After two hours the box was located and brought dripping to the surface.  Fortunately but little of the ammunition was ruined, and most of it was dried during the night in the engine room.  Because of this delay we had to leave Haiphong on the following day, and with Captain Trowbridge, we went by train to Hanoi, the capital of the colony.

Hanoi is a city of delightful surprises.  It has broad, clean streets, overhung with trees which often form a cool green canopy overhead, beautiful lawns and well-kept houses, and in the center of the town is a lovely lake surrounded by a wide border of palms.  At the far end, like a jewel in a crystal setting, seems to float a white pagoda, an outpost of the temple which stands in the midst of a watery meadow of lotos plants.  The city shops are excellent, but in most instances the prices are exceedingly high.

Like all the French towns in the Orient the hours for work are rather confusing to the foreigner.  The shops open at 6:30 in the morning and close at 11 o’clock to reopen again at 3 in the afternoon and continue business until 7:30 or 8 o’clock in the evening.  During the middle of the day all houses have the shutters closely drawn, and because of the intense heat and glare of the sun the streets are absolutely deserted, not even a native being visible.  In the morning a petit dejeuner, remarkable especially for its “petitness,” is served, and a real dejeuner comes later anywhere from 10 to 12:30.

About 6 o’clock in the evening the open cafes and restaurants along the sidewalk are lined with groups of men and women playing cards and dice and drinking gin and bitters, vermouth or absinthe.  There is an air of happiness and life about Hanoi which is typically Parisian and even during war time it is a city of gayety.  An immense theater stands in the center of the town, but has not been opened since the beginning of the war.

We had letters to M. Chemein Dupontes, the director of the railroads, as well as to the Lieutenant-Governor and other officials.  Without exception we were received in the most cordial manner and every facility and convenience put at our disposal.  M. Dupontes was especially helpful.

Some time before our arrival a tunnel on the railroad from Hanoi to Yuen-nan Fu had caved in and for almost a month trains had not been running.  It was now in operation, however, but all luggage had to be transferred by hand at the broken tunnel and consequently must not exceed eighty-five pounds in weight.  This meant repacking our entire equipment and three days of hard work.  M. Dupontes arranged to have our 4000 pounds of baggage put in a special third class carriage with our “boys” in attendance and in this way saved the expedition a considerable amount of money.  He personally went with us to the station to arrange for our comfort with the chef de gare, telegraphed ahead at every station upon the railroad, and gave us an open letter to all officials; in fact there was nothing which he left undone.