Cavalry life in tent and field

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CAVALRY LIFE

IN

TENT AND FIELD

BY

MRS. ORSEMUS BRONSON BOYD

NEW YORK
J. SELWIN TAIT & SONS

65 Fifth Avenue
1894

F

i'=iH

TH^

COPTKIGIIT, 1894,
BY

Mas. OuSKMUS Bronson Boyd.

All Rights Reserved.

C. J. PETEBS & SON,

Type-settees ani» Ei.ecteotypebs,
jj06ton, u.s.a.

CAVALRY LIFE

IN

TENT AND FIELD.

TO MY DEAR BROTHER
JAMES,

5 Qenicate tfjis ILittle Book

AS A FAINT TOKEN OF GRATITUDE FOR THE LOVE THAT
A WHOLE LIFETIME OF DEVOTION WOULD

not be sufficient to repay.

The Author.

PEEFACE

I TAKE pleasure in directing attention to the
kind and affectionate tribute paid my husband,
Captain Orsemus Bronson Boyd, and contained
in the Appendix of this volume. It is from the
pen of a former classmate, the gifted writer.
Colonel Richard Henry Savage.

I trust my readers will not think this intro-
duction too lengthy. The perusal of it seems
necessary to a proper understanding of my
reasons for describing, in the following pages,
the pains, perils, and pleasures experienced by
land and sea in the various peregrinations of a
cavalry officer's wife. With Colonel Savage's
testimonial it furnishes a completeness to the
narrative that would otherwise be lacking.

In 1861, when every heart, both North and
South, was fired by military ardor, two brothers,

7

8 PREFACE.

named Amos and Orsemus Boyd, lived in the
small town of Croton, Delaware County, New
York State. Immediately on the declaration of
civil war they experienced but one desire — tc^
join the Northern Army. The brothers had
lost their mother when very young, but the
stepmother their father had given them always
endeavored to faithfully fill her place.

Additions to the family circle of a tiny boy
and girl had only cemented its happy relations.
Amos and his brother were, however, at the
ages when boys welcome any escape from a life
of wearisome monotony. Farm life, with its end-
less routine of seed-time and harvest, stretched
before them a barren horizon. But neither was
old enough to enlist without his father's sanc-
tion. Amos was less than eighteen years of
age, and his brother but sixteen. Months
passed before the father could be persuaded to
give even a reluctant consent to the fervid
desire of his sons to join the army. Finally it
was gained, though he afterward sorely re-
pented, and begged his wife to also spare him

PREFACE.

from her side, that he might accompany his
boys. He could not endure the thought of his
youthful sons departing for the scenes of such
dangei*s without his sheltering presence.

By what means Mrs. Boyd was induced to
consent to her husband's enlistment can only be
understood by those who recall the loyal sen-
timents expressed by women in 1861. Our
country was then aglow with patriotism. As
in the South women gave their nearest and
dearest to the cause, so in the North they were
bereft of fathers, husbands, sons and brothers.
In the little town of Croton every family sent
at least one representative to the army, and
many waved adieu to all its male members.
This left to women the severe tasks of cultivat-
ing farms and rearing families.

The young stepmother of the lads in question
not only lent her husband to his country, but
during the entire three years of his absence
tilled and tended the farm, and so well, that on
his return it had not only improved in appear-
ance, but also increased in value.

10 PREFACE.

It requires little imagination to picture the
sad parting when father and sons, after having
enlisted in the Eightj-ninth Regiment New
York Volunteers, left the quiet little village to '
join the army.

The younger son was not at first permitted to
act as a soldier on account of liis youth. Al-
lowed to carry the flag at the head of the com-
mand, his bravery and boldness caused liis father
incessant anxiety. At the battle of Camden,
when the second color bearer fell, our young
hero seized his flag and carried that also until
the close of battle. For such an act of bravery
General Burnside summoned him to head-
quarters, and sent him home on recruiting
service.

Prior to this young Boyd had been with
Burnside's expedition off Cape Hatteras, where
for twenty-six days the soldiers had lain out-
side, shipwrecked, and obliged to subsist on raw
rice alone, as no fires could be built. When
they finally landed on Roanoke Island our
young lads were jubilant.

PREFACE. 11

Oi*semus took an active part in raising the
One Hundi-ed and Forty-fourth New York Vol-
unteers, and for numberless acts of bravery was
commissioned second lieutenant of Company D,
September, 1862. By reason of the senior offi-
cers' absence" he was for months, though but
eighteen years of age, in command of a company
of soldiei-s in which his father and elder brother
were enlisted men. Perhaps no incident, even
in those stirring war times, was more unusual.

The young lieutenant's father spent much
time and effort in endeavoring to restrain his
young son's ardor and ambition, which if un-
checked would no doubt have resulted either in
rapid promotion or an early grave. The lad
knew no fear, and was always in the front of
battle. His name was again and again men-
tioned in "General Orders" for ''meritorious
conduct."

Sadder than their home leaving was the
return, two yeara later, of father and youngest
boy, who went back to lay the remains of their
eldest son and brother in the grave beside his

12 PREFACE.

mother. Amos had served his country well,
and met the fate of many other brave soldiers.

In addition to this sorrow the father con-
stantly feared lest his second son should also
experience a soldier's death ; and while the
father's heart glowed with pride at the encomi-
ums lavished upon his boy's bravery, and the
merited rewards it had already received, yet the
fear of losing him was strongest, and at that
home coming a compromise was effected.

The member of Congress from their district,
desirous of finding an acceptable appointee to
West Point, chose the gallant young lieutenant,
who unwillingly accepted. Two years of active
service had proved his essential fitness for the
profession of arms.

With a heart burdened with sorrow, and yet
not entirely hopeless, the father of two brave
sons returned alone to his regiment, and finished
three years of service with our noble Army of
the Potomac.

Orsemus Boyd entered West Point in June,
1863, after having spent a short time in prepa-

PBEFACE. 13

ration. No doubt his years of service at the
front had given the lad ideas at variance with
the whims of those young men who had al-
ready passed their first year at the academy.

Any one who has been at West Point knows
that a newly appointed cadet, or " plebe " as he
is called, is expected not only to bow before
his superior officers in the line of duty, but is
compelled to endure all slights and snubs that
any cadet chooses to impose. In 1863 the dis-
cipline in that respect was excessive.

The result, in the case of Mr. Boyd, was that
he became unpopular for refusing to submit to
many annoyances. The climax was reached
when, after liaving fought with one cadet and
come out the victor, he refused — having dem-
onstrated his courage and ability — to fight
with another, a man who had criticised the
language used in the heat of battle, and was
consequently dubbed a coward. This, though
exceedingly trying to a person of his sensitive
nature, was endured with the same patience as
were subsequent trials.

14 PREFACE.

After the furlough year, which comes whei\
the first long two years of cadet life have passed,
Mr. Boyd returned to West Point from that
most desired leave of absence, with renewed
hope and courage. Two months spent in his
boyhood's home, cheered and strengthened by
the love of many friends, enabled him to go
back animated by fullest intentions to ignore all
disagreeables and calmly prepare for a life of
usefulness. But it was not to be.

Shortly after Mr. Boyd's return he missed
sums of money brought from home, but said
nothing about it, as he had few confidants and
was naturally reticent.

In the same class with Mr. Boyd was a man
who had entered West Point at the avowed age
of twenty-five, though undoubtedly much older,
as his appearance indicated. During war time
the extreme of age for admission there, which
before and since was and is limited to twenty-
two years, had been extended to twenty-five.
This was done in order to permit young men
who had achieved distinction in real warfare

PREFACE. 15

the opportunity of acquiring a military educa-
tion. So this man, named Casey, had entered
at the acknowledged age of twenty-five.

He was absolutely impecunious, and belonged
to an Irish family in very humble circumstances.
Mr. Boyd's parents, whose ancestors had fought
in the Revolutionary War, were of pure and
unadulterated American origin. Yet the supe-
rior age and cunning of the elder man unfitted
the younger to cope with him. Always open
and above board, Mr. Boyd neither knew nor
expected tricks of any kind, and hence was not
prepared to meet them.

Mr. Casey was compelled to procure money
at all hazards. Before entering West Point he
had married. That fact, if known, would have
dismissed him at once from the academy, in
accordance with the laws governing that insti-
tution, which permit no cadet to marry. It
therefore became the object of Casey's life to
conceal all knowledge of that which, if known,
would have proved a potent factor in his down-
fall. Consumed with ambition and the desire

16 PREFACE.

to reach distinction in every social way, he
assiduously cultivated the acquaintance of all
cadets who could in any manner help him
upward.

In the academy at that time were several
cadets, sons of very wealthy parents, who, con-
trary to West Point rules, kept in their rooms
at barracks large sums of money. That was
Casey's opportunity, for he had constant need
of it with which to silence the wife who had
threatened his exposure. So great was the con-
fidence of the academy classmates in each other
that the money was simply placed in a trunk, to
which all the clique had free access, and used
as a general fund.

Government supplies cadets with all neces-
sary articles, therefore only luxuries need be
purchased, and the limit of these is much
reduced by the absence of stores. So even to
those generous young men the disappearance of
money in large sums became puzzling, and led
to inquiries which developed into suspicions,
and a plan was formed to mark some of the bills,

PREFACE. 17

and thus discover the evil-doer. Mr. Boyd, by
reason of his unpopularity, was unaware of
these movements, and he had told no one of his
own losses.

The cadets had informed their immediate
commandant that money was constantly being
stolen in the corps. Agliast at such a state of
affairs, he had authorized and selected a com-
mittee of eight — two from among the eldest
members of each company — to find and punish
the thief. In an unguarded moment the com-
mandant had said:

"If you find tbe offender, you can deal with
him as you deem advisable."

The most prominent member of the commit-
tee was Casey, himself the real culprit. After
a perfunctory search through quarters occupied
by other cadets, they reached Mr. Boyd's, and
found nothing to reward their efforts. At that
juncture Casey glanced upward at a pile of
books lying on some shelves, and said ;

" Let us look in that large dictionary."

None but a crowd of frantic boys could have

18 , PREFACE.

failed to have observed how promptly he had
selected the veritable book in which the money
was found, where subsequent events, as well as
his dying confession, proved he had himself
placed it.

Casey's room, shared with Cadet Hamilton,
was directly opposite that occupied by Mr.
Boyd, who roomed alone because of his unpopu-
larity. Mr. Boyd's room was so unguarded and
accessible, that no doubt Casey had frequently
entered it and taken money from the man whom
he now accused. Casey had skillfully songht to
direct suspicion in every way toward Mr. Boyd.
Long had he wielded his baleful influence, to
which, though no one had observed it, all had
succumbed.

Tlje search took place at noon, when the
main body of the corps were at dinner. On
j\Ir. Boyd's return to his room he found it filled
with cadets, who madly accused him of the
crime. White with horror and shame unspeak-
able, he answered their charges in a way which
would have convinced any judge of human

PREFACE. 19

nature that he was entirely innocent. Sinking
to his knees, and raising his eyes to heaven, he
said:

" By the memory of my dead mother I swear
I know nothing whatever of this money ! "

To any one who knew the young man's
tender, brave soul, and how hallowed was the
memory of his mother, that avowal would have
sufficed. But it was not an occasion for calm
and deliberate judgment. The supposed cul-
prit had at last been found, and he was in the
hands of Philistines. No thought of mercy im-
pelled any of those young men to hesitate in
their cruelty. With brute force — eight men
to one man — they placed Mr. Boyd in confine-
ment until later in the day, when at dress
parade they could publicly and brutally dis-
grace him.

I now quote, from a published account by an
eye-witness, the scene which followed :

" It was a cold, sad, lusterless day. The air
was full of snow and the cold was bitter.
Orders were given to fall into ranks in the area

20 PREFACE.

of barracks for undress parade. The cadet ad-
jutant commanded : ' Parade Rest.' After a
pause he continued : ' Cadet captains will place
themselves opposite their respective company
fronts, and arrest any man who leaves the
ranks.'

" There was an interval of the most profound
stillness. Then above the wind's howling came
the sound of tramping feet. Across the broad
porch of the bari'acks and down the ste])s came
four cadets, bearing between them a man's form.
They advanced along the battalion's front. As
they turned, the adjutant raised liis right hand,
and forthwith the drums and fifes beat and
wailed out, in un melodious and unearthly har-
mony, the terrible tune of the ' Rogue's March.'

" On they came ; and now I saw affixed to
that man's breast a large white placard, and on
it the words : ' Coward ! ' ' Liar ! ' ' Thief ! '
The face above the words was marble wliite as
the face of the dead, but the wild, staring,
blood-red eyes seemed to wail and shrink in
their horrible misery.

" The four cadets passed along the full length
of the battalion, and with their victim turned
down the slope beyond the buildings and dis-
appeared."

On their way to the South Dock the perse-
cuted man broke away from his accusers, but
was warned to " beware " how he " ever set foot

PREFACE. 21

again upon West Point," and threatened with
yet worse treatment should he do so.

Genei-al Cullom was then in command at
West Point. On that particular evening he
was returning from the direction of the dock
toward which those heartless cadets had driven
Mr. Bo3'd, when he met the young man face to
face. Amazed at the temerity of a cadet who
could boldly face him in civilian's attire, he
halted and said :

" What do you mean, sir? Return at once to
your quarters ! "

The general's fii-st and most natural thought
was that Mr. Boyd had dressed himself in ci-
vilian's clothes, and was stealing off the post in
search of amusement. But a second glance
showed him a face full of grief and shame — a
countenance on which utter woe was depicted.
He took the young man at once to his own
quarters, questioned him, and found to his dis-
may that the cadets had perpetrated a most un-
precedented and cruel outrage.

General Cullom determined then and there

22 PREFACE.

that the matter should be sifted to the bottom.
Mr. Boyd was to be tried, and proven either
guilty or guiltless. His father was sent for,
and the son allowed to return home pending
the investigation.

What greater sorrow can be imagined than
that which then fell upon this sorely stricken
family? A young man wlio had faced the
enemy's fire again and again, who had already
won his shoulder-straps in the very front of
war's alarms, to be charged with petty thiev-
ery, untruth, and cowardice! His stepmother
said :

"Had our son been accused of fighting
hastily, perhaps too readily, I could have be-
lieved him guilty. But for the sake of money
Orsemus never could have done wrong."

Mr. Boyd had been supplied by his father
with all the money he wanted, and at his own
request an account kept of it, which showed
that before this episode he had spent three hun-
dred dollars — a large sum in a place like West
Point, where every need is supplied by govern-
ment.

PREFACE. 23

The court of inquiry instituted by General
Cullom resulted in a verdict of "not guilty."
In the eyes of the cadets, whose insensate
cruelty had warped their judgment, it was
simply a Scotch verdict of " not proven ; " and,
though acquitted, the defendant was thenceforth
a disgraced and dishonored man.

Mr. Boyd remained at the academy nearly
two years longer, until his graduation in June,
1867. During all that time he was completely
ostracized, and, with one, or possibly two excep-
tions, never exchanged one word with any cadet,
all of whom regarded him as a coward. But
none can contemplate such a life without mar-
veling at its wonderful courage. Mr. Boyd
had determined to graduate with honor, and
thus show the world that he possessed such
bravery as would not allow false charges to ruin
his whole career.

I was introduced to him in 1866, and before
our meeting had heard the whole story. The
first look into his frank and manly countenance
made me from that moment his stanch and

24 PREFACE.

true advocate. I was then attending school in
New York, but finished in July, and we were
married in October, three montlis after Mr.
Boyd graduated.

Then began the hardships born of that West
Point episode. Of course such bitter and
terrible wrongs could not have been done a
sensitive man without their affecting his whole
life. To this may be attributed Mr. Bo3^d's
desire to go West, and there remain.

It engendered in him a great unwillingness to
demand even his just dues ; and when he was
ordered to leave California at a day's notice,
and given no proper transportation, he sub-
mitted without a murmur. As I shared all those
hardships, and shall always feel their effects,
. I have no hesitancy in saying that I attribute
. them all to the West Point wrong and injury.
Mr. Boyd could have entered the artillery
branch of the service had he not longed to
escape all reminders of that terrible experience,
and so chose the Eighth Cavalry, which was
stationed on the Pacific coast.

PREFACE. 25

The subsequent hardships endured were due
not only to the* crude state of affairs at the
West in those days, but also to the crushed
spirit which so much injustice had engendered
in my husband. He could not bear to ask
favors, and be, perhaps, refused. Mr. Boyd
even shrank at first from his fellow-officers. I
know that no enlisted man's wife was ever
exposed to more or severer perils than was the
young school-girl from New York City ; and I
consider them the direct result of those sad
yeai*s at West Point.

Mr. Boyd was always selected in after-years
to handle the funds at eveiy post where we
were stationed, which distinctly showed how
his honor was regarded by men competent to
judge. But it resulted in countless expeditions
that were both hazardous and expensive. He
was sent by General Pope to build Fort Bayard
because of his incorruptible honesty ; but to be
so constantly changing stations added greatly
to our hardships.

" Vengeance is mine ; I will repay, saith the

26 PREFACE,

Lord." A singular evidence of the truth and
justice of this text is shown in the meting out
to those eight misguided young men of sorrow,
misery, and sudden death, which seems to me a
return for their attempted sacrifice of the career
and honor of a gallant and innocent man. The
roll is a terrible one. Casejs after confessing
his crime, concealed it, aided and abetted by
Hamilton. In less than a year after his appar-
ently honorable graduation, he was shot by one
of his own soldiei's. Of the remainder, two
committed suicide, one was murdered, one
butchered by Modoc Indians ; while family sor-
row, bankruptcy, and disappointment or un-
timely death have caused the rest to mournfully
regret their early hastiness and error of judg-
ment, and the acts of gross cruelty which sprang
therefrom.

The Author.

CAVALRY LIFE

CHAPTER I.

Whether or not these personal reminis-
cences will interest the public remains to be
determined ; for one thing the narrator can
vouch, and that is they are not in the least
exaggerated. Several army experiences have
of late been printed, and when in recounting
mine I have often been asked to write them, it
was not, as I then thought, for the purpose of
publication ; although, as they have been un-
usual, to say the least, I have been tempted to
do so ; and now that the whole course of my
life has been changed I have reasons for issuing
this book which may perhaps plead my excuse
should the narrative prove uninteresting to

some.

27

28 CAVALRY LIFE.

The army world, though a small one, yet ex-
tends over a large amount of territory. My
] experience of it, previous to marriage, consisted
in seeing, entirely at its best, beautiful West
Point, which I considered a fair type of every
army post; so when I married, immediately
after his graduation from there, a young second
lieutenant, I thought that however far we might
travel such a home would always be found at
our journey's end.

My husband, previous to his four yenYs at
West Point, as narrated in the preface, had
been a soldier for two years in the War of the
Rebellion, where he had so signalized himself
by bravery that friends united in urging his
father to remove the lad from the perilous sur-
roundings of active warfare, and permit him to
be educated in the profession for which he had
shown such a decided talent. He was at that
time but eighteen years old, and was probably
the only man of that age who ever commanded
a company in which his father and brother were
enlisted men.

CAVALRY LIFE. 29

Mr. Boyd's previous career causing him to
prefer the cavalry branch of the service, applica-
tion was therefore made for that; so when ap-
pointed he was ordered to San Francisco. Not
knowing whence from there he would be sent,
as some of the companies of his regiment were
in Nevada, some in Arizona, and others in Cali-
fornia, it was deemed unwise for me to accom-
pany him, so I remained in New York.

We had been married but two days, and it
seemed to me as if San Francisco was as far
away as China, particularly as there was then
no trans-continental railroad. Besides, I had
lived in New York City all my life, and con-
sidered it the only habitable place on the globe.

Wlien Mr. Boyd reached San Francisco he
was assigned to a station in Nevada, which was
so remote, and there appeared to be so little
hope for any comfortable habitation, that he
wrote me the prospect for my journey was very
indefinite.

However, with the hopefulness of youth, he
counted on a far more speedy accomplishment

30 CAVALRY LIFE.

of his desires than anything in the nature of the
situation seemed to warrant. The troops had
been sent, as a sort of advance guard and pro-
tective force for the contemphited Pacific Rail-
road, to a point in the very eastern part of
Nevada. The camp was named " Halleck," in
honor of General Halleck, and the accommoda-
tions were so limited that ladies were hardly
needed, except to emphasize the limitations.
Although it was well understood that I could
not be comfortably located until summer, yet no
second hint was needed when in mid-winter
my husband wrote that I might come at least as
far as San Francisco.

In the middle of January I left New York
on one of the fine steamers of the Pacific Mail
Steamsliip Company. The three weeks en route
were delightful, and tlie change from bleak,
cold winter to the tropical scenes of Panama,
and thence to the soft and balmy air of the
Pacific, was so exhilarating that travel was
simply a continuous pleasure.

Upon reaching San Francisco, nothing seemed

CAVALRY LIFE. 31

more natural than that I should press on, in
spite of the protestations of friends, who said
that the Sierra Nevada Mountains were im-
passable at that season, and who predicted all
sorts of mishaps. Nothing daunted, I deter-
mined at least to try, and so took steamer for
Sacramento, and from thence train to Cisco, at
the foot of the mountains, and the then ter-
minus of the Pacific Railway. After leaving
the train we continued our journey on sleds, in
the midst of a blinding snowstorm, that com-
pelled us to envelop our heads in blankets.

The snow, however, did not last many miles,
and we were soon transferred to the regular
stage-coach, a large vehicle with thorough-
braces instead of springs, and a roomy interior
which suggested comfort. Alas ! only sug-
gested! Possibly no greater discomfort could
have been endured than my companion and
self underAvent that night. Those old-fash-
ioned stage-coaches for mountain travel were
intended to be well filled inside, and well
packed outside. But it so happened that in-

32 CAVALRY LIFE.

stead of the usual full complement of passen-
gers, one other woman and myself were all.

A pen far more expert than mine would be
required to do justice to the horrors of that
night. Though we had left Cisco at noon, we
did not reach Virginia City, on the other side
of the mountains, until ten o'clock next morn-
ing. As long as daylight lasted we watched in
amazement those wonderful mountains, which
should have been called "Rocky," for they
have enormous precipices and rocky elevations
at many points; from the highest we gazed
down into ravines at least fifteen hundred feet
below, and shuddered again and again.

One point, called Cape Horn, a bold promon-
tory, is famous, and as great a terror to stage-
drivers as is the cape from which it takes its
name to navigators. We peered into endless
precipices, down which we momentarily expected
to be launched, for the seeming recklessness of
our driver and extreme narrowness of the roads
made such a fate appear imminent.

Our alarm did not permit us to duly appreci-

CAVALRY LIFE. 33

ate the scenerj^'s magnificent grandeur; besides,
every possible effort was required to keep from
being tossed about like balls. We did not
expect to find ourselves alive in the morning,
and passed the entire niglit holding on to any-
thing that promised stability. An ordinary
posture was quite impossible : we had either to
brace oui-selves by placing both feet against the
sides of the vehicle, or seize upon every strap
within reach.

Long before morning all devices, except the
extreme one of lying flat on the bottom of the
coach and resigning ourselves to the inevitable,
had failed. Every muscle ached with the strain
that had been required to keep from being
bruised by the constant bumping, and even
then we had by no means escaped.

We had supped at Donner Lake, a beautiful
spot in the very heart of the mountains, made
famous by the frightful sufferings of the Don-
ner party, which had given the lake its name,
and which has been so well described by Bret
Harte in "Gabriel Conroy," that a passing

34 CAVALRY LIFE.

mention will suffice. It proved an unfortunate
prelude to our eventful night ; for in the midst
of our own sufferings we were compelled to
think of what might befall us if we, like that
ill-fated party, should be left to the mercy of
those grand but cruel mountains, which already
seemed so relentless in their embrace that al-
though haste mea'nt torture yet we longed to
see the last of them.

The bright sun shone high overhead long
before we reached Virginia City, where I saw
for the first time a real mining town. It is not
my purpose to describe what has been so ably
done by others, but simply confine mj^self to per-
sonal experiences ; and I will, therefore, merely
state that I gladly left Virginia City, knowing
that soon after we should emerge from moun-
tain roads, and on level plains be less tortured.

We were not, however, quite prepared for
the method that made jolting impossible, and
which, being the very extreme of our previous
night's journey, was almost equally unendura-
ble. On leaving the breakfast-table at Virginia

CAVALRY LIFE. 35

City, we were greatly surprised to find our
coach almost full of passengers ; but we climbed
in, and for five da3^s and nights were carried
onward without the slightest change of any
sort. There was a front and back seat, and
between the two a middle one, which faced
the back that we occupied. Whenever in the
course of the succeeding five days and nights it
was needful to move even our feet, we could
only do so by asking our vis-d-vis to move his
at the same time, as there was not one inch of
space unoccupied.

The rough frontiersmen who were our fellow-
passengers tried in every way to make our sit-
uation more endurable. After we had sat bolt
upright for two days and nights, vainly trying
to snatch a few moments' sleep, which the con-
stant lurching of the stage rendered impossible,
the two men directly facing us proposed, with
many apologies, that we should allow them to
lay folded blankets on their laps, when, by lean-
ing forward and laying oui- heads on the rests
thus provided, our weary brains might find

36 CAVALRY LIFE.

some relief. We gratefully assented, only to
find, however, that the unnatural position ren-
dered sleep impossible, so decided to bear our
hardships as best we could until released by
time.

Our only respite was when the stage stopped
for refreshments ; but as we experienced all the
mishaps consequent upon a journey in mid-win-
ter, such as deep, clinging mud, which made
regular progress impossible, we frequently
found that meals were conspicuous by their
absence; or we breakfasted at midnight and
dined in the early morning. The food was of
the sort all frontier travelers have eaten — bis-
cuits almost green with saleratus, and meats
sodden with gr.ease, which disguised their nat-
ural flavors so completely that I often wondered
what animals of the prairies were represented.

The names of our stopping-places were pre-
tentious to such a degree that days passed be-
fore I was able to believe such grand titles
could be personated by so little. I also noticed
that a particularly forbidding exterior, and

CAVALEY LIFE. 37

interior as well, would be called by the most
high sounding name.

Alas for my hopes of escape from mountain
travel ! How gladly would I have welcomed
some mountains instead of the endless mo-
notony of that prairie ! Nevada is particularly
noted for the entire absence of trees, and the
presence of a low, uninteresting shrub called
sage-brush. It looks exactly as the name indi-
cates, is a dingy sage-green in color, and, with
the exception of a bush somewhat darker in
hue and called grease-wood because it burns
so readily, nothing else could be seen, not only
for miles and miles, but day after day, until the
weary eye longed for change. At dusk imagi-
nation compelled me to regard those countless
bushes as flocks of sheep, so similar did they
appear in the dim light, and I was unable to
divest my mind of that idea during our entire
stay in Nevada.

With such a state of affairs sleep was out of
the question, and consequently nights seemed
endless. I considered myself fortunate in hav-

38 CAVALBY LIFE.

ing an end seat, and often counted the revolu-
tions of the wheels until they appeared to turn
more and more slowly, when I would propound
that frequent query which always enraged the
driver :

" How long hefore we reach the next station ? "

I remember one night we made eight miles
in fifteen hours, and the next day fifteen miles
in eight hours. Both seemed wearily slow ; but
according to our driver the roads were to blame.

That night the monotony was relieved by
what we considered a very pleasing incident, as
it afforded some excitement. A rather small
pig decided to accompany us, and some of the
passengers made our driver frantic by betting
on piggy winning the race : as a fact, he did
reach the station first. I felt quite dejected at
having to leave him there ; for in our lonely
journey we longed for companions in misery,
and he seemed very miserable during that weary
night.

Notwithstanding the level monotony of the
country, we were constantly being brought up

CAVALBT LIFE. 39

short by gullies which crossed our road. The
sensation was akin to that one experiences
when arrested by the so-called "thank-you-
niums," met with in Eiistern rural districts.

As the very tiniest streams in the West are
designated livers, we were always expecting,
only to be disappointed, great things in that line.
At last, when we reached Austin, and saw that
the Reese River could be stepped across, all
expectations of future greatness in the way of
rivers were relinquished.

Austin, at that time a very small mining
town, was so insignificant as to be regarded as
merely a mile-stone on the journey. We gladly
left it to continue our travels, which soon be-
came less monotonous by reason of low moun-
tains that we crossed in the night, before
reaching what I had hoped was to be the end of
my long stage-ride.

Mr. Boyd had arrived first at the military
camp at Ruby, where we remained two days
to rest before continuing our journey. This
was necessary, as the loss of sleep for five long

40 CAVALRY LIFE.

nights had so prostrated me that when I found
myself in a recumbent position, consciousness to
all outside surroundings was so completely lost
that the intervening day and night were entirely
blotted out.

I no longer felt particularly young. Experi-
ence and the loss of sleep had aged me. Yet
knowing that the years which had passed over
my head were as few as were consistent with
the dignity of a married woman, I was taken
quite aback when one of the employees con-
nected with the stage station asked my hus-
band :

" How did the old woman stand the trip? "

I listened intently for his answer, fully ex-
pecting to hear the man severely rebuked, if
not laid flat ; but Mr. Boyd understood human
nature better than I, and in the most polite
tones replied :

" Thank you, very well indeed."

We were then within about one hundred
miles of our destination. Fort Halleck, Nevada,
and the remainder of our journey was to be

CAVALRY LIFE. 41

made in an entirely different vehicle from the
stage-coach — a government ambulance, and
in this case the most uncomfortable one I have
ever seen. Many are delightful; but that was
an old, worthless affair, and instead of the usual
comfortable cross seats had long side ones, which
covered with slippery leather made security of
position impossible. My trunk was first placed
inside, then a huge bundle of forage, which left
only room for two people near the door.

We jogged on monotonously the first day,
seeing the same scenery: it seemed to me a
duplicate of that looked upon for days past.
Very thankful I was, however, for the absence
of any steep hills; for we fully expected, at the
first climb, to be buried under my own huge
trunk, which appeared to have as great a ten-
dency to shift its position as I had.

Instead of feeling a womanly pride in the
possession of an abundant wardrobe, I ruefully
wished most of it had been left behind, more
especially as the stage company charged a dollar
for each pound of its weight. The combined

42 CAVALRY LIFE.

amount of this and my stage fare was just two
hundred and fifty dollars. As my fare by
steamer had been exactly that amount, I had,
before reaching my husband, disposed of five
Imndred dollars, in return for whicli five seem-
ingly endless days and sleepless niglits of tire-
some travel had been endured, together with
many bumps and bruises.

One of the objects I have in writing these
adventures is to show how an army officer is
compelled to part with all he obtains from the
government in paying expenses incurred bj' end-
less journeys through newly settled countries.

But to resume our ambulance trip. As night
approached the motion ceased, and I doubt if
mortal was ever more amazed than I when told
we were to go no farther. Not a sign of habi-
tation was in sight ! Nothing but broad plains
surrounded us on all sides ! Not even a tree
could be seen, and the four mules had to be
hitched to our ambulance wheels, as tiny bushes
were not, of course, available for such a pur-
pose. A fire was made of grease- wood, a piece

CAVALRY LIFE. 43

of bacon broiled on the coals, and a huge pot of
coffee served in quart tin cups, which is the
only way soldiers condescend to drink it, as no
less amount will suffice, coffee being their great-
est solace on long marches.

That, my first real experience in camping out,
was indeed novel. The knowledge that except
one tiny dot in the wilderness — our ambulance
— we had no resting-place, gave me a curiously
homeless feeling that was indeed cheerless.

When, a little later, we sought our couch, it
proved to be anything but downy. My trunk
and the forage had been taken out, and the
seats, always made as in a sleeping-car so that
the backs let down, formed the bed. It was
not, however, altogether uncomfortable, as we
had plenty of blankets.

Soon after falling asleep I was awakened by
what seemed to be a complete upheaval of our
couch. I was thoroughly terrified and pre-
pared for almost anything; but examination
showed that our alarm was caused by one of
the mules, that had worked his way under our

44 CAVALRY LIFE.

ambulance, and in attempting to rise had almost
upset it. A readjustment of the lines hy which
a mule was tied to each wheel somewhat re-
assured me ; but those playful attempts to either
upset or drag our extemporized couch in any
direction in which the mules felt inclined to go,
resulted in our passing a restless night. Some-
times one mule would be seized with an am-
bitious desire to break away ; this w^ould rouse
the other three, who would each in turn attempt
to stampede, and but for the driver's timely
assistance it is difficult to state what might
have happened, as our vehicle was not suf-
ficiently strong to withstand such violent
wrenches.

When morning dawned we resumed our
march, and great was my joy on learning that
we would have four walls around us during the
two succeeding nights. I was, however, rather
startled to find myself disturbing so many that
evening, for when we reached the little log hut
that was to shelter us, it proved to be, though
but eighteen feet square, the abode of ten men.

CAVALRY LIFE. 45

In all the log cabins at which we stopped a bed
occupied one corner of their only room. Those
beds were, of coui-se, only rough bunks of un-
planed pine timber; but by reason of being
raised above the mud floors formed very de-
sirable resting-places.

The almost chivalrous kindness of frontiers-
men has become proverbial with women who
have traveled alone in the far West, where the
presence of any member of the sex is so rare
the sight of one seems to remind each man that
he once had a mother, and no attention which
can be shown is ever too great. When, there-
fore, our hosts saw my reluctance to deprive
them of wliat must have been occupied by at
least two of their number, they assured me I
would confer a favor by accepting the proffered
hospitality. Althougli shrinking from the prox-
imity of so many men, yet remembering my
shaky bed of the previous night, I was glad to
find refuge behind the improvised curtains
which they deftly arranged.

It seemed indeed odd on this and succeeding

46 CAVALRY LIFE.

nights to see huge, stalwart men preparing food,
baking the inevitable biscuits in Dutch ovens
over the coals in open fireplaces, and being so
well pleased if we seemed to enjoy what was
placed before us.

Our next day's journey was diversified by the
discovery that our vehicle was like the famous
one-horse shay, likely to drop in pieces ; indeed,
we had twice to send back several miles for the
tires, which had parted company with their
wheels. Such a condition of our conveyance,
coupled with several other mishaps, led us to
feel very dubious as to our destination being
eventually reached in safety.

On arriving at the cabin in which our third
night was to be passed, we found it occupied by
fifteen men. As usual, we were ensconced in
the only bed. I tried to feel doubly protected,
instead of embarrassed, by the vicinity of so
many men ; nor did I consider it necessary to
peer about in an effort to learn how they dis-
posed of themselves. I well knew it was too
cold to admit of any sleeping outside. Being

CAVALRY LIFE. 47

startled by some noise in the night, I drew back
the curtains, and looked on a scene not soon to
be forgotten. Not only were the men ranged in
rows before us, but the number of sleepers had
been augmented by at least six dogs, which had
crept in for shelter from what I found in the
morning was a severe snow-storm, that covered
the ground to tlie depth of ten inches or more.

Ou the last day of that long journey I arose,
feeling particularly happy at the prospect of
soon reaching our destination ; and even the
sight of snow did not disconcert me, as I rea-
soned that we were to ride in a covered vehicle,
and with only twenty miles to travei*se had
nothing to fear.

Though all might have gone well had our
ambulance been strong, but \>wo miles of the
distance had been covered when we sank in an
enormous snow-drift. Our mules had wandered
from the road into a deep gully, and in trying
to pull us out succeeded in extricating only
the front wheels of the wagon, so farther prog-
ress in that vehicle was quite impossible. Noth-

48 CAVALRY LIFE.

ing could be done except call upon our friends
of the past night for assistance, which they
promptly rendered, sending us their only wagon
— an open, springless one — which seemed so
exposed they begged me to return to the cabin.
But my anxiety to reach our journey's end was
by that time so great I would have tried to
walk could no other mode of procedure have
been found.

So, seated in the very center of the wagon,
Avith as much protection as our blankets could
afford, we rode the remaining eighteen miles,
snow falling continually and rendering it im-
possible to distinguish the road. Travel under
such conditions, and especially in a spiingless
conveyance, made our previous jaunt over
mountains fade into insignificance.

The day seemed endless ; and though at first
I kept shaking off the snow, yet when we
reached our destination, after riding for twelve
long hours, I had become so worn and weary
as to no longer care, and was almost buried
beneath it.

CAVALRY LIFE. 49

It is always the last straw which breaks the
camel's back, and that, the last day of our jour-
ney, was the firet on which I had felt discour-
aged ; in spite of constant efforts I finally
succumbed to our doleful surroundings, and
in tears was lifted out and carried into what
proved to be my home for the next year.

60 CAVALRY LIFE.

CHAPTER II.

When courage to look around had at last
been mustered, I found that my new home was
formed of two wall tents pitched together so
the inner one could he used as a sleeping and
the outer one as a sitting room. _ A calico cur-
tain divided them, and a carpet made of barley
sacks covered the floor. In my weary state of
mind and body the effect produced was far from
pleasant. The wall tents were only eight feet
square, and when windowless and doorless ex-
cept for one entrance, as were those, they
seemed from the inside much like a prison.

As I lay in bed that night, feeling decidedly
homesick, familiar airs, played upon a very good
piano, suddenly sounded in my ears. It seemed
impossible that there could be a fine musical
instrument such a distance from civilization,

CAVALRY LIFE. 51

particularly when I remembered the roads over
which we had come, and the clinster of tents
that alone represented human habitation. The
piano, which I soon learned belonged to our
captain's wife, added greatly to her happiness,
and also to the pleasure of us all, though
its first strains only intensified my homesick
longings.

This lady and myself were the only women
at the post, which also included, besides our
respective husbands, the doctor and an unmar-
ried first lieutenant. The latter, as quarter-
master and commissary, controlled all supplies,
and could make us either comfortable or the
reveree, as he chose.

Shortly afterward another company of sol-
diers, embracing one married officer and two
unmarried ones, joined us; but at first our troop
of cavalry was all. The men, instead of living
in tents, were quartered in dugouts, which, as
their name implies, were holes dug in the
ground, warm enough, but to my unaccustomed
eyes places in which only animals should have

52 CAVALRY LIFE.

been sheltered, so forbidding and dingy did
they seem. The soldiers were not, however,
destined to spend the summer in such accom-
modations, for by that time very comfortable
barracks had been erected.

