Correspondence from Harold C. Roberts to Faith N. Roberts 8 September, 1928

"Telepanaca, Nic.
8 Sept. 1928.

 My Sweetie:

                Well we are here, everyone safe with all four boats – but how!!

                I have never had more fun in my life, I don’t believe. We got away from Ocotal around ten a.m. on the 4^th and the river was pretty wide and shallow and our boats drew 18” of waterso we were over the side most of the time pushing the boat. Finall[y] the river narrowed some and became quite deep as a few more streams emptied into the river. We went along gaily simply pokin the boats to keep in the stronger current and I believe made about 4 1/2 miles per hour average. It was great fun.

                About 4:00 p.m. the speed of the current speeded up to about ten miles per hour and we were just going kiting along when the river turned into a canyon with sides very deep + steep and the channel narrow. I commanded the first boat but we got out of the swiftest of the current and here the second and third boat passed as before we got into the current. About 15 minutes later we heard a roaring and all threw out our anchors. The anchor on my boat held but those on the first two boats did not their having gone too far and on they went around a bend at least 15 miles per hour. We got into the beach, tied a line to a tree and snubbed our way around the next bend and there were the first two boats swamped and piled up on the rocks. The river had gone over a small falls about two feet high into a narrow channel filled with high jagged rocks. The boats had made the falls but were going too fast to pole off the rocks and turned partly over and swamped.

                The courage of the men was simply astounding. We got to the bank tied up, put on life preserves, tied men to the lines and worked them from rock to rock and to the other boats. Got life life lines rigged from the rocks to shore and walked through the moon light night and salvaged most of our gear that night that was not washed away and tied the boats  + then we turned in on the bank, just lay on the bank and slept in the rain.

                We awoke about right and got some chow and turned to on diving for rifles ammunition, pots, buckets, boxes of canned goods etc until we got all that had not been washed away. We lost surprisingly little considering the fact that it was raining torrents, the river had risen 18 inches overnight and the river was just roaring. Then we turned to in the boats and with double lines to each hand jerking and snubbing around trees and men hanging on to the boats rocking them, we finally cleared them of the rocks which was an enormous job considering the water pressure against them. Well we floated them, bailed them out and snubbed them [?]  of the rapids and then and on lines and shot through empty. That day we got those two boats through.

                The next day we spent repairing the two boats that were swamped, shooting the rapids with he other two boats empty and portaging all of our loads. Drying our clothing, oiling weapons, redistributing loads etc. and the next day, yesterday, we started for Telepanaca, here. we only had to shoot two small rapids and the next was plain sailing making about 5 miles per hour, we reached here at 5:00 P.M.

                As we came down the river, all the natives and marines turned and on the river bank to greet us and we were pleased indeed. We unloaded completely, pitched camps on the bank and ate a warm meal and wrote out a report by midnight and turned in.

                This morning we laid out everything to dry and worked repairing everything, washing clothes etc. and here I am. We will be here at least three days repairing boats and gear and waiting for more supplies to be dropped. Believe me, darling, it has been wonderful experience and has been quite a lark with the exception of all the hard work. The spirit of the men has been marvelous and Capt. Geyer sent in a letter of commendation on “papa’s” work. Not bragging at all either; but they all help on one’s record.

                I have with me four letters from my darling which I received just before leaving Ocotal including the colored birthday picture of David. They are marvelous!! I love ‘em. Golly I would love to see him. He’s the best looking thing I’ve ever seen. Thank you so many times darling. Don’t you know I love you so.

                Have no fears for me, baby mine, I feel wonderful, brown as a nut. Spend the day in the boat wearing a pair of keds, a “non-thriller” and a life jacket, pistol and knife. We are certainly a fine looking band of pirates. Hard work and exposure agrees with me and I’m practically noon sick when walking land. I’m getting a big thrill out of it all and love it.

                This may be my last letter for some little time sweetie, so don’t be alarmed if it is a little longer than usual. I’ll get a letter off to you on every pick up message we send in but I have no idea how soon that will be nor how often it will be. We are going first to the Sta. Cruz and establish a base there and work out from there. It is a very large ranch house on the banks of the river and we should be pretty well situated there. When we arrive there, we will have passed all the bad places on the river and from there on down the river is wide and eep. When our patrolling duty is completed, as far as we know, we will move on down the river to the east coast.

                Good Lord! What do you think just happened! They have a victrola here and the thing just boomed forth “At Dawning” and I’m just shaking all over. My darling, my darling! The thing just wrecks me. It’s the first time I’ve heard it in so long and it brings back so many vivid marvelous memories. Do you know how much I love you? My baby, more than anyone else in the whole world.

                Sweet, give my love to your family for me won’t you and my regards to all I know in Wallace and a big long hug and Kiss for David. If I could be only there to hold you close tonight but here I am sleeping on one blanket and covered with me with a poncho over me and a mosquito net and that with a small sack of clothes is all I have to my name. But I’m as happy as possible away from my darling and I’m loving you every minute. I love you, I love you.

                (Isn’t the enclosure priceless?)”