus would afterwards make difficulties.
Your's affectionately
Jn. Galindo.
let Philip bring his arithmetic book it will be of use to him with Capt. Barth."
With a broken heart I took leave of my Father (whom I never before left) and whom I never expected to
see again. When I was landed, the Colonel told me he had not had his breakfast, but desired me to take
my things to the Eastermost point of the bay and there wait for him; he came in
½ an hour and he took out and examined every little article I had in my trunk and sent what he said I
should not want back to my Father, he then made me sign my name to 2 papers written in Spanish;
I accompanied afterwards to the Commandants, who was not at home, but I saw his lady, who was
lying in a hammock smoking a paper segar the cutting of my gums etc. gave me great pain and she gave me something which did me a great deal of good. The Colonel came in, having bought me some meat,
Manatel!! (sea Cow) but I had no pot to cook it in and he told me I should only be 2 days going up the
river San Juan 'tho he had informed the Mate Mr Cunningham, James etc. it would take me 2 weeks; he
then pointed to the canoe in which I was to go, it was so little that it was hardly as long as myself,
I sat at the head and was so cramped, for I had not room for my legs even, how I was to sleep God knows
We then pushed off; but when I looked to see what provisions I had, I was very much surprised to find
I had only some very bad looking meat and a very little of that; but after about an hour's paddling
they put me on shore near Mr Derbyshire's a little way past the mouth of the river, here the boatmen
had their dinner , which was some boiled meat and plantains, which they had in a large iron pot cold and every now and then they put their hands in and pulled the meat apart, and wanted me to do
the same, after they had done eating and seeing me very miserable, and as I could not be understood,
nor understand them, they took me across the stream and brought me back a little way and then turned
again and took me back to Mr. Derbyshires who asked me what I had to cover myself with at night,
I said nothing but some bed clothes my Father had given me, he was very much surprised to find
I had no hides because he said I must die with wet and cold before I reached where I was going;