Crane on the other hand took the place of Paine who was exceedingly popular with every one and it has made it hard for Crane to get into things-- I am having a really royal time, it is so beautiful by both night and day and there is always color and movement and the most rigid discipline with the most hearty good feeling-- I get on very well with the crew too, one of them got shot by a revolver's going off and I asked the surgeon if I might not help at the operation so that I might learn to be useful, and to get accustomed to the sight of wounds and surgery-- It was a wonderful thing to see, and I was confused as to whether I admired the human body more or the way the surgeon's understood and mastered it-- The sailor would not give way to the ether and I had to hold him for an hour while they took out his whole insides and laid them on the table and felt around inside of him as though he were a hollow watermelon.

Then they put his stomach back and sewed it in and then sewed up his skin and he was just as good as new.

We carried him over to a cot and he came to, and looked up at us.
We were all bare-armed and covered with his blood, and then over at the operating table, which was also covered with his blood.

He was gray under his tan and his lips were purple and his eyes were still drunk with the ether-- But he looked at our sanguinary hands and shook his head sideways on the pillow and smiled-- "You'se can't kill me," he said, "I'm a New Yorker, by God--you'se can't kill me." The Herald cabled for a story as to how the crew of the New York behaved in action.

I think I shall send them that although there are a few things the people had better take for granted-- Of course, we haven't been "in action" yet but the first bombardment made me nervous until it got well started.