As everything in the life I then led was
new and strange, and surroundings have always
powerfully influenced me, I took note of many
things which it seemed should have been rem-
edied. One which greatly troubled me was
the power extremely young officers exercised
over enlisted men. If the latter were in the
least unruly, most fearful punishment awaited
them, which in my opinion was not commen-
surate with the offense, but depended entirely
upon the mercy and justice of the offender's
superior officer, who usually but a boy himself
had most rigid ideas of discipline.

I have always noticed how years temper
judgment with any one in authority, and thus
have come to believe that no very young man is
capable of wielding it. Situated as we were in
tents, so the slightest sound could be heard, we

CAVALUr LIFE. 63

were made aware of all that transpired outside.
When an enlisted man transgressed some rule
and was severely punished, I always became
frantic, for his outcries reached my ears, and
I recognized the injustice and impropriety of
some mere boy exercising cruel authority over
any man old enough to be his father.

Methods have completely changed in the
anny since that time, and I am glad to state
that for man}^ years past such scenes as then
wrung my heart have been unknown; but in
those days our military organization was so
crude many things were permitted which are
now scarcely remembered by any one. Our
soldiers, recruited from the Pacific coast, then
famous for the demoralized state of its poorer
classes, were indeed in need of firm discipline ;
but it required men with more experience than
those young officers possessed to wield it.

I always have had, and always shall have, a
tender, sympathetic feeling for American sol-
diers. In fact, most of the kindly help which
made life on the frontier endurable to me came

54 CAVALRY LIFE.

from those men. We were never able to pro-
cure domestic help ; it was simply out of the
question, and for years it would have been
necessary for me either to have cooked or
starved but for their ever-ready service.
. To cook in a modern kitchen, or even in an
ancient one, is not so dreadful ; but to cook
amid the discomforts and inconveniences which
surrounded me for many years would have been
impossible to any delicately nurtured woman.
I recall the delight with which an offer of help
from a soldier in that, my first effort at house-
keeping, was welcomed. Although I soon be-
came the slave of my cook's whims, because of
my utter inexperience and ignorance, yet his
forethought when the floor was soaked with
rain in always having a large adobe brick
heated ready to be placed under my feet Avhen
dining, will never be forgotten.

The greatest proof of devotion I ever received
was when tliat man, learning that the laundress
declined longer employing her services in our
behalf, saw me preparing to essay the task my-

CAVALRY LIFE. 55

self. To prevent that he rose sufficiently early
to do the work, and continued the practice so
long as we remained there, despite the fact that
it subjected him to ridicule from other soldiers ;
and so sensitive was he in regard to the subject
that I never unexpectedly entered the kitchen
while he was ironing without noticing his en-
deavors to hastily remove all trace of such
occupation.

As the season was severe — the thermometer
during that and the succeeding winter fre-
quently fell to thirty-three degrees below zero
— a large stove had been placed in the outer
tent, and a huge fireplace built in the inner one.
A large pine bunk, forming a double bed, occu-
pied nearly all the spare space, and left only
just room enough in front of the fire to seat
one's self, and also to accommodate the tiniest
shelf for toilet purposes. It therefore required
constant watchfulness to avoid setting one's
clothing on fire; and among other ludicrous
occurrences was the following :

In our inability to find suitable places for

66 CAVALBY LIFJE!.

necessary articles, we were apt to use most in-
appropriate ones. On the occasion referred to,
a lighted candle had been placed on the bed,
where my husband seated himself without noti-
cing the candle. Soon arose the accustomed
smell of burning, and I executed my usual ma-
neuver of turning about in front of the fire
to see if my draperies had caught. The odor of
burning continued to increase, yet I could find
no occasion for it.

The cause, however, was discovered when I
leaned over the bed, and saw that a large hole
had been burned in the center of Mr. Boyd's
only uniform coat. He had been too intent on
shielding me to be conscious of his own peril.
It was an accident much to be regretted, for our
isolation was so complete that any loss, however
trifling, seemed irreparable by reason of our re-
moteness from supplies. A lengthened account
of our difficulties in procuring needed articles
during this and many subsequent years would
seem incredible.

I had been delighted to purchase, at the stage

CAVALRY LIFE. 57

station where we stopped previous to our one
hundred miles' ambulance trip, and for exactly
the amount of one month's pay, a modest supply
of dishes and cooking utensils. Prior to their
arrival we were happy to obtain our meals at
the house of the quartermaster's clerk ; yet I
looked eagerly forward to my first attempt at
housekeeping, and daily sought to induce our
quartermaster to send for the goods. At last
he informed us that they were on the way, and
then began tiresome efforts to have some sort of
kitchen and dining-room prepared.

All my entreaties resulted only in a number
of willows being stuck in the ground and cov-
ered with barley sacking. Even the door was
composed of two upright and two cross pieces
of willow covered with sacking ; a simple piece
of leather, wliich when caught on a nail served
as fastening and handle, was deemed sufficient
guard. The floor was primitive ground, and in
time, as it became hardened by our feet, was
smooth except where the water from above
wore it into hollows. No efforts of mine could

58 CAVALUT LIFE.

ever induce the powers that were to cover the
roof so as to exclude rain. At first some old
canvas was simply stretched over it ; but as the
roof was nearly flat this soon had to be replaced.
By degrees, as cattle were killed for the sol-
diers, we used the skins which were otherwise
valueless, lapping them as much as possible.
However, they formed no effectual barrier to
melting snow or falling rain, as later experience
proved, when it became only an ordinary occur-
rence for me to change my seat half a dozen
times during one meal.

Young people are not easily discouraged,
and I was very happy when informed that our
housekeeping goods had arrived and been placed
in the quarters prepared for them. An omi-
nous sound which greeted our ears as we opened
the boxes rather dismayed us ; but we were not
prepared for the utter ruin that met our eyes.
AVhat had not been so brittle as to break, had
been rendered useless and unsightly by having
been chipped or cracked ; and as we took out the
last piece of broken ware I concluded that what

CAVALRY LIFE. 69

was left might be sold in New York for a dol-
lar. On comparing the residue with the inven-
tory, we discovered that half the goods were
missing.

The articles had been bought from an army
officer who was changing stations, and were
not strictly what I should have chosen. Every-
thing, however, was useful there, and I was
rather pleased that we had duplicates of nearly
every article, although results showed that this
had tempted the freighters' cupidity, and they
had fitted themselves out with the primary sup-
ply; so when by breakages the secondary dis-
appeared, we had really nothing of any conse-
quence left. Bitterness was added to sorrow,
when of a dozen tumblers only the debris of six
were found. The common kitchen ware was
too solid to be shattered, but everything at all
fragile was in fragments.

The triumph with which we evolved from
the chaos a large wash-bowl and pitcher, which
though in close proximity to a pair of flat-irons
had escaped injury, was equaled only by our

60 CAVALRY LIFE.

chagrin when we found our little toilet shelf
too small to hold them, and were therefore
obliged to return to a primitive tin basin,
though hoping in time for enough lumber to
build accommodations which would allow us
the luxury of white ware.

I regret to state that the climate proved too
much for our large pitcher. One morning we
found it cracked from the cold to Avhich it had
been exposed in the out-door kitchen, in which
we were obliged to keep it. Our basin was
cherished ; but on the anniversary of our wed-
ding-day I nearly sank from mortification when
Mr. Boyd came into our tent, which was filled
with friends who had gathered to celebrate the
occasion, carrying the wash-bowl full of very
strong punch which he had concocted. No
thought of apologizing for our lack of delica-
cies occurred to me, but I felt compelled to ex-
plain, in the most vehement fashion, that the
wash-bowl had never been utilized for its obvi-
ous purpose ; in fact, this was the first period of
its usefulness.

CAVALRY LIFE. 61

My housekeeping was simplified by absolute
lack of materials. I had, as a basis of supplies,

, during that and the succeeding two years, noth-
ing but soldiers' rations, which consisted en-
tirely of bacon, flour, beans, coffee, tea, rice,
sugar, soap, and condiments. Our only luxury
was dried apples, and with these I experimented
in every imaginable way until toward the last
my efforts to disguise them utterly failed, and
we returned to our simple rations. I was un-
able to ring any changes on rice, for after Mr.
Boyd's experience with General Burnside's ex-
pedition off Cape Hatteras, the very sight of it
had become disagreeable to him.

We had at that time no trader's store within
two miles, which was a matter of congratula-
tion, for when we indulged our desire for any
change of fare, however slight, we felt as if eat-
ing gold. Nothing on the Pacific coast could

' be paid for in greenbacks ; only gold and silver
were used ; and when an officer's pay, received
in greenbacks, was converted into gold, a pre-
mium of fifty per cent always had to be paid.

62 CAVALUY LIFE.

That, added to frontier prices, kept us poor and
hungry for years. If we indulged in a dozen
eggs the price was two dollars in gold. If we
wanted the simplest kind of canned goods to
relieve the monotony of our diet, the equivalent
was a dollar in gold.

I had always disliked to offend any one ; but
remarking one day that the flavor of wild onions
which permeated the only butter we could pro-
cure, and for which we paid two dollars and a
half a pound, was not exactly to our taste, seri-
ously offended the person who made it. I quite
rejoiced thereat when she refused to supply us
with any more, feeling that a lasting economy
had been achieved without any great self-denial.
The taint of numerous kinds of wild herbs of
all sorts, during the many years of my frontier
life, always made both beef and milk as well as
butter unpalatable, especially in the early spring
season, and in Texas, where the flavor was
abominable.

There were so many motives for economy
that we rejoiced continually at our inability to

CAVALRY LIFE

procure supplies. First should be named the
fact that a lieutenant's pay, exceedingly small
at best, was, when converted into gold, just
eighty dollai*s per month. That- reality was
augmented by an utter inequality in the cost
of actual necessaries. We found, for instance,
that we must have at least two stoves — one
for cooking and the other for heating purposes.
Their combined cost was one hundred and
seventy-five dollars, although both could have
been bought in New York for about twenty dol-
lars. If we ever rebelled against such seeming
impositions, the cost of freight would be alluded
to ; and remembering what the expenses of my
poor solitary trip had been we were effectually
silenced.

Among the many amusing stories told on that
subject, none was more frequently quoted in
every frontier station than the retort of a He-
brew trader, who, when expostulated with on
account of the exorbitant charge of a dollar for
a paper of needles, vehemently replied ;

" Oh, it is not de cost of de needles ! It is
de freight, de freight ! "

64 CAVALRY LIFE.

So when obliged to purchase any article we
counted its cost as compared with the freight as
one to one hundred.

Shortly after we reached Camp Halleck, a
team was sent to Austin for supplies ; and
being sadly in need of chairs it was decided
that if we ordered the very strongest and ugliest
kitchen ones they would escape injuiy, and be
cheap. The bill was received before the team
returned, and to our dismay we found that the
six chairs cost just six dollars each in gold, or
fifty dollars in greenbacks. We tried to hope
they would be so nice that the price would
prove of slight consequence. But lo ! the
teamster brought but one chair, and that a
common, black, old-fashioned kitchen one.

When asked about the other five, the man
replied that the loads were so bad, our chairs,
having been placed on top of the load, were con-
tinually falling under the wheels, and finally,
broken in pieces, had been left to their fate.
We, however, suspected that they had served as
firewood. We frequently joked, after the first

CAVALRY LIFE. 65

pangs had worn away, over our fifty-dollar cliair,
claiming a great favor was bestowed upon any
one allowed to occupy it.

Reading matter was our only luxury, and the
weekly mail, always an uncertainty, was just as
apt to have been lightened of its contents in
transit, if the roads were at all heavy, as any
other package. We were never sure, therefore,
that we should be able to understand the next
chapters in serial stories, which were our
delight.

I remember being very much engrossed in one
of Charles Reade's novels, the heroine of which
was cast on a desert island, where I thought
only her lover's presence could reconcile her to
the absence of supplies. The story was pub-
lished in Every Saturday^ and at first came
weekly ; but after we had become most deeply
interested five weeks passed during which not
a single number was received, and we*were left
to imagine the sequel.

Several periodicals of a more solid nature al-
ways came regularly, which fact constrained us

66 CAVALRY LIFE.

to believe that we were furnishing light lit-
erature to the poor inhabitants of some lonely
stage station on the road ; and in that belief
we tried to find consolation for our own losses.
Rumors of the outside world grow dim in such
an isolated life ; we were unwilling to become
rusty, and hence read with avidity all printed
matter that reached us.

There were, however, other diversions. I
learned to play cribbage admirably ; and as
my husband was able to give me a good deal of
his time we found it a pleasant pastime. The
winter seemed well-nigh interminable, and we
longed for snow to disappear, intending then to
explore the whole country. I was such a novice
in the saddle that the steadiest old horse, called
" Honest John," was chosen for me ; and by the
time pleasant weather had come I was ready to
ride in any direction, having learned that my
steed was all his name implied.

We found the streams, so small and insignifi-
cant during the dry season, enlarged by melting
snows from the mountains; and they were not

CAVALRY LIFE. 67

only beautiful, as clear running water ever is,
but were filled with the most delicious spotted
trout, which on our fishing-trips we caught and
cooked on the spot, and whose excellence as
food simply beggars description.

Though the country remained almost as dreary
as in mid-winter, grass made some improve-
ment. The lovely wild-flowers, in endless
beauty and variety, were a ceaseless delight;
while our camp, situated on a lovely little
stream in a grove of cottonwood-trees, was far
more beautiful than I had ever imagined it
could be.

Unfortunately there were no trees to cast
their shade over our tents ; and as in mid-winter
we had suffered from intense cold, so in summer
we suffered from intense heat. The sun pene-
trated the thin canvas overhead to such an ex-
tent that my face was burned as if I had been
continually out>of-doors, or even more so, as its
reflected glare was most excessive. Then we
were almost devoured by gnats so small that
netting was no protection against them. I had

68 CAVALRY LIFE.

never before, nor have I ever since, seen any
insect in such quantities, nor any so troublesome
and annoying.

In after-years I became accustomed to the
most venomous creatures of all sorts, and in time
learned not to mind any of them ; but while
in Nevada I endured tortures from a colony of
wasps that took possession of the canvas over
the ridge-poles which connected the uprights of
our tents. At first we scarcely noticed them ;
but they must either have multiplied incredibly,
or else gathered recruits from all directions, for
soon they swarmed in countless numbers above
our heads, going in and out through the knot-
holes in our rough pine door, buzzing about
angrily whenever we entered hastily — in fact,
disputing possession with us to such a degree
that I dared not open the door quickly. When-
ever I did, one of the angry insects was sure to
meet and sting me. They remained with us
during the summer, and when we finally left
were masters of the field by reason of their su-
perior numbers.

CAVALRY LIFE. 69

I have often since wondered why we did not
dispossess them by some means, as they were
the terror of my life. One day while in tlie
inner tent, where I felt safe, dressing for break-
fast, I experienced the most intense sting' on
my ankle. The pain was so great I screamed,
doubly frightened because confident a rattle-
snake had bitten me, and too terrified to exer-
cise any self-control. My cries soon brought a
dozen or more persons to the scene, who found
a wretched wasp, and calmed my fears ; but my
nerves had been terribly shaken. Since then
I have met army ladies who live in constant
terror of snakes, tarantulas, and scorpions;
though no longer sharing their fears, I always
sympathize with them.

I soon became an expert fisher; and the
dainty food thus procured was a great addition
to our supplies. With all its drawbacks, life in
the open air then began to have many charms
for me.

We made friends with the neighboring ranch-
men, particularly those who were married, as

70 CAVALRY LIFE.

their wives interested us greatly, they were
such perfect specimens of frontier w^omen. At
first the rancheros were a little shy, but soon
made us welcome to their homes and festivities,
where we were always urged to remain as long
as possible. Gradually new arrivals — always
called " sister " or " cousin " — appeared at sev-
eral of the ranches, and soon a rumor gained
ground that though not exactly in Utah, the
Mormon religion prevailed to some extent in
our locality.

Another source of great interest was the
Piute and Shoshone Indians, who were so nu-
merous that I soon regarded red men as fear-
lessly as if I had been accustomed to them all
my life. They were deeply interested in us, at
times inconveniently so; for they never timed
their visits, but always came to stay, and would
frequently spend the entire day watching our
movements.

In one of their camps, several miles away, I
found a beautiful dark-eyed baby boy, to whom
I paid frequent visits, which were at first well

CAVALRY LIFE. 71

received. But one day I carried the child a
neat little dress — my own handiwork — and
before arraying baby in it gave him a bath,'
which evidently caused his mother to decide
that I had sinister designs upon her prize, for
on my subsequent visits no trace of the baby
could ever be found. Had his sex been differ-
ent I probably could have obtained complete
possession; but boys are highly prized among
the Indians.

We considered ourselves well repaid for a
ride of twenty miles by an India'n dance. It
was, of course, only picturesque at night, when
seen by the light of huge fires; then, indeed,
the sight was weird and strange ! On such an
occasion, when depicting so perfectly their war-
fare, tlie Indians seemed to return to their
original savage natures. Had it not been for
our fully armed escort we might have feared
for safety.

It was startling to see the Indians slowly
circle around their camp-fire, at first keeping
time to a very slow, monotonous chant, which

72 CAVALRY LIFE.

by degrees increased in volume and rapidity,
until finally their movements became fast and
furious, when savagery would be written in
every line of their implacable countenances. I
could then realize in some degree how little
mercy would be shown us should they once be-
come inimical ; but seeing them at all times so
thoroughly friendly made it difficult to think
of them as otherwise ; and therefore, when we
afterwards lived among the most savage tribes,
I never experienced that dread which has made
life so hard for many army ladies.

With the advent of early spring active prep-
arations were made to build houses for the
officers before the ensuing winter. We watched
their slow progress, hoping against hope that
we might occupy one of the cozy little dwell-
ings. All sorts of difficulties, however, seemed
to delay their construction, for good workmen
were as scarce as good food, and we found that
while anticipation and expectation were pleas-
ing fancies, realization was but a dream. All
our hopes were doomed to disappointment, for

CAVALRY LIFE. 73

we finally left the post on the following Janu-
ary, just one year after my arrival, with the
house we had longed to occupy still unfinished ;
thus I passed half of the second winter in our
two small tents.

74 CAVALRY LIFE.

CHAPTER III.

Meantime much had happened to make that
year an eventful one. My expectation of find-
ing the new, untried world into which I was
ushered a place where all were ready to meet
me with open hearts and hands had been com-
pletely shattered. The captain who commanded
our company, and the first lieutenant, had taken
a violent dislike to Mr. Boyd because he was
unaccustomed to the lack of discipline they
allowed ; and their almost unlimited powers en-
abled them to deprive us of much to which we
were justly entitled.

They were two of the most illiterate men
whom I have ever met ; and shortly after, when
the army consolidated, both found more fitting
occupation in a frontier mining town. I men-
tion this only to account for the unnecessary

CAVALRY LIFE. 75

hardships to which we were subjected. For
instance, when gardens were planted, and the
company was raising fine vegetables, we were
allowed neither to buy nor to use any, and had
to continue to live on rations.

But the most unkind treatment of all was
shown when my husband met with a severe
.accident. He was returning from a successful
fishing-trip when his horse — and a more un-
ruly mustang cannot well be imagined — fan-
cied some cause for fright, and began to buck
on the side of a steep hill. Mr. Boyd, deeming
discretion the better part of valor, jumped off,
and fell with his entire weight upon one leg,
fracturing it just below the knee. His compan-
ion decided to ride into camp, a distance of six
miles, for assistance, and a litter was at once
sent out. My husband lay there alone, helpless
and suffering, until long after dark, the coyotes,
or small wolves, coming around in droves, and
it was with the greatest difficulty he kept them
off by the use of both gun and pistol.

When he was brought into camp late at night.

76 CAVALRY LIFE.

my first remark was that I derived some com-
fort from the situation, inasmuch as he would
not be compelled to join an expedition which
had been for some time projected. Mr. Boyd
was to have been sent with an escort of twenty
men on a surveying party. That would have
kept him in the field all summer, and left me
entirely alone.

The officer in command displayed his ma-
levolence by sending with the expedition the
soldier who had volunteered to wait on us,
thus leaving me without the slightest assistance
in caring for my husband. The doctor was ex-
ceedingly kind and good, and I could obtain
my meals where we had on my first arrival;
but I was obliged to carry Mr. Boyd's food
quite a long distance, and perform every sort
of hard, menial labor — even chopping wood ;
for nights, lying unable to move, my husband
would become chilly and need a fire.

Many other hardships were entailed, and I
was quite worn out with working and nursing,
when, in a month's time, Mr. Boyd was able to

* CAVALRY LIFE. 7T

walk on crutches. However, the accident had
given me his society for the entire summer, at
which I rejoiced exceedingly ; for I had often
wondered what I should do if left alone, friend-
less as I felt myself to be.

At that time the whole army was in a chaotic
state, especially on the Pacific coast, where
California volunteers, though brave and hardy
men, w^ere totally unaccustomed to military dis-
cipline, and the officers not of a character to
enforce it. The wild lawlessness which had
made California a place of terror, and that had
only been subdued by the vigilance committee,
was still extant, and many occurrences during
our first year of army life showed there were
desperadoes among us.

Had the officers in command been gentlemen,
at least a semblance of respect would have been
shown; but the enlisted men, treated by their
officer exactly as they had been while both
were volunteers, were disposed to dislike a man
who after four years of rigid training at West
Point had grown accustomed to discipline and
was disposed to exact it.

78 CAVALRY LIFE.

The first duty which called my husband from
home was an expedition after some horses that
had been sent to Camp McDermott, a distance
of about two hundred miles. He took with
him ten men, and experienced very little diffi-
culty in managing them while going; but re-
turning, with twenty extra horses, the soldiers
were in a lawless state, disposed to be unruly,
and would become intoxicated whenever liquor
could be had. Despite the fact that water was
obtainable only at the stations en route., Mr.
Boyd made a practice of procuring in casks all
that would be needed, and marching a few
miles beyond the stations, so as to prevent
liquor being obtained ; for in all those places,
although water might be scarce, a barrel of the
vilest whisky could always be found.

The plan worked well for the first hundred
miles ; but one night the men stole back to the
station and insisted that liquor be given them.
Mr. Boyd always warned station-masters of the
extreme danger of allowing his men to have
whisky, as with so many horses the services of

CAVALRY LIFE. 79

all were required ; but that day some had been
procured from an unknown source, and they
were determined to have more. The station-
master refused to furnish it, and barricaded his
door so that no one could enter.

The men were infuriated ; and just as my
husband arrived on the scene one of them
rushed madly against the door and forced it
open, only to be met by a ball from a pistol
fired by some one inside the room, which killed
him instantly. That sobered the rest, who
obeyed the order given to carry their dead com-
rade back to the encampment. Fearing further
disturbance my husband broke camp and trav-
eled till daylight, when finding the already
over-loaded wagon much encumbered by the
dead body, which had repeatedly slipped off, he
stopped and buried it by the roadside. After
that he had no trouble, as the men were com-
I^letely subdued.

On their return to camp the entire story was
related to me; and knowing how great Mr.
Boyd's anxiety had been, I fully expected he

80 CAVALRY LIFE. '

would be commended, if not rewarded. Instead
of that he was actually called to account, prin-
cipally for burying the dead soldier by the
roadside, which the commanding officer seemed
to consider wrong, when to have traveled so
many days with the body uncoffined would
have been quite impossible.

I was highly diverted by the efforts my hus-
band made to procure presents for me, and shall
never forget the peculiarity of his gifts. In
passing through Austin at one time he endeav-
ored to buy fruit, as we missed it greatly, and
deemed a box of apples at only one dollar a
dozen a marvelous bargain, as three dollars
had been paid for those previously purchased.

On another occasion Mr. Boyd had yielded to
the temptation to buy a sewing-machine, which
he thought would please me very much, as in-
deed it Avould had I been able to use it ; but
the machine was entirely out of order and rep-
resented nothing in the way of usefulness, un-
less a month's pay which it had cost might be
so considered.

CAVALRY LIFE. 81

Another present was of a more noisy sort.
Knowing that I had never seen a " burro," Mr.
Boyd was induced to buy one for me because
it was cheap and so docile a child might ride it.
The latter it certainly proved to be ; but living
in tents, where every sound penetrated to our
ears, the animal became a perpetual nuisance ;
consequently, when one day he strayed away,
never to reappear, we were not sorry.

The brute was indeed small, but his voice
was a marvel of strength and volume, and his
bray resounded on all sides at the most inoppor-
tune moments. If military ordere were being
read, " Burro " kept up an accompaniment which
drowned all other sounds ; and in his apparent
loneliness, the poor fellow had a way of seeking
human companionship, and would appear at our
doorstep and lift up his voice in a manner that
made us feel the roof must rise above our heads
in order to allow the fearful sound to escape.
He afforded us a great deal of amusement, how-
ever, and all his antics were laughed at and
condoned.

82 CAVALRY LIFE.

About that time another troop of the regiment
was sent from Idaho, and we then enjoyed the
society of a very charming New York woman,
who accompanied her husband, and the fittings
of whose tent amused us much. This lady had
a large private fortune, yet she had not been
with us a month before, resigning herself to the
inevitable, she bent weekly over the wash-tub
and ironing-board, as help was not procurable ;
nor did this officer's wife find a treasure of a
soldier, as I had, Avho would volunteer to relieve
her of such unaccustomed drudgery.

Deciding that her tent would present a more
cheerful appearance if papered, all newspapers
received were, immediately after being read,
pasted on the walls. A preference was given
to illustrated journals, and it was very diverting
to inspect those pictures which reflected many
scenes of our former lives. How often the wish
was expressed that we could be as well sheltered
as were the servants in city homes, and my
friend frequently longed for as good a roof
overhead as had her mother's barn. A year of

CAVALRY LIFE. 83

such hardships sufficed ; at the end of that time
her husband resigned his commission, and for
many years they have been quartered in New
York City.

As the second winter of our camp life ap-
proached, we prepared in a measure for it by
procuring a larger heating stove ; but the stove
took up a great deal of room in our little tent,
and so was crowded into a corner, with the
result of constant danger from fire. I at-
tempted to keep account of the number of
times our tent had ignited and been patched
to cover the burned places. Mr. Boyd usually
built a fire very early, before going to his du-
ties, and on one memorable morning the entire
top of our sitting-room tent burned away, leav-
ing it quite uncovered.

My anxiety to live in a house was so great
that I calmly deliberated whether or not to call
for assistance ; but second thoughts concerning
the probable destruction of our belongings, and
the absurdity of expecting a house to immedi-
ately erect itself for our benefit, decided me. I

84 CAVALRY LIFE.

had really grown inured to fire, as one would
naturally become who was exempt from all per-
sonal danger ; for if the canvas had burned
away, open air and sky would have surrounded
us.

During all those months work had been ac-
tively prosecuted on the Union Pacific Rail-
road ; and as it was to approach us very closely,
we felt that not only would personal benefit
result therefrom, but it would bring an influx
of inhabitants into the country whicli must pro-
mote its prosperity through opening mines, irri-
gating and cultivating arable land, and so forth.
The latter, however, became problematical, as
it was found impossible to procure other labor
than Chinese on the railroad. The class of set-
tlers who occasionally appeared were of a rest-
less, nomadic sort ; and if they located on a
plot of land soon tired of the industry required
to make of the place a home.

The chief result of the increased population
was most noticeable in the number of accidents
which occurred both on the railroad and in our

CAVALRY LIFE. 85

neighborhood. The post doctor's services were
in almost daily requisition ; and as our hospital
was also a tent, and many of the injured were
carried there, my soul was harrowed by the
cries of wounded men which could not be stifled
in that clear atmosphere with nothing but can-
vas interveninor.

o

One of the young officer who knew my ter-
ror on that score, delighted in giving me exag-
gerated accounts of their sufferings, and used to
relate the most remarkable cases, whicli I fully
believed at the time, though later his deceit and
exaggeration were discovered. It seemed to me
that the frontier at best was a place where suf-
fering prevailed to a degree not commensurate
with the number of inhabitants.

We were very near the " white pine region,"
where an immense silver mine created great
excitement, the novelty of which pleased us al-
most as much as if we were to share in the ma-
terial benefits thereof.

Mr. Boyd's promotion to a first lieutenantcy,
which had been expected for many months, was

86 CAVALRY LIFE.

at that time received, and we hoped the railroad
Avould enable us to make the journey conse-
quent upon such promotion in greater comfort
than had been possible on our previous one.
Alas ! how bitterly we deplored the unalterable
fact so common in army life, that after having
endured severe hardships, and watched the ad-
vent of brighter days, as promised b}^ the approach
of a railroad and the completion of officers'
quarters, we were compelled to leave for distant
Arizona without sharing in any of the advan-
tages which would naturally follow.

My husband's promotion transferred him to a
company of the regiment stationed at Prescott,
Arizona Territory. We had first to reach San
Francisco, go from thence by sea to Southern
California, and then across into Arizona. One
beautiful morning, just a year from the time
of my arrival, we started for California. We
were glad to be able, instead of having to en-
dure the discomforts of a stage-ride, to strike
the railroad twelve miles from Camp Halleck.
The road had reached that point only a few

CAVALRY LIFE, 87

days before, and the rails having been newly
laid none but construction trains had passed
over it.

We were obliged to wait for a car until the
next morning, when a hospitable welcome was
given us by the engineer in charge, who with
his wife and family occupied the construction
train, and seemed most comfortable in their
movable home. They had every needful ar-
i*angement to make them so, for the cars, two in
number, were roomy as possible. The first car
was divided into an admirable kitchen and din-
ing room, which were presided over by a Chi-
nese cook ; the second into sitting and bedrooms
so arranged that they were cozy and com-
fortable.

Our only, fear was of the possibly infested
atmosphere, for we were told that smallpox
had broken out among the Chinese railroad
employees, and was prevailing to an alarming
extent. A delightful day and night were, how-
ever, passed with our new friends, who shared
with us their sleeping accommodations, Mr.

SS CAVALBY LIPH.

Boyd rooming with the engineer and I with his
wife. At nine o'clock next morning we left
them, feeling very grateful for the kindness
received.

Our gratitude was in no wise lessened, though
our fears were increased, when the following
day a telegram overtook us which stated that
our engineer friend had succumbed to small-
pox. He recovered from the disease perhaps
sooner than we did from our panic : so great an
exposure was at a most inconvenient time, for,
like Joe, we had to "move on."

I was astonished to find that the car w^hich
was to take us farther West was only the caboose
or freight car of an ordinary train ; and when,
having climbed into the huge side opening, the
steps were taken away, leaving us high and dry,
' the prospect was far from encouraging. There
was no accommodation for comfort of any sort,
and only rough benches for seats. The car,
too, was filled with railroad employees, and the
atmosphere soon became intolerable. The road-
bed was so new and the jolting so alarming, I

CAVALRY LIFE. 80

concluded a stage-ride would have been prefer-
able, as we could at least have seen what was
before us.

We stopped frequently, yet were so far above
the ground I dared not descend, and, in fact,
there was no special occasion to do so, for we
rode until three the next morning before reach-
ing a place where a mouthful of food could be
obtained. Having anticipated when once on
the railroad to travel so rapidly that we need
make no preparations beforehand, our ride of
eighteen houi*s in covering less than fifty miles
was not only unexpected, but almost unendur-
able from hunger and fatigue. When at three
o'clock in the morning a stopping-place was at
last reached I was quite exhausted. Food and
rest were found there, and best of all a civilized
sleeping-car, in which we went on to Sacramento.

The journey through Nevada seemed incredi-
bly swift. As we crossed the Sierra Nevada
mountains and passed through twenty-five miles
of snow-sheds, which cut off the view just as
one began to enjoy it, I felt almost glad to

90 CAVALRY LIFE.

have taken what had become so completely a
memory of the past — a stage-ride over those
grand old mountains.

It was wonderful to observe the marked dif-
ference in vegetation between Nevada and Cali-
fornia. Just as soon as we readied the Pacific
coast exquisite green verdure contrasted so fav-
orably with Nevada's arid desolation as to cause
one to feel as if in a veritable '' land of prom-
ise." The refreshment to our weary eyes after
a year of absence from such scenery was a source
of the greatest imaginable pleasure. Then to
cover in a few short hours the same distance
which had previously required five weary days
and nights was not the least of our many causes
for gratitude. When Sacramento was reached,
the exquisite beauty of the country was so
great we felt that all the encomiums California
' had ever received were fully warranted.

The next day we arrived in San Francisco,
and once more felt civilized.

CAVALliY LIFE. 91

CHAPTER IV.

My husband's first duty was to report to the
commanding general, who gave him permission
to remain there for two months, promising to
place him on duty in order that he might re-
ceive full pay and allowances. That seemed a
very great boon until we found the duty con-
sisted in Mr. Boyd's being ordered five hundred
miles away to inspect some horses, which left
nie utterly lonely in a strange city.

The place to which he was sent could be
reached only by water, and the steamers sailed
weekly both going and returning, so I felt par-
ticularly forlorn, knowing he could not be back
for at least ten days. When the first return
steamer reached San Francisco without him I
was in despair, and indeed with reason. I had
already found the tender mercy of a boarding-

92 CAVALBT LIFE.

house keeper to be all it is generally repre-
sented.

That night our little daughter was born, and
a facetious friend telegraphed to my husband :
" Mother and child are doing well," thus leav-
ing the sex to be conjectured, which caused bets
to be made by such officers as were always glad
of an excuse to bet on any chance.

But, indeed, " mother and child " were not
doing well. A veritable Sairy Gamp had taken
possession of both: my own sufferings were
almost intolerable, while I felt sure the poor
little baby was being continually dosed. The
nurse weighed nearly three hundred pounds,
and at night when she lay down beside me her
enormous weight made such an inclined plane
of the bed that I could not keep from rolling
against her ; and slie snored so loudly that not
only was it impossible for me to sleep, but for
any one else on the same floor. The sounds
were not at all sedative in their effects, and I
spent the nights praying for morning.

My baby, too, was so restless that her posi-

CAVALRY LIFE. 93

tion had to be frequently changed; and when
the nurse was awakened she treated me exactly
as if I were a naughty child, and so completely
cowed me by her roughness that I dared offer
no remonstrance, but simply endured.

Matters went on thus for several days until
some of the kind ladies in the house interfered 5
but not before I had been left entirely alone
the night our little one was a week old, and
was found unconscious with baby screaming so
loudly that every one in the house was aroused.

The good old days are not so much to be de-
plored when we consider that the nurse Avas a
fair specimen of her class, and had no hesitancy
in asking foi-ty doUai's a week for the services
she rendered. Now that trained nurses are to
be found everywhere, such creatures are un-
known. Instances of her cruel conduct might
be multiplied, but it is unnecessary.

As usual I was tormented by fears on the
score of expense, as all supplies were most ex-
orbitant in price. The increase in rank had
added only one hundred dollars a year to my

94 CAVALRY LIFE.

husband's pay, and the hind of fruitful abun-
dance in which we then were was ahnost as
costly, so far as living expenses were concerned,
as the frontier, and under the circumstances
far more so.

After two steamers * had arrived without
bringing Mr. Boyd, I grew so restless under
the care of such a nurse that the determination
to discharge her was formed ; yet sufficient
courage to do so was not summoned until after
the arrival of my husband, five days before our
baby was three weeks old.

We then essayed to minister to baby's wants
ourselves, and some of the. attempts were ludi-
crous. Having seen the nurse give the child
paregoric, once, when she cried desperately, I
poured out a teaspoon ful, and while my hus-
band held baby, tried to make her swallow it.
Had not the drug in its raw strength nearly
strangled her, we would, undoubtedly, have
murdered our dear little infant.

That was not the only experiment we tried,
and looking back I pity the poor child with all

CAVALRY LIFE, 95

my heart. Our anxiety to improve her appear-
ance was so great that whatever we were ad-
vised to do wiis attempted. I cut off baby's
eyelashes one day to make them grow thicker ;
and when she was a little older, while we were
in Arizona, I found her father pressing that
dear little nose between the prongs of a clothes-
pin to better its shape. She resented such
treatment, and her cries filled me with indigna-
tion, for at least my experiments had all been
painless.

The day after Mr. Boyd's return, notwith-
standing the commanding general's promise
that we should remain in San Francisco until
May, orders were received to proceed immedi-
ately to Arizona. It never occurred to my hus-
band that he should dispute the order, nor to
me that I could remain for a time in California.

After a couple of days spent in purchasing
needful supplies and hunting the city over for
a servant, we took steamer for Wilmington in
Southern California. The trip occupied two
days, and as we kept very near the coast,

96 CAVALRY LIFE.

choppy seas made me extremely seasick and
miserable. I was so thin and pale as to excite
the sympathies of all who saw me. The doctor
had said that the change would benefit me,
while, perhaps, I could not improve if left in
California. His prediction might have proved
true had not the journey been so fearfully liard.
Baby was exactly three weeks old the day we
reached Los Angeles, from which place we were
to start on our long interior ride.

Nothing can be more beautiful than were the
surroundings of that town. As we drove in
from Wilmington the air was odorous with the
perfume of orange blossoms; and trees, heavy
with their loads of ripening fruits of different
kinds, overshadowed our road. I have never
cared for oranges since eating those brought
me still clinging to their branches : no packed
fruit can compare with such in flavor and
lusciousness.

Having been housed so long I enjoyed to
the full the flowers that bloomed on all sides,
making a perfect paradise of the spot. My

CAVALRY LIFE. 97

recollections of California, for I have never
seen it since, are most delightful, and I deem
any one fortunate who has a settled home there.

That part of Southern California is particu-
larly favored, and my recollections of the five
days consumed in traveling toward the East are
among the pleasantest of my life. We stopped
every night at some ranch, where the occupants
not only received us kindly, but where our eyes
could feast on glorious scenery, which combined
with the liberal creature comforts that were en-
joyed, left little to be wished for.

