95 - MERMOZ, Jean

MERMOZ, Jean L.A.S. “Jean,” at sea on February 25, 1926, to his grandparents, the GILLETs; 3½ pages, quarto size, on Compania Trasmediterranea letterhead. Heading for Casablanca. He is sailing toward Barcelona aboard the steamship Canalejas. “Last night I received an assignment order for Casablanca, to be picked up in Alicante at 5 o’clock. Since I wasn’t due to arrive in Barcelona until tomorrow, there was no transportation available. So I hopped on the boat leaving at 5:30 p.m. without a suitcase or a cap. I’ll pick up my luggage and take the first boat to Casa tomorrow evening, probably. I’ll be doing the Casa-Málaga route and, only occasionally, the Casa-Dakar route. That’s fine with me. That way, I’ll have the best of both France and Spain, and the change won’t bother me anymore. Besides, it won’t hurt to explore other horizons. […] I’m waiting for my chocolate medal from the Aero Club, and what’s more, I’ve been told I’ll be nominated for the red ribbon in the next class of the Aeronautics program! But I don’t believe it. All of this pleases me in only one respect: it’s simply a major step toward the goal I’ve set for myself. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t have my little place in the sun one of these days, too. But I want to earn it. Will I succeed? So far, the future looks promising. I hope it continues”… He is on the deck of the boat: “Gypsy women dance to the sound of a romantic guitar, and their garish, multicolored rags look like shreds of silk in the sun. Spaniards, no less ragged, keep time with their steps by clapping their hands in rhythm, while others bellow “flamencos”—a sort of Arabic song— listened to with religious devotion by all these filthy, lice-ridden people swarming in the lower deck amid the debris of straw-covered oranges and banana peels. What a masterpiece of a scene!”… Correspondence, No. 79. Provenance: - Jean Mermoz (1901–1936); - Gabrielle Gillet-Mermoz (1880–1955); - Then passed down through the family