CHAPTER LXI.

In this place I will print an article which I wrote for the New York

Herald the night we arrived. I do it partly because my contract with my

publishers makes it compulsory; partly because it is a proper, tolerably

accurate, and exhaustive summing up of the cruise of the ship and the

performances of the pilgrims in foreign lands; and partly because some of

the passengers have abused me for writing it, and I wish the public to

see how thankless a task it is to put one's self to trouble to glorify

unappreciative people. I was charged with "rushing into print" with

these compliments. I did not rush. I had written news letters to the

Herald sometimes, but yet when I visited the office that day I did not

say any thing about writing a valedictory. I did go to the Tribune

office to see if such an article was wanted, because I belonged on the

regular staff of that paper and it was simply a duty to do it. The

managing editor was absent, and so I thought no more about it. At night

when the Herald's request came for an article, I did not "rush." In

fact, I demurred for a while, because I did not feel like writing

compliments then, and therefore was afraid to speak of the cruise lest I

might be betrayed into using other than complimentary language. However,

I reflected that it would be a just and righteous thing to go down and

write a kind word for the Hadjis--Hadjis are people who have made the

pilgrimage--because parties not interested could not do it so feelingly

as I, a fellow-Hadji, and so I penned the valedictory. I have read it,

and read it again; and if there is a sentence in it that is not fulsomely

complimentary to captain, ship and passengers, I can not find it. If it

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The Innocents Abroad