I longed to remain in Los Angeles ; but we
were obliged to hurry on in compliance with
military orders, and also for another reason.
An entire day spent in San Francisco hunting
for a servant had only resulted in procuring a
Chinese boy twelve years old. No woman
could be induced to go to Arizona. First,
because no church was there. Second, and
mainly, because many Indians were.

Even the mercenary Chinese had never
dreamed of passing into so dangerous a region ;

98 CAVALIiY LIFE.

and when on reaching Los Angeles my little
servant naturally exchanged confidences with
those employed in the hotel, such a tale of
horrors — principally in the shape of Indian
cruelties — was told the boy, that he was terri-
fied beyond belief, and fairly shook with an-
guish and fear when informed that he must
accompany us. Evidently believing that his
long queue would prove an additional induce-
ment for the Indians to scalp him, he was deter-
mined to escape at all hazards. Our little
servant could be kept from running away only
by locking him up ; he was not released until
we were ready to step into the wagon, and a
more woebegone face I have never seen.

It is to this day an historical fact, both in
Arizona and New Mexico, that we took the first
Chinaman into those States which now swarm
with them, and where only recently they were
boycotted.

For some reason unknown to us, we were
refused proper transportation — an ambulance
and four mules with diiver. A small, two-

CAVALRY LIFE, 99

seated vehicle and span of horses had instead
been provided, which when loaded with, our
most needed articles presented a strange
appearance. A mattress and blankets were
strapped on the back, and over those a chair.
The inside was simply crowded with an array
of articles demanded by our long journey. We
had not only all necessary clothing, but as
much food in a condensed shape as could be
taken ; there was no room for luxuries. Our
first care was to })e well armed, as we were
going among hostile Indians, a fact I could
scarcely realize ; therefore our vehicle held, in
addition to all else, a gun, two pistols, and
strapped overhead my husband's two sabers,
which he required when on duty.

Some premonition, which perhaps was the
result of past experience, made me careful to
select all we might need for future as well as
present use in the way of clothing. It proved
a wise precaution, for the remainder of our bag-
gage, including all household goods, which we
had left in the hands of freighters, was seized

100 CAVALBT LIFE.

for their debts on the borders of California, and
not permitted to cross into Arizona until means
to liquidate the men's obligations had been
found. It took just six months to do that, dur-
ing which time we waited for our property.

With my usual docility in accepting advice
concerning baby, I had followed the suggestion
of an army paymaster's wife, who considered a
champagne basket the proper receptacle for an
infant when traveling. Never was advice given
which proved more useful or beneficial. If with
all the other hardships of that journey I had
been compelled to hold baby day after day, not
only would I have been far more fatigued, but
she far less comfortable. Cradled in that basket,
the motion of our carriage acted as a perpetual
lullaby, and the little one slept soundly all the
time, waking only when progress ceased. The
basket was tightly strapped to the front seat ^
beside my husband, who drove, while I sat on •
the back one with our little Chinaman.

CAVALRY LIFE. 101

CHAPTER V.

The time-honored " babes in the woods "
could not have started on their pilgrimage with
more childlike simplicity than did my husband
and myself. The first five days, through the
most beautiful country imaginable, were li]ce a
pleasure trip, and little prepared us for the hard-
ships which followed. The roads were good, the
scenery superb, and each night we were most
hospitably entertained by some kind family.

Besides good food and comfortable beds, con-
siderable advice as to the treatment of baby was
thrown in giutuitously. It seemed all the more
necessary just then, for although during the en-
tire trip our little one slept sweetly through-
out the day, no doubt lulled to rest by the
motion of the vehicle, when night came she
was tortured by that baby's enemy — colic. As

102 CAVALRY LIFE.

a cure, we kept adding to her coverings, until
no one could have dreamed that the tightly
strapped and blanketed basket contained a hu-
man being. Many were the comments of sur-
prise when the child was exhumed from her
manifold wrappings. If the custom of traveling
by carriage long distances was not almost ob-
solete, I should advise all young mothers to try
the basket plan. Not only was baby perfectly
comfortable, but the saving of my strength was
great, and that alone enabled me to survive the
journey.

We passed the celebrated Cocomungo Ranch,
with its beautiful vineyards and delicious wines,
and many other spots, then unoccupied lands,
which have since become populous towns. On
the fifth day Camp Cady, where we expected
to take final leave of civilization and enter the
California desert, was reached. The camp was
garrisoned by a detachment of only twenty
men, and but two could be spared as an escort
for us. Even then the wife of the officer in
charge demurred, saying ;

CAVALUY LIFE. 103

"Suppose the Indians should attack us?
What could we do with only eighteen men ? "

When during subsequent weeks I fully real-
ized the dangers we were encountering, her re-
mark was frequently recalled. Certainly two
men were not sufficient to protect us from
Indians.

Immediately after leaving Camp Cady we
descended into a small canon, and on emerging
therefrom found ourselves dragging through
deep sand, which continued for miles and was
wearisome in the extreme. Our horses plodded
along, and the monotony of desert travel was
thoroughly established. Only eighteen miles
were covered that day, yet it took ten hours, as
we dared not urge the horses through such deep
sand. '

Our first encampment was a memorable one.
Like all desert travelers, we did not stop on
account of having reached an oasis, but simply
because our horses could go no farther. I
wondered then, as on our previous journey, why
the particular spot at which we stopped had been

104 CAVALBY LIFE.

selected. It always seemed to me that we
might have gone on ; but that was not a com-
mon-sense view — merely an eager desire to
hasten toward home.

I never knew why we had no tent of any
kind, not even the tiny shelter tent with which
every soldier is supposed to be provided on all
journeys ; I do, however, know that we had not
a stitch of canvas of any sort, and that baby
was awakened every morning by the glaring
sun shining full in her face. As the sun on
the desert sand is reflective, we soon learned to
dread it extremely.

I wish it were possible to impress others with
the sensation those camps invariably produced
upon me ! Usually occupying as a spectator
a passive position, I sat apart and watched the
blazing fire and the figures of the men sharply
defined against its light as they prepared sup-
per, and then, peering into the unfathomable dis-
tance of loneliness beyond and on all sides, I
indulged in all kinds of visions, none of which
were calculated to make me especially happy.

CAVALBT LIFE. 105

That night, however, the men who accom-
panied us pretended to be unequal to the task
of making ready our slight repast, and I essayed
for the first time in my life, and under the
greatest disadvantages, to cook an entire meal.
A strong wind was blowing, which drove the
smoke in my face and eyes. The more I tried
to avoid this, the more it seemed to torture me ;
while my utter lack of knowledge in all culi^
nary matters, especially when prosecuted under
such circumstances, was very trying. Baby
added to my misery by screaming with pain
from her usual attack of colic.

Want of space in our little wagon had com-
pelled us to forego all but the actual neces^
saries of life; and thus our bill of fare was
limited to bacon, hard tack, and a small supply
i of eggs, which, with coffee, was our only food
' during that desert travel of five days. I learned
to grill bacon and make excellent coffee, but
never to enjoy cooking over a camp-fire.

Bright and early, awakened by the sun shin-
ing full in our faces, we started on our seventh

106 CAVALRY LIFE.

day's journey, which proved almost exactly like
our sixth, yet closed with a tragic incident.
The horses were our pride and glory — they
were not only beautiful, but strong and useful.
Watching them as they carried us along so
swiftly and safely during the first five days
had been a real pleasure, and we had become
attached to the faithful animals.

On reaching Soda Lake at the end of our
seventh day's journey, and second after leaving
Camp Cady, we were not a little dismayed to
find that the horses were suffering quite se-
verely from the effects of their hard two days'
pull through the deep sand. On being unhar-
nessed, one immediately plunged into the lake,
and in spite of all efforts remained there. The
result may be conjectured. In his heated and
exhausted condition he foundered, and to our
great sorrow had to be shot.

That was a serious hindrance to our progress ;
but, fortunately, we had with us a pack-mule
laden with grain for the horses. Needless to
state he was relieved of his load, much of which

CAVALRT LIFE. 107

we left by the roadside ; the remainder, neces-
sary for the animals' sustenance, was placed in
our wagon, which rendered us still more uncom-
fortable. It would be difficult to tell what we
did with our feet, for not an inch of space on
the bottom of the wagon was unoccupied.

• We left Soda Lake with joy, as its alkaline
properties rendered the water useless for all
ordinary purposes, and a better supply was
longed for. During that entire desert journey,
until the Colorado River was reached, we had
not a drop of water that could quench thirst.
Both men and animals were to be pitied.

Our eighth day was dreadful in its manner
of progress. The pack-mule, quite unaccus-
tomed to harness, had no idea of bearing his
share of the burden, while our beautiful little
mare chafed in the company of such an un-
gainly creature, and seemed so desirous to be
rid of him that she did all the pulling. For
days our minds were occupied with the problem
of how to restrain her and urge on the mule.
Every effort to accomplish this only made mat-

108 CAVALRY LIFE.

ters worse, for it invariably resulted in the lat-
ter breaking into a clumsy, lumbering gallop
that was very ludicrous.

At length we left the deep sand and traveled
over the most level country imaginable. It
proved, however, even more dreary, for the
ground was white as snow with alkaline de-
posits. As far as the eye could reach, only an
endless, white, barren plain, unrelieved by even
a scrub bush, was visible. In all my frontier
life and travel I never saw anything so utterly
desolate as was that desert.

We found, after the first day of unmatched
steeds, that our little mare must be favored or
she too would die. It was therefore decided to
travel mainly at night. The ground was so
hard and white that the sun's reflection was
most dazzling. When, on the ninth day, we
encamped witli only our wagon to shade us
from its intense rays, I would have given almost
anything for the shelter a strip of canvas would
have afforded. Long before noon, and long
after, the pitiless sun poured down upon us,

CAVALRY LIFE. 109

until hands and faces were blistered; even poor
little baby had to be smeared with glycerine as
a preventive.

In that manner we traveled for two days
over the desert; and although the sun's heat
was almost unendurable, yet our only safety
lay in so doing.

We sfarted about sundown on the ninth
night, and reaching an old disused house about
midnight, prepared to capip. I had been so
tortured for several days and nights by the
absence of all shelter, that my husband readily
complied with the request to place our mattress
inside those old walls. The roof had long be-
fore disappeared: but it seemed good to be
once more in any sort of inclosure, and I lay
down very composedly. My sleep was, how-
ever, soon disturbed by the strangest sounds.
I awakened to find that a veritable carnival
was being held by insects, and the uncertainty
concerning their species was anything but
agreeable. Every imaginable noise could be
detected. I bore it silently as long as possible,

110 CAVALRY LIFE.

until confident I heard rattlesnakes, when in
great fear I hugged my baby closer, expecting
our last moments had come, yet hoping to
shield her from their fangs.

Such a night of wretchedness I hope never
again to experience. All kinds of horrible
sounds terrified me to such an extent that a
firm resolve was formed never to pass another
night in a place of whose inhabitants I was un-
aware. I am confident that every sort of ver-
min infested that old ruined house, and our
subsequent perils with visible foes gave me far
less anxiety.

Having learned to dread being a source of
extra trouble to Mr. Boyd on a journey which
taxed every energy of his mind and body, I
always endured everything quietly as long as
possible. That alone enabled me to go through
such a night of agony — interminable it seemed
at the time, but in . reality only a few hours, for
dawn soon came.

Midday again found us on our way ; and
when we began to descend into the Colorado

CAVALRY LIFE. Ill

basin, and caught sight of Fort Mojave's adobe
walls and the muddy banks of the river, we
felt as if the end of a hard journey had at last
been reached, and rejoiced exceedingly to see
friendly faces and receive a hearty welcome.
Knowing that each day's travel was bringing
us nearer home, we gladly crossed the river and
shook the dust of California from our feet.

112 CAVALRY LIFE.

CHAPTER VI.

FoKT MojAYE, at that time a mere collection
of adobe buildings with no special pretensions
to comfort, stood on the eastern bank of the
Colorado River. It seemed to me, except for
the extreme heat which made it an uncomfort-
able sleeping-place, a very haven of rest. The
muddy river sluggishly wound its way to the
gulf many miles below, and nine months of
the year the temperature of every place on its
banks was torrid. Fort Yuma, at its mouth,
was noted for being a veritable Tophet.

A yarn illustrative of the general opinion of
its climate is told of a soldier who ventured
out in the middle of a July day, and never re-
turned. Diligent search served only to discover
a huge grease-spot and pile of bones on the
parade ground.

CAVALRY LIFE. 113

Another tradition, very hackneyed to army
ears, is that of a soldier famous for his wicked-
ness, who, having died, reappeared, and was
seen hunting for his blankets; the inference
being that the warm place to which he had
been assigned was not hot enough for one ac-
customed to Fort Yuma's climate.

All ladies who have lived there supplement
these ridiculous tales with more credible ones.
It is quite true that eggs, if not gathered as
soon as laid, were sure to be roasted if the sun
shone on them. It is also a fact that those who
had leisure to do so spent the greater part of
their time in the bath, and Indians would re-
main in the stream for hours at a time, their
heads covered with mud as a protection from
the sun's rays.

I soon realized that not being obliged to re-
main in so warm a climate was a favor, and
rejoiced greatly when once more fairly en route^
although the two days had been very pleasantly
passed. We were furnished with a pair of
mules, so our poor little mare could be led the

114 CAVALRY LIFE.

remainder of the way, and Ave had as escort two
men who were sent into Arizona with the
weekly mails.

J Our first day's travel was pleasant ; but when
night came on we were alarmed at the number
of signal fires on all sides, which indicated the
near presence of hostile Indians. I shall never
forget the shock experienced when I first real-
ized that we Avere in danger from such a source.
The past year had so accustomed me to Indians,
that it seemed as if all tribes were harmless ;
yet the constant wariness of our escort soon
convinced me of the contrary.

The part of Arizona through which we were
then passing was such an agreeable contrast to
our weary desert journey that I thoroughly en-
joyed the beautiful pine lands; and the change,
as we ascended daily into more mountainous
regions, was delightful. Our second day from
Fort Mojave, and the twelfth of that long jour-
ney, however, considerably dampened my ardor.

The road had been rough from the start, but
nothing to be compared with what we then ex-

CAVALRY LIFE. 115

perienced. After a tedious ascent a long hill
was reached, seemingly miles in length, and
which must be descended amid boulders strewn
all over the road. I was compelled to walk,
with baby in my arms, picking my way as best
I could from one rock to another. The time
occupied in making the descent was three hours.
My fatigue can hardly be imagined.

The wagon wheels were lashed together by
ropes, which were held b}^ men on either side ;
and even then the vehicle fairly bounded on-
ward, each leap almost wrenching it asunder.
I expected every moment to see it lying in
ruins. That such was not its fate was entirely
due to the care Mr. Boyd and the men took
in guiding it safely between and over the
boulders.

No hill I have ever since seen was like that,
and no words are adequate to give any idea of
its horrors. I felt every moment as if a single
mis-step would launch my infant and self into
eternity, and wondered if I could survive the
fatigue, even if successful in placing my feet

116 CAVALRY LIFE.

carefully enough to escape the greater danger.
When finally our little company at the foot of
the hill was reached, I sank, completely ex-
hausted. Many days passed before I could step
without feeling the effects of that terrible
scramble in mid-air.

We had hoped to reach our destination in
four days after leaving Fort Mojave ; but each
day seemed longer than its predecessor, espe-
cially as dangers increased. Our second night
was spent in a military camp, and a detachment
of troops guarded the highway. I could no
longer doubt the necessity of exercising con-
stant vigilance against hostile foes.

Every animal in the temporary stables had
been maimed in some manner by Indians, who
would steal in under cover of darkness and
shoot whatever living thing they saw. The
men were always in peril, even in their tents;
and the officer in charge did not lessen in any
degree my uneasiness when he showed me how
his tent had been riddled in many places by
bullets. He was then recovering from the

CAVALRY LIFE. 117

effects of a wound received while pursuing
Indians.

We had breakfasted, and were about ready to
start next morning, when our attention was
called to Indians' footprints all over the garden-
spot which the troops had prepared for their
hoped-for supply of vegetables. Alas for the
poor people who in those days thought to
make fortunes out West ! No amount of energy,
perseverance, or endurance, to say nothing of
hardships bravely borne, could ward off the
cruel Indians.

Although it may be justly said that our deal-
ings with the red men were the primary cause
of all the suffering, yet could the hundreds of
settlers who lost their lives while endeavoring
to make homes for themselves in the West be
avenged, not an Indian would be left to tell
the tale. My heart was wrung during those
travels, when, every hour of the day, we passed
a pile of stones that marked a grave. Arizona
seemed to me a very burying-ground — a huge
cemetery — for men and women killed by
Indians.

118 CAVALRY LIFE.

In after-years I agreed perfectly with the
common army belief that attempting to settle a
ranch in either Arizona or New Mexico was
simply courting an inevitable fate — death at
the hands of ruthless Indians. History was
ever new in those regions, and kept ever repeat-
ing itself. I frequently heard it said, referring
to a comparatively recent settler ;

" Well, his time will surely come."

Whenever a ranch was in an exceptionally
isolated region, the sequel would be accelerated.
Indian horrors were every-day occurrences ; and
yet I never grew accustomed to them. Long
residence among those much-abused frontiers-
men taught me to feel that the early martyrs
suffered little in comparison with the constant
peril in which they lived.

But to return to our journey and its growing
dangers. A number of soldiers escorted us
through a perilous canon outside of the little
detachment post, where, at ten o'clock, our
officer friend reluctantly bade us adieu, saying
we were in great danger. Could his post have

CAVALRY LIFE. 119

been left with safety, he would willingly have
escorted us farther.

We rode on, feeling indeed very anxious, and
soon met a Major of the Eighth Cavalry, who
with an escort of sixteen men had been pep-
pered by Indians' bullets in a canon through
which we must pass the same day. As the es-
cort of two men with which we left Camp Cady
had not been augmented, our feelings may be
imagined. There was no alternative ; go on we
must.

I now see that we were then too young and
inexperienced to realize the dangers of our ter-
rible position. It was, however, soon under-
stood, and before entering the canon at six
o'clock that evening all warlike preparations
possible under the circumstances had been made.
A civilian had joined our party at Fort Mojave,
and thus there were three outriders. The two
sabres in our wagon overhead we took down
and unsheathed, so that, when thrust out on
either side, there seemed to be four weapons — ■
at least we hoped the Indians would think so.

120 CAVALRY LIFE.

and unless they came very close, the dim light
would favor our deception. The gun was
placed so it could be used at a moment's notice.
I held one pistol, and Mr. Boyd the other. The
soldiers, with their bayonets bristling, looked as
warlike as possible ; and altogether we relied
upon what eventually saved our lives — an
appearance of strength which we in nowise

We had been told that the Indians, at least
in that region, never attacked unless confident
of victory ; and we knew that unless they were
directly beside us, the appearance our wagon
presented, so covered they could not see its in-
terior, and seemingly full of weapons, would
indicate a well-armed party of men. Instead,
. there was one man, handicapped by the care
. of his team and the helpless nature of his
charges — a feeble woman, an infant, and a
diminutive heathen, who on perceiving the ac-
tive preparations being made for resisting what
he had so feared, became literally green with
terror and altogether useless.

CAVALRY LIFE. 121

The canon was so precipitous on both sides
that we seemed to be traveling between two
high walls. The rocks were of that treacherous
gray against which I had been told an Indian
could so effectually conceal himself as to seem
but a part of them. The entire region was
weird and awful. The sides of the canon tow-
ered far above us to almost unseen heights,
and as we slowly drove onward, our hearts
quivered with excitement and fear at the prol>.
ability of an attack.

We had proceeded some little distance and
were feeling considerably relieved, when sud»
denly a fearful Indian war-whoop arose. It
was so abrupt, and seemed such a natural out
come of our feai's, that only for repeated repeti-
tions I could have believed it imaginary,
Others, however, quickly followed, so no doubt
could be entertained of their reality. I had only
sufficient consciousness to wonder when we
should die, and how. I glanced involuntarily
at our Chinese servant, who was crouched in
one comer of the wagon in a most pitiable heap,

122 CAVALRY LIFE.

and then at our poor little baby, bundled in
many wraps and sleeping in her basket. All
were silent. No word was uttered, and no
sound heard but the lashing of the whip that
urged forward our mules. Although they fairly
leaped onward, yet we seemed to crawl. Cruel
death was momentarily expected.

At last, and it seemed ages, we were out of
the cafion and on open ground. Even then no
time was lost. The mules were still hurried
on. I have often thought that, like Tenny-
son's brook, we might have "gone on forever"
had not a large party of freighters soon been
reached, who were camping in front of a blazing
wood fire. Their presence gave us that sense
of companionship and security so sorely needed.
We joined them ; and while I sat in the blaze
of their fire, Mr. Boyd recounted our perilous
ride. The conclusion was reached that we had
been spared only because apparently so well
prepared to resist attack. Any doubts which
might have been entertained concerning the
presence of foes in the canon were dispelled
by what followed.

CAVALRY LIFE. 123

I crawled that night under a wagon, for my
nerves were too shattered to sleep without some
kind of shelter if it could be procured, and my
last waking thought was that our companions
for the night would have to pass next morning
through the same dangerous canon, their destina-
tion being California. They started first, and
one of the superintendents — there were two in
the party — foolishly disregarded our warning
and lagged behind. His mangled body was
afterwards found horribly mutilated on the
very spot where we had heard the Indians'
fearful yells.

It was a well-known fact that the savages
would lurk for days in one place, and if dis-
appointed by any party being too numerous
or well armed, would invariably later on de-
stroy some careless straggler* The freighters,
having escaped such dangers again and again,
would frequently become reckless, when they
were almost sure to finally fall victims to their
lack of caution.

124 CAVALRY LIFE.

CHAPTER VII.

Only two days were left in which to reach
our destination. The remainder of the road
was level, and no further danger from Indians
need be apprehended. Our next encampment
was at Willow Grove, a lovely wooded spot
where some of our own troops were stationed,
and but a short distance from what we supposed
was to be our home, at least for a time.

At last Prescott, then a mining-town, was
gained. Everything seemed delightful. Situ-
ated among the hills, surrounded by trees, and
with a most enjoyable climate, never very hot or
very cold, but bracing at all seasons, it would
indeed prove a desirable home to wanderers like
ourselves, and I fondly hoped we might remain
there.

We were warmly welcomed at the garrison,

CAVALRY LIFE. 125

which was situated half a mile from town.
There were but three houses in the post, and
all occupied. The houses contained onl}^ three
rooms each, and one of the officei*s kindly relin-
quished his room in my favor. The ladies were
very hospitable in providing me with nourishing
food, of which I was in great need.

Our dismay on learning that Mr. Boyd must
leave the next day to join his company, which
had been sent eighty miles distant to a post
called Camp Date Creek, may be imagined.
The movement was considered only temporary,
as the troop was permanently stationed at Pres-
cott; so, supposing that my husband might
return almost immediately, it was decided that
I should remain there.

All would have gone well had there been
suitable accommodations ; but no sooner had Mr.
Boyd left than the inspector-general, accompa-
nied by several other officers, arrived, and their
baggage was placed in the room I was occupy-
ing. There was no alternative but for me to
move into the adjoining room, an old, deserted

126 CAVALRY LIFE.

kitchen, which had for years past been the
receptacle of miscellaneous dehris.

My bed had to be made on the floor between
two windows, whose panes of glass were either
cracked or broken. An old stove, utterly use-
less, occupied the hearth. As the nights and
mornings were very cold I tried to build a fire ;
but the smoke, instead of ascending, poured into
the room in volumes, and compelled me to aban-
don the task as hopeless. I suffered far more
from the cold there than I had while on the
march, and longed for a camp-fire.

The kitchen was a perfect curiosity shop.
Garments of every imaginable kind, when no
longer of use to their owners, had evidently
been left there. An " old clothes man " would
have rejoiced at the wealth of rubbish. I
counted twenty pairs of boots and shoes, and
there were quite as many hats, coats, and nether
garments. The corners of that room were to be
avoided as one would avoid the plague. My
chair, which had been brought from California,
was planted in the only clean spot — the floor's
immediate center.

CAVALRY LIFE 127

I tried to imagine myself camping out, but
my surroundings were far less agi-eeable than
they would have been in that case, and which-
ever way my eyes turned, they met unsightly
objects. No one seemed to consider the situa-
tion unpleasant, so I simply resigned myself to
the inevitable.

After I had been living in that way for ten
days, the post surgeon came in and said :

" Mrs. Boyd, I have observed your disagreea-
ble plight if no one else has, and am exceed-
ingly sorry. I am ordered to Camp Date
Creek, and if you would like will escort you."

No farther words were needed. I was ready
to leave immediately ; and when told of the
disagreeables that would be encountered simply
laughed, I was so tired of homelessness.

Prescott was in such a healthy location as to
be a very desirable station, while Camp Date
Creek was low and malarious. The post sta-
tistics showed that eighty per cent of the men
were then suffering from fever. The extreme
heat and numerous supply of vermin were also

128 CAVALRY LIFE.

enlarged upon; but nothing daunted me, and I
went on my way rejoicing.

The journey was indeed very trying. The
road was principally a lava bed, and we were
fearfully jolted. I disliked making trouble, and
remember riding for miles, holding on to the
basket in which baby was lying, which had been
placed on the bottom of the vehicle at my feet.
To prevent the basket — precious contents and
all — from slipping out under the front seat, I
was obliged to cling tightly to it, and at the
same time firmly brace myself in order to keep
from being tossed about.

However, everything must have an end —
even such a journey. I was inexpressibly glad
to find a house once more over my head, and
to receive my husband's hearty welcome.

Army life is uncertain in the extreme, and
our detail proved no exception to the rule.
The troop was sent to Camp Date Creek for
a month, but it remained a year, until the
regiment left Arizona. The consolidation of
regiments was at that time being effected.

CAVALRY LIFE. 129

The infantry had been reduced from forty to
twenty-five regiments, which necessitated many
moves, and was tlie occasion for the detention
there of some troops until more infantry
arrived.

It was indeed a desolate and undesirable
locality. The country was ugly, flat, and inex-
pressibly dreary. The section stretching in
front of our camp was called " bad lands "
(mala pice). The only pretty spot at all near
was a slow, sluggish stream some miles away,
where no one dared remain long for fear of
malaria.

Our only associate was the doctor, and sub-
sequently, when a company of infantry arrived,
two officers ; but for at least six months of that
year I was the only woman within at least fifty
miles. I found, too, that housekeeping was a
burden ; for in all the travel from north to
south, and the reverse, through Arizona, every
one stopped en route. Before we left I felt
competent to keep a hotel if experience was
any education in tiie art. Even stage passen-

130 CAVALRY LIFE.

gers had frequently to be cared for, as in that
region it would have been cruel, when delays
occurred, to have permitted them to have gone
farther without food.

As usual, I had the help of a soldier ; but
unfortunately one who, when he found that too
much was likely to be required of him, took
refuge in intoxication ; then the entire burden
fell upon me. Our little Chinese boy proved a
treasure. He could wash and iron capitally,
excepting my husband's shirts and the baby's
clothes, the ironing of both of which came
upon me.

That year of my life was, in spite of many
hardships, a very happy one. I have often
since wondered how it could have been so, for
surely no one ever lived more queerly. The
houses were built of mud-brick (adobe), which
was not, as is usual, plastered either inside or
out. Being left unfinished they soon began to
crumble in the dry atmosphere, and large holes
or openings formed, in which vermin, espe-
cially centipeds, found hiding-places. The lat-

CAVALRY LIFE. 131

ter were so plentiful that I have frequently
counted a dozen or more crawlinor in and out

o

of the interstices. Scorpions and rattlesnakes
also took up tlieir abode with us, and one snake
of a more harmless nature used almost daily to
thrust his head through a hole in the floor. Al-
together we had plenty of such visitors.

In faithfully recording my experiences, hon-
esty compels me to state that although I have
encountered almost every species of noxious
and deadly vermin, from the ubiquitous rattle-
snake to the deadly vinageroon, my real trials
have arisen from the simpler sorts, such as
wasps, gnats, fleas, flies, and mosquitoes, which,
everywhere prolific, are doubly so on the fron-
tier. I think a kind Providence must have
watched over our encounters with deadly rep-
tiles, though nothing could save us from ordi-
nary pests.

Perhaps the most trying of all my experiences
was when we made our camp after dark. On
those occasions we would be almost certain
either to find that our tents had been erected

132 CAVALRY LIFE.

close beside a bed of cacti, to fall into whenever
we moved, or over an ant-heap of such dimen-
sions that cannot be conceived of by any one in
the East. The busy population of one of those
ant-hills was among the millions ; and evidently
each inhabitant felt called upon to resent our
intrusion, for soon we would be literally cov-
ered with the stinging pests. When our little
ones were the victims, as often happened, we
longed to live in a land where such creatures
were unknown.

But to return to a description of our home.
The house consisted of one long room, with a
door at either end, and two windows on each
side. The room was sufficiently large to en-
able us to divide it by a canvas curtain, and
thus have a sitting-room and bedroom. We
felt very happy on account of having a floor
other than the ground, though it consisted only
of broad, rough, unplaned planks, which had '
slirunk so that the spaces between them were
at least two inches in width, and proved a trap
for every little article that fell upon the floor.

CAVALRY LIFE. 138

The brown, rough adobe walls were very
uninviting, and centipeds were so numerous I
never dared place our bed within at least two
feet of them. The adjoining house, which was
vacant, I used for a dining-room. Our kitchen
stood as far away in another direction, so I
seemed to daily walk miles in the simple
routine of housekeeping duties.

The country was very desolate, and the dis-
mal cry of the coyotes at night anything but
enlivening. Those animals became so bold as
actually to approach our door, and one night
carried off a box of shoe-blacking. They evi-
dently did not care for that kind of relish, as it
was discovered next day a short distance from
the house.

We killed so many snakes that I made a col-
lection of rattles. One of the tales told about
me was that a box of them sent to New York
was labelled '' Rattlesnakes' Rattles ! Poison ! "
Of course that was not true ; but our lives
were so monotonous we enjoyed any joke on
each other.

134 CAVALBT LIFE.

I thought the last would never have been
heard of my early pronunciation of " Fort
Mojave," which it is probably needless to state
was exactly in English accord with its spelling.
Probably had I known the word was Spanish,
not understanding the language, my pronuncia-
tion would have been the same.

I was always delighted when ladies passed
through the post, and invariably begged them
to remain as long as possible. One lovely
woman, whose husband had been ordered from
Southern to Northern Arizona, only to find on
reaching there that his station was to be but
twenty miles from the place he had just left,
gladdened me twice by her presence. When I
expressed regret because she was obliged to
traverse the same road again during such ex-
tremely warm weather, her assurance that she
did not in the least mind it, surprised and re-
lieved me.

I found Arizona even worse than Nevada, so
far as supplies were concerned. We could sel-
dom obtain luxuries of any kind, and when pro-

CAVALRY LIFE. 135

curable they were exorbitant in price. Eggs
cost two dollars and fifty cents a dozen ; butter
the same per pound ; chickens two dollars and .
fifty cents apiece; potatoes, twenty cents per
pound ; kerosene oil, five dollars a gallon, and
I was told it had been as high as fourteen
dollars. Fortunately we could buy candles at
government rates.

We were often at our wit's ends to supply
food for guests. I had five bantam chickens,
that each laid an egg daily for some time, which
we considered great cause for thankfulness. I
actually learned to concoct dainties without
many of the ingredients usually supposed ne-
cessary, and they were declared very good.

Finally, after having been at Camp Date
Creek some months, another lady joined us, at
which I rejoiced exceedingly. She proved a
very great acquisition to our army circle.

Our mail was due once a week, but became
very uncertain on account of the Indians. Mr.
Boyd was twice awakened late at night by
sentries, who reported the return of one man

136 CAVALRY LIFE.

very badly wounded, and that the other had
been left dead, and the mail scattered all over
the country. Whenever the drums beat over
the remains of any young man, thoughts of
his absent friends always came to me. Our
miserable little cemetery, out on that lonely
plain, had not one grave whose quiet occupant
was more than twenty-three years of age, and
none had died a natural death.

My husband was the busiest man imaginable.
He had not only to command his company, but
was also in charge of all stores and buildings.
The quartermaster's storehouse was a long dis-
tance off, and Mr. Boyd was there all day long.
I used to be in continual fear lest Indians
should attack him. No greater diligence could
have been displayed by aAy one, and no one
could have worked more conscientiously or
faithfully than he did all through life.

We feared to ride over the country on ac-
count of the Indians, and therefore had less
amusement and recreation than while in Ne-
vada, yet contentment shed its ^Dlessed rays

CAVALRY LIFE. 137

about us. I was always joyful, and ceased to
wish that the hardships we were enduring might
be exchanged for even attic life if in New
York. My regret on learning tliat we were to
leave for New Mexico was keen, although aware
better quarters were awaiting us. But I had
grown to love my Arizona home, if the walls
were only rough adobe ones. In just nine
months from the time of my arrival at Date
Creek, and in midwinter, we left for our new
destination. It was with vexation of spirit that
I again took up the march.

138 CAVALRY LIFE.

CHAPTER VIII.

As an illustration of the many delays conse-
quent upon frontier travel may be mentioned
the receipt, just before leaving for New Mexico,
of a box that had been fourteen months en
route., though sent by express from New York.
To recount the mishaps which had befallen it
would be tiresome ; yet that was but one of
many similar experiences.

I had ordered the box in December, while at
Camp Halleck, fully expecting it would reach
San Francisco by the time we did. The con-
tents were very valuable, and included an army
overcoat intended as a surprise for my husband,
together with many other useful and needed
additions to our wardrobe.

It was shipped by my brother, who mailed
at the same time two bills of lading. The

CAVALRY LIFE. 139

box arrived safely by sea, but the mail, which
was sent overland, was snowbound on the
Union Pacific, and consequently our letters
were delayed. Knowing my brother's habitual
promptness, I haunted the express office in San
Francisco, only to be told again and again that
no such box was there. We therefore started
for Arizona without it. On our arrival, letters
and the two bills of lading were awaiting us.
The box had been in San Francisco all the time.

One of the bills was intrusted to an officer
going there, who promised to attend to the mat-
ter, but he never troubled himself about it.
After months had elapsed we begged another
officer to hunt up the box, which he not only
did, but kindly brought it to us, after its arrival
had been vainly expected for fourteen months.
The strangest part of the whole affair, to my
unworldly mind, was that the first officer was
under great obligations to us, while the one
who really obtained the box was almost a
stranger.

The present may not seem a fitting occasion

140 CAVALRY LIFE,

to moralize ; but as this is a true account of my
army life and experience, I desire to state that
my reward for undue exertions on any one's
behalf was usually the basest ingratitude. Of
course this is only in accordance with all the
time-honored maxims of wiser people than my-
self, but the personal experience was none the
less unpleasant.

The officer to whom I refer as having been
under obligations, had brought a sick wife and
child to the post for a temporary sojourn, but
the illness of his wife was so prolonged I was
completely worn out nursing her. As an ad-
dition to my troubles a second child appeared
upon the scene, which I was not only compelled
to care for, but supply with a wardrobe, in
order that they might leave for California in a
month's time. I was ill in bed, the result of
overwork, for weeks after they left, yet never
have received a line from them.

My long experience on the frontier plainly
demonstrated that the absence of civilization
and all its appliances compelled any one with a

CAVALRY LIFE. 141

sympathetic heart to learn all branches of nurs-
ing. Before having been married ten years I
had acted as midwife at least that number of
times, and, far sadder, had prepared sweet and
beautiful women for their last resting-places.

Few who have seen delicately nurtured city
girls- marry so gladly the men of their choice,
have any idea of what they must endure in
army life. The utter absence of so much that
is considered indispensable in ordinary homes,
added to the constant possibility of a move at
the most infelicitous moment, causes anxiety
and restlessness which have no adequate com-
pensations in either the emoluments or glory
that can be gained in the service. Children
always enjoy frontier travel, tut anxiety falls
to the lot of mothers.

In one march of our regiment from New
Mexico to Texas, nine children were born en
route. In those instances which came under
my observation, both mothers and babies were
on the second day bundled into ambulances and
marched onward. In my opinion the natural

142 CAVALRY LIFE.

desire of army officers' wives to be with their
husbands has cost the sacrifice of many precious
lives; while those who survive the hardships
have bitter sufferings to contend with in after
years of chronic illness.

It is notorious that no provision is made for
women in the army. Many indignation meet-
ings were held at which we discussed the mat-
ter, and rebelled at being considered mere camp
followers. It is a recognized fact that woman's
presence — as wife — alone prevents demoraliza-
tion, and army officers are always encouraged
to marry for that reason.

While at Camp Date Creek we formed sev-
eral pleasant friendships, and it is a matter of
regret that in the years which have since elapsed
I have never met any of the ladies. Through
the resignation of our company captain and
promotion of the senior lieutenant, an addition
was made to our circle of a brave, true soldier —
a man appointed from the ranks — who by his
nobility of character graced the higher position.

Consolidation at that time weeded out all

CAVALRY LIFE. 143

worthless men. If an officer's reputation was
aspersed, the charges were investigated, and if
proved, the chances of retaining his commission
were very slight.

A second lieutenant of our troop was a scamp.
He victimized me before receiving his conge.
I had supposed the mere title, " officer of the
army," to be synonymous with honesty, so in-
trusted to him the hoardings of many months
with which I had designed to purchase a pipe,
and present to my husband. The amount,
seventy-five dollars, was large to me, and evi-
dently to him also, for I never saw the money
again, nor the pipe it was to buy. Neither did
the lieutenant return, for he was dismissed the
service, or rather dropped for incompetency.

Mr. Boyd had his pipe after all ; for not dis-
couraged by my loss I began to save again, and
although funds accumulated slowly, and a year
passed before the requisite amount was laid by,
the pipe remains to this day a memento of my
early extravagance.

We had no outside society at Date Creek

144 CA VALBY LIFE.

except a few rough frontiersmen, who not only
dared the danger from Indians, but also that
of the low, malarious atmosphere, for the sake
of raising vegetables, which commanded high
prices. True, our small military post was the
only market, and as all supplies required to sup-
plement the gardeners' stores were by reason
of freight equally high-priced, I doubt if the
men even, succeeded in making a comfortable
living.

With all its drawbacks life was very enjoy-
able. Though out of the question to go far,
yet we explored the country within a radius
of several miles. Neither game nor fish were
found, but it was a pleasure to meet the strange
characters with which that region abounded.

We indulged in one visit to our regimental
friends at Camp Willow Grove. Everything
was delightful when once there, but we had
as usual a disagreeable time going. Two days
were consumed on the way. The first night
was spent at a stage station where all the
strange and uncouth experiences of our Nevada

CAVALRY LIFE. 145

journey were repeated. There was, however, a
woman in this rough home who shared her bed
with me ; but as it was originally intended only
for one person, and we each had an infant to
care for, it soon became a question of whether
or not I, who occupied the side next the wall,
should be shoved through it.

The thin boards of which the house was built
were distinguished, as is all frontier lumber, by
their ability to warp, and therefore proved a
protection only from the rain, and not from the
wind which blew through the knot-holes and
cracks. The inclemency of the weather made
matters worse. It was a fearful night! I
mentally resolved never to spend another in
that rickety house. We changed our route
returning, and passed through Prescott.

About that time we began to rejoice in the
prospect of additional stores being furnished
by the commissary department. After striving
for nearly two years to vary the monotony of
our rations, we felt as if the promised treat, in
the shape of chocolate, macaroni, prunes, raisins.

146 CAVALRY LIFE.

and currants, would be almost too mucli of a
luxury, and care must be exercised if indiges-
tion was not desired.

How much we enjoyed the slight variety !
The zest with which cook and I rang the
changes on those different comestibles would
seem really childish at the present day, when
almost all varieties of canned goods and luxu-
ries in the shape of grocers' supplies can be
found at every military post, however small
and remote.

The amount of pleasure which can be derived
from the most insignificant sources seems in-
credible ; but I attribute much of the happiness
I found in army life to my delight in trivial
matters. Then we all were so united in mutual
interests. The officers, instead of being im-
mersed in business cares, were ever ready to be
amazed or amused, as the case might be, with
the results of our industry, and absolute delight
was manifested over the most trifling plan for
social enjoyment, which doubled the pleasure.

I have for many years entertained the greatest

CAVALRY LIFE, 147

regard for physicians, because during our army
life tliey displayed so warm an interest in my
children. One of the merits of frontier resi-
dence is that little ones thrive so much better
there than in a city, and rarely suffer from the
many ailments to which town-bred children are
subject. The interest they inspire in every one,
especially the post surgeon, whose constant
presence in cases of emergency gives one a feel-
ing of comfort and security nothing else can
afford, is very gratifying. The result, even in
cases of severe illness, is usually complete re-
covery. Both parents and patients unavoidably
benefit by the surroundings.

Our doctor at Camp Date Creek was a char-
acter so uncommon that my recollections of
him can never be effaced. He was an Irishman,
a grandnephew of John Philpot Curran, the
distinguished Irish wit, and himself so full of
humor that his very presence was an antidote
to sickness and sorrow.

The doctor received a government contract
after having been in America but a few months.

148 CAVALRY LIFE.

He never wearied of recounting the impres-
sions American slang had made upon him.
Immediately on entering our house he would
seize baby and hold her for hours, all the time
pouring forth reminiscences of Ireland, and ex-
pressing surprise at the difference between the
two countries.

Our slang was described as very effective,
especially the Californian, which had, or so the
doctor assured me, a distinct vocabulary of its
own, that, like adjectives, was capable of being
positive, comparative, and superlative. As an
example he instanced the following :

"You bet, you bet you, you bet your life."
"Why," said he, "here is a perfect declension!
You bet your boots, you bet your bottom
dollar, you bet stamps."

The genial Irish doctor was immensely pleased
with our vernacular, if with nothing else.

It would afford me much pleasure to prolong
the narration of incidents connected with those
friends who aided so greatly in making our
life enjoyable, but I must hurry on with the
account of our journey to New Mexico.

CAVALRY LIFE. 149

CHAPTER IX.

Our little daughter was just eleven months
old when the regiment was ordered to move.
We started on our long journey in mid-winter.
The troops from Prescott were to cross directly
into New Mexico, and we had hoped to accom-
pany them, but were instead sent to join others
from the southern posts. That made our jour-
ney much longer, as after going in a southerly,
then easterly direction, our line lay north to
Fort Stanton, New Mexico.

Eve could hardly have felt more reluctant
to leave the Garden of Eden than I did when
we bade farewell to the camp, which though
indeed desolate, never had seemed so to me,
but, rather, the most delightful imaginable spot.
I cried bitterly for days. My packing was
accomplished with a heavy heart, I was so mis-

150 CAVALRY LIFE.

erable at the thought of leaving that which had
been my first real home.

We were to have no company for some days
but that of the troop and our dear old captain,
who was really like one of ourselves. His true
and loving nature had greatly endeared him to
us, and he formed a firm link in the family
chain.

Unaccustomed to any comfort on former jour-
neys, I was not inclined to exact much on that,
so soon learned instinctively to fall into the
regular routine and discipline, and expected no
consideration on account of my sex. I had
never before traveled with troops ; and though
I did not like to rise long before the first peep
of day, and after a hurried and scanty break-
fast climb into an ambulance and drive for
hours, I soon learned to do so without a mur-
mur. My reward came in the praise our cap-
tain bestowed, when he declared that during
the entire march of six long, weary weeks, I
had never caused one moment's delay or trouble.

I have often since questioned whether some

CAVALRY LIFE. 151

pLan might not have been devised to prevent
the officers' wives from being subjected to the
stringent rules that must be enforced among
soldiers. I suppose that just as a woman whose
husband is in business regulates her household
according to the needs or conveniences of its
head, so, with the same spirit, the wife of an
army officer endures the hardships her hus-
band's position imposes.

Our beloved commanding officer had been in
the army so many years that the possibility of
deviating in any degree from the routine which
had become second nature doubtless never oc-
curred to him. Probably no question of expe-
diency — simply that of duty — ever suggested
itself.

Though a sufferer all my life from army dis-
cipline, which has continually controlled my
movements, yet, when chafing most against its
restraints, T have admired the grand soldierly
spirit which made nearly every officer uncom-
plainingly forego all personal comfort for the
sake of duty. No one outside the army can

152 CAVALRY LIFE.

realize what the true soldier relinquishes when
he forsakes home and family for the noble
cause.

Every one has read or heard of the mad
courage displayed in times of war, and my
knowledge of the soldier is in times of peace ;
yet I have then seen exhibited what to me is by
far the truer heroism. It is easy to be brave
when war trumps sound and the spirit is roused
to great hopes of personal achievements, when
love for a cause deepens the ardor which sus-
tains men even in death ; but tame submission
to petty and altogether unnecessary hardships,
because in the line of duty and part of a sol-
dier's inevitable fate, is, in my opinion, far more
praiseworthy.

Our captain was a hero in the truest sense of
the word. Like many others, he had served for
years during our civil war as a private before
being promoted to the rank of an officer. But
after promotion the possession and exercise of
rare soldierly qualities soon enabled him to
reach a position of influence. He was intrusted

CAVALRY LIFE. 153

with the command of a company, which after a
desperate resistance was captured. Having
been severely wounded, he was released on
parole, and remained in a little town of South-
ern New Mexico, where he was well taken care
of, and during that season of forced inactivity
recovered his health.

Almost anyone would have considered him
fairly entitled to pay ; but such was his idea of
rectitude that he refused to accept a dollar, not
considering that it had been fairly earned ; and
to this day the five months' pay due him while
a prisoner remains in the coffers of our govern-
ment. The subsequent life of this honorable
man has been one of duty and devotion to coun-
try. His health is ruined by the almost incred-
ible hardships a cavalry soldier's duties entail.

We journeyed south through Arizona to Tuc-
son, then turned east. Our outfit consisted of
a wall tent, which on encamping at night was
placed on as smooth ground as could be found,
and a mess chest filled with supplies. By pla-
cing a support under the raised cover of the lat-

154 CAVALRY LIFE.

ter, and filling the open space with a board that
fitted nicely, it could be utilized as a table.
The interior contained plates and dishes in
addition to supplies, and the moment we reached
camp our cook, a soldier, would begin prepara-
tions for a meal, which though ever so plain
was always done full justice to by appetites the
long ride had sharpened.

In accordance with my usual habit, I made all
necessary preparations in advance for supplying
our wants ; and it soon became more a question
of quantity than of quality, for the generous
hearts of Mr. Boyd and the captain always for-
got that our supplies were limited. An in-
stance of their thoughtlessness in such matters
was on one occasion evinced by the arrival,
unexpectedly to me, of four guests whom they
had invited to remain with us for a few days.
To supply food for a week — as it happened
in that case — to those extra people, blessed
with unusually good appetites, taxed my inge-
nuity.

We had by that time reached the celebrated

CAVALEY LIFE. 155

Indian villages of the Pi mas and Maricopas.
Those two tribes had been at peace with the
pale faces for a century. They cultivated land,
and were industrious and prosperous. Their
villages stretched along the highway for many
miles, so we spent six days among them. They
"watclied our progress in the well-known, some-
what indifferent Indian fashion, though evin-
cing real interest when we encamped at night,
and swarming about us with various wares for
sale, such as pottery and baskets, both unique in
pattern and very serviceable. The latter were
made so fine in texture and quality as to hold
water. The various designs in which those
useful articles were woven displayed much
taste.

We felt that a land flowing with milk and
honey had indeed been reached. Not only
could eggs and chickens be bought, but so
cheaply we could indulge in them to our
hearts' content.

The Pima and Maricopa Indians, like all
others, were unprepossessing in appearance ;

156 CAVALRY LIFE.

but aware that after leaving them we would
be once more among the murderous Apaches, I,
for one at least, enjoyed their society because
of the protection it afforded.

Every night when we pitched our tents the
women would crowd about and indulge in
ecstasies over the little white baby whose ablu-
tions were a source of constant and serious won-
derment. This can be well understood when
one remembers that Indians rarely, if ever, use
water other than for drinking purposes. I
never permitted any of them to touch baby,
being afraid to do so.

Our little Chinaman, with his long pigtail,
also caused much amazement and no doubt
speculation as to what he really was. As no
attempt was made to disguise this, he evidently
became at once disgusted with notoriety. It
was, I believe, the cause of his one day appear-
ing minus that appendage so revered by all
Chinese — his cue. When I inquired what had
become of it, and told him he could never return
to China, he replied ;

CAVALRY LIFE. 15T

"Me no care. Me want to be 'Melican
man."

Our baby was singularly fair and white ; and
in all our travels, both among Indians and
Mexicans, all went into raptures over the chil-
dren, who with their sunny heads were such
utter contrasts to the swarthy races among
which we moved.

A few days of travel after leaving the Indian
villages brought us to Tucson, then an insignifi-
cant town of fiat mud houses, so unprepossessing
that we were glad to drive through without stop-
ping, and encamp beside a beautiful stream two
miles beyond. The town was then being deci-
mated by small-pox, which raged among the
Mexicans. We were obliged to flee from con-
tact with it, especially as our soldiers were
always ready to explore any new place, regard-
less of consequences.

We spent one day in sight seeing, though the
only point of special interest was a noted church
nine miles from Tucson. I cannot express the
astonishment excited by the sight of that house

158 CAVALRY LIFE.

of worship built in those vast wilds, hundreds of
miles from all civilization. The edifice, of noble
proportions, was of red brick and whitish stucco.
Both belfry and tower were complete. The in-
terior decorations were profuse, and covered the
walls. The floor, once hard and smooth, had
been worn into hollows by the footsteps of
countless devotees, whose race even was un-
known, though surmised to be that of the
ancient Aztecs, or followers of Montezuma.

I doubt if even in Europe, with its mystic
shrines dating back countless ages, I could have
experienced a more profound sense of awe than
when standing in that absolutely desert spot,
and realizing that skilled hands had once erected
there such a monument.

In that old church were marriage records dat-
ing back hundreds of years ; but the structure
was to me the all absorbing wonder.

The Mexicans living near worshiped most
devoutly at its shrines ; and they were not the
only frequenters of that house of prayer, for
the Spanish priests had a large following of

CAVALRY LIFE. 159

Indians who had intermarried with the Span-
iards and settled there.

I could hardly tear myself from the spot, and
returned again and again to ascend the belfry
stairs and wonder and speculate upon the strange
mystery called " San Xavier del Bac."

160 CAVALRY LIFE.

CHAPTER X.

At that point we parted with our four guests,
who had contributed, by their fund of wit -and
humor, to render the journey pleasant, and had
added much to our merriment at meal times.
It required, however, a stronger sense of humor
than I possessed to be merry at breakfast, eaten
in semi-darkness, after having been awakened
with military precision.

It was certainly not cheerful to watch the
tent and its furnishings disappear in the wagon
while we sat trying to imagine ourselves break-
fasting, with the sharp morning air of February
chilling, or the March winds blowing about us.
When the dreary meal was over we scrambled
into our ambulance, and by the time a few
miles had been passed I would be fairly awake
and longing for lunch time.

CAVALRY LIFE. l61

The strangest part of those travels is that
children thrive so well, and really enjoy every
moment of the journey, however monotonous.
My baby could not walk, and I was glad of it ;
for a more thorny, desolate country than that
it has never been my lot to traverse. Tlie in-
numerable beds of cacti were the spots most
delighted in by children, and I rejoiced that
baby had no cliance of being lost among those
dangerous plants.

After leaving Tucson, we passed many lonely
graves dispersed over the weird desolation of
that uninhabited space, and soon learned to dis-
cern where savage Apaches had moved. With
our escort of fifty well-mounted men we had
nothing to fear; but those mounds of stones,
appealing in mute silence to the passer by,
touched me deepl}^

On arriving at the different stage stations we
generally rested a while, and usually found
there some poor woman who was working day
and night to assist her husband, and with whom
I always made it a custom to converse. The

162 CAVALRY LIFE.

comparison of the lives of those women with
mine caused me to feel additional sympathy for
them, and gratitude on my own account.

Notwithstanding our large escort, it was ne-
cessary to proceed with great caution, for one
never could tell what might happen when pass-
ing through the mountainous regions of South-
ern Arizona. Camp Bowie, at which we re-
mained three days, was nestled amid high
mountains, and Indians often appeared on the
bluffs above, from which they fired recklessly
and sometimes effectively. A large guard was
always detailed to watch the outposts ; and yet
so subtle, as is well known, are Indians, that
although close at hand they were seldom
caught.

One, evening while we were at Camp Bowie
an Indian crept into the stables, and while the
sentry was pacing to and fro at the farther end,
mounted a fine horse standing near the entrance,
and with a yell of victory horse and rider dis-
appeared. He well knew that once mounted,
pursuit could be defied.

CAVALRY LIFE. 163

That strange little fort in the very heart of
the mountain fastness sheltered a number of
women and children. As usual, we received a
hearty welcome, and were feasted and feted in
true army fasliion. The post surgeon vacated
his room in our honor ; for which we were very
grateful, especially when one of those terrible
mountain blizzards came on, in which clouds of
dust so thick are formed that objects cannot be
distinguished at a distance of ten feet. The
room we occupied was built of logs, and dust
blew through the crevices until it seemed as if
we were a part of the universal grit. The tents
were simply uninhabitable, though before our
destination was reached we were compelled to
occupy them through what seemed fully as
severe a storm.

Officers have the habit of beautifying their
quarters all circumstances permit ; and our
friend the doctor, who had incommoded himself
for us, was no exception to the general rule.
The rough mud ceiling of his room had been
covered with unbleached cotton ; and shelves,

164 CAVALRY LIFE.

mostly laden with books, were suspended from
rafters by means of the same material torn into
strips. One hanging over the open fireplace
was crowded with bottles of all sizes and de-
scriptions, which contained every form of ver-
min and reptile life to be found in that region.
In the eyes of one unaccustomed to such sights
it would, indeed, have been an alarming display.

The collection embraced centipeds, scorpions,
tarantulas in their hideous blackness, and snakes
of all kinds — at least those small enough to
be bottled. They were not elegant mantel
ornaments, but having been long accustomed
to such sights I did not mind them. It was,
however, altogether another matter to be
brought in actual contact with the monstrosi-
ties, as happened on the second night of the
storm.

We were thoroughly worn out combating the
omnipresent dust, and had retired early, when '
a tremendous crash suddenly awakened us from
sound sleep. At first we thought the end of
the world had come ; but soon discovered that

CAVALRY LIFE. 165

the shelf containing bottled tenants had fallen.
It was some time before a light could be pro-
cured ; for matches and lamps, as well as clocks
and watches, were all buried under the debris.

No description can do justice to the scene.
Everything upon the shelf, ornamental as well
as useful, formed a conglomerate mass, over
which the liberated monstrosities were scattered
in every direction.

The doctor apologized for the accident, but
we were none the worse, and it added one more
to the list of funny experiences that were often
afterward laughed over.

From Camp Bowie our road lay through grand
and gorgeous mountain scenery to Fort Cum-
mings, in south-western New Mexico. A moun-
tain pass on that route has been the scene of
more Indian atrocities than any other spot in
the entire Apache region. Magnificent Cook's
Peak has looked down upon more outrages
than time can ever efface. The stage road
wound through this pass for years, and the
number of times the Indians have brutally mur-

166 CAVALRY LIFE.

dered passengers is countless. Even now that
a railroad has superseded the stage, it is a place
of terror to most travelers, and the history of
its bloody battles and massacres would fill
volumes.

We remained at Fort Cummin gs one day,
and found it indeed a wretched place, devoid of
all attractions save the kind friends who made
us so welcome.

Another day's march brought us to Fort
Selden, on the Rio Grande, from whence we
caught our first glimpse of that strange river.
Rising in Southern Colorado, a beautifully
clear stream, it flows on for hundreds and hun-
dreds of miles, changing color as frequently as
does the famous chameleon. Now it is bright
and sparkling, again dull and sluggish, and anon
disappears completely, to reappear with added
volume and intensity. How many have been
deceived by that treacherous river! Trusting
to its apparently listless course, travelers have
been suddenly swept away in a mad, headlong
current, which absorbed their lives as the vam-

CAVALRY LIFE. 167

pire is said to do those of his prey. Ah ! if the
casualties that have occurred on the Rio Grande
could be written, each of its victims adding but!
one line to the record, what a strange and
fearful story would be told.

There is a tradition to the effect that any one
tasting its waters will be compelled, by some
strange, subtle charm or influence, to return,
even though after the lapse of years. Certain
it is that people always long to again experi-
ence its strange and weird fascination, which
seems really to follow them, and from which
there is no respite until the mighty stream is
actually revisited.

The Rio Grande, which I first saw twenty
years ago, has often charmed me since. Though
not often again in the same region, I have else-
where followed its banks for miles, and the
borders of no other river it has ever been my
fortune to gaze upon, present so many varieties
of life. Desolation and beautiful verdure are
mingled; while its fruitful produce tends to
make the country, which without its beneficent

168 CAVALRY LIFE.

influence would indeed be a desert, a very
paradise.

But I would not forestall my narrative by
saying too mucli of this river, to which I so
often returned, and which finally became like
a familiar friend, a part of my very life it-
self.

We left the Rio Grande at Don Ana, and
struck off into beautiful, piney Lincoln County,
New Mexico, where we had a happy home for
another year. Before reaching there we en-
camped for one night at White Sands, memor-
able on account of the peculiarity of its soil. A
perfectly wonderful mass of pure white sand,
which lay in hillocks, extended far as the eye
could reach. We climbed onward, our feet
sinking in slightly, just enough to remind us of
"footsteps on the sands of time." Those sand
hillocks had existed from time immemorial, and
will remain for ages to come, I suppose, unless
some commercial mind shall divine their value
and utilize the white commodity, by converting
it into a merchantable article. I am glad to

CAVALRY LIFE. 169

have seen them in their spotless purity and
beauty.

The remainder of our journey to dear old
Fort Stanton was through exquisite forests of
mountain pines, and beside clear streams that
yielded delicious trout.

170 CAVLABY LIFE.

CHAPTER XL

At Fort Stanton nature was a constant
source of joy and pleasure. The near-by
streams were fairly alive with delicious fish, so
abundant that a line could hardly be thrown
before one would bite. Besides fish, we had
game of almost every variety, and fairly lived
on the " fat of the land." New Mexico had
been called " The Troopers' Paradise," and we
found the name to be well merited.

Perhaps the very wildness of the country and
abundance of game provoked a lawless element ;
for Lincoln County, if a good one for natural
supplies, has always been regarded as a rallying
point for desperadoes, and its history is famous
in the annals of crime.

At first my wonder and sympathies were ex-
cited; but in time the peaceful security one

.CAVALRY LIFE. 171

always experiences when surrounded by well-
armed troops deadened susceptibilities to what
transpired outside. Army officers' wives hear
of bloodshed with much the same feeling as is
experienced by women living in cities when
they learn of frightful accidents which involve
the lives of others, but of none who are near
and dear to them.

We passed one happy, peaceful year at Fort
Stanton. The houses, built of stone, which
was very plentiful in that mountainous region,
were very comfortable. Each had two rooms,
with a detached kitchen and dining-room about
fifteen feet in the rear.

The climate was perfect, the air so exquisitely
pure as to lend a freshness and charm to each
day's existence. To breathe was like drinking
new wine. I cannot pity the isolation of
settlers in those regions, for the beauty of
natural scenery displayed on all sides is ample
compensation, and to live is to enjoy. My
recollections of that year are delightful.

Several companies had preceded us, so I had

172 CAVALRY LIFE.

companions of my own sex. Our amusements
consisted in part of driving, and fishing in
streams where success, however inferior the
angler's skill, was certain. Our wildest gayety
was a card-party, and we always attended mili-
tary balls. There were not enough officers'
wives to have dances of our own; but we
always opened those of the soldiers', and
thoroughly appreciated their enjoyment.

Some of those affairs would have presented a
strange picture to people in the East; but the
very absurdity and variety of the costumes and
conduct of frontiersmen and their wives, who
were always invited, only added zest to our
enjoyment, and the recollections amused us for
days.

One evening so fierce a storm raged that we
hardly dared cross the parade ground ; yet our
desire to go was sufficient to induce the at-
tempt. We were fairly blown into the room,
and to our surprise found it filled with the
usual throng. How in the world they had
all reached the place through such a severe

CAVALRY LIFE. 173

storm puzzled us greatly, but there they
were.

It was a curious sight, and a still more curi-
ous sound, that all those people produced. The
strains of music, the stamping of many feet,
and the wild howling of the wind, all combined
to greatly stimulate our nerves. The excite-
ment was still further increased when suddenly
a loud crash was heard ; every one rushed out
in alarm to discover that a huge flagstaff,
which it had taken months to make and erect,
had fallen and been splintered into a thousand
fragments. The staff had not been properly
secured by stanchions.

The occurrence was regretted, not only be-
cause the making and erecting had consumed
much time, but also because it had been diffi-
cult to find a suitable tree tall enough for the
purpose. Thus our towering flagstaff, which
had taken many years to grow and several
months to fashion, had been laid low in a less
number of seconds.

Soon after I experienced another fright, quite

174 CAVALRY LIFE.

different in its nature from the one just related.
I now firmly believe an army garrison to be the
most secure place on earth, and in later years
almost forgot the use of keys; but in those
earlier days I was always on the alert.

One night when Mr. Boyd was away I placed
a student lamp at the foot of our bed, and after
looking under it in the usual approved woman
fashion, lay down to rest. My nervous fears
had only just passed away, permitting me to
fall into a light slumber, when I found myself
suddenly sitting up gazing at the form of a
man entering the door. My heart seemed to
stop beating, yet fortunately I had the courage
to exclaim:

"What are you doing here? Leave the
room ! "

The man promptly obeyed. I sprang up,
locked the door, and called the servants. When
I found that my nurse, who slept in the next
room, had disappeared, and that cook, on ac-
count of the distance between the house and
kitchen, could not hear me, I felt as if a plan

CAVALRY LIFE. 175

was on foot to murder me, and endured a half-
hour of absolute agony, such as I hope it will
never again be my lot to experience.

At last the nurse appeared, and I went once
more to rest ; but so vivid were my impressions
of the man that I picked him out next day
from among a hundred; and then begged, on
learning that he had been wandering around
intoxicated, and merely entered the first door
which responded to his touch, that no punish-
ment be inflicted.

Beautiful Fort Stanton was not only perfect
in natural scenery and surroundings, but had
been improved by excellent methods. Various
officers had from time to time planted trees
around the parade ground; and to facilitate
their growth an acequia^ as it was called in
Spanish, or ditch, had been dug, and the water,
constantly running through it, kept the roots
of the trees always moist, so they grew rapidly
and formed a delightful shade in front of our
quarters.

We became so fond of our home in that

176 CAVALBY LIFE.

charming spot that everything else contented
us. The mail came, as before, but once a week,
and its arrival made that day a red-letter one
in our quiet lives. It was always devoted to
eager anticipations and close watching of the
long line of road over which the mail rider
came. If over due, nothing else could be
thought or talked of until he arrived, and we
received our news from beyond the border.
Even baby learned to look for letters, and to
expect some token of love from absent friends.
She would forsake her favorite playground near
the muddy acequia to join the anxious group
of watchers.

Every one has heard the story of the baby
who was taken by her mother to some perform-
ance in San Francisco in the early days, when
women were scarce and babies so rare as almost
to be wonders ; and how, when the little one
cried and refused to be pacified, an old miner
arose and requested that the play should cease
so they might hear the baby cry. His request
was applauded on all sides, and a hat passed

CAVALRY LIFE. 177

round for the baby, who had reminded those
rough men of a home life almost forgotten in
their pioneer surroundings.

My baby was not only of the greatest impor-
tance to me, but if I noticed any sign of the
devotion she was expected to receive from other
sources flagging, my displeasure was quickly
expressed. I have since been told that the
officers, after reporting for duty to their com-
mander, would say :

" Now we must go see baby, and report her
condition."

Consequently she received as much notice as
if it had been her divine right. The little one
could talk plainly by the time she was fifteen
months old, and amused us all greatly.

In looking back upon those happy days I
often wonder how I could voluntarily have left
so dear a home. But after residing there a
year I decided to visit friends in New York,
so bade farewell to beautiful Fort Stanton, not
knowing I never should again see it.

178 CAVALRY LIFE.

CHAPTER XII.

We left Fort Stanton in March, prepared for
a seemingly almost interminable journey before
reaching the railroad at Denver, five hundred
miles distant. Expecting to find houses in
which to pass the nights, we took no tent, and
besides my trunk very little baggage. It was
entirely too early in the season for traveling
to be really comfortable, as in that exquisite
mountain air mornings and evenings are very
cold.

The country between Forts Stanton and
Union was simply superb in its wild grandeur
and beauty. Only the pen of an artist could
have done justice to its many charms. We
stopped every night with Mexican families,
who in their simple kindness were most truly
hospitable. They made us welcome, and yet

CAVALRY LIFE. 179

exacted no reward for the time and attention
bestowed. I always required those hours for
rest and looking after baby, who with the
happy unconcern of childhood had a way of
wandering in paths unsuited to such tender
feet.

In all those rough travels I never met with
anything else which gave me so much trouble
as the cactus plant. Wherever we went, and
whatever else we missed, that was always
present in some shape or form. In regions
where nothing else could be prevailed upon to
grow, that useful but disagreeable plant always
throve ; and the more dreary, parched, and bar-
ren the soil, the more surely did the cactus
flourish and expand its bayonet-armed leaves.

If very young children were allowed to wan-
der in the least, one could safely depend upon
finding them in the vicinity of the danger-
ous cacti. During that journey our little one
tripped and fell directly upon a large plants
which, it seemed to me, had more than the
usual complement of thorns, for her little knees

180 CAVALBY LIFE.

were fairly filled with them, and days passed
before all were picked out.

Cacti are the main feature of Western plant
life. Sometimes with fluted columns, as in
Arizona, they rear their heads aloft in stately
grandeur. Again they are found in some one
of the numerous less inspiring shapes and forms
the plant assumes in different parts of the
West. There must be at least fifty varieties.
All are supplied with that chief characteristic
— sharp-pointed prickers — which remind the
unwary of their presence and power.

It takes a great deal of frontier experience to
deal correctly with cacti. They have many and
valuable properties which the early settlers long
since discovered. The most common variety is
the low, flat-land species which requires no
seeking. In the far West it flaunts itself by all
roadsides and everywhere dots the prairies. It
is very nutritive, and utilized by natives as food
for cattle; they first burn away the prickles
with which it has been so bountifully supplied
by nature. Even in that land of seeming bar-

CAVALRY LIFE. 181

renness for man and beast, much can be found
to support life. The cactus supplies an intoxi-
cating liquor called mescal; and one variety
bears a fruit which tastes somewhat like the
strawberry, and is much sought after by Mexi-
cans.

The only time when cacti are really pretty
is in early spring, when they bloom. Then the
bright-hued flowers dot the country with color,
and relieve the eye from the monotonous gray
hue which pervades all nature in a region where
rains are so periodical as to prevent the vernal
freshness of the East.

There is a rare and nameless charm in the
contemplation of those extended prairies, with
their soft gray tints, dreary to Eastern people,
but so dearly loved by those who become im-
bued with the deep sentiment their vast expanse
inspires.

I shall never become reconciled to localities
where the eye cannot look for miles and miles
beyond the spot where one stands, and where
the density of the atmosphere circumscribes the

182 CAVALEY LIFE.

view, limiting it to a comparatively short dis-
tance. I have traveled in New Mexico and
Arizona for days, when on starting early in the
morning the objective point of my journey, and
an endless stretch of road, perhaps for a hun-
dred miles, could be seen.

To mount a horse, such as can be found only
in the West, perfect for the purpose, and gallop
over prairies, completely losing one's self in
vast and illimitable space, as silent as lonely, is
to leave every petty care, and feel the contented
frame of mind which can only be produced by
such surroundings. In those grand wastes one
is truly alone with God. Oh, I love the West,
and dislike to think that the day will surely
come when it will teem with human life and
all its warring elements !

On that journey East from my dear Western
home everything seemed new. After traveling
for days, Fort Union was reached, where we re-
mained a while, and then went North, passing
through beautiful Colorado, stopping at Trin-
idad, Pueblo, and finally, after seventeen days

CAVALRY LIFE. 183

of ambulance travel, reaching Denver. It was
more like a panoramic journey than a real one ;
for we kept continually advancing toward a
higher and higher degree of civilization, till its
apex — New York — was reached.

All those strange, crude, and uncivilized
Western villages have since become thriving
railroad towns. Denver, with its perfect en-
vironment of exquisite mountain scenery, will
always remain in my mind a picture of beauty.

Mr. Boyd was to leave me at Denver, and
return to Fort Stanton; but we first spent
a delightful week there. My brother met and
introduced us to some pleasant people. There
was a fine company at the principal theatre,
which we attended nightly, and I shed tears
over dear old Rip Van Winkle, who, though
not personated by Jefferson, was sufficiently
well portrayed to merit and receive great
applause. The absolute freshness of feeling
one experiences after years of absence from
such scenes is sufficiently delightful to make
the jaded theater-goer envious.

184 CAVALRY LIFii.

I was exceedingly proud of my introduction
to that estimable couple, Mr. and Mrs. McKee
Rankin, the " stars " in that theatrical combina-
tion ; and we were honored by an invitation to
dine with them, which was accepted. We had
the pleasantest imaginable time.

My brother had been living in Cheyenne for
some time, and, in his great desire to again wit-
ness a fine theatrical performance, had, with a
friend, assumed the entire responsibility of the
troupe's success. A week had been spent in
enlisting every one's interest; and although he
guaranteed expenses in any event, yet when
the important night arrived there was a full
house, and one of the most picturesque audi-
ences ever collected. Every miner, ranchman,
gambler, and the whole military garrison at
Cheyenne, were not only there, but applauded
everything as a Western audience alone can —
in a manner that made the very building tremble.

Such an audience is a sight which once seen
is not easily forgotten. Similar heterogeneous
elements never enter into the lives of the people

CAVALRY LIFE. 185

at the East, and it is almost impossible to de-
scribe such a gathering. Imagine a peculiarly
picturesque and large audience, composed of
every imaginable species of the human race, each
so intent upon the performance that actual sur-
roundings are entirely ignored.

In those early days of which I am ^vriting, the
population of Denver was much more composite
than it is at the present time ; and the experi-
enced eye could readily distinguish men and
women of every nationality, and from every sta-
tion in life, from the cowboy to the millionaire.
Beautiful Denver ! my heart turns longingly to
its perfect climate ; and the desire to once again
inhale that sweet, pure air, and catch a glimpse
of its glorious mountain scener)^, cannot be over-
come.

We left that lovely town after a week's
delightful stay, and for two days and nights
rolled over the prairies in cars, watching the
endless stretch of level and monotonous plains,
relieved here and there by herds of buffaloes,
which sometimes approached so near as to be

186 CAVALRY LIFE.

shot at from the tram. It reminded me of the
excitement created when whales are encountered
on a sea voyage, because the passengers, after
once having seen them, were constantly on the
lookout for more, and the state of expectancy
rendered their journey less tedious. These
herds of buffaloes have long since disappeared
from the Kansas plains, and their very memory
will soon become a recollection of the past.

As we rolled into dingy St. Louis, where
brother left me, my heart sank at the prospect
of again breathing air too heavy and dense to
be anything but suffocating. The next morn-
ing found me in Chicago, where I was to be
met by another brother. Our little daughter
was so accustomed to being on friendly terms
with every one, that she used to go from one
end of the car to the other, chatting and
enjoying every moment of her trip. To ride
in cars, after lurching about in all sorts of un-
comfortable conveyances over rough mountains
and plains, was like gently gliding; and but
for the heavy atmosphere and coal dust, it
seemed as if I should never tire.

CAVALRY LIFE. 187

A very enjoyable day was passed in Chicago.
My brother pointed out, with evident pride, the
splendid public buildings, which but a few
months later were devastated by the fire fiend,
only to rise, phoenix-like, from their ruins in
greater beauty and splendor.

I have the most profound admiration both
for Chicago and the spirit of enterprise shown
by its inhabitants ; and when I saw it again
after the calamity, I bowed in reverence to a
community that could evolve so much architec-
tural beauty and elegance, to say nothing of
comfort, from so disastrous a misfortune as that
terrible fire.

Twenty hours after leaving Chicago found
me in New York. I had looked forward with
intense longing to that moment, supposing in-
effable happiness would be my portion when
again there ; but standing in front of the Fifth
Avenue hotel, a landmark more familiar to me
than any other iii the city, my disappointment
and heart sickness were severe.

I had seen the hotel rise from nothing ; had

188 CAVALBY life:

always lived in the immediate vicinity, daily
passed it going to and from school ; and when
homesick during my army life the mere thought
of that hotel would awaken the happiest feel-
ings ; but when the desire to again see it had
been attained my heart sank with a bitter feel-
ing of loneliness.

No longing has ever equaled in intensity the
one which then took possession of me — to be
back again in my dear Western home, sur-
rounded by all the lonely grandeur of its lovely
scenery. Though I remained East an entire
year, it was only because obliged to, and during
all those months I never ceased to sigh for the
day of my return.

I had many joyful reunions with kind rela-
tives and dear friends, much to make life bright
and cheerful ; but I raved about the delights of
the West until friends thought me nearly crazy
on the subject. Besides missing my own home,
as do all married women, in spite of the un-
bounded hospitality of friends, I missed the
quiet and freedom from that mad rush Avhich

CAVALRY LIFE. 189

i^eems an inevitable part of life in a great city.
I was also in the hands of physicians, which
was depressing. The hardships of frontier life,
at times when I was entirely unfitted for travel,
had told their tale, and compelled my return
East in order that my shattered health might
be regained.

Three months were spent in New York, and
then, with the approach of warm weather, I
wended my way to the mountains. Although
they seemed insipid after the rocky grandeur of
the West, I preferred them, such as they were,
to the city with its endless streets and turmoil,
where tall chimney tops prevented my obtain-
ing a glimpse of the blue sky I had seen so
freely and loved so well.

190 CAVALRY LIFE.

CHAPTER XIII.

I DOUBT if any but those who have lived
among the prairies or mountains of the far
West can realize how keenly is felt the loss of
that endless environment which becomes a part
of life itself, and which is missed when de-
prived of, especially at first, almost like one's
daily bread.

From the city I went to my husband's home
in New York State, on a spur of the Catskill
Mountains, where I seemed to breathe more
freely, and was enchanted during those long
summer months by the exquisite green of grass,
trees, and landscape — in a word, by every thing
that refreshed the eye after such a long period
of gray hues, and which certainly my beloved
West lacked.

I was enthusiastic over the fresh verdure of

CAVALRY LIFE. 191

our beautiful mountain home, just as I had
been over the gray loveliness of the West. It
was, no doubt, the marked contrast vi^hich glad-
dened my eyes. Not a moment was spent
in-doors if it could be avoided*; and when com-
pelled to do so, I placed myself where a per-
petual feast to the eyes was in full view.

One covild dwell perpetually amid recollec-
tions of the past; so I will hasten over that
quiet, restful summer to the succeeding fall,
when my husband arrived on his first leave* of
absence. Needless to say the young soldier
was greeted by his family with the welcome
befitting one, who, having spent three years in
distant service, returned to his home with un-
alloyed pleasure, and reviewed with renewed
delight the early surroundings and memories of
his youth.

During the month following Mr. Boyd's ar-
rival our first boy was born, and no prince could
ever have been received with more sincere de-
light. Parents and grandparents were unani-
mous in considering him wonderful, and indeed

192 CAVALRY LIFE.

he was a splendid baby! My husband cele-
brated his advent as we would have done on the
frontier, with much rejoicing; but the Puritan
grandparents seriously objected to conviviality
of any kind, and seized the occasion to obtain
their son's promise to abstain in future from in-
toxicating liquors of every description. To
gratify his dear father Mr. Boyd agreed, al-
though there was no necessity for such a pledge,
as he had always been most temperate. Our
son was ten years of age before Captain Boyd
again tasted liquor, and then it was by the doc-
tor's express order.

When our baby boy was three months old his
father began to think the country a cold place
for us, and to debate the desirability of a return
to New York, especially as he felt we were en-
titled, after our long sojourn on the frontier, to
some of the pleasures of Eastern life. One en-
tire morning was spent in discussing the matter.
The conclusion arrived at was, that even if we
remained with relatives the amount of my hus-
band's pay would in no wise suffice for the or-

CAVALRY LIFE. 193

dinary expenses of life in New York. In order
to have any leisure I should require a nurse for
our two little children, and the half-pay received
was only sixty-five dollars a month.

In relating these experiences of army life, I
wish it distinctly understood tliat I am not ex-
aggerating— simply stating facts. A cavalry
officer was deprived of almost every opportunity
of visiting home and relatives in the East, and
when permitted to do so on leave was compelled
to plunge in debt, which involved him for years
afterward in difficulties; so, great as was the
pleasure, and most innocent and natural, we
considered it too dearly bought ever to be re-
peated, and therefore did not again come East
until compelled to do so on account of our chil-
dren's education.

My husband had journeyed from Fort Stanton
to New York at frightful expense, traveling by
stage to Denver, which, as my previous experi-
ence has shown, was the most costly mode of
transit. An officer has not only to make all
trips when on leave at his own expense, but in

194 CAVALRY LIFE.

those days the pay was reduced to half its full
amount; and as a lieutenant was then allowed
only one hundred and thirty dollars, Mr. Boyd
received but sixty-five dollars a month. Such
reduction seems to me most unjust, for surely
no one can be expected to spend a lifetime
away from all early associations, or pay so dearly
for the natural desire to occasionally see parents
and friends.

We were indeed happy with the pleasure of
again visiting our relatives ; but when the long,
long return journey from New York to New
Mexico had to be undertaken, and we found
that with the utmost economy it would cost
seven hundred dollars, which, with the limited
supply of household necessaries absolutely re-
quired, and the expenses of Mr. Boyd's journey
East added, aggregated upwards of thirteen
hundred dollars, it was anything but a pleas-
ant outlook for the future. We were in debt to
that amount, and must provide for its payment.

Can any one wonder either at our dismay, or
the resolve never again to think of leave of ab-

CAVALRY LIFE. 195

sence? For economy we had actually buried
ourselves in the mountains during the entire
winter; and although that was no great hard-
ship, yet it would have been very pleasant to
have enjoyed New York during the season, es-
pecially as I never expected to come East again.

We realized the stern fact that with an in-
come of only sixty-five dollars a month, four
people should be thankful to have the bare neces-
saries of life, without expecting luxuries; but
it did seem rather hard to return without seeing
more of the city than a fleeting glimpse obtained
in passing, and — because we were poor.

While in New York one of my cousins found
a servant willing to return West with us, which
seemed desirable, as a nurse would be needed
on that long journey, and the amount of her
traveling expenses would be saved in the wages
to be paid — those current in New York instead
of the double rate demanded on the frontier.

We congratulated ourselves on the servant*s
appearance, which was so far from pleasing it
seemed safe to take her. Had it been otherwise

196 CAVALRY LIFE.

she would, we were sure, soon desert us for
matrimony. The girl was almost a grenadier
in looks and manners; and although not abso-
lutely hideous, was so far from pleasing that we
were confident of retaining her services, so made
a contract for one year.

Our Western journey was uneventful in com-
parison with others that had preceded it. It
seemed a slight undertaking to travel with our
two little children, who were so good and
healthy, and I had the assistance both of my
husband and the nurse. Besides, the joy ex-
perienced at being fairly en route for our own
home made me feel like a caged bird let
loose.

After four days and nights of travel from
the East into the West, we reached Cheyenne,
Wyoming Territory, where the children, nurse,
and I were to remain with my brother, while
Mr. Boyd went to New Mexico by stage, and 1
returned with an ambulance for our long
journey.

My heart swells when I think of those per-

CAVALRY LIFE. 197

feet days ! It was in the month of May, and
Ave either camped out every night, or slept in
some ranch. Each moment was fraught with
pleasure. Every whiff of mountain air was in-
haled with delight, for, like a Mohammedan, my
face was turned toward Mecca. I so rejoiced
that our nurse, who was undergoing the same
disagreeable sensations I had experienced at the
outset of my army life in the strange surround-
ings, was so overpowered she dared not express
her dissatisfaction.

On arriving at Trinidad, a halt was made,
for I had forgotten to check our trunks from
Denver to Kit Carson, so they did not follow.
We awaited them there for a while, but finally
decided to go on. When the trunks eventually
reached us, we discovered that they had been
left standing somewhere in the rain until their
contents w^ere saturated with water and had
mildewed.

I felt badly enough over my own trunk ; but
the nurse wept, "refusing to be comforted," for
all her finery was ruined. My own regrets

198 CAVALRY LIFE.

were silenced in listening to her lamentations,
especially as I was entirely to blame.

We did not return to Fort Stanton, Mr. Boyd's
company having been ordered to Fort Union ; so
the journey, which I regarded in the light of a
picnic, from the railroad to our home, required
only twelve days. It was delightful in every
respect, or would have been but for the sour
face of our nurse, " who mourned, and mourned,
and mourned."

When we reached Fort Union, and I asked if
it would not be a pleasant home for us, she
looked out on the wide and desolate plain that
faced the fort, and with a weary sigh, said she
" preferred New York."

Having known the pangs of homesickness, I
sympathized with her deeply ; but she kept up
so continuously her wail of despair over the dis-
comforts of our life generally, and it became
so tiresome, that when, five months afterward,
she married a soldier, I was rather glad than
otherwise, and returned with a sense of relief
to the faithful men for service.

CA VALR Y LIFE. 199

We had soon discovered the fallacy of our be-
lief that her plainness would prevent the possi-
bility of a lover. Women were so scarce, and
men so plenty, that no matter how old or ugly,
a woman was not neglected, and our unprepos-
sessing nurse had scores of suitors for her hand.
She had not been in the fort three days before
the man who laid our carpets proposed to her.
It required but little time in which to become
aware of her own value, and on learning
that he was intemperate she quickly discarded
him.

The one whom she finally married was brave
in every sense of the word. Trusting to the
old adage, "Faint heart ne'er won fair ladie,"
that man engaged a carriage at Las Vegas for
the wedding-trip before ever having seen her.
He was a soldier belonging at Fort Union, who
had been away on distant service for months,
and, hearing that we had a girl from the East
with us, made the necessary preparations for
their marriage while en route to the post. His
pluck must have pleased her, for three days

200 CAVALRY LIFE.

after his return she accompanied him to Las
Vegas, where they were united for life.

She had made my life harder in every way,
and taught us the folly of taking a servant
accustomed to Eastern civilization into the
Western wilds. Not only had she scorned all
our belongings and surroundings, but absolutely
wearied me with incessant complaints over the
absence of modern conveniences, which was
absurd ; for the climate was so exquisite, and
the houses so compact, there was really no
necessity for such fretfulness. We had clean,
sweet, fresh quarters, which to me seemed per-
fect.

So greatly, however, had the girl deplored the
situation, that I wondered she thought to better
her condition by marrying a soldier, who can
often give his wife no shelter whatever; in
fact, unless permitted to marry by the consent
of his officers, she is not allowed to live in the
garrison.

That was a hard summer in spite of my joy
at our return. Mr. Boyd had been ordered to

CAVALRY LIFE. 201

join his troop in the field immediately after our
arrival. I had a dear little house, and with
new carpets and curtains, and the absolute
freshness of all, would have been happy enough
but for the load of debt that was constantly

. worrying me, and the discontent of our servant,
which made her incapable to such a degree that
I had to work so hard the iSesh and strength
gained by my pleasant Eastern visit greatly

..decreased. Before the summer was over I had
lost twenty -five pounds.

Our dear captain had taken unto himself a
bride, and in accordance with the usual army
experience had been ordered away immediately
on reaching the post, where he had hoped to
enjoy his" wife's society at least for a while.
But the fortunes of war are ever the same, and

j our garrison was denuded of cavalry, which pur-
sued Indians all summer. The officers always
had so many comical stories to tell on their
return, that even the bride failed to realize her
husband's danger, and joined in the general
laugh over those recitals.

202 CAVALRY LIFE.

One night the Indians actually invaded camp,
and the officers were obliged to fight in their
night clothes, having no time even to slip on
shoes, but rushed immediately into the inclosure, (
that when camping was always formed by the
wagons, and within which the animals were led.
Having succeeded in driving off the Indians
they laughed immoderately at each other, and
considered the whole affair a great joke. The
colonel was unusually tall, the quartermaster
short and very stout, and each must have pre-
sented a comical appearance, fighting for dear
life in such attire.

When absent on those expeditions the troop
usually encamped on the banks of some stream.
On one occasion the river by which they had
camped rose — agreeably to the frequent custom
of Western rivers — and carried away every-
thing on its banks. When it fell their huge
blacksmith's forge was found imbedded in the
opposite shore, an eighth of a mile lower down.

The rainy season in those south-western coun-
tries is mostly confined to a few months, either

CAVALRY LIFE. 203

in early spring or midsummer ; and as no warn-
ing precedes its coming, sad accidents not infre-
quently occur. Sometimes in the course of a
few hours a tiny little stream grows into an
angry, surging torrent, so great is the downpour
even in that short time. One dear woman, an
officer's wife, who was camped with her husband
on the banks of a river apparently in full secu-
rity, lost her life from that cause.

A storm arose so suddenly, that, seeing their
camp would soon be under water, she took shel-
ter in an ambulance, to be driven across the
stream to higher ground; but the treacherous
current had grown so swift and strong that she
and their child, together with the driver and
mules, were swept away before the eyes of her
husband, who stood agonized and helpless on
the shore.

204 CAVALRY LIFE.

CHAPTER XIV.

We were always delighted to welcome back
the troops from their Indian reconnoitering, life
was so dull without them. During their ab-
sence the garrison would consist perhaps of only
one company of infantry, with its captain and
lieutenant ; and if at headquarters a quartermas-
ter and an adjutant, with of course a doctor,
who was our mainstay, and to whom we rushed
if only a finger ached. That summer even the
band was in the field, so we had no music to
cheer us. All was, however, made up for on
i their return in November, when we inaugurated
a series of hops that were delightful.

The quarters at Fort Union had an unusually
wide hall which was superb for dancing, and
three rooms on each side. We had only to
notify the quartermaster that a hop was to be

CAVALRY LIFE. 205

given, when our barren hallway would immedi-
ately be transferred into a beautiful ballroom,
with canvas stretched tightly over the floor,
flags decorating the sides, and ceiling so charm-
ingly draped as to make us feel . doubly pa-
triotic.

Many ladies greatly dislike Fort Union. It
has always been noted for severe dust-storms.
Situated on a barren plain, the nearest moun-
tains, and those not very high, three miles dis-
tant, it has the most exposed position of any
military fort in New Mexico.

The soil is composed of the finest and, seem-
ingly, lightest brown sand, which when the
wind blows banks itself to a prodigious height
against any convenient object. The most ex-
posed place was between two sets of quarters,
which were some distance apart. The wind
Avould blow from a certain direction one day,
and completely bank the side of one house ; the
next it would shift, when the sand would be
found lying against the other.

The hope of having any trees, or even a

206 CAVALRY LIFE.

grassy parade-ground, had been abandoned long
before our residence there ; for either the grass-
seed would be scattered by the wind, or the
grass actually uprooted and blown away after it
had grown.

In 1886, Avhen I again visited Fort Union, it
seemed indeed a cheerless place on account
of the lack of verdure. The cause is simply
want of shelter ; for with the ample water-works
which have been built since we lived there,
much could be done if it were in a less exposed
position.

Those sand-banks were famous playgrounds
for the children. One little girl, whose mother
was constantly upbraiding her for lack of neat-
ness, contrasting her with our little daughter
who was almost painfully tidy, determining to
be avenged, coaxed my child near a large sand-
pile and threw her down on it, saying, as she
again and again poured the dirt over her :

" There, now ! I am glad to see you as dirty
as I am ! "

Every eye is said to form its own beauty.

CAVALRY LIFE. 207

Mine was disposed to see much in Fort Union,
for I had a home there.

AYhen my husband returned from his long
scout we rode horseback daily. Our objective
point was always the mountains, where trees
and green grass were to be found in abundance.
One day when in the Turkey mountains, about
three miles from home, we saw twQ very ugly-
visaged men approaching. Some instinct, or
kind Providence, warned Mr. Boyd to keep a
watchful eye on them, so he deliberately turned
in the saddle, and placing one hand on a pistol
to show that he was armed, watched them out
of sight. One of the men, who turned back
and looked at us, also rested a hand on his hip
where the pistol is carried. Observing that we
were intently watching their movements, they
rode on, leaving us unmolested.

On our return we were greeted with the tale
of a horrible murder that had been committed
on the very outskirts of the post. A soldier
messenger, who for ten years had carried the
mail between Fort Union and the arsenal, a

208 CAVALRY LIFE.

mile distant, had been shot within fifteen hun-
dred yards of the garrison, and fallen lifeless
by the roadside. His horse, instead of being
captured by the murderers as they had hoped,
galloped wildly toward the arsenal, and thus
raised an alarm. The murderers were actually
in sight when the poor man's body was found,
still warm, but with life extinct.

A pursuing party was organized without loss
of time, and on that open, level plain the
wretches were almost immediately captured
and placed in the guard-house. Mr. Boyd at
once visited them, and found, as he expected,
that they were the same men whom we had met
in the mountains only a few hours previously.
They w^ould not, of course, reply to his query
why they did not kill us for the sake of the
fine horses we rode. He felt certain the mur-
derers would be dealt with as summarily, and
told them so, as had been the poor messen-
ger whom they so foully murdered, and whose
family was then suffering the most poignant
sorrow.

CAVALRY LIFE. 209

Late that evening the civil authorities de-
manded the prisoners. Their only safety lay
in the commanding officer refusing the request ;
but claiming that he had no authority for so
doing, they were delivered to the sheriff, though
begging and pleading to be permitted to remain
in the guard-house. The men dreaded lynch
law, but saw no mercy in the faces of their
jailers.

After proceeding a short distance from the
garrison, their escort increased in numbers until
soon an immense crowd surrounded them. Not
a sound was heard until the very verge of the
military reservation had been reached, yet a
more resolute and relentless body of men never
marched together.

The very moment the last foot of military
ground had been passed the sheriff was over-
powered, evidently with no very great reluc-
tance ; and the crowd, producing coils of rope,
quickly proceeded to hang the prisoners to tele-
graph-poles, where their bodies dangled for days,
a warning to all horse thieves and murderers.

210 CAVALRY LIFE.

For a time my rides were spoiled ; but soon I
grew brave again, though we were always there-
after careful to be thoroughly well armed on
t leaving home.

I might multiply accounts of our experiences
at various garrisons, but it would take too long.
In a monotonous life days slip away almost un-
consciously, and one is surprised to find how
quickly time has flown. Looking back, it seems
incredibly short, because there were no impor-
tant events to mark its progress.

We were so happily situated that I hoped to
remain at Fort Union, but as usual springtime
saw us on the wing. It w^as undoubtedly a
high compliment to my husband that he should
always have been chosen as an administrative
officer. It not only proved Mr. Boyd's ability,
but was a testimony to his honesty, and thus
a complete refutation of the charges made
against him at West Point. It was also a spe-
cial honor to be singled out from among so many
men by the general in command at distant head-
quarters ; but an inconvenience, particularly

CAVALRY LIFE. 211

when we were at a very desirable post or station,
to be ordered to a most uncomfortable one.
Fort Union seemed far enough from the rail-
road, especially as our year East had made us
anxious to be as near civilization as possible.

We were looking forward to a long stay at
our pleasant post, when an unexpected order
came for Mr. Boyd to proceed immediately to
Fort Bayard, and build the officers' quarters
needed there. He kept the news from me dur-
ing the day of its arrival, because I was deeply
engrossed in preparations for a hop to be given
at our house that evening, and he did not wish
to spoil my pleasure.

The entire day had been spent in decorating
the hall and preparing supper. Unfortunately
the first guest who arrived effectually dampened
my spirits by sympathetically exclaiming :

" Isn't it too bad you have to leave here ? "

I was too unhappy to enjoy a single moment
of the festivities which followed ; but the ar-
rival of the entire garrison, who danced and
otherwise greatly enjoyed themselves, left in

212 CAVALRY LIFE.

my mind a picture of pleasant army gayety
surpassed by none.

As usual I packed our household belongings
with a heavy heart. That move was decidedly
for the worse ; and even if the journey, with its
attendant fatigue and expense, had not been
dreaded, I would have disliked going to a place
so much farther from the railroad, and where so
little could be expected in the way of com-
fort.

Fort Bayard, six hundred miles south-west of
Fort Union, and a few miles distant from Ari-
zona, was considered a most undesirable locality,
both on account of its remoteness, and because
no houses had then been built for the officers'
use. It required eighteen days to reach our des-
tination by ambulance, traveling about thirty-
five miles each day.

After leaving Fort Union we went directly to
Santa F^, and saw that quaint old Mexican
town, then across to Albuquerque, down by
the borders of the Rio Grande to Fort Selden,
and from there by ascending grades to Fort

CAVALRY LIFE, '213

Bayard, which was in the more mountainous
region.

The journey was like all others in which am-
bulances were used as conveyances — tiresome
and monotonous in the extreme, but in my case
always either modified or intensified by the
gladness or reluctance experienced in regard
to our destination. In that case I was heartily
sorry for the move. We had been only nine
months at Fort Union ; my baby was at a trou-
blesome age and needed constant care, and for
the first time I was without a nurse of any sort.
Besides, it was mid-winter, and unusual care
must be exercised to keep the children warm
when camping out, which we were compelled
to do a part of the time. The season was, how-
ever, too cold to permit of that when it could
be avoided, so we occupied Mexican houses
almost every night.

The houses were very warm and comforta-
ble, but oddly arranged according to American
ideas. In place of windows there were merely
openings for air, tightly closed or covered by

214 CAVALRY LIFE.

solid wooden shutters at night. Several beds
were ranged about the walls of each long, oddly
shaped room, Avhich except for a primitive wash-
stand contained no other furniture. There was,
however, always an open fireplace and a cheer-
ful blaze of mesquite roots, which emitted much
heat, and a curious odor that one never forgets.

The food was always enjoyed, for after long,
open-air rides no one is ever very fastidious.
Mexican cooking is not usually relished by
those unaccustomed to it, because always
highly flavored wdth garlic, much soaked in
grease, and almost everything deluged with
red pepper, without a lavish use of which no
Mexican can prepare a single dish.

The most primitive mode of grinding corn —
by hand between two stones — was then still
in vogue ; and the tortillas made from meal
thus obtained, simply mixed with water and
baked, were not only very sweet, but strange
to say also light, probably because of the man-
ipulation by skilled hands. They reminded me
of the delicious beaten biscuits prepared in the

CAVALRY LIFE. 215

South, which are never fit to be eaten anywhere
else.

The Rio Grande again became our constant
companion, and we drove for days within sight
of its banks. How I envied the Mexicans who
were able to spend their lives on its sunny
shores. Volumes could be written about those
peculiar people, with their almost deathlike
calm of manner, seldom, under any circum-
stances, varied; though sometimes the fact is
betrayed that volcanic fires slumber beneath, to
be fully roused and find vent only when their
deepest emotions are stirred.

When living among them one feels the neces-
sity of absorbing some of their traits, which are
indeed needed in a country wh^re progress is
unknown, and where the customs of centuries
past still remain, not as traditions but as facts.
They were always kind and gentle, and such
devoted admirers of our fairer race as to make
most admirable nurses for the children, except
for their over indulgence.

The towns of Mesilla and Las Cru9es are

216 CAVALUY LIFE.

as characteristic in their way as any of old
Spain, and quite as interesting. We passed
through both en route to Bayard, and my pen
would fain linger over their many peculiarities.
Several days elapsed after leaving the Rio
Grande before our arrival at Fort Bayard in New
Mexico, where we prepared to begin afresh the
old story of life in a new garrison. Baby had
climbed over me until I was glad to rest on terra
firma again.

CAVALRT LIFE. 217

CHAPTER XV.

Fort Bayard, surrounded by high moun-
tains, is pleasantly situated in a very hilly
region. The officers' quarters face the Santa
Rita Mountains, which rise to an abrupt point
directly opposite the post, a few miles distant,
forming a landmark which is not soon forgotten,
especially if constantly in view for three years,
during which time we had the good fortune to
remain there.

On the brow of that sharp decline, which
rises almost at right angles with the hill be-
neath, a large, irregularly shaped rock had
fallen, which bears a perfect resemblance to a
kneeling figure, and faces the higher point. It
was called the kneeling nun, and, of course,
invested with the natives by a suggestive his-
tory. The suppliant posture is perfect, and the

218 CAVALBT LIFE.

figure conveyed to me a world of deep mean-
ing.

That little corner of South-western New Mex-
ico, in which we remained three years, a length
of sojourn so unusual and unexpected that
every spring I looked for an order to move, has
an unwTitten history which would cover many
pages. It is the mining region of New Mexico,
and has the most perfect climate of any in the
United States, neitlier extremely warm in sum-
mer, nor severel}^ cold in winter; and the sun
shines at least three hundred days in each year
with a warmth and brightness which render
life perfectly enjoyable, if spent out of doors as
it should be.

The only real storms are in summer, when
during the rainy season clouds suddenly gather
in the afternoon, and are followed by such a
downpour of rain, with perhaps thunder and
lightning, that it seems as if everything would
be washed away. After the full force and fury
of the elements have been spent, every cloud
disappears, and the day ends with a perfect

CAVALRY LIFE, 219

sunset, wliich is followed by a night still, calm,
and wonderfully beautiful.

Occasionally, but not often, snow falls in
winter; altogether, the climate is perfect, and
I have often since wondered why that locality
is not popular as a health resort, for a more
bracing and invigorating air is never breathed
anywhere.

On account of the infrequency of rain, vege-
tation is not very green, but neither is it shriv-
eled and parched. Cattle never fail to find
succulent pasturage in the bunch grass, which
even when perfectly dry is nutritious. But for
the constant Indian depredations from which
that region has suffered for twenty years, it
would be the garden spot of the West. The
climate is much milder in winter than that of
Colorado.

Mines of every description have been found
in New Mexico, from the famous Santa Rita
copper mines, which bear traces of having been
worked centuries ago, to more recently discov-
ered ones of silver and gold. These latter have

220 CATALUY LIFE.

caused the building of the only American town,
known there, Silver City, which, with its one
hundred beautiful red brick houses, is a won-
derful place, considering the locality and sur-
roundings. All this is, however, more recent,
although the town had a number of fine resi-
dences when we were there nearly a score of
years ago. It is only an hour's drive from Fort
Bayard, over the most lovely rolling mountain
road, and the visits to Silver City were a very
pleasant feature of our life when at that fort.

The Fort Bayard which first greeted our eyes
was, except for climate and scenery, a sorry
place. It boasted a large garrison, but we were
shown into a perfectly miserable hut that was
our shelter for months. The cabins or huts in
which the officers lived were directly back of
the new quarters, stone foundations for which
had already been laid.

The houses were to be built of adobe bricks,
that were made by simply mixing to a proper
consistency with water the earth obtained from
excavating in front of our dwellings, shaping in

CAVALRY LIFE. 221

primitive wooden molds, and drying in the hot
sun.

All the workmen were slow-moving Mexi-
cans, who built houses in the same way as had
their forefathers for generations. They knew
no meaning for the word " hurry," so it took
months to erect those simple homes ; and mean-
time we not only lived in wretched huts, but
could not venture out after dark for fear of fall-
ing into some one of the many pits.

Our experience was dreadful for one long
year, then the houses were finally completed.
The ground had been so torn up that the least
gust of wind seemed sufficient to start all the
loose earth in motion, when we would be almost
buried in clouds of dust ; but our worst trouble
was during the rainy season.

Our houses were situated on the brow of a
hill, and when sudden summer storms arose
they washed right through the house. We pre-
ferred to give them the right of way rather than
have the buildings, wretched as they were, en-
tirely disappear, so the back doors' Would be

222 CAVALRY LIFE.

opened, and the storms permitted to sweep
through before finding egress at the front doors.
The houses, so-called by courtesy, were merely
log cabins without floors ; it was therefore neces-
sary, at such times, to mount on chairs or tables
if we desired to escape mud baths. The roofs,
thatched with straw and overlaid with mud,
had a way of leaking that was apt to result in
huge mud-puddles being spread in all direc-
tions. The ladies always took refuge under
umbrellas until after the storms subsided.

None could envy others, for all were in tlie
same boat, with no comforts whatever. Some-
times the whole roof fell in, but no one was
ever hurt, and on the two occasions which I
recall, bachelor officers were the sufferers.

The lieutenant-colonel who commanded our
post, having no family, had kindly given his
house to a little bride, whose husband was a
recent graduate of West Point. She, like my-
self, had started out expecting to find all mili-
tary stations like that lovely place, and had
brought from New York the most luxurious

CAVALRY LIFE. 223

outfit ever seen on the frontier. Magnificent
carpets and curtains from Sloan's, fit for any
New York palace, had been shipped all that
long distance, and she proceeded to lay the for-
mer directly over the mud floor in her house,
and to hang the latter at her little windows.

The house was in every respect like all the
rest, with three rooms in a row, and one or two
forming an ell; yet she had decked the interior
to look like a perfect fairy bower. The. front
room, that opened directly out of doors, was
the sitting-room ; back of that was a sleeping
apartment, and then the kitchen.

When the first severe storm arose and swept
right through that house, the rain coming in at
the back and going out at the front door, I
never saw a more dismayed and discouraged
woman than was our little bride, and no won-
der. Her fairy bower had been transformed
into a mud-bank ; the pretty white curtains
were streaked and discolored beyond recogni-
tion, the carpets covered with mud, while the
pictures and ornaments were unrecognizable.

224 CAVALRY LIFE.

That lady was like many I have met, both
before and since. She expected ordinary modes
of life to prevail at the frontier, and had carried
with her at least a dozen large trunks, for which
she was glad to find simply storage, and whose
pretty contents never saw the light.

Her experience was pitiable. Having an
abundance of money, she naturally supposed it
would purchase some comforts ; but money was
of no. use to her there, and, indeed, seemed only
an aggravation. The little woman used to send
East for articles, which for economy's sake the
rest of us went without, and disappointments
invariably followed. Whatever was received —
which would be only after almost incredible
waiting — was never what she had expected ;
and if garments had been ordered, alterations
which none but a skilled hand could make were
always needed.

I remember being once consulted about a
Christmas present designed for her husband.
She had decided upon a beautiful picture,
which, although ordered in ample time, did not

CAVALRY LIFE. 225

arrive until long after the holidays, and the
express charges alone were fifty dollare. Her
disappointments were well nigh endless, and
led me to believe that money was not so much
a promoter of happiness in frontier life as it,
would usually be considered elsewhere ; for no
matter how much people were able to spend
they could not buy luxuries, and to send East
for them meant only tantalization and weary
waiting.

Perhaps some of my own experiences in the
matter of express charges may not prove unin-
teresting. Every woman is said to love a new
bonnet ; but army women show the greatest
unconcern regarding fashions, probably because
their lives are so different from those of their
city sisters.

When some head covering became a positive
necessity, we usually sent East for a plain little
hat, dark and useful, as it was needed mainly
for wear when driving around the country. I
had quite worn out my Eastern supply after
a two years' residence at Bayard, so ordered a

226 CAVALRY LIFE.

quiet little hat or bonnet from New York. In-
stead, I received a very gaudy, dashing piece of
millinery that would have been suitable for the
opera, but was altogether out of place on the
frontier. The bonnet cost twenty dollars, and
the express charges were twenty-two. P'or that
entirely useless arrangement, therefore, I had
to pay forty-two dollars, and then had no bon-
net, for I never wore it.

That little lady had all the ambition and
pride in a refined way of living that naturally
arose from having spent her early life amid
luxurious surroundings. She had passed sev-
eral years in the gayest capitals of Europe, had
imbibed most extravagant ideas from fond and
indulgent parents, had scarcely ever known an
ungratified wish, and was therefore less pre-
pared for the actual realities of life, as de-
veloped at Fort Bayard, than any one else I
have ever known. The desire and attempt to
live in accordance with her means resulted in
constant disappointments and trials. I have
never seen any one who worked so hard to

CAVALRY LIFE. 227

accomplish what were considered simply neces-
sities, and yet whose labor was so entirely
unrewarded.

She wanted to entertain lavishly; and hav-
ing beautiful table appointments it was really
a treat to dine at her house ; but when she told
of the labor involved, by reason of incompetent
help, the task seemed too great to include any
pleasure. Her utter ignorance of household
duties made her an easy prey to servants' wiles,
and the very fact that she could so lavishly
supply materials only made them more ready to
take advantage.

She tried the same experiment we had —
taking a servant from New York — but fared
even worse, as her maid left when Santa Fe
was reached, saying she did "not care to go
any farther from civilization." The officer's
wife had no redress, although she had spent
quite a large sum both on the girl's fare and
baggage, as they had traveled by stage.

When, a year later, this same lady had a dear
little girl born, she offered, but in vain, fifty

228 CAVALRY LIFE.

dollars a week to any one who would care for
herself and child. It was really pitiful to see
the beautiful young woman lying neglected, de-
prived of the most common care, when if money
could have availed she would have been en-
veloped in luxury. Of course, attentions were
received from other ladies, but hers was one of
the many cases I have known where Dame
Nature alone was at hand to assist.

My pen glides lovingly over the paper when
I begin to describe army ladies, and fain would
linger to fill page after page with loving remi-
niscences of their sweet goodness and devotion
to husbands and the cause they represented.
Surely in no other life can women be found
who are at once so brave and true.

At each post I formed devoted attachments
to some woman, and were the love experienced
for them all and their perfections to be de-
scribed, this book could contain little else ; for '
one story after another of their wifely devotion
and absolute self-abnegation, carried to such an
extent as to be actually heroic, is recalled.

CAVALBY LIFE. 229

No murmur was ever heard at the order to
move, if women were to be included; for no
matter how hard, long, or wearisome the jour-
ne}', they were content if permitted to accom-
pany their husbands. But wlien the officers
were sent away on the many expeditions cavalry
service demanded, where their wives could not
go with them, then were they indeed wretched ;
hours and days seemed endless until the return
of loved ones.

This intense devotion was the cause of inces-
sant hardships being borne ; for in many in-
stances, if tlie ladies would have returned to
their Eastern homes, care and attention would
have been bestowed which can never be ex-
pected on the frontier.

The difficulty of obtaining competent help in
household cares could never be surmounted.
Even when near Mexican settlements we would
find that a long line of idle ancestry, together
with every tendency of climate, surroundings,
and viciousness, had so developed indolence in
the natives as to utterly incapacitate them for

230 CAVALRY LIFE.

any serious employment. They were capable
only of sucli tasks as allowed them to bask in
the sun and smoke cigarettes all day long. As
they made admirable nurses, and we liked to
have our children live out of doors, they could
be utilized in that way ; but heavier household
tasks were left for more energetic hands.

When I think of that delicious sun and air,
and recall those happy days, I wonder how any
thing can be remembered except the absolute
content experienced when we finally moved
into our new quarters, and regularly settled
down into sweet home life. The children throve
and bloomed like flowers, and were never ill.

In the South-western climate ordinary dis-
eases do not prevail, and if any of the epidemics
which mothers usually dread break out, the
absolute pureness of the air renders them innoc-
uous; and with even ordinary care children
speedily recover. Army doctors, in the double
capacity of physician and family friend, also
give most extraordinary care, so sickness is
rarely fatal. Except from teething and. its at-

CAVALBT LIFE. 231

tendant ills, babies are almost exempt from
maladies, and children live so secluded from
outside influences that mine never even had,
measles or any other childish disease. 1

One beautiful babe died from teething, and
during its illness every lady in the post passed
her entire time at its bedside when allowed to
do so. But that may be instanced as only one
proof of the sincere interest felt in each other
by people who are isolated from all the rest of
the world.

232 CAVALRY LIFE.

CHAPTER XVI.

I HAVE always thought army life would be
delightful if there was the slightest certainty
of remaining at any post for a given length of
time ; but this is so out of the question that
many comforts which might otherwise be pro-
cured are gradually tabooed.

Officers become so accustomed to expect re-
moval, that they are unwilling to accumulate
comforts which must be left when marching
orders are received; and every one is apt to
give credence in some degree to the rumors
which continually gain ground, and usually
emanate from an unknown source, that a change
is soon to be made. One lives in a veritable
atmosphere of unrest until it becomes second
nature.

At Bayard, for the first time during our army

CAVALRY LIFE. 233

life, we felt somewhat settled. Cavalry service
consists entirely of unforeseen emergencies, de-
j pendent upon the country's condition and its
? need for the movement of troops, either in the
pursuit of Indians or horse-thieves. As Mr.
• Boyd had been sent to superintend the building
of the quarters at Bayard, we felt that unless
his regiment moved he would remain as quar-
termaster until they were completed, so quietly
established ourselves in one of the new houses
to enjoy life and a more prolonged stay than
usual.

We made many pleasant friends in the neigh-
boring town of Silver City, enjoyed a great
deal of company from there, and always drove
over to the entertainments they gave, some of
which were of a very comical nature.
I Imagine a ball at which every element is rep-
' resented, from the most refined to the most un-
cultivated, from the transplanted branches of
excellent Eastern families, who lured by enti-
cing descriptions of great mineral wealth to be
found at the West had gone there in search of

234 CAVALRY LIFE.

fortunes, to the rudest specimens of frontier
life, who had never seen anything else, and
were devoid of all education, yet, like true
Americans, regarded themselves as the very
quintessence of knowledge and good-breeding.

The balls were alwa3^s held in the court-
house ; and when, during court session, the
judge and attendant lawyers were to be hon-
ored with an entertainment in consonance with
their dignity, the rude room would be cleared
of benches just before the hour at which the
dance was to begin, and pretty dresses would
trail over the floor which had not been cleaned
for weeks, and which was the recipient of every
kind of dShris.

At one of those balls, held immediately after
court had adjourned, the window-sills had been
made receptacles for all such usual appliances
of lawyers as paper, pens, and ink. The army-
post guests laid their many wraps in one of
those windows because there was no dressing-
room. In fact, such a luxury was unknown.
When ready to return home, our wraps were

CAVALRY LIFE. 235

pulled down, and with them came several bot-
tles of ink, which sprinkled their contents lib-
erally over shawls and head-gear. As usual, I
was a sufferer, and have to this day, as me-
mento of the occasion, a very handsome shawl
that was completely ruined. But to remain
at home from the only pleasure our circum-
stances afforded was not to be thought of, and
fine clothes were willingly sacrificed.

We could rarely indulge in dancing-parties
at Bayard because there were so few ladies.
When, occasionally, a special effort in that di-
rection was made, the fact that we had no
proper dancing-hall would be emphasized, and
the large double parlors of our commanding
officer's house utilized. With the facilities at
hand for decorating tliem with beautiful flags,
cannon, stacked bayonets and swords, we gave
several dances, which contrasted favorably with
the town balls, and quite cured me of any
desire to ever again dance on so different a
floor.

Yet we sincerely enjoyed our Silver City

236 CAVALRY LIFE.

friends, and our greatest pleasure was to drive
over and visit them, returning early in the
evening, very much fatigued, but happy be-
cause we lived near any sort of town, instead
of being cut entirely off from all outside life.

Our cook often rebelled at the large parties
of friends who sometimes visited us unex-
pectedly, and, as before in similar experiences,
showed his displeasure by indulging too freely
in "strong water." One day he notably dis-
tinguished liimself, and almost extinguished me,
by reeling in before a whole party of friends
who were awaiting luncheon, and declaring
that he was no slave, neither had he engaged
himself as a hotel cook. His freedom of man-
ner was so natural among frontier people, that
eveiy one laughed, and all sallied out in the
dining-room, where we passed around bowls of
bread and milk.

We had two excellent cows, and my delight
was to work large rolls of butter into dainty pats
for the table. Never before or since have I so
enjoyed housekeeping as at Fort Bayard. Our

CAVALRY LIFE. 237

chickens seemed fairly to multiply, and I could
keep no count of the eggs they laid. We were
able to supply every one, and still have quan-
tities left for our own use.

T was in my element ; for I found that by
dint of judicious management fifty dollars a
month could be laid aside, so in two years' time
we were entirely out of debt, and fully resolved
never again to enter the state. That was our
golden harvest time, and I look back upon it
with unspeakable pleasure.

I would like the ability to describe one beau-
tiful friend who was my constant companion at
that time, but no pen can do justice to the
admirable traits of so perfect a woman. She is
still with her husband in the West, a pattern of
all womanly goodness. Her example may well
be followed by all who leave good homes to
follow their husbands in army life, for only the
absolute unselfishness she so beautifully exem-
plified will enable women to endure the same
hardships. It was her sweet little first baby to
whose death I have alluded, and which left us

238 CAVALRY LIFE.

all sincere mourners for her dear sake. She
always reminded me of the virtuous woman
described in the Bible, whose "children arise
up, and call her blessed."

But I must not linger over those recollections
of dear Fort Bayard, where we enjoyed a real
home for three years, and even flowers in
abundance. If people in civil life could know
of the weeks and months of care one little plant
has often received from an army woman, be-
cause a dear reminder of her distant home, they
would understand what a luxury it was to be
able to raise flowers without any particular
effort. Though one loves work, yet it is pleas-
ant to be sometimes rewarded ; and we had
never before been where flowers could be freely
indulged in, nor have we since.

There was another especial pleasure we en-
joyed at Fort Bayard, which to me is the chief
charm of army life — constant rides on. horse-
back. At that post they were delightful ; for,
go where we would in any direction, excellent
mountain roads and superb scenery rew^arded

CAVALRY LIFE. 239

US. Our favorite jaunt was to the Santa Rita
mountains. Having gained them, we would
dismount and explore the famous mines which
were tunneled in so many directions that I
always feared lest we should be buried alive.
Those tunnels had been dug centuries before,
and the then so-called "new industry " was but
a revival of past labors.

Mr. Boyd, true to his nature, which was to
employ every moment in devoted service to the
government, rarely found time to escort me
until after the day's duties were over ; or we
would arise very early in the morning, and enjoy
a ride that colored my mind for weeks with a
vague fancy that life was not altogether and
entirely real and practical, but was full of deep
beauty ; and if we could only live more out-of-
doors, and be permeated more often and thor-
^ oughly with the charms of nature as seen in the
early freshness and beauty of such mornings as
were those, we should be elevated, and enabled
to grasp more of spiritual things than tame and
ordinary humdrum life permits.

240 CAVALRY LIFE.

Oh, I envy the woodsman who is content
with nature, and never pines for the artificial
life of cities! Nature is perfect, and in such
deep solitudes the most prosaic minds must
realize this truth. I

CAVALRY LIFE. 241

CHAPTER XVII.

I HAVE not very often referred in this volume
to the character of my husband, for in my opin-
ion it needs no vindication. Mr. Boyd always
left in the minds of every one with whom he
came in contact the impress of a most noble
nature. His devotion to duty was so extreme
that all else was laid aside at its call ; and at
Fort Bayard he so entirely gave his whole time
and attention to arduous and unremitting labors
as to scarcely find time for any pleasures. Mr.
Boyd was as much of a worker as ever can be
found in civil life, where a man expects reward
for faithful service. In the army there is none.
Of course that is well understood, and any one
who devotes his life to duty there, does it purely
from principle.

Two singular occurrences, which have always

242 CAVALRY LIFE.

been mysteries to me, happened at Fort Bayard.
We moved into the new quarters before our new
house — a double one — was entirely completed.
The part in which we lived was separated from
the other by a wall that divided the halls, and
the unoccupied side was filled with shavings and
dShris. One night after we had retired, some
one laid a lighted candle on a large pile of shav-
ings, which of course caught fire, and we were
awakened from sound sleep by a strong smell of
smoke. This was soon traced to its source, and
we found a fine fire rapidly developing. The
floor had burned away, leaving a cavernous
depth beneath.

It was unquestionably the work of an incen-
diary; and a few weeks afterward the same
wicked hand, presumably, fired a huge stack
of hay, consisting of the entire winter's supply
of six hundred tons, which at frontier posts is
always stacked near the corral and guarded day
and night by sentries.

In that absolutely dry climate such a fire,
when once started, has no hindrance to its

CAVALRY LIFE. 243

progress ; and though every available hand was
quickly on the spat pouring water, of course it
was a useless task. Though a beautiful sight
to see that brilliant blaze of light defined against
the clear, dark sky, my heart ached when I
thought of the trouble and worry it would cause
Mr. Boyd, and also of the animals' deprivation.
The entire summer had been required in which
to procure enough hay for so many ; and the fire
occurred in early winter, when no more could
be cut.

It is a custom in the army at the slightest
alarm of fire to sound a call, which brings every
man to the spot with a bucket in his hand. It
is really marvelous to see how soon ordinary
fires yield to army treatment. But if a high
wind is blowing, the supply of water, limited to
barrels which are placed between the houses and
always kept filled, is insufficient, and little can
be done to stay its devastating progress. In
spite of sympathy and real concern for losses
sustained, one is sure to enjoy the excitement.

I witnessed one shocking fire at»Bayard which

244 CAVALEY LIFE.

broke out in a small private stable attached to
the post-trader's house. It had made such head-
way that when discovered three beautiful horses
were already enveloped in flames : they were
fairly roasted alive before the eyes of the as-
sembled garrison. Most pathetic cries proceeded
from the helpless animals before death merci-
fully released them from their sufferings.

While the ladies sorrowfully looked on, the
men spread wet blankets over an adjoining roof
in order that it might be saved ; for if a tiny
spark had fallen on the dry shingles they would
have immediately ignited and the flames spread
rapidly.

After three happy years had been passed at
that post, orders were received to march into
Texas and exchange with the Ninth Cavalry.

Christmas Day was celebrated in camp, and in
a double sense, for we had that morning a nar-
row escape from almost instant death.

On reaching the Rio Grande, we found the
river fairly booming. It was a glorious sight,
swelled to a htige flood that swept past in majes-

CAVALRY LIFE. 245

tic grandeur. A primitive flat-boat worked by-
ropes and pulleys — nothing but a rude raft
with no railing or chain either fore or aft —
was called into requisition to ferry us across,
and we sat quietly in the ambulance while it
was driven aboard.

A superb dog that belonged to one of our
friends, and had been our pet for years, was in-
advertently left standing on the bank. Some
one on the boat tried to induce him to swim
across, making the same sound in calling the
dog that would have been used to start the
mules. Our four mules, supposing it was a
signal to them, immediately started, and the
leaders' fore feet were actually on the very edge
of the boat when a man seized them by their
heads. Another second, another step, and our
heavy ambulance would have been overboard.

So rapidly had the occurrence passed that
almost before realizing an accident was seem-
ingly inevitable, we had been saved from a
watery grave. The river at that point was
at least twenty feet deep, and had the mules

246 CAVALRY LIFE.

plunged in, sudden and swift death would have
followed.

I have never since been able to sit quietly
in a carriage while crossing a ferry ; though of
course no such rude craft, without even a rope
guard, can be found in civilized parts of the
world.

After all was over, I looked at my little chil-
dren, so unconscious of danger, and shuddered
at the thought of the horrible fate we had es-
caped. If people should dwell continually
on the perils of Western life they would be
wretched. That journey embraced every ele-
ment of danger, and yet I actually became
callous.

Our mules were such superb animals, and so
capable of swift progress, that every few days
they evinced a spirit with which I heartily sym-
pathized, running for miles and creating a pro-
found excitement throughout the entire com-
mand. As nine-tenths of Texas is flat prairie
with excellent roads, I rather enjoyed the sensa-
tion. Nothing in my whole army experience

CAVALRY LIFE. 247

wearied me so much as those endless days of
slow, monotonous travel. When with troops
we could not go faster than a walk, for the
horses must be favored in order that their
strength might hold out during the weeks
those journeys consumed ; and it was not safe,
in the then unsettled condition of the country,
for us to ride far in advance.

Our march occupied eight weeks; but some
of the troops that were ordered from Northern
New Mexico to Southern Texas were between
three and four months on the road, and the
chapter of incidents which beset their path was
remarkable. I have before alluded to this jour-
ney— the one on which nine infants were bom
en route; and in every instance mothers and
children were obliged to proceed the next day,
regardless of health or even life.

During one week of our march it rained day
and night, and tents were pitched in the midst
of mud and general discomfort; but after a
cheerful blaze had been started in our little
stove we did not mind so very much, though of

248 CAVALEY LIFE.

course it was not pleasant. The real trials from
which others suffered, and which were therefore
kept constantly in mind, enabled us to realize
that- our lot might be much worse.

The baggage of one woman, who had four
little girls to clothe and care for, was deluged
in crossing the Pecos River, and the fact not
discovered until their destination had been
reached, when the clothes dropped in pieces on
being touched.

As each family packed all superfluities, and
kept only a traveling outfit, the trunks with re-
serve clothing were never opened while en route;
and the treacherous streams, that seemed shal-
low enough in crossing, would often, in some
inexplicable way, reach the contents of the

^ wagons.

J To me the strangest part of that journey was
the passing over so much territory without see-
ing any inhabitants. El Paso, then a mining-
town of very slight importance, was the last we
saw in Texas. If there were others in that sec-
tion they could not have been on the traveled

CAVALRY LIFE. . 249

highway ; for except the military posts, we saw
nothing but prairies, which were indeed a strik-
ing contrast to our beautiful mountains.

We had all sorts of experiences before New
Mexico was left ; but after that we settled dowii
to calm travel, which the children enjoyed so
much, and that was rendered less monotonous
to me by the daily use of a fine saddle horse,
and a delightful gallop over tufted grass.

We remained at Mesilla and Las Crudes long
enough to enjoy a ball given in our honor
by the residents ; and there, for the first time,
we saw really beautiful Mexican women, who
danced with all the grace for which the Spanish
race is noted. We were obliged to hasten our
departure, because the soldiers celebrated Christ-
mas too freely; during the ball a perfect battle
was raging outside, which compelled the officers
to break camp and resume the march before
daylight, leaving us to follow.

Those old towns of Mesilla and Las Cruges
would surprise any one from the East. They
are situated on the Rio Grande, and surrounded

250 CAVALRY LIFE.

by dense and forbidding sand-hills; but the lo-
cation being such that much irrigation is practi-
cable, are simply the most fruitful imaginable
places. I have never anywhere else seen such
absolute abundance of fruit in its season ;
grapes such as only a southern sun can ripen,
and in immense clusters; peaches, large and
luscious, that loaded the trees till it seemed im-
possible they could bear the burden and live ;
apricots, and every species of small fruits. The
same luxuriance prevails in El Paso, and the
wine made there is pure and delicious.

It seems needless to dwell at very great length
on that journey into Texas, for all those marches
were so monotonously alike. If, as in that case,
no Indian dangers were to be feared, both on
account of our cavalry escort, and because at
that time no active Indian warfare was in pro-
gress, we were not allowed to forget the possibili-
ties in that line. Not only were the usual sad
reminders present in graves that bestrewed
the country, but we encamped again and again
in places where the most violent outrages had

CAVALRY LIFE. 251

been perpetrated, and entire parties mercilessly
slaughtered. It cast a sad shadow over our
resting-places, which shrinking women would
fain have escaped ; but we were obliged to use
the same old accustomed grounds, and even
then could not always find enough water for
the hoi-ses and mules.

That journey was on a progressive scale ; and
guided by previous experiences we had taken
two wall tents, and even a board floor for the
outer one in which we dined. It was quite
envied by other ladies, particularly when we
had ten consecutive days of rain; for boards,
even if laid on wet ground inside a tent, make
a flooring quite different and much superior to
mud. Our floor was, of course, in sections, oth-
erwise it could not have been carried. Skins
covered the earth in our inner tent, which was
furnished with two large beds.

A fire was lighted every night in our tiny
stove, and I made chocolate, custards, and many
other dainties. It would surprise Eastern peo-
ple, who deem all the modern conveniences a

252 CAVALRY LIFE.

necessity, to see how systematic even such a
mode of life can be, when, knowing it is to last
for weeks and months, proper preparations have
been made.

On leaving home we had taken the house-
keeping supplies that would have been, used
had we remained stationary. So, when en-
camped in, different military posts, at which
we always remained several days, I occupied
the time in making mince-pies and baking
them in a Dutch oven, which is nothing more
nor less than a broad and shallow iron pot, with
a cover like a frying-pan. On this cover hot
coals are laid, so when the utensil is placed
over a bed of the same, uniform heat from
above and beneath bakes admirably.

It was a time of rejoicing when we could
remain long enough at a post to straighten out
the tangled ends continuous travel always pro-
duces. Journeying in that way with women
and children necessitated laundry work; and
when we encamped on the river bank the scene
was animated.

CAVALRY LIFE. 253

Again our route lay for days beside the Rio
Grande ; in fact, during our entire journey we
left it only to make a dStour and return. When
finally our destination, distant Fort Clark, was
reached, we were but forty miles from that
famous river, and nearly the entire regiment
was to find a resting-place on its banks ; for soon
our encampments were dispersed from Eagle
Pass, on the river, to Matamoras, six hundred
miles below, at its mouth.
" We heard so many wearisome accounts of
those lower camps, with their continuous heat
and glare, as to deem ourselves fortunate in
being permitted to remain at one situated on a
high hill, where we would be sure of a breeze,
however warm the Texas summer nights might
prove.

A large ball was given on our arrival, and
the different posts at which we had stopped en
route — Forts Bliss, Davis, and Stockton — had
all honored us in the same way.

We were obliged to remain in camp at Fort
Clark ten days, as the Ninth Cavalry did not

254 CAVALRY LIFE.

leave sooner for New Mexico, and consequently
houses were not vacated. Never did the same
length of time seem longer or more tedious, the
shelter of a roof once again was so longed for.
Finally we moved into a very comfortable little
house, built of limestone, and charming as to
exterior; for even in the month of February
vines were growing rapidly, and beginning to
cover verandas with beautiful green.

If each woman who has lived at Fort Clark
would give a chapter of her experiences while
there, I know people would be interested be-
cause of the utter novelty.

No other army post has ever been the scene
of so constant a succession of regimental changes,
and at no other have such a large number of peo-
ple, for the same reason, been made so uncom-
fortable. However little there might have been
to expect in all the other territories in which
we had lived, that little, when once obtained,
was kept; but at Clark no one seemed sure,
from day to day, of any house in which he
lived remaining his own for a length of time.

CAVALRY LIFE. 255

This arose partly from the fact of there being
an insufficient number of quarters, but mainly
from the position of the post being such that
troops were sent there to be held in readiness
for any emergency — which was generally sup-
posed to be impending war with Mexico.

We were so near the border that whenever
any marauding band of Indians or horse-thieves
succeeded in capturing a herd of cattle from
some neighboring ranch, they would coolly slip
over the Rio Grande into Mexico with their
booty ; and by the time our troops, again and
again called out, could overtake them, the
marauders would have crossed the border,
where capture was impossible, because Mexico
allowed no American forces to enter her terri-
tory without special permission.

Matters continued on that basis for years, in-
furiating our troops, who were delighted when
it produced results that seemed likely to cul-
minate in a war between the two countries.

But that never occurred, though its threaten-
ings filled our post with troops until they formed

256 CAVALRY LIFE.

a little army, which when mustered in full
parade stretched in double columns across the
immense parade ground, and made a beautiful
sight; one which, seen daily, was so pleasing
that we almost forgot the discomforts of life
that surrounded us.

Our first home, a pretty little house with
double parlors on the ground floor and two large
bedrooms above, seemed delightful ; though we
had no furnishings for months, and simply
used our camp equipage, until carpets, etc.,
could be sent for. The climate was so fearfully
hot, bare floors were no hardship ; and during
the long summer which followed our arrival, I
was so absorbed in the problem of how to live
at all, that the absence of luxuries was un-
heeded.

Leaving the bright and bracing climate of
New Mexico for a country where one hundred
and ten degrees in the shade was only to be ex-
pected, and for six months of the year, was in-
deed a transition. Ice was an unknown luxury.
We had nothing to use for cooling purposes

CAVALRY LIFE. 257

except the ollas^ made of porous earth by Mex-
icans.

The post was one hundred and thirty-five
miles from San Antonio, the nearest point where
anything except absolute essentials could be
obtained ; and as stages were the only means of
transportation, charges of course were exorbi-
tant. Even in San Antonio there was none but
manufactured ice ; and to transport it such a
distance in so warm a climate, required not
only much sawdust to prevent its melting, but
also a heavy box, all of which multiplied its
weight, and the express charges, as I found to
my sorrow.

I never indulged in such luxuries; but an
officer, who considered himself indebted for
kindnesses extended during a severe attack of
malarial fever, was most anxious to show hie
gratitude ; and when I, in turn, succumbed to
the fever, that was epidemic, he sent me three
boxes of ice. I accepted the gift, though, not
caring for the ice, dispatched it to the hospital.
Some months afterward we received a bill from

258 CAY'ALRY LIFE.

the express office which amounted to eighteen
dollars. It was the charges on that ice — which
we paid. The ice having been sent direct to
us, so was the bill, instead of being presented
to our kind friend who never imagined the
sequel.

After our bountiful supply of good things in
Bayard, we nearly starved in Texas. The but-
ter was simply oil, if procurable at all ; the milk
thin — not tasteless, but with a decidedly disa-
greeable flavor of wild garlic and onions ; and
the beef dry, and with so strange a flavor we
could not eat it. Vegetables could not be pro-
cured; and potatoes shipped from a distance
were a mass of decay when received. I never
knew a woman who, amid all those conditions
of improper and insufficient food and severe
heat, did not lose health and strength.

For two years I re-lived all my former expe-
riences in trying to keep house under every dis-
advantage.

We had hoped much from the accounts of
famous colored cooks, who, in our experience,

CAVALRY LIFE. 259

proved delusions and snares. We had a suc-
cession so worthless that I never have over-
come my prejudice against them. They must
have been field-hands, who trusting to our
Northern ignorance boldly announced them-
selves as cooks, when perhaps they had never
cooked even one simple meal before. Each was
succeeded by a worse specimen, until finally, in
despair, I begged for a soldier. After that,
housekeeping became once again a pleasure,
even if under difficulties ; for I had a will-
ing coadjutor, who joined heartily in my plans
to disguise the flavor of meats by every art we
could devise in the way of seasoning.

When the long, hot summer had worn its
weary six months away, we began to again
breathe freely, and with the advent of cooler
weather found ourselves able to enjoy every
pleasure. The heat had been so intense that
during its continuance life had been simply en-
dured. Then everything brightened and im-
proved, as it always does with custom or habit ;
or rather, we knew better how to overcome dif-

260 CAVALRY LIFE.

ficulties as time and experience familiarized us
with them.

In the winter we not only had better beef,
because of the grass which had grown during
summer, so the cattle were not obliged to eat
weeds and vegetables, but, for the same reason,
our milk improved in flavor; butter also kept
its consistency.

The experience of a little bride on whom I
called one summer evening will perhaps better
illustrate the difficulties of housekeeping. In
reply to my inquiry if she did not find the en-
forced idleness because of heat tiresome, she
said :

" I am never idle, because my entire time is
occupied in keeping wet clothes around the
jars that contain our milk and butter."

In that atmosphere of heat, devoid of damp-
ness, no sooner was a wet cloth wrapped about
a jar than it began to dry, and evapoi-ation
cooled the contents. If in addition the jar
was placed in a draught, great results in that
line were attained, but at the expense of con-
stant attention.

CAVALRY LIFE. 261

One reason that made our army life endura-
ble Avas the constant exchange of grievances,
and our real sympathy one for the other. A
group of ladies would naturally fall into con-
versation regarding the peculiar trials of such a
life, and yet not one of them could have been
persuaded to leave her husband and seek more
comfortable and civilized surroundings.

Fort Clark eventually became very dear to
me; but the first two years were exceedingly
trying, for I had to accustom myself anew to
fresh modes in every direction. The peculiari-
ties of our colored servants would fill a volume.

262 CAVALBY LIFE.

CHAPTER XVIII.

It took our first colored cook, a huge, strap-
ping creature, who seemed a very giant in
strength and stature, three days to scrub our
tiny kitchen floor ; and his ideas, one of which
was that he should sleep until nine o'clock in
the morning, nor did he awaken then unless
called, were not to be changed to suit our
convenience.

I remember so well our first breakfast ! Rice
batter cakes had been ordered ; but the strangest
looking and queerest tasting dish was produced,
which, when questioned, the cook admitted was
simply rice and molasses mixed together and
fried in much grease.

Our last colored cook was so surly I was
afraid of him, and rejoiced when he was finally
replaced by a white man. On leaving us he

CAVALRY LIFE. 263

moved to the little town of Brackett, and after
only a few days had passed, murdered a woman,
and to hide his guilt burned the house. Cir-
cumstantial evidence was so strong that he was
captured and imprisoned in the little jail, which,
constructed of heavy stone, was the only decent
building in town. The murdered woman had
been the widow of a white soldier, and his com-
rades-in-arms determined to avenge her. So,
one night, under cover of the darkness, a num-
ber stormed the jail. Though well guarded,
and the thick doors seemingly impregnable,
they effected an entrance.

Meantime tlie garrison was greatly alarmed,
for the town was so near we could hear the
firing and tumult. The ladies were doubly
frightened, because each one's husband had
been summoned to march at the head of his
troops and quell the disturbance.

All were terrified, scarcely knowing what
had happened, and the volume of sound that
reached our ears made us dread untold dangers.
We were frightened at having been left alone,

264 CAVALRY LIFE.

and more alarmed for our husbands, because, in
the»promiscuous firing which began the moment
tlie troops reached town, we knew not what
shot had or might hit one of them.

Altogether we were panic-stricken, and mo-
ments seemed hours until the troops returned,
which they did very soon, and without a single
officer or soldier having been injured, although
the shots were numerous enough to have killed
an army.

The jail had been forced before the arrival
of the troops ; but the soldiers, though care-
fully searching every cell, had been unable to
find the prisoner, and, after vowing vengeance
on the authorities for having removed him,
assembled outside, where they vented their
wrath and disappointment by firing against
the heavy stone building. When the cavalry
reached the scene, and in their turn began to
fire, every man disappeared, escaping under
cover of the darkness and confusion, and found
his way back to the fort, where at roll-call
all answered to their names as innocently as
possible. __

CAVALRY LIFE. 265

The officers were inclined to condone the
offense, both from sympathy with the murdered
woman's friends, and also because the mur-
derer was such a despicable coward, as was
proved not only by his taking a woman's life,
but also in his behavior afterward.

The first officer who entered the jail was Mr.
Boyd, who was at once told by the sheriff that
the murderer was secreted on its roof, which,
unknown to outsiders, had a stone coping six
feet hiofh that well concealed him. A more
pitiable object was never seen; for expecting
every moment would be his last he was pray-
ing and groaning in true darkey fashion, and
had the tumult outside been less would have
been quickly discovered.

Mr. Boyd tried to calm him, but it was use-

J less ; the man was so thoroughly frightened he

' could not be silenced, but kept calling on the

good Lord for protection, and throwing himself

about with the most grotesque contortions of

face and figure.

The sequel pro\pd the soldiers to have been

266 CAVALRY LIFE.

right in not trusting to the course of law, for
in Texas no crime but that of horse-stealing is
considered deserving of hanging ; the murderer
was only imprisoned, but fortunately for him-
self was taken to anotlier county.

On this occasion Mr. Boyd interviewed a
murderer to whose tender mercies his own
family had been exposed, and after that I was
allowed to have a white cook ; for although
they sometimes indulged in dissipation, colored
men and women did the same, and there is no
such fear known on earth as that a woman
experiences when confronted by a drunken
negro.

The cavalry stationed at Fort Clark previous
to our arrival had been colored, though the
infantry, which composed half the post, was
white.

Never having been South before, we had much
to learn before a home feeling was possible.
The level country seemed strange after having
lived among lovely mountains, and we had a
new set of insects to deal with. I had thought

CAVALRY LIFE. 267

nothing could be worse than my first enemies,
the wasps, but soon found the immense roaches
with which our house was actually crammed
much more disagreeable. They not only cov-
ered the kitchen floor until it was black, but
actually flew around our heads, and even in-
vaded the bedi'ooms up-stairs until life seemed
intolerable. A thorough system of cleaning and
scrubbing was instituted ; for they love dirt,
which was, in fact, the original cause of such an
undue supply. We tried borax and all other
known remedies, and in time greatly lessened
their numbers.

A picnic in Texas was simply impossible on
account of the red bugs and wood-ticks, which
were not only countless and disagreeable, but
so poisonous that I knew an officer, who had
been obliged to camp out on the ground, suffer
so severely from their attentions that hospital
treatment was necessary for weeks. The sores
caused by these insects are frequently very
painful, because they bury themselves beneath
the skin, and actually have to be dug out.

268 CAVALRY LIFE.

The larger vermin, scorpions, tarantulas, cen-
tipeds, and snakes I did not mind ; for they
never molested us, and, like the really weighty
trials of life, were more easily endured than
minor ones. I speak from actual experience,
having lived out of doors during our five years
residence in Texas, and allowed my children to
enjoy themselves in the same way, both because
I deemed it necessary to health, and because
observation had convinced me that those ladies
who did otherwise suffered indescribably from
fear ; while to us, after we had settled down,
every moment was a joy in spite of heat and
vermin.

One evening a lady caller started franti-
cally for the door immediately after having
entered. The cause of her terror was a huge
' tarantula or spider of the most deadly sort,
black, ugly, and venomous, which measured
fully three inches around the body. I picked
up a heavy basket and killed it. She called
me very brave ; but I thought greater bravery
would have been required to permit it to live,

CAVALRY LIFE. 269

when perhaps it might bite one of my chil-
dren.

Our first winter at Fort Clark was delightful.
All had comfortable double houses ; and I felt
very proud because of the bright, pretty carpets
and lace curtains that had been sent from the
East. The troops were called out only occa-
sionally for Indian raids, but never went farther
than the river which divides Texas from
Mexico.

We enjoyed the game, which was so plentiful
that delicious wild turkey could be enjoyed
every day if desired. The one vegetable that
grew almost spontaneously was sweet potato,
which we luxuriated in for months, as it im-
proved by keeping.

I scoured the country on horseback in all
directions, and found a rare charm in those
boundless prairies, carpeted with gray grass so
thick the horse's hoofs sank far out of sight,
which made the pace an exhilarating bound.
A stream, which rose from the clear spring that
supplied us with water, flowed for miles amid

270 CAVALRY LIFE.

groves of wild oak and pecan trees which it was
my delight to explore.

We hunted jack rabbits a good deal. They
were so numerous as to destroy all hopes of the
gardens in which the early freshets had allowed
us to indulge. A lady just from the East w^as
appalled when I said that each small head of
cabbage cost a dollar, and was really worth it;
for the man who had sufficient enterprise to
evade rabbits, and build walls against freshets,
must also examine each cabbage leaf three times
a day in order to destroy the ever encroaching
worm or bug. This will not seem exaggerated
to any one who has ever gardened under similar
conditions.

Our little streams were beautiful, and so well
stocked with delicious bass and trout that the
children used to beg to picnic : after a day thus
spent, it would take hours of diligent search to
find the dozens of wood-ticks and tiny red
insects which covered their clothing and buried
themselves in their tender flesh. Sometimes
one would escape notice, and be afterward

CAVALRY LIFE, 271

found with head imbedded beneath the skin,
and body distended to treble its original size.

Those torments made scouting in Texas a
thing to be dreaded; and yet, after the first
year of quiet, our cavalry were kept in the field
nine months out of twelve. Though encamped
most of the time on the banks of a stream only
seven miles distant, yet none the less they were
separated from us, and as the officers' wives
said, " Compelled us to keep up two messes,
and incur great expense, besides being lonely
and forlorn."

The sun's scorching heat made it impossible
to raise any flowers, for if plants grew and
budded the fierce heat would burn the outer
petals so blossoms never fully opened. Only
one plant, the Madeira vine, throve there, and
it was esteemed a special luxury ; for as the
post was located on a high limestone ridge, and
the houses were built of limestone, the white
glare was something to be dreaded. Those luxu-
riant green vines covered our porches so closely
as to form perfect little arbors, and enabled us

272 CAVALRY LIFE.

to enjoy out-of-door life. At least two ham-
mocks were swung oh every veranda, and they
were occupied most of the time, for the air was
so hot and lifeless that effort was impossible.

Only one of the five summers we passed at
Fort Clark was cool and comfortable. That
year the rainy season commenced late and
lasted throughout the summer. The other four
were so fearfully hot and uncomfortable that
we were much exhausted when cooler weather
arrived.

Nevertheless, strange as it may seem, after
we had once become accustomed to the life and
that routine which alone makes existence in
warm countries endurable, we were satisfied.

During the day our costumes were the light-
est and airiest that could be devised. But when
evening came — and no woman ever ventured
out-of-doors until after sunset — we arrayed
ourselves in pretty white dresses, and started
forth to enjoy the breeze, whose never-failing,
grateful presence was compensation for the
day's intense heat.

CAVALRY LIFE. 273

In that clear atmosphere the tiniest arc of
a moon gives more light than does a full
one under other conditions ; so by the time its
greatest splendor was reached, nothing on earth
could have surpassed the perfect beauty of
those southern nights. The air was soft and
balmy, and every one rejoiced to find respite
from the sun's extreme heat. Indeed, the
change was so grateful that we fell into a habit
of almost turning night into day in our unwill-
ingness to leave a scene of such enchantment.

Even our unsheltered, gray parade-ground,
on which grass absolutely refused to grow, was
softened by the moon's mellow rays into a sem-
blance of all we desired it to be ; and when,
night after night, our gloriovs. band played en-
trancing strains of sweet music on the luminous
spot, we felt that life in the tropics was not so
very unendurable after all.

Our limestone houses, which in the daytime
could not be looked upon because of the blind-
ing glare, were toned by the moon's magic in-
fluence into poetic beauty, with their shading

274 CAVALRY LIFE.

vines and groups of daint}^ ladies in white, and
gallant officers in uniform.

I became wedded, heart and soul, to that part
of our life, which made me quite willing to live
and die in Texas, despite many more prosaic
drawbacks.

CAVALRY LIFE, 275

CHAPTER XIX.

That unpleasant features were there is not,
however, to be denied; and as my aim is to
present both the lights and shadows of army
life, I will now describe a few of the latter.

As before stated, the supposed impending
war with Mexico was the occasion of an influx
of troops far greater than our post could com-
fortably accommodate. After we had been at
Fort Clark a year and a half, occupying that
pretty, vine-embowered house, Ave learned that
our garrison of ten companies was to be in-
creased to twenty-five, with two headquarters
and two bands.

The custom that obtains throughout the
army of each officer selecting according to his
rank the quarters which he may prefer, was
never more fully enforced than at Fort Clark.

276 CAVALRY LIFE.

Fifty times, perhaps, there was a general move
of at least ten families, because some officer had
arrived who, in selecting a house, caused a
dozen other officers to move, for each in turn
chose the one then occupied by the next lower
in rank. We used to call it ''bricks falling,"
because each toppled that next in order over;
but the annoyance was endured with great good
nature.

When tidings of such an unusual expected
influx reached our ears, Ave wondered what
would become of us, as there were not accommo-
dations for half the number who were to arrive.
An onlooker would doubtless have found the
anxiety experienced by the officers' wives amus-
ing'; for though prepared for the worst we were,
of course, solicitous.

I was ill at the time, confined to my room ;
and messages were brought at intervals from
six different officers, who all outranked Mr.
Boyd, that each had selected our house. Ridic-
ulous as it may seem, every one was outranked
by another. Finally, a captain of infantry chose

CAVALRY LIFE. 277

our quarters, and then the doctor declared I
couUl not be moved ; consequently, the captain
went temporarily into the house which we were
eventually compelled to occupy.

Next day our third child and second son was
born. During the entire time of my recovery I
indulged a delusive hope that the officer who
liad chosen our home would be content to re-
-main in the little house he was then occupying,
and which I dreaded to think of living in be-
cause it was so small for our increased family.
Delusive hope ! built entirely upon my belief in,
or knowledge of, our respective needs. I felt
that a bachelor could live less inconveniently in
one room than could a family of five.

The very day our baby was born the little
fellow contracted whooping-cough from his sis-
ter, who, charmed to welcome a new brother,
had repeatedly kissed him. I had no idea such
a disease was in the garrison, and when we
learned of it the harm had been done. Not
only did all three of our children suffer in the
most pronounced fashion, but it was pitiable to

278 CAVALRY LIFE.

see and hear that tiny baby coughing violently
before he was two weeks old. He would turn
so black in the face, perhaps a hundred times a
day, that his nurse hardly dared close her eyes,
as it would be necessary to raise the infant to a
perfectly erect posture to prevent his stran-
gling.

In spite of baby's sufferings he never lost
flesh, which the doctor said was marvelous,
for my neighbors declared they could hear him
cough a hundred yards away. Our anxiety was
great, and Mr. Boyd was a veritable slave.

For a week I was at death's door with fever ;
and yet the very day baby was four weeks old
we were obliged to move, that the captain,
who demanded his house without further delay,
might be accommodated. Each of the children
caught cold, and bronchitis was added to whoop-
ing-cough ; in consequence of which, during that
and the succeeding winter, I always slept with
one hand under baby's head, in order to raise
him suddenly when attacked by those terrible
fits of coughing.

CAVALBY LIFE. 279

When I state that our new house consisted of
but one room, with a tiny addition back which
was quite uninhabitable, and that we lived in
such quarters for two long summers and win-
ters, it will scarcely be believed. But even
those meager accommodations were not deemed
a very severe hardship by many of the ladies
who had been at Fort Clark for years before the
new quarters had been built, and Avho told tales
of far greater crowding.

Among others, the case of a little bride was
cited, who, coming from a luxurious Eastern
home, had been glad to fmd quartei-s in a hall-
way between two other families. One morning
her husband was told that some superior officer
wanted his hall, and disgusted he resigned.

The recital of many such absolutely true tales
might, perhaps, have comforted me in some
measure, had we not already endured ten long
years of hardships ; and it seemed as if the
time should have come when length of service
counted for something.

But it never does in the army, as possibly

280 CAVALRY LIFE.

only those know who have realized the fact
through actual experience. There one must
endure all discomforts as uncomplainingly as
possible, and meekly relinquish the refinements
of life, which such a mode of living absolutely
forbids. For a family of five to live in one
room through two fearfully warm summers and
two winters was far from pleasant ; and in
order to relieve ourselves of discomforts so far
as was possible, we remained out-doors on our
pleasant porch nearly all the time.

The winters were delightful in that part of
Texas, and yet very trying. The only really
cold weather there is caused by the " northei-s,"
which come up so suddenly as to render it out
of the question to be prepared for the change.
A norther is always preceded by a very sultry
day ; then the thermometer falls perhaps fifty
degrees in an hour, and there is something in
the chill north wind which seems to freeze the
very blood in one's veins. When, in addition, a
rainstorm follows, it is little wonder that the
cattle interests of Texas suffer, for no living

CAVALRY LIFE. 281

creature can well exist in sucli an atmosphere
when exposed.

Our little back room faced the north, so we
could not use it in winter, for the tiny house,
built of wood with a canvas ceiling, was then
like a barn ; and it was so old that in summer
the canvas and woodwork harbored every spe-
cies of vermin, with which it simply became
alive.

I was awakened one night by the raging of a
violent storm that seemed to shake the house
to its foundations. The rain descended with
such force that I expected every moment the
roof would fall in. A glance showed me water
pouring in under the door which separated the
small back room from the larger one in which
we slept. I quickly arose and stepped into the
little room to find myself literally wading in
water which reached above ni}^ ankles. The
fierce storm had beaten in the old, weather-worn
roof, and through a large hole which had been
forced in the canvas ceiling a stream of liquid
mud was pouring that deluged everything.

282 CAVALRY LIFE.

The opening was directly over an open bureau
drawer, the contents of whicli were a strange
sight. The mud was formed by rain falling on
the accumulation of dirt that miserable old
canvas held ; and before the storm had ceased
our possessions were worthless, and the room,
which within our knowledge never had been
worthy of the name, was still less so.

Every house in the post was in a wretched
condition long before morning, and each woman
thought that her individual experience could
not be exceeded in misery.

It was so common for roofs to leak and plaster
to fall that we expected such mishaps ; but
fortunately, because they left more serious
trouble in their wake, such furious storms were
not frequent. One lady, a bride, who until that
night had seen only the bright side of army life,
decided that if such experiences were common
she did not care to become accustomed to them ;
so one result in that instance was her husband's
resignation from the army.

A large double bed stood in one corner of our

CAVALBY LIFE. 283

only room, and in the other a lounge that
could be used for the children at night. Over
our bed I swung a hammock, which served
admirably for baby's cradle, and as an economy
of space it was a great success. But during
warm weather the porch, as already stated, was
our dwelling-place, and at night the hammock
suspended there was frequently occupied by
Mr. Boyd ; for in such a climate to sleep with
four other persons in one small room was not
very refreshing.

We were, however, very gay through all our
miseries and deprivations; for with seventy-five
officers and forty ladies in the garrison many
pleasures could be enjoyed. During the first
winter we had a series of balls for the exchange
of regimental courtesies. Those already sta-
tioned at Fort Clark gave a large ball to wel-
come the new-comers, even if they did turn us
out of houses and homes, which courtesy was
returned by a very grand affair. Then each re-
giment— six were represented, two of them col-
ored— extended hospitalities on its individual

284 CAVALRY LIFE,

account, and each vied with the others in some-
what varying the character of the entertainment.

Following that, the bachelors gave a large*
german where the favors were superb. Then
the ladies united in a New Year's reception,
which was said to surpass all the rest. After-
ward we had weekly hops, a masquerade and
phantom pai'ty, at which it was difficult to hide
our identity ; for in a garrison where every per-
sonal trait was necessarily observed, to disguise
one's individuality was not easy. Probably the
officer who entered the room encased in a w-ell-
stuffed mattress did so most effectually.

Studying how to puzzle the rest was great
fun. So many amusements, combined with the
real kindly feeling constantly evinced, made our
social life very enjoyable. Every excuse for
pleasant intercourse was freely sought ; and so
long as life lasts I shall remember those years
at Fort Clark as not only joyous, but given up
to experiences so distinctly different fi'om all
others as to merit perpetual and delightful
recollection.

CAVALRY LIFE. 285

In the first place, every one lived out-of-doors
nine months of the year. That necessitated, or
made more easily possible, a constant inter-
change of friendly remarks, and we became
more like one large family than like strangers.
Our interests were identical. If any change
was made, it affected so many that all were
drawn together by that "fellow feeling which
makes us wondrous kind."

When troops were ordered away, their de-
parture wg-s dreaded because the officers' society
would be greatly missed. If new-comers ar-
rived, as they constantly did, we welcomed
them cordially. Every time an inspecting
officer or one of high rank came to Fort Clark,
as frequently happened, we rejoiced in the op-
portunity to give a ball in his honor, and the
band serenaded him each night of his sojourn ;
in fact, nothing was lacking that would prove
our hospitality and cordiality.

Riding and driving parties were indulged in
daily ; for fully half x)f the officers stationed at
our garrison were in the cavalry, and in addi-

286 CAVALRY LIFE.

tion to their mounts had fine carriages. When
the cavalry were sent to graze their horses near
streams, and permanent camps were thus estab-
lished, we visited them frequently. In turn,
they combined their forces and gave grand
picnics, which were so successful we were en-
raptured.

One night I shall never forget. The moon
shone her best and brightest on a smooth stretch
of canvas, spread so as to form a splendid dan-
cing-floor, and on trees hung with fairy lanterns,
which extending as far as the eye could reach
met as background the pretty little stream on
whose banks lovers wandered. Of course, in
that region of soft tropic warmth and fervor,
romance blended with everything ; and no eli-
gible young lady was ever known to leave Fort
Clark without a tiny circlet on her finger,
which proved her right to return as an officer's
bride.

Meantime, rumors of war kept . increasing,
and finally all our troops were marched into Mex-
ico during the hottest month of the year. This

CAVALRY LIFE, 287

was, however, done merely as a menace ; for in
a week's time they returned, having faced the
Mexicans on their own ground without even
exchanging shots. Blistered feet and swollen
limbs, gained by marching through parching
sands, were the only reminders of the affair
brought back.

Soon after, Mexico arranged new terms with
our authorities, in accordance with which in-
cursions over the border were allowed when our
troops were on the trail of desperate adventur-
ers who were escaping with much booty. This
caused the withdrawal from Fort Clark of the
gallant cavalry regiment, which with our own
had hoped to reap a little glory from the strained
relations between our country and her sister
republic.

Courtesies were exchanged between leading
officers in the Mexican and American armies,
whicrh we shared in by giving a grand ball to
the general and staff of the Mexican army on
their visit to our post while negotiating terms
of peace. Our third winter at Fort Clark was

288 CAVALRY LIFE.

brilliant socially. We organized a theatrical
company, which gave with great success a
number of popular plays, including " Caste,"
" Ours," and several farces that were a source
of much merriment. The soldiers were allowed
to fill the hall to its utmost capacity, and their
appreciation was an additional reward for our
efforts.

I doubt if anything can be funnier than a
familiar face and form rendered unrecognizable
by an absurd and ridiculous disguise. The
night " Caste " was produced, I excelled mj^self
in so completely changing Mr. Boyd's appear-
ance that his entrance on the stage as " Old
Eccles" was greeted by loud and long-con-
tinued shouts, which ceased only to be again and
again renewed. It was the success of the even-
ing. In our sentimental parts Mr. Boyd eclipsed
us all, and was the cynosure of all eyes in his
maudlin drunkenness.

After having studied the book of directions
until I understood how to make my husband
look utterly disreputable and unlike himself, I

CAVALRY LIFE. 289

delighted in having him assume various odd
characters ; for the moment he appeared before
an audience, deafening applause invariably
greeted him.

We worked as hard to secure the success of
our plays as though fortunes had depended upon
it, and unhesitatingly robbed our houses of orna-
ments in order that the stage might present an
attractive appearance.

I would not like to be a professional on the
boards if it necessitated as much real labor as
did our amateur performances. But we soon
found that a good paying audience could readily
be commanded, and after the first few evenings
raised money enough to build a very pretty
stage, and completely renovate the only hall in
the garrison, which had been used for church,
schoolroom, ballroom, and theater for years with-
out any improvements or alterations having been
made, and was in sad need of the new floor and
ceiling our money supplied.

We also gave performances for several chari-
ties. One for the famishing Irish, when we

290 CAVALRY LIFE.

" Caste " our bread ujDon the waters, was espe-
cially successful ; and when at the approach of
Christmas, money was needed for a tree with
which to gladden the hearts of the soldiers' one
hundred little children, we had an immense
audience.

The actors afterwards went to San Antonio,
where they played for the Masonic fund; and
also to a little near-by town where a church was
greatly needed.

CAVALRY LIFE. 291

CHAPTER XX.

It was customary for companies of Mr.
Boyd's regiment to be sent for six months to
garrison the forts on the Rio Grande, which
were close by; our turn came when we had
been two years at Fort Clark, which we left
reluctantly.

No station immediately on the river was ever
considered desirable, on account of its unfailing
sand and heat ; and Fort Duncan, to which we
were assigned, had no comfortable houses. It
was only forty miles from Fort Clark, and as
but two companies of infantry were stationed
there, the small garrison was inevitably dull.

Our dwelling consisted of one room in a very
dilapidated building. It had been previously
used as a store-room, and the barred windows
made it seem prison-like.

292 CAVALRY LIFE.

The kitchen was so far away that a complete
circuit of the house was necessary in order to
reach it, and the dining-room was a part of the
kitchen.

Our sorrows were added to when our beauti-
ful ponies, that had borne us about the country
for miles in every direction during our stay at
Clark, and which I had confidently expected
would reUeve the tedium of life at Duncan,
were attacked by glanders and ordered shot.
In spite, however, of this caution, the conta-
gion spread ; and before another month Mr.
Boyd's splendid charger, and our other dear
little Mexican pony, had also been condemned.
Thus we lost four horses within one month,
and I would have been in despair had we not
found a superb riding-horse in the troop, which
proved so safe and reliable that I was often
tempted to go far beyond proper limits.

One day, when riding alone, I espied smoke '
ahead, and idly followed in its direction until
I found myself facing a house which I recalled
as having been described to me as a den of

CAVALRY LIFE. 293

horse thieves. My mount was superb, but I
was nine miles from home and conscious that
rest was imperative. I dismounted, led my
horse to the house, and asked for water. The
man who appeared not only gave me that, but
also coffee; and when I related the loss of
my ponies, offered to sell me a fine pair very
cheap.

I used my eyes to good advantage, not neg-
lecting to notice a ford, directly in front of
the door, which could be utilized at a moment's
notice for horses to cross into Mexico. But
that was none of my affairs, and like all rough
frontiersmen mine host of the hour was ex-
ceedingly polite. He led up for inspection
several pairs of fine ponies. I did not, how-
ever, buy any, as I feared the owners might
meet me some day and claim their property.

After a brief rest I remounted, and on reach-
ing home found that my absence had been of
five hours' duration, and the entire garrison was
alarmed.

We remained at Duncan all that winter, and

294 CAVALEY LIFE.

aside from daily rides our only amusement was
a trip across the river into Mexico. The quaint
old town of Piedras Negras lay directly oppo-
site Fort Duncan ; and the same style of primi-
tive boats as were used in New Mexico, and on
one of which we came so near to losing our
lives, was there employed to ferry us across.
We were able to enjoy everything Piedras Ne-
gras afforded in the way of sight-seeing, having
arrived just before the yearly fiesta, which is
the gala time among Mexicans.

The town, like all I saw in Mexico, was built
around squares called plazas. These were occu-
pied during the fiesta as booths for the sale
of curiosities, and also for that sport so dear to
Mexican hearts — gambling. Any game could
be indulged in, from three card monte to rou-
lette ; or, if disposed, visitors might partake of
Mexican viands, served by bashful senoritas
clad in pretty Spanish costumes.

The climax of festivities was, of course, bull-
fights, when the large amphitheater would be
crowded by an excited Mexican audience. Hav-

CAVALRY LIFE. 295

ing heard so much of those affairs, we were, of
course, eager to see one ; but our curiosity was
soon satisfied, for a more tame encounter I
never beheld.

The poor bull absolutely refused to fight, and,
after having been goaded and prodded by the
matador with sharp-pointed spears, gayly ribbon-
bedecked, kept turning wistfully toward the
door by which he had entered, and every now
and then rushed to it, only to be met by more
spear pricks, which, though causing his blood
to flow, served only to still farther intimidate
the poor animal. Finally, amid the shouts of
the people, he would be dispatched and re-
placed by another, that invariably showed the
same want of spirit.

To American on-lookers it seemed a cruel
sport, unworthy its historic greatness.

The only delightful features connected with
that so-called pastime were the perfect Mexican
band and superb drilling of Mexican soldiers,
who marched and countermarched for at least
an hour without a single order being spoken,

296 CAVALRY LIFE.

they responding merely to a tap of the drum as
each new movement was initiated.

The band was superb, and the music so sweet
and thrilling we could have listened for hours
without weariness. On account of exchanging
many hospitalities with the Mexican officers, we
enjoyed numerous opportunities of hearing it.

On one occasion the band was brought over
to serenade us, and we listened as in a dream to
its rendering of various operas and Mexican
national airs, played with such expression that
all the sentiments they indicated were aroused.

The perfect submission of Mexican soldiers,
and the never-ending drilling they received,
made them more thorough than our own, who
never could have been kept in such slavish sub-
jection. The Mexican soldier is usually born
a peon, or slave, and never dreams of resenting
the will of his superiors — nor of having one of
his own.

Those men were drilled hours before dawn,
and that they might be in good marching order
were compelled to walk ten and even twenty
miles a day out in the open country.

CAVALRY LIFE. 297

We were invited to all balls given by the
Mexican officers, and found them curious
affairs. The women's costumes were tawdry
' in the extreme, and their manner of dancing so
slow as to seem most monotonous ; yet I have
never seen more perfect natural grace any-
where displayed than in those measured Span-
ish dances.

The variety those balls afforded was quite
enjoyable until one night a Mexican officer of
high rank drew a pistol and fired directly at a
man who moved too slowly out of his path to
suit the officer's dignity. I never attended
another ball, being unwilling to witness such
scenes. We had also experienced much diffi-
culty in crossing the Rio Grande at night ; so I
was glad of an excuse to remain our side of the
river after dark, but loved to drive over in
broad daylight, when I felt safe and could
avoid all midnight perils.

It always seemed to me as if the suave Span-
ish politeness of those Mexican officers con-
cealed smoldering volcanoes, I have known

298 CAVALRY LIFE.

an officer to shoot a soldier dead at the first
hint of insubordination.

We remained at Fort Duncan until early
spring, when the inesquite trees, which beauti- \
fied the parade grounds, were clothed in a
tender, fresh green whose tint I have never
seen equaled. Our recall to Clark by ex-
change in March was heartily welcomed.

A cloud, however, loomed on my horizon in
the certainty that I must soon leave our dear
army life for the East. It is never deemed
prudent to remain long in so debilitating a
climate, and malarial fever had fastened itself
upon both our elder children, completely redu-
cing their strength. We had, however, great
cause for thankfulness in their being spared;
for the disease was unusually fatal that season,
and, indeed, for three long weeks the lives of
our little ones hung in the balance, while fear
and anxiety harassed our souls.

Texas malarial fever burns with an unremit-
ting ardor nothing can quench until its course
has been run. Our good doctor almost lived

CAVALRY LIFE. 299

with us ; and whenever the temperature rose
above one hundred and two degrees he would
plunge our little boy into a tub of the coldest
water procurable, — no ice was to be had, — and
hold him there until the child's body became
blue, and his teeth began to chatter, when he
would be wrapped in blankets, and hot bottles
placed at his feet.

Heroic treatment that could not fail to wring
a mother's heart ! When our little daughter
fought the same hard battle for three long
weeks, and came out from it a perfect shadow,
with her head bald as any infant's, I realized
that our physician was right, and that I must
leave Texas or we should lose our children.

Better educational facilities also seemed im-
perative. Thus far I had taught the little
ones, and they were well advanced, but no one
expects to find very desirable schools in the
wilderness ; so we began our preparations for
departure, feeling that years must pass before
we could again settle down, as education had
become the most important need.

300 CAVALRY LIFE.

CHAPTER XXI.

Exactly ten years from the day we had left
New York I returned. My heart was so bound
up in frontier life I had hoped until the last
moment that the spring rains, which had been
unusually severe, would keep us storm-bound
in Texas. The town of Brackett had been
flooded just before our departure, and the post,
from its high and dry hill, looked down upon
a scene of devastation and misery. Every house
on the low lands was undermined, and many
were washed away ; the people sought refuge
' in trees, where they were obliged to remain for
hour^, until assistance in the shape of boats
reached them.

Of course, as in all scenes where the colored
race is conspicuous, several ludicrous incidents
occurred. One old mammy, who weighed at

CAVALRY LIFE. 301

least two hundred pounds, in her joy at being
rescued, fell into the arms of an unusually small
white soldier, and swamped herself, the soldier,
and the boat.

Days passed before the water subsided, and
in consequence our journey was delayed a
month ; as with four days of ambulance travel
to San Antonio we did not dare start until the
roads were dry. I was wicked enough to hope
they never would be in condition for travel;
but when the mail again, reached us regularly
there was no fartlier excuse for delay, and with
tearful eyes I bade adieu to dearly loved Fort
Clark.

Many of tlie ladies thought my unwillingness
to leave Texas could not be really sincere, a
change seemed to them so desirable. But my
fears that I should not feel at home in civil life,
where everything was so different, were verified.

Four days' travel by ambulance through deep
mud was required to reach San Antonio. We
did not tarry to explore that curious- old town,
but stepped immediately on board a train for

302 CAVALRY LIFE.

Galveston, where we arrived in twenty-four
hours. At that place I parted from my hus-
band, and took a steamer for New York. Seven
days' passage over Southern and into Northern
seas brought us to the city, where our children
saw civilization for the first time within their
recollections.

It is needless to recount our experiences in
New York, or rather Coney Island, where we
remained through the summer, and which was
just the place for little barbarians to see strange
sights and become familiarized with strange
scenes.

After all the frontier travel and its dangers
through which we had passed, it seemed odd
that this land of safety should hardly have been
reached before we narrowly escaped serious
harm. I chose the boat as a means of transit to
Coney Island; and when we reached the pier
found that our trunks had not arrived, and so
waited hours for the expressman, who did not
come until very late in the day.

I was overwhelmed with our belongings,

CAVALRY LIFE. 803

which consisted of two large trunks, the same
number of hand-bags, an immense valise, and a
violin. After we had boarded the boat and
fairly started on our way, I was dismayed to
find night rapidly approaching, and most omi-
nous-looking clouds arising. They proved pre-
cursors of a furious storm, the violence of which
reminded me of those experienced while at the
West. Much damage was done in and around
New York Harbor.

When we neared the island after a terrifying
trip, I saw to my horror that the boat, instead
of landing at the first and completed iron pier,
passed it, and made for the uncompleted pier,
which jutted much farther out into the ocean,
and at that time was simply an uncovered walk
about a quarter of a mile in length.

Nothing, however, could be done except land
— with three children — and stand in the mad-
dest rush of rain to which I had ever been ex-
posed, watching our trunks and bags tumbled
out into the storm. Aware that a few mo-
ments' exposure to such a torrent would ruin

304 CAVALRY LIFE.

their cdntents, I looked, but in vain, for a
means of conveyance to the hotel. No one was
in sight, the iew passengers who had landed
having immediately hastened away ; and as we
were being completely drenched, I decided to
leave the baggage to its fate.

Carrying as much as possible in my hands, I
sent our little girl in advance with her small
brothers. Judge of my horror when suddenly
I saw the piles of boards that were stacked in
readiness for roofing the pier, moving and actu-
ally filling the air on all sides. The children
were directly in the path of that furious hurri-
cane, and I could only helplessly watch them.
Fortunately it did not last long ; and my little
daughter was wise enough to race ahead with
her brothers, so no damage was done except the
loss of both the boys' hats, which blew into the
ocean. Then the rain descended with redoubled
force ; but some one compassionately let us into
a little house built for the workmen, where,
terrified beyond measure, we were shut in with
darkness.

CAVALRY LIFE. 305

I was all the while worrying about our
trunks, and finally induced a workman to
promise that he would have them taken to the
hotel. But the man soon returned, and reported
that they had disappeared. That was a severe
blow ; and in the darkness I wandered all over
the pier until finally a kind policeman was
found, who assured me the trunks could not
have been stolen. Our search was at last re-
warded by their discovery, when the policeman
called a coach and bade me take the children to
a hotel. I did so, and then sent the coachman
back for our trunks.

An hour passed without his return, when I
made inquiries, only to be consoled by being
told that the coachman was unknown in the
hotel, and had probably stolen our possessions.

I started again, in spite of the continued
storm, for that pier, where to my joy I spied
the policeman, who said he had refused to de-
liver the trunks without a written order. Al-
though deeply grateful for his caution, I would
gladly have been back in Texas, where, what-

306 CAVALEY LIFE.

ever happened, there was some one to share
hardships with me.

The storm was unusually severe. After its
cessation sign-boards were found scattered all
over the island, and some buildings had been
unroofed.

It is not my intention to dwell at length on
our sojourn in the East, which lasted four years.
This is a tale of army life, and one accustomed
to it is amazed when living among civilians to
find how little they know of such an institution
as the army.

My husband had long been entitled, by rea-
son of rank and length of service, to the one
detail — that of recruiting — which brings a
cavalry officer East. He had always intended
to reserve this for the time when an education
would be demanded for our children, and that
time had come; so Mr. Boyd applied for and
received the detail in the fall of 1882.

On reaching St. Louis, where the choice of
several cities was given him, he selected Boston
because of its excellent schools. We spent

CAVALRY LIFE. 807

there a winter, which seemed to us, fresh from
sunny climes, one long succession of rain, fogs,
and east winds. Still, the many advantages of
that well-regulated city were appreciated, and
had I been well we should have enjoyed its in-
tellectual atmosphere. As it was, we were glad
when summer arrived, and a little cottage on
one of the delightful beaches near by could be
taken. It was a great treat, and we were most
thoroughly enjoying our surroundings, when, in
the month of August, a thunder-clap fell on
our ears in the shape of an order for that East-
ern cavalry recruiting station to be discontinued.

Boston had kept the station for so many
years I could not at first believe the bad news
was true. But it proved to be ; and Captain
Boyd, who had just received his promotion, was
ordered to open a recruiting office in Daven-
port, Iowa. After having served faithfully as
lieutenant for twenty-one years, he had at last
been advanced to the rank of captain.

It was not deemed advisable for the entire
family to be continually changing from East to

308 CAVALRY LIFE.

.West, and vice versd^ so Captain Boyd went
alone to his new station. Time showed that
our decision had been judicious ; for before his
two years of recruiting service were over he
had been assigned to four different stations,
going from Davenport, Iowa, to Rochester, New
York, and finally spending three months at
Jefferson Barracks, Missouri.

Our long planned Eastern tour had proved
an utter failure, and was one more added to the
list of many disappointments. After giving up
our country home near Boston, I went to New
York with our children, and placing them in
excellent schools entered a hospital, where I re-
mained for one long year, a sufferer from illness
entailed by early army hardships. Our little
boy was sent to his grandparents in the country,
and my husband returned to Texas.

After Captain Boyd had been alone there
a year, he asked for and obtained leave of
absence, which permitted us to spend four
pleasant months at Cooperstown, on Otsego
Lake, where we had a glorious time. My hus-

CAVALRY LIFE. 309

band endeared himself to every one, for he was
constantly helping others.

While he was stationed at Davenport, Iowa,
a gentleman from there called on me in New
York, who described Captain Boyd as the most
popular man in the city. He said that every
white man, woman, and child in the town knew
and loved my husband, while every old darky
idolized him.

The ladies connected with one of Davenport's
principal churches were greatly in need of
money for charitable purposes, and Captain
Boyd wrote and delivered a lecture in their be-
half which netted nearly three hundred dollars.
It was a humorous view of the Indian question,
and elicited shouts of applause. He was sub-
sequently invited to give the same address in
other cities.

On Captain Boyd's return to the frontier his
services as - a lecturer were in great demand,
and he was in that way able to raise large sums
of money for charitable purposes. My husband
became the best-known army officer at the West

310 CAVALRY LIFE.

on account of his frequent appearances on the
lecture platform.

In tlie early spring of 1885, four years after
having left Texas, I returned. In all that time
not one moment had passed in which I would
not gladly have been there ; so I seized the first
plausible excuse afforded — a greatly needed
change for our daughter — and leaving the eld-
est boy at school in New York, again sailed for
husband and frontier life.

The sea voyage to Galveston was the most
soothing and delightful trip of the kind possi-
ble. The water never appears rough immedi-
ately after leaving New York; and for three
days, while off the coast of Florida, the vessel
seemed gently — almost imperceptibly so far as
motion was concerned — gliding along. On
arriving at San Antonio, instead of a tedious
ambulance-ride awaiting us, we went by rail to
Fort Clark, which was reached in a few hours.

The sight of dear old familiar landmarks
was inexpressibly pleasant ; and when we were
ushered into one of those well-remembered little

CAVALllY LIFE. 311

houses, with all the old furniture about, it really
seemed too good to be true. Everything was
more than satisfactory ; and the gratiJfication af-
forded by the change can be understood only by
those who have been away from loved scenes
for years, and on returning found all expecta-
tions realized. Old friends were there to greet
us, and we were supremely happy in the renewal
of our former life.

My content and joy lasted four months, when
rumors of Indian outbreaks in far away New
Mexico reached our ears, and were soon followed
by an order for all cavalry troops to hold them-
selves in immediate marching readiness.

Captain Boyd had just returned from a trip
to San Antonio, having gone there in compli-
ance with a request to deliver the oration at the
National Cemetery on Decoration Day. In that
address my husband distinguished himself in a
Avay to be long remembered by his family and
friends. It was the most touching and felici-
tous tribute to our dead soldiers ever written ;
touching because of the truest sentiments; fe-

S12 CAVALRY LIFE.

licitous because in a place where sectional feel-
ing had for years run riot, not one word was
uttered to which the veterans on either side
could object.

The address was very lengthy, occupying four
columns of the San Antonio Express^ in which it
was published next day; but every word was
listened to with eager interest by the immense
audience. Long before its conclusion the fer-
vent tears that fell from old soldiers' eyes
attested Captain Boyd's eloquence ; and when
he ceased speaking the veterans, mainly of the
Southern army, crowded about him with words
of earnest praise, and begged that he honor them
with a visit. The Texas papers were unanimous
in the declaration that no such masterly address
had ever before been heard on a similar occasion.

Captain Boyd was obliged to hasten his return
because feeling very ill; he had been scarcely
able to stand in the heat of that day. May 30,
1885, when, as usual at that season of the year
in Texas, the temperature was extreme and the
atmosphere torrid. After reaching home he

CAVA LET LIFU. S13

was confined to his room for a week, and then
came word for the troops to start for New
Mexico.

The order was received in a telegraphic dis»
patch from Washington, and was immediate!}''
complied with. Before we could realize it, every
troop of cavalry had left Fort Clark for an in-
definite period. A long series of Apache out-
rages headed by Geronimo had resulted in the
determination to capture him and his band, if it
took the whole army to do it. Accordingly,
from every post in New Mexico and Texas all
troops that could be spared were sent.

A cordon of outposts was established, so that
the Indians who had gone into Mexico could
not return without being captured. The devas-
tations they had wrought were terrible. The
little corner of south-western New Mexico, in
the neighborhood of Fort Bayard, had become a
veritable charnel house. Every interest of the
country had been ruined by their constant raids.

The President's attention was directly drawn
to the state of affairs by my brotlier, who was

314 CAVALBY LIFE.

in Washington at the time. He had edited a
paper in Silver City, New Mexico, for several
years, and had kept an account of the num-
ber of murders committed by Indians — five
hundred in eight years. In such a sparsely
settled country the loss of so many precious
lives was not only sad beyond expression, but
if continued must result in hopeless ruin to
that region, which, as I have before stated, is
the garden spot of the West. Sheltered by
numerous hills, cattle always thrive and in-
crease there, because of the perfectly equable
climate and a constant supply of nutritive food.

For those very reasons, probably, it was a
paradise for the Indians, who could steal in and
out more readily on account of the numerous
mountain hiding-places.

It was very unusual for troops stationed in
Texas to be sent out of their district; but in
that case everything possible was done to en-
hance the safety of the long-suffering peo-
ple. I shall not try to give an account of that
long-protracted warfare, which lasted eighteen

CAVALRY LIFE. 315

months before Geronimo was captured. During
that time our troops marched over ground that
was well-nigh impassable, and endured every
species of hardships. The cavalry worked night
and day to secure those wily Indians, and finally
succeeded; but a volume would be required if
their hardships and sufferings were to be re-
counted.

It is simply impossible for any one who has
not seen the unsettled portions of this country
to imagine its character and the difficulties
which beset troops that follow on the trails of
Indians. Our cavalry has been criticised freely ;
but I would say to the critic : " Go thou and do
likewise." More than they have done, it would
be impossible to do, and no country could be
less grateful than ours. If soldiers . were re-
warded according to their deserts, each cavalry-
man would wear the choicest prize within the
nation's gift. The service is very trying. I
can scarcely recall an officer who is not a mar-
tyr to severe sufferings caused by constant ex-
posure, and who in middle life is not an old
man both in feeling and experience.

316 CAVALRY LIFE.

After reaching Deming, New Mexico, Cap-
tain Boyd's troop was sent into the Black
Range, where they encamped at a little place
called Grafton, fifty miles from the mountains.
I have my husband's diary, which contains an
account of the march and the country over
which they traveled. He greatly disliked to
settle quietly down in the camp selected as a
permanent one, and was delighted when a letter
summoning him away was received.

The letter was sent from a little Mexican
town about one hundred miles distant, and
informed him that ten Indian women had
reached there, who, if captured, would per-
haps prove valuable hostages. Thc}^ were the
wives of some members of the band that were
on the war-path ; and if they could be secured
the probability of effecting a treaty seemed
reasonable.

Captain Boyd lost no time in preparations,
but started at once with twenty mounted men.
The march occupied five days, and on reaching
the town the Indian women were found in an
almost starving condition.

CAVALRY LIFE. 317

The country was very rougli, and a few lines
received from my husband while there stated
that he was suffering greatly from the effects
of bad di'inking-water. The man Avho had sent
the letter begged him to remain a few days, and
not risk the effects of the return to camp while
so ill. But he refused to stay, fearing the In-
dian women might escape if not speedily taken
to a permanent military station.

My husband returned to camp, having suf-
fered intensely during the ten days of his ab-
sence, and when he reached his troop was
dying, though still refusing to consider him-
self seriously ill. He at once ordered the
only officer with him to proceed with the
Indian women to the place where the main
body of the regiment was encamped, one hun-
dred and fifty miles distant.

The young officer was so anxious about Cap-
tain Boyd that he sent a courier for the nearest
surgeon, who was at Hillsboro, eighty miles
away. It was four days before the doctor
could reach Grafton, and meantime Captain

318 CAVALRY LIFE.

Boyd was without proper medical attendance.
Everything his faithful soldiers could do was
done ; but, alas, to no purpose ! The army doc-
tor's first glance showed him that Captain Boyd
was doomed.

For five days the most unremitting care and
attention were given him, both by the kind phy-
sician and by a captain of the regiment who had
accompanied him. But all was useless. The
fifth day ended the life of this noble and true
man.

Captain Boyd's last hard ride had developed
violent inflammation which was simply incura-
ble, as the disease had been increasing for years,
having first developed when during the war the
young soldier had been compelled to drink im-
pure water and go without food for days. Sub-
sequent years of cavalry hardships had increased
its strength until that last exposure proved fatal.

Home in Texas we scarcely realized that he
was ill when the terrible news of his death
came in a telegram that had been two days en
route.

CAVALRY LIFE. 319

Letters had been received from him so regu-
larly that when they ceased I supposed he was
still on the march. When the doctor and cap-
tain began to write, .their communications were
at first so encouraging thnt Ave could scarcely
believe he was in any danger, and were totally
unprepared for the terrible sequel. In fact, no
one could at first accept the sad truth ; for Cap-
tain Boyd had been tlie picture of health, and
had impressed every one with his unusual
vitality. When the young officer who had been
sent forward with the Indian women returned
to find his beloved captain dead and buried, the
shock was so great he almost fell from his horse.

That Indian campaign resulted in some terri-
ble deaths, but none was more shocking than
this sad ending to a long and most faithful
career.

Only a few months previously Captain Boyd
had spoken very feelingly of the double loss
army women sustained when death robbed them
of their husbands — the loss of both husband
and home. He realized how deeply attached to

320 CAVALRY LIFE.

the life they became, and how sad it was that
they must be cast adrift from all the associa-
tions of years. But such, though sorrowful in
all its aspects, is the fate of army women.

My grief was intensified by the utter refusal
of the Secretary of War to remove all that
remained of so true and manly a soldier to a
National Cemetery. After my first request had
been denied I went to Washington, only to
receive there a second from the same source ;
the reason given being that government could
not afford to incur the expense.

Had I not made every effort possible, there
would have been another lonely grave in the
very heart of a remote mountain region, where
none who loved him could ever have visited
the spot.

Captain Boyd died on the same day as Gen-
eral Grant. A week later orders were received
at Fort Clark from the War Department, direct.
ing that the nation's great general should have
every honor paid his memoiy. Guns were
fired, flags displayed at half-mast, and the band

CAVALRY LIFE. 821

played sad and solemn music, while troops
paraded in honor of the dead general and his
great achievements.

It seemed to me mournful and unjust, that
while high and deserved honors were paid the
memory of one, the other, as noble and true a
soldier as ever walked tliis earth, and who had
given twenty-four of his forty-one years of life
in faithful service, had endured terrible hard-
ships, and yielded at last even his life for his
country, should be laid to rest far from home
and friends, out on the lonely prairie, and except
in the hearts of a few his memory should utterly
fade.

Captain Boyd sleeps in the National Cemetery
at San Antonio, where six weeks previously he
had touched all hearts with his eloquence.
Graven on his tomb are the last words of that
memorable address :

*' Sleep, soldier, still in honored rest
Thy truth and valor wearing;
The bravest are the tenderest,
The loving are the daring."

APPENDIX A.

Extract from the proceedings of the Association of Graduates of the

United States Military Academy at its annual reunion, held

at West Point, Neio York, June 10, 1886.^

ORSEMUS B. BOYD.
No. 2216. Class ok 1867.

Died (in the field), at Camp near Grafton, New Mexico ,
July 23, 1885, aged 41.

" So passed the strong, heroic soul away — "

Born in New York ; appointed from New York ;
class rank, 61.

Entered the War of the Rebellion as a member
of the Eighty-ninth New York Volunteer Infantry,
Sept. 1, 1861, and served until July 1, 1863, when
he was appointed a Cadet in the United States
Military Academy. He saw active service in our

1 This obituary was distributed throughout the corps of cadets at
West Point by the Commandant at the time of Captain Boyd's death,
and its perfect justice has never in the slightest degree been
challenged.

323

324 APPENDIX A.

great war, and was mentioned for gallantry at
Koanoke Island, North Carolina.

He was graduated on June 17, 1867, and ap-
pointed second lieutenant Eighth United States
Cavalry ; first lieutenant same, Oct. 13, 1868 ; cap-
tain, Jan. 26, 1882. He died July 23, 1885, closing
in acknowledged honor and undoubted manly effec-
tiveness twenty-four years of faithful and gallant
service in the saddest of our wars, and in Arizona,
New Mexico, and Texas, where he assisted in de-
veloping our great inland resources.

His family have an honest pride in his unosten-
tatious record, and we all may say :

" Duncan is in his grave.
After life's fitful fever, he sleeps well."

THE RECORD OF A NOBLE LIFE.

" I, the despised of fortune, lift mine eyes,
Bright with the luster of integrity,
In unappealing wretchedness, on high,
And the last rage of Destiny defy."

It is with deep solicitude that the writer endeav-
ors, in a few words, to do justice to the memory of
Captain Boyd.

For several long and intensely painful years I
knew him to be an innocent Enoch Arden in a

APPENDIX A. 325

lonely desert of solitude, bereft of — dearer to the
soldier than wife or life — his honor — a sufferer
for the crime of another man.

It was in 1863 that he entered the academy — a
veteran soldier, a young man whose merits had
gained for him the honorable rank of cadet. In
1864 the writer joined the corps, and for three
years marched shoulder to shoulder in the line of
the dear old Gray Battalion with the man who
sleeps far away from the Hudson, and where the
foot of the idle stranger may stop to mark where a
good, honest, and much-wronged man sleeps the
sleep which knows no waking.

No man ever did better work in the army than
Boyd. By steady, faithful, and efficient service, he
wore out suspicion, conspiracy, bad luck, and scan-
dal. Since the establishment of his innocence —
unsought, unchallenged by him — his defamer has
preceded him to the awful bar of the Great Judge.

He lived to round a career of usefulness and gal-
lant service with the tributes of regimental and
army respect, the affection of his brother officers,
the endearments of family life, the respect of the
people of Texas and of the territories where he
had served. Demonstrations by his company and
comments of the general press prove that his once-

326 APPENDIX A.

shadowed name is now clear and clean, and may be
honored by those who loved him.

The facts are these : In the winter of 1865-1866
the robbery of certain sums of money occurred in
^'B" Company, United States Corps of Cadets. It
is unnecessary to refer to the facts other than that
after repeated robberies and some rather crude de-
tective work, one evening, at undress parade in the
area of barracks. Cadet Boyd was ignominiously
brought before the battalion of cadets with a pla-
card of " Thief " on his breast, drummed out of the
corps, mobbed and. maltreated. A most intense
state of excitement prevailed on the post, and the
strongest discipline was enforced, the cadets being
summarily quelled in any riotous actions. Inno-
cent parties had their names dragged into the
affair, and poor Boyd finished his cadetship gener-
ally cut in the corps, and endured, till he gradu-
ated, a life which was a living hell.

The scandal followed him to his regiment, and
years of exemplary behavior were needed to enable
him to live down his trouble. His quiet, manly ob-
stinacy in clinging to the army is explained by his
innocence. To the honorable but hot-headed men
who so long made Boyd carry the burden of an-
other's crime, deepest regret must ever attend the

APPENDIX A, ' 32T

memories of this affair. It is a matter of strange
remark that the guilty man who made Boyd suffer
for him — John Joseph Casey, of the class off
1868 — was accidentally shot at drill, by a soldier,
at Fort Washington, Md., March 24, 1869, within
nine months after his apparently honorable gradu-
ation. The careers and untimely end of several
who bore down on the suffering man of whom we
speak show some strange and continued sadness or
burdens of expiation. It is all over now. The
wandering squadron passing poor Boyd's grave
may dip the colors to a man whose eyes closed in
honor, true to himself, to his family, his corps and
to the dear old flag that he served so patiently, so
quietly, and so well. God rest his soul ! Amen.

His innocence was publicly established as fol-
lows : In the winter of 1867-1868, Cadet Casey,
while sick in the hospital, confessed to his room-
mate, Cadet Hamilton (now dead), that he (Casey)
had stolen the moneys for which poor Boyd had
suffered the loss of name and fame.

[The records show that Casey was in the hospital
from Jan. 24 to Jan. 31, 1868, suffering from de-
mentia. He was so ill that his classmates took
turns in nursing him. One night, in his delirium,

328 APPENDIX A.

he spoke of the Boyd affair. Hamilton happened
to be with him at the time. The next morning,
when Casey was again in a conscious .condition,
Hamilton told him what he had said. It was then
that Casey confessed his part of the conspiracy. If
it had not been for Casey's illness the facts above
narrated would never, in all human probability,
have come to light. — Sec. Assn.']

It is unnecessary for the writer to state why
Hamilton kept this awful secret locked in his
breast from 1867-1868 until he died, Jan. 22, 1872,
from consumption ; but he did, alas for him !
Casey had peculiar temptations. Private matters
and a hounding blackmail pressed him for money,
which he stole from rich cadets. The cause was
a concealed marriage of Casey's, that if known
would have voided his cadetship and destroyed his
chance for social elevation.

Poor Boyd lived alone in a room on the third
floor, third division, "B" Company. Casey lived
directly opposite, and concealed marked money in
Boyd's books, which caused Boyd to be suspected
as the thief of all the money previously stolen.

Hamilton, the confidant, feared his room-mate of
four years, erred, and kept silent, as far as- 1 know,

APPENDIX A. 329

until June, 1871. At the St. Marc Hotel, Wash-
ington, D.C., Lieutenant Hamilton, in view of his
approaching death, communicated to me his knowl-
edge of Casey's confession and of Boyd's inno-
cence. I was shocked, and at once communicated
the facts to the then Lieut. 0. B. Boyd, on the
frontier. On my return, after three years of ab-
sence in the Orient, Europe, and the South, I dis-
covered, in a conversation with Captain Price of
the engineers, that full justice had not been done.
Duplicate affidavits were immediately made by me
and forwarded to Captain Boyd and another per-
son interested. I received a letter from Boyd
thanking me for my efforts — a letter that has
made me always happy, and which, I regret, is
stored with valuable archives where I cannot at
once find it. It speaks of his struggles, and pleas-
antly says that his character needs no present
backing, but that a time will come when I may

1 speak and tell all, if I think it will please those

' who value him.

It was in Siberia that I received the letter ask-
ing me to commit these facts to paper, and by
hazard I found a stray copy of the Army and Navy
which contained a report of Captain Boyd's honor-
able obsequies.

330 APPENDIX A.

From the Pacific I pen the last tribute to a man
of much-tried worth. The subject brings back
painful memories of two men whom I loved and
honored in my cadet days — Casey and Hamilton.
I am proud to state here that two of my class
never cut Boyd, and several others in the corps did
him some act of kindness in the awful silence of
two years. With pride I recall that the officers
of the post did full justice to his barren rights,
and that the old and faithful servants of the
Academy treated him with a discerning kindness
which is a wreath of honor on their silent graves.
I will not refer to one affection which cheered him
— there are things too sacred for words.

It is all over ! There is only one name off the
duty roster; an empty chair; a lonely grave; an
old sword hanging idly in the sunshine some-
where ; a riderless horse ; a void in the little
family circle which knew and loved the man who
is no more.

It is well to know that his name is mentioned
with honor and respect; that the burden of an-
other's crime has been cast from him, and that
Time will quietly and in honor carpet the grave of
the honest soldier with " the grass which springeth
under the rain which raineth on the just and the

APPENDIX A. 331

unjust alike." I believe restitution of honor and
public consideration has, in so far as possible, been
fully made. I look back sadly on my waning
youth, as I think of this story, its actors, and
that —

*' The saint who enjoyed the communion of heaven,
The sinner who dared to remain unforgiven,
The wise and the foolish, the guilty and just,
Have quietly mingled their bones with the dust."

Richard H. Savage,

Class of ISGS.

APPENDIX B.

AMERICAN CIVILIZATION.

AS VIEWED BY WEEPING WEASEL, LATE CHIEF
OF THE KIOWA8.

A LECTURE

Written by Captain Orsemus Bronson Boyd, in behalf
of the Charitable Enterprises of the Ladies connected

with the Church of Davenport, Iowa, and also

given before the Masonic Lodge in San Antonio,
Texas.

Ladies and Gentlemen : — In the first place I am
not a lecturer. I make this announcement now,
j for fear you may not discover it before I shall have
finished, or if the fact should be rudely thrust
upon you, I will have pleaded guilty in advance to
the indictment.

When, a boy, I took part in the debating clubs
that were held in those old red schoolhouses where
all great affairs of state — wars, revolution, poll-

APPENDIX B. 333

tics and finance — were discussed with the free-
dom of boys and the ignorance of savages, there
was one question which never failed to elicit ample
talk : " Resolved, that anticipation is better than
reality," and on that question I was always in the
affirmative. In an hour you will all be with me.

I shall tell no tale of personal adventure ; noth-
ing worth recording ever happened to me. Dio-
genes, with a lantern, and open sunlight to aid the
lantern, in the city of Athens failed to find an
honest man. An untutored Indian from the plains
of Texas, amid the common events and every day
life of the Pale-faces, discovered that their vaunted
civilization was a myth, and their boasted culture
a delusion. Let us at once annihilate the Indian
and discredit Diogenes.

In common with all Christians of our kind, we
believe that it is easier for a camel to go through
the eye of a needle than for a rich man to inherit
the kingdom of heaven. There are other Chris-
tians who believe that it is easier for a rich man to
go through the eye of a needle than for a camel
to inherit the kingdom of heaven. Who shall say
which Christian is the Christian ?

Before the brothers of this noble profession, this
mystic tie, whose deeds have been known in every

334 APPENDIX B.

land and under every sun — amid burning flames
and on frozen mountains, on swollen rivers and
tempestuous seas, by the bedsides of dying princes,
in the cabins of poverty, desolation, and disease,
in public and private, to bond and free, to all
brothers who own its symbolic rites — to all
brothers and wives of the brothers, I can more
freely speak of one who, though ignorant and a
savage, still found in his own faith and his own
civilization his own Christianity.

Eighteen hundred years ago, in Capernaum by
the Sea of Galilee, a man, whom the charity of
God had sent into the world, was preaching to the
people. And a certain lawyer, willing to justify
himself, stood up and asked, " Who is my neigh-
bor ? " Promptly came the answer :

" A certain man went down from Jerusalem to
Jericho, and fell among thieves, which strij^ped
him of his raiment, and wounded him, and de-
parted, leaving him half dead.

"And by chance there came down a certain
priest that way, and when he saw him he passed
by on the other side.

" And likewise a Levite, when he was at the
place, came and looked on him, and passed by on
the other side.

APPENDIX B. 335

" But a certain Samaritan as he journeyed, came
where he was ; and when he saw him, he had com-
passion on him.

" And went to him, and bound up his wounds,
pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own
beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of
him.

" And on the morrow when he departed, he took
out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said
unto him. Take care of him : and whatsoever thou
spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

" Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was
neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves ? "

On the boundless prairies of the West and
South, that are in extent empires, the white man
has learned that devotion which Nature, in her
grandest forms, most surely teaches. He has
learned that tolerance which men unfettered by
the bonds of conventional society most quickly
learn.
1 Two years ago last July I found myself en-
camped upon the banks of the Red River of
Texas, with forty horsemen as scouts under my
command. Like a silver thread the river ran a
thousand feet beneath us, through the wildest and
most precipitous canon.

336 APPENDIX B.

At four o'clock one morning, a Seminole Indian,
attached to the command, brought me intelligence
that six hours previously six horses, four lodges,
one sick Indian, five squaws, and several children
had descended into the canon one mile above us,
and were then lost to sight. I asked :

" Had they provisions ? ''

" Yes ; corn and buffalo meat."

" How do you know ? "

" Because I saw corn scattered upon one side of
the trail, and flies had gathered upon a piece of
buffalo meat on the other."

" How do you know that one of the Indians is
sick?"

''Because the lodge poles were formed into a
travois, that was drawn by a horse blind in one
eye."

" How do you know the horse was half blind ? "

" Because, while all the other horses grazed upon
both sides of the trail, this one ate only the grass
that grew upon one side."

" How do you know the sick one was a man ? "

" Because when a halt was made all the women
gathered around him."

" Of what tribe are they ? "

" Of the Kiowa tribe."

APPENDIX B. 337

And thus, with no ray of intelligence upon his
stolid face, the Seminole Indian stood before me
and told all I wished to know concerning our new
neighbors, whom he had never seen.

Two hours from that time, not knowing whether
they were friends or enemies, I was carefully
studying, from the bluff above, through a field-
glass, the Indian camp.

The lodges had all been erected, and were gay
with the robes of the buffalo of the plains, the
prairie wolf, and the coyote. A great war bonnet
of eagles' feathers hung before the door of the
principal tepee, denoting that its occupant was a
chief. From the lodge pole floated a blue streamer,
bearing the rude device, in red paint, of a whip-
poor-will attacking a rattlesnake ; this told me that
he was the chief of all the Kiowas. I knew the
man. I had met him, with many others of his
tribe, one night several years before, one hundred
miles below on the same river, and the meeting
had not been pleasant to either of us.

In fact, several hours had been required in which
to adjust our differences ; and as the chief left me
amid the crack of rifles and the swish of arrows,
I heard his clear voice solemnly declaring in Span-
ish that he would surely come again "when the

838 APPENDIX B,

moon was young." 'Fate was too strong even for
the chief of the Kiowas ; he never came ; his tribe
had been conquered and were at .peace.

Keturning to my cantonment, I hastily saddled
a small detachment, and descending the almost
precipitous sides of the gorge reached the Indian
encampment, and dismounting, raised the buffalo
skin that hung before the entrance of the principal
lodge, and stood un summoned in the presence of
the chief. An old and shriveled man, with nerve-
less arms and sunken eyes, from which the fire of
battle had forever fled, lay upon a rude couch of
skins. He gave courteous greeting, said he knew
me, and even spoke my name. As I sat upon the
ground at his side he told me how, for weeks
before our previous meeting to which I have
alluded, he had been upon my trail when I marched
over the short, crisp buffalo grass of the staked-
plains. He had known my personal habits, the
disposition of the camp for defense at night, the
number of men, animals, and wagons ; in fact, all
that I had known myself.

The chief then told me that he was stricken by
death, and should soon be in the presence of the
Great Spirit, roaming the happy hunting grounds
of his tribe, and asked that he be allowed to die
in peace.

APPENDIX B. 339

Day after day I visited the dying warrior, who
related from time to time, as his strength per-
mitted, the story of his life and the story of his
tribe. He recounted the wrongs they had suffered,
and the wrongs they had done. He told me of
their customs and traditions, their marriages,
births, and deaths. ' For days he talked, sometimes
in the soft Spanish tongue, often in the beautiful
sign language of the plain Indian.

In my youth I lived near, and of course read the
romantic creations of that clever gentleman who
resided upon the shores of the beautiful Coopers-
town Lake. I had also read the works of a novel-
ist from the South who had invested the Indian
character with all the warmth and color of his
native skies, with all the romance that belonged to
his Southern forests, gay with flowers and poetic
with festoons of clinging moss.

In consequence of this I had come to look upon
the Indian as all that was noble, grand, and heroic
in war, all that was gentle, tender, and true in
peace. I had read with breathless interest of his
loves, courtships, and marriages. I had admired
his keenness of vision upon the trail, his untiring
energy, fleetness of foot, immunity from fatigue,
his long fasts, and the halo of romance that

840 APPENDIX B.

seemed to ever encircle him. I considered him a
" Chevalier Bayard/' a model of physical-beauty,
who resembled, perhaps, the dying gladiator.

My boyhood's dream was rudely broken, and like
many another boyish illusion it disappeared in a
day. I found the Indian dirty, unwashed, and
tieacherous, a prey to the lowest instincts and the
most revolting cruelty.

He was no " Chevalier Bayard,'^ and did not
resemble the dying gladiator. The romance, color,
light and shades — all were gone, and I learned
that the Indian and our treatment of him were
deformities and blots upon our fair land and our
modern civilization. Between the law of force
upon one side, and the law of civilization upon the
other, the Indian has been tossed like an unripe
apple, and has not known which to obey.

One night the old Indian chief died, and the
next morning, with such rude and simple rites as
obtained among the Kiowas, we carried him to his
last resting place upon the platform which had
been erected. for the purpose.

The dawning light was flushing rosy red in the
blushing East ; in the West the darkness of the
night still lingered. The songs of a thousand birds
and the chirp of millions of insects broke in some

APPENDIX B. 341

measui-e the eternal silence of those great plains.
The buzzard, a mere speck in the sky, with the
eye of the eagle waited impatiently for his pi*ey.
Herds of timid antelopes, with great startled eyes,
watched us from a distance, ready to dash away on
fleetest foot at a moment's warning. Troops of
buffaloes were slaking their thirst in the rippling
river. The great cat-fish, with strong leaps, rose
iKHlily from the water in pursuit of prey, and fell
back witli a spLash.

All animal life was awake with the flush of the
morning; and as the sun's disk api)eared above
the horizon's dead level, we laid the chief upon the
platform, with his face turned toward the " God of
the Dome." His body was wrapped in a red
blanket stoutly bound about with cords. He hatl
been brg-ve in battle, so all his war implements
were laid by his side. His great war bonnet of
eagle's feathers was hung ai)on one of the up-
right iK)les. His horses were slain by the scaffold.
Then, to the accompaniment of low-voiced chants,
his widows l>egan their work of scarification with
knives upon the lower extremities. When that
was finished we left him to the hush of those vast
plains.

That night in one of the lodges a great great

342 APPENDIX B.

granddaughter but a few months old died. The
child was placed in a frail burial canoe, covered
with trailing vines that had grown upon the river's
banks, and gently cast adrift. No doubt the tiny
bark was soon caught in rippling eddies, or its
course stopped by stout rushes, and in time its life-
less occupant returned to the dust from which it
had sprung.

After the obsequies of the dead chief I returned
to camp, and in order to divert my mind sought to
fatigue my body by stalking buffaloes all day. But
I had gained a new insight into the Indian char-
acter, and one which enabled me to respect it.

That evening, lying in a hammock under the
awning of my tent, as the first shades of darkness
came creeping over the plains, there struck upon
my ears, borne upward from the gorge below, the
chant of Indian women for their dead. Its tones
were the rhythm of sorrow and the notes of woe.
Until midnight the songs continued, now loud, then
sinking to the faint whisperings of the wind. Next
morning the lodges were in ashes, and nothing was
left of our strange neighbors but the dead chief
upon his platform, and the footprints of their moc-
casins as they traveled straight toward the North
Star.

APPENDIX B. 343

These events made so strange and strong an
impression upon me, that I propose telling you
this evening, in as simple words as possible, the
story of the pilgrimage of Weeping Weasel, late
chief of all the Kiowas. I shall dwell longer upon
his attempts to introduce the white man's civiliza-
tion in his tribe, what he saw, and the inferences
drawn therefrom, than upon all the other incidents
he related. The conclusions at which Weeping
Weasel, with the intellect of an Indian and the
sagacity of a politician, arrived, are not necessarily
mine ; and if their recital should wound any one
within the sound of my voice, I would beg them to
remember that they were told me by a dying In-
dian chief, as he lay in his lodge upon the banks of
the Eed River flowing peacefully through the great
staked-plains of Texas.

Years and years before — even for hundreds of
summers — the Kiowas had been a powerful nation.
When the tent of the chief was planted, there clus-
tered around it five thousand lodges. The tribe
was rich in the implements of war, owned thou-
sands of horses, were mighty himters, bold and
aggressive warriors. Ko footprint of man or ani-
mal, no upturned stone, broken twig or bended
grass escaped the keen vision of their scouts.

844 APPENDIX n.

From El Paso, -where the Eio Grande del Norte
commences its westward course, and swings in the
arc of a great circle until completed at the mouth
of the Pecos, where it again flows south, they
owned the lands of which this river formed the
Western boundary j thence south across the " Dev-
iPs Kiver" and the Nueces, to where it empties
into beautiful Matagorda Bay. On the east they
had fought for supremacy with tlie Comanches,
and been victorious. They had made the Tonka-
was a nation of beggars and old women. Prom
across the border they had repelled invasions
of the Kickapoos and Lipan-Apaches. They had
marched, an irresistible army, across the pine ridges
and cedar mountains of New Mexico, and fear-
lessly confronted the Warm Springs and Mescalero
tribes. The Utes of Colorado had descended from
their mountain fastnesses, battled with them in
the open plain, and been defeated. They had
measured lances with and beaten the Tonto and
Jicarrila — Apaches of Arizona. They had de-
stroyed the great wheat-fields on the Gila River of
the Pima and Maricopa tribes. The Yumas had
heard their battle-cry. They had pushed their
conquests amongst the Pi-Utes and Shoshones of
Nevada, and from thence had marched against the

APPENDIX B. 345

Bannocks of Idaho, and the Nez Perces of Oregon.
Their spoils of war had been great.

But in course of time the hands of all other
tribes were raised against them, and through dis-
aster and defeat they had been reduced to the
occupancy of only the great plains of Western
Texas.

At that time Weeping Weasel became their
chief. He was then in the prime of manhood.
The nerveless arm that I saw in his lodge could
then draw the six-foot arrow to its head, and make
the cord of deer sinews writhe and moan as in
pain.

He saw that peace and industry would perhaps
be of great benefit to his tribe, and after much
communion with himself and consultation with the
elders, concluded at no distant day to turn his
face toward the rising sun, and learn the strange
and barbarous ways of the Pale-faces. He had
been told they were as numberless as the leaves of
the forest when the hot sirocco that comes from
the southern islands shakes them with its fiery
breath.

Marching over these great and silent plains
under the blazing sun, he had learned in some
instinctive way that the Pale-faces would build

346 APPENDIX B.

cities there, and people them with busy men and
women.

Weeping Weasel had seen the Pongo or smoke-
man in the North that traversed its iron rails
faster than his fleetest pony could gallop. He had
seen a small wire stretched on poles through which
he could but dimly comprehend that the men who
lived at the rising sun talked with their brothers
who lived at the setting sun.

But before starting on a journey so fraught
with peril, he thought best to call to his aid
teachers — those of good repute among the Pale-
faces. Through a missionary he secured the ser-
vices of two devotees from Massachusetts, who
came and opened a school for the boys and girls of
his tribe.

It is true that in visage and mien these teachers
did not resemble the dusky beauties of the Kiowa
race. The ringlets worn at the side of the face,
the eyes that looked through strange pieces of
glass, the mysterious scrolls which they held in
their hands, and the souncfing fall of a heavy foot
instead of the dewy touch of the moccasin, were
not calculated to inspire love and respect from un-
tutored savages.

Still, with the devotion of their calling, and in

APPENDIX B. 347

tlieir desire to do good, these mistaken and mis-
guided women taught on. But one fatal day they
were surprised by Weeping Weasel while teaching
the children that the world is round. The Kiowas
believed it to be flat. Weeping Weasel, with the
decision worthy a general of iron nerve and un-
flinching courage in the right, seized and burned
them at the stake.

He scattered their ashes to the four winds of
heaven, and in a long address to the Historical
Society of Boston, asked that others with less
pernicious doctrines be sent. It is perhaps need-
less to state that even the old Bay State, with its
advanced ideas and unyielding principles, could
find no more volunteer missionaries for that work.
Therefore Weeping Weasel must needs start upon
his pilgrimage toward the rising sun.

The night previous to his departure all the
tribes assembled, and with the great Southern
Cross gleaming and burning, they performed the
sacred rites and mysteries of the sun dance. A
hundred fires flamed brightly. Amid the yells of
warriors and the shrieks of those fainting from
self-inflicted tortures, there arose the monotonous
chants of the women as they prayed for the safety
of their chief.

848 APPENDIX B.

At break of day he left them, and a great silence
fell upon the tribe as they mournfully sought
their separate lodges.

Day by day Weeping Weasel traveled north
and east, sleeping at night under the stars, his
food procured by bow and arrow, his drink taken
from limpid streams.

At last he came to the country of the " Smoke-
man," and taking passage was borne swiftly over
mountains and through the valleys to some bluffs
upon the boundary of a great State, where other
Indians had held their councils years before, and
where he determined to commence his researches
and investigations.

His pilgrimage becoming known, the chief was
hospitably lodged in the house of a Christian
gentleman of that town who was a land agent.
Among the Kiowas the title to all lands and the
occupancy thereof were considered sacred. Even
in their forays against other tribes they con-
tended for supremacy, not for a title to the coun-
try. Indeed, so strong was this honesty implanted
in the breast of the savage and barbarous Indian,
that once, after a great battle with the Comanches,
rather than do violence to this principle he had
ceded to them a thousand square miles of his own

APPENDIX B. 349

country, deeming that better than to question such
undoubted right.

The land agent showed him, in his office, maps of
lands which bore strong resemblance to those oc-
cupied by his tribe. Upon leaving, this same
Christian gentleman followed him across the State
to a city with a great bridge and offered to sell, be-
seeching him to buy, for a merely nominal sum,
thousands and thousands of acres upon which his
tribe had dwelt from time immemorial. Weeping
Weasel determined not to incorporate the land
usages of the Pale-faces amongst his people.

In the towns and camps of the Kiowas, great at-
tention had been paid to the sanitary conditions of
their immediate surroundings. This was neces-
sary for the life and health of individual members
of the tribe.

In that city by the bridge he found the people in
a certain locality stricken unto death by a strange
pestilence. Upon investigating the cause, he
learned they all had drank water from a certain
well. Weeping Weasel concluded that, if he were
the chief in this locality, there would be sewers
and water-mains ; or failing these, the inhabitants
who refused or were too indolent to carry water
from the river would receive a punishment, com-

350 APPENDIX B.

pared with which the cholera would be a lingering
and painless death. But Weeping Weasel was an
untaught, rude, and barbarous savage.

The " Father of Waters " next attracted the at-
tention of this curious pilgrim. Compared with all
other rivers he had ever seen, it was as the sun to
the faintest twinkling star. He worshiped it as a
god. Day by day he sat upon the banks, watched
it through all changing moods, loved it best when
angry currents brought down yellow mud from the
far North, and worshiped it most when the set-
ting sun's ocher light fell upon its surging waters,
enveloping beautiful islands.

There floated upon its broad expanse number-
less strange monsters, propelled in some mysterious
way. Weeping Weasel found they carried grain,
fruit, and other produce from one part of the
country to another, and then first began to under-
stand the law of trade — of barter and sale. He
took passage upon one of these palaces, descending
a hundred miles ; saw the busy towns upon the
banks of his idol, filled, as he thought, with crazy
men and women. Why all this rush, ceaseless ac-
tivity and strife for wealth, he questioned.

Returning at night, and standing upon the deck
with head uncovered in the reverent attitude a

APPENDIX B. 351

savage always assumes when awe-stricken in the
presence of nature, he suddenly became conscious
of a strange throbbing through every fiber of the
monster. He also saw abreast another monster all
aglow with lire ; men were shouting and running
like mad! Every few minutes its huge furnace
doors were opened, and the blazing fires fed with
pitch and resin. The vessel shook in every joint ;
men and women were crowding the deck all hoarse
from shouting ; money was freely changing hands ;
from the smoke-stacks long lines of fire trailed out
through the darkness ; the gurgling water at the
bow was thrown in spray upon the deck. Suddenly
there was a terrible roar, a great flash of fire, then
darkness came, and Weeping Weasel knew no more
until he found himself safe upon the river's bank.
He was told that a hundred men, women, and
children had been sacrificed that night. Burning
with anger and righteous indignation, Weeping
Weasel attended the coroner's inquest ; the evi-
dence was conflicting ; no one in particular seemed
to have been to blame ; it was an accident. Weep-
ing Weasel went forward to offer his testimony ; a
savage could not take the oath. The coroner's
jury promptly acquitted all of blame, even the
poor Indian, and the event was soon forgotten.

352 APPENDIX B.

Weeping Weasel determined that the civilization
of the steamboat should never be introduced among
his people.

Again he turned his face to the east, and trav-
eled across a great State where the fields were
waving with ripening grain. Neat farmhouses had
been erected on every side. The corn and wheat
that he saw growing seemed to him of no use.
Who would require it ?

On these undulating plains with cattle, sheep,
and horses, where peace and plenty seemed to
reign and the merry voices of children were heard
at sunset, our untutored savage began to think
perhaps was the civilization of which he had
dreamed. Still he had the Indian's caution, and
arrived at conclusions slowly.

He determined to abide three days in the most
peaceful and quiet village, and chose one with two
churches, a bank, and store.

Upon awakening the first morning, he found
that the store had been robbed and burned during
the night. The following day the two churches
were in fierce dispute over some minor point of
doctrine. The third morning it was learned that
the bank cashier had absconded with all the funds,
leaving hundreds of families destitute.

APPENDIX B. 353

The Kiowas did not steal ffiom each other ; the
simple faith in the Great Spirit which they had in
common furnished no cause for dispute; and the
custodian of the tribe's public goods never ran
away with them. They never had thought of such
an occurrence ; and the event was so improbable
that those barbarous savages had not even pre-
scribed a mode of punishment for it.

. Weary, harassed, tormented, and worn-out even
at the commencement of his pilgrimage, Weeping
Weasel would gladly have turned his face toward
the setting sun ; but patience being one of the great
virtues of the Kiowas, he again girded up his loins
and proceeded on his journey.

But a great fear was coming upon his supersti-
tious soul. One afternoon, years before, while
hunting. Weeping Weasel had fallen asleep by the
side of a spring that bubbled from beneath an
immense boulder, which was sufficiently large to
protect him from the sun's rays. As he slept, there
appeared before him the god Stone-Shirt, followed
by Pantasco, or he who robs the living ; Kay- Wit,
he who robs the dead ; and Quite-Qui, who robs
both living and dead. All passed before the sleep-
ing warrior, to whom Stone-Shirt foretold in the
sign language this pilgrimage and the events which
would follow.

354 APPENDIX B.

Weeping Weasel ooiild only dimly comprehend
on awaking, that in case of failnre he was to be
turned into one of the three horrid shapes shown
him by Stone-Shirt ; and, forever shut out from the
Great Spirit and the happy hunting grounds, his
soul, without arms to defend itself, must wander
and fall through unfathomable space and dark-
ness.

When he saw the terrible anxiety, woe, and
despair written upon the faces of fathers, mothers,
and children whom the vandal acts of the faithless
cashier had ruined, Weeping Weasel concluded to
ever pray that he be not turned into the horrid
shape which steals from the living.

In the robbery of the store the proprietor liad
been killed ; and as this ignorant savage gazed upon
the form of the man who had died while defending
his property. Weeping Weasel, in the agony of his
soul, prayed to Stone-Shirt that he be spared, both
in this his mortal, and in his future spiritual,
existence, assuming the form of him who robs the
dead.

In the dispute between the churches, so much
rancor and venom had been developed that men
who were peacefully lying, as they had lain for
years, in the little cemetery of the town, were

APPENDIX B. 355

publicly discussed, and motives and opinions the
worst imputed to them. Happily they were igno-
rant of all this.

The living were slandered and the dead vilified.
Brother became the enemy of brother, sisters were
estranged, husbands and wives separated. Again
Weeping Weasel besought Stone-Shirt, and with
the sweat of mortal agony upon his brow, that, if
he must, he would face either of the two horrible
shapes to be spared the form of the one who robs
both the living and the dead.

Weeping Weasel soon found himself in a great
city by a lake. Here he was lodged in the house
of a gray-haired and respectable man, a pillar of
the church, and one who gave largely, in an indis-
criminate way, to churches and the poor. He had
no time to investigate charities, and only contrib-
uted to them because he had money, or perhaps to
ease the gnawings of a conscience not altogether
dormant.

Weeping Weasel was taken to church, where ai\
eloquent preacher held his audience spell-bound as
he impressed upon it the evils of gambling. To
all his strictures the gray-haired man responded
with fervent "Ahmens ! "

The next morning his host escorted Weeping

356 APPENDIX B.

Weasel to a great mart of trade in that populous
city. There the savage Indian remembered the
immense wheat and corn fields he had passed as he
journeyed east. He saw the reverend gentleman
who had spoken so eloquently on the sin of gam-
bling stealthily enter a broker's office and sell
thousands and thousands of bushels of grain which
he did not own, and never would. His gray-haired
entertainer, who had so graciously responded " Ah-
men ! " stood in the center of hundreds of other
men, all of whom were shouting and howling as he
drove grain up and down by a nod of his head ;
men were ruined and families made destitute by
this man, who called gambling a ^in.

Weeping Weasel learned, but it was difficult to
grasp the idea, that crops were bought and sold
before they were sown ; that they became a foot-
ball upon " Change," even while growing ; and
when finally sent to market they ruined thousands.
He found that all this disastrously affected the
poor brethren of the Pale-faces, and that children
were hungry in consequence. The chief decided ,
he would grow only enough corn to satisfy the
wants of his people, and would forever remain
silent in regard to the gambling transactions.

Once in the history of the Kiowa tribe an old

APPENDIX B. 357

and respected warrior had been selected to build a
lodge in which public meetings were to be held.
He was to be paid from the goods owned in
common. To the dismay and horror of all, it was
found that this rude architect had not been honest ;
he had demanded more buffalo hides than were
needed for the building, and the best he had con-
veyed to his own lodge, and afterward sold to wan-
dering traders. When the man's crime became
known he was seized, and the elders sat around
him Avith stern visages. His trial was short; he
was bound on the top of the dishonestly built
lodge, and met his death in its flames.

Weeping Weasel was shown a great hall of jus-
tice in that city where the granite was the finest
and the workmanship the most skillful. He was
told that the builder had taken the best granite
and sold it to the traders among the Pale-faces.
Thinking this had just been discovered, our barba-
rous Indian went early the next morning to witness
the destruction of the building and cremation of
the dishonest builder. He waited until noon, and
as the building still stood and no torch had been
applied, Weeping Weasel turned sorrowfully away
just in time to see the false builder drinking
champagne at a fashionable restaurant with his

358 APPENDIX B.

friends. This phase of civilization would not do
for the fierce and warlike Kiowas.

The right of husbands to exact obedience, and
the duty of wives to obey, was one of the laws of
the Kiowas, as unalterable as if written upon
tablets of stone. So strongly was this doctrine
implanted in the breast of the savage that once, in
a foray against a Northern tribe, a favorite squaw
of Weeping Weasel's had, in direct disobedience to
his command, followed a distance of two days'
march and entered his lodge at nightfall. She was
beautiful then ; but when I saw her on the banks
of the Red Eiver she wais disfigured. A broken
collar bone and a flattened nose were the results of
her disobedience. She returned quickly ; her only
cause of anxiety being that she could not travel
nights for fear of passing her own village.

But among the Pale-faces Weeping Weasel
learned that the custom was different. He found
the wife frittered away her time while the husband
was at the counting-room or office. If he com-
manded her to abstain from the round dances, she
danced them; if he ordered her east, she went
west; if he asked her to attend church, she pre-
ferred the opera; if he expressed a desire for the
sea-shore, she chose the mountains of New Hamp-

APPENDIX B. 359

shire. Weeping Weasel, with the cunning of the
savage, decided that this should never be told
the squaws of his nation. i

As no man, intent upon a great mission, can hope
to escape annoyances and observation from the idle,
vulgar, and indolent, this warrior from the South
found that his wearing apparel, the dress of his
fathers, and the habit of his tribe, was a matter of
curious comment even among those busy people.
His clothes were good enough for him, and there
were no fashion plates and paper patterns in use
among the Kiowas. Still, at a council held at one
time for the general good of the tribe, a daring in-
novator had, as a protection against snakes while
marching, suggested that the boots of the Pale-face
be adopted. A pair had been found amongst their
war plunder at one time, and had been examined
curiously by all the tribe.

In an institution for the sick. Weeping Weasel
saw in a padded cell a maniac, confined and chained
to the floor. He held a wisp of straw in his mouth,
his clothes were torn to tatters, his hands cut and
bleeding, foam issued from his mouth and mingled
with blasphemy from his lips. His cries for salva-
tion from invisible enemies were piteous. The
matted hair and bloodshot eye told the Indian a

360 APPENDIX B.

tale as graphic as the pictured rocks of his owr
tribe. He found that the man was young, rich, and
respected. He asked the nature of the disease, and
was carelessly told that it was "snakes in his
boots." Sadly Weeping Weasel asked that the
wire be at once ordered to carry a message to his
tribe for the immediate destruction of the boots
found among their plunder. He also wondered
why the Pale-faces did not at once destroy the ser-
pent whose terrible folds were coiling around the
youth of their country.

All this time Weeping Weasel's perceptions were
being quickened and his reasoning powers en-
larged. The Kiowas had always considered the
marriage tie sacred. It was true a man might
have many wives, enough to do all the work of
his lodge, while he used his energies only for war
or in the pursuit of game. But once taken, the
man and woman were bound for life. No power
on earth could dissolve the tie. Infidelity in either
was punished by death. But in that great city he
found courts open as the day, in which shameless
men and brazen women sought the strong arm of the
law to break and tear asunder the most sacred and
binding of oaths. Weeping Weasel learned that
only a publication in an obscure newspaper was

APPENDIX B. 361

necessary to satisfy the goddess whom Weeping
Weasel had seen represented as blind-folded, with
scales in her hand. Incompatibility of tempera-
ment was often the cause alleged. This the Indian
could not understand. Among the Kiowa husbands
and wives such a thing was unknown. The hus-
band commanded, the wife obeyed. Weeping
Weasel found after a time that this term was used
to indicate that wives had become tired of their
husbands, or husbands had grown weary of their
wives. It often meant dishonest and unholy loves,
and could be construed as indicative of a thousand
things when the cord that first bound two people
together had become a gnawing, corroding chain of
iron.

The ignorant savage had not as yet found any
advantage to be gained from the civilization of the
Pale-faces. Weary and sick at heart, the pilgrim
pushed on until he reached the chief city of the
great nation. He had begun to comprehend the
numbers of the Pale-faces and their strength. His
brain was confused. He was so torn by conflicting
emotions that he feared his judgment would be-
come warped and valueless. Arriving in the great
city, he learned that a man with unlimited power
had betrayed his trust and plundered the city's

362 APPENDIX B.

treasury of millions. Yet the blind goddess had
thrown around him all possible shields to cover his
glaring rascality. He had banded with him an
army of thieves. Again a great hall of justice had I
been the means used to rob and plunder the people
at will. Before public exposure the thing had been
a byword and a jest at the clubs.

The man who had done all this had risen to
power from the ranks of the common people.
Weeping Weasel wondered if he had risen to
power by his rascality. But conscious that he was
ignorant and a savage, he rejected the thought
as unmanly.

When a warrior among the Kiowas betrayed a
public trust he was terribly punished. But one
such case had ever been handed down in the tradi-
tions of their tribe. In that instance the culprit
had been led in a circle surrounded by all his tribe
— every man, woman, and child was present —
the silence was fearful ; then the body of the vic-
tim was covered with the broad leaves of the
prickly pear, and they were one by one set on fire.
The punishment seemed to have been effectual.

Next morning our Indian appeared at the city
hall to witness the torture ; again he waited until
noon, and as no steps had been taken against the

APPENDIX B. 363

wrong-doer, he concluded, to say the least, that the
white man was slow in punishing criminals.

The Kiowas had always paid great attention to
the rearing of their children, and especially exer-
cised great care and foresight over the girls, who
were to become future mothers of the warriors of
the tribe. No Indian girl of six or twelve years
could be absent from her lodge after the fall of
evening dew. She knew no lovers until she had
arrfved at the age and estate of womanhood.
Among the Pale-faces this custom did not obtain.
Weeping Weasel saw misses of tender age, in pina-
fores, give large parties to other children ; boys
were invited. He saw childish eyes sparkle with
bandied jest and compliments fit only for mature
years. He saw children, excited by the dance, in-
toxicated with music, satiated with rich food,
spend the best hours of the night in gay and reck-
less dissipation.

At certain seasons of the year the Chickasaw
plum furnished much of the food used by his
tribe. If the pure white dust was brushed from
its surface when half-ripe, it never fruited in
perfection. Weeping Weasel found that the Pale-
faces often brushed the dust of the plum from the
cheek of childhood.

364 APPENDIX B.

The Kiowa woman was to him the model of
physical beauty ; her large waist, broad, strong
shoulders, the strength of limb, elastic, springing
step, and downcast eyes were such as he deemed
fitting for women who were to rear the future
braves of their race.

Among the Pale-faces he found that maternity
was a burden to be avoided ; that the waist was
contracted by springs of steel ; the body thrown
forward at an angle upon the hips by strong pieces
of wood placed under the heels; the face was
covered by a vile compound which looked like
flour, or was painted as the savage paints when he
marches to battle or prepares for the sun dance.
Curious to ascertain the exact value of all this
nonsense he made calculation, and learned that
the muslin and silk, velvet and ribbons, paint and
powder, flowers and bits of steel, amounted to
about four hundred and fifty-three dollars. That
is to say, in the Kiowa computation, forty-five and
a half horses.

Weeping Weasel determined to be silent upon
this manifest absurdity of the Pale-face women.

The Kiowa women wore the hair straight down
their backs and combed away from their eyes.
The daughters of the Pale-faces cut theirs short in

APPENDIX B. 365

front and allowed it, except when curled by hot
irons, which the damp strangely affected, to fall
into their eyes. The meaning and mystery of this
Weeping Weasel never attempted to fathom.

Besides the Great Spirit whom the Kiowas wor-
shiped in common, each Indian had a personal
god to whom alone he was responsible. This god
was the conscience of the savage, and above it was
only the commands of the Great Spirit. His reli-
gion was always with him; it was his shield and
strength in the day of battle, his comfort in time
of peace : he heard it in the whispering of the
wind and the sighing of the trees ; he recognized it
in the rustle of the growing grass and the ripening
grain; he felt it in the songs of birds and the
Avhirr of insects' wings. It warned him in the
broken watch-spring buzz of the deadly rattle-
snake ; in the forms of the clouds he saw it ; in
tlie flush of morning and the darkness of evening
he knew it. It was his only ideal of the estate of
future happiness where game would be plenty and
peace eternal. The bark on which these mysteries
were written was to him sacred. The savage ac-
cepted as truth its teachings, which long genera-
tions of Kiowas had confirmed.

He went while in that city to hear a speaker —

366 APPENDIX B.

silver-tongued and magnetic, who had all the
graces which belong to the polished orator; his
voice was like the sound of bells to the Indian,
whose nature is ever open to the charm of this
God-like gift. But he heard the man revile, dis-
tort, and falsify the religion of the white man. He
heard him read from the sacred book, with laugh-
ing mien and careless jest, most solemn promises.
The mysteries of the creation and the origin of the
Pale-faces became in the mouth of this man as in-
tangible as the will-o'-the-wisp he had seen floating
over his Southern swamps.

Listening to him, and applauding to the echo,
were sons and daughters of the Pale-faces. Fair
women and intelligent men accepted as eternal
truth the words of the speaker. Weeping Weasel
was ashamed, astonished, dismayed ! In this dese-
cration of religion the wild Indian of the Southern
plains thought he could dimly comprehend the
future downfall of a great nation.

The pilgrim lost hope. Still he determined to
pursue the subject to its bitter end, and went one
bright morning to the City of Churches. Business
had ceased, and the streets were quiet. In a
darkened temple, rich with stained glass, the air
heavy with burning incense, and stirred only by

APPENDIX B. 367

the notes of a great organ as it kept time to the
voices of boys who sang in angelic tones the litany
of the church, he heard an eloquent preacher tell
of the wickedness and sin of two great cities ; and
how, because not ten righteous men could be found
therein, they were destroyed from the face of the
earth. He also listened to the story of the wife
who looked back, and was turned into a pillar of
salt. The next morning Weeping Weasel bought
a canopy of asbestos roofing, and thereafter never
appeared in the streets of either of the cities with-
out carrying it above his head.

Again he was shown the great marts of trade,
larger than the grain exchange of another city.
Here men bought and sold scraps of paper and the
country's gold. It was the same old scenes. Stocks
went up and down by a nod of the head, and again
men were made poor in a moment. The ruined
ones were driven from the exchange, and forever
after, with wild eyes and fevered pulse, they
haunted its doors and talked, with the strange in-
fatuation of the Indian hemp-eater, of the rise and
fall of the stocks that had ruined them.

One terrible day Weeping Weasel saw a coin
that the Pale-face used in exchange for goods be-
come enhanced in value three times. Wild, hag-

368 APPENDIX B.

gard men clung to railings for support, so faint
they could not stand. Two unprincipled members
of the exchange were the agents of this scheme.
When night came, the credit of the country had
been nearly ruined. The two conspirators slunk
to a hotel that was soon surrounded by a howling
%iob. Trade and industry were impaired, commerce
nearly swept from the sea and land, and credit
almost lost by the act of those two men. Weeping
Weasel again determined that gambling should
forever be prohibited among his people, even the
throw of the six cherry stones for a quart of
Chickasaw plums.

Among the Kiowas the public singer of the
tribe's heroic deeds was a warrior, always well
paid for his services. He had the warmest seat in
the lodge, and at the feast of dog-meat the ten-
derest piece ; but the newspaper man of the Pale-
faces was lean, ill-fed, and most lightly paid.
Weeping Weasel found that medicines for the cure
of all diseases were sold in bottles, and that the
proprietors waxed rich. The savage concluded
that all the Pale-faces could drink, but that few
could read.

In settling disputes among the Kiowas, all mat-
ters in question were referred to a council com-

APPENDIX B. 369

posed of fifteen elders of the tribe. Each principal
laid his case before the tribunal with all the clear-
ness possible, in order that a just decision might
be reached. Among the Pale-faces the Indian
found a class of men skilled in the preparation of
causes in dispute. From long practice, close study,
and great care, these men, who talked only of
others' rights and not of their own, had become so
skillful that white was made black, and black white,
as each argued his own point. Doubt was thrown
upon the most open and public transactions. Wit-
nesses swore to the most improbable events, and
to occurrences they had never seen. In their ha-
rangues before the elders each quoted the same
statutes in the same words, as applicable to his
side of the cause. There were fierce disputes and
incessant wrangling. Weeping Weasel determined
that this kind of practice should never obtain a
footing in his tribe.

The Kiowas had always considered sacred the
life of each member of the tribe. In their rude
and barbarous code there was no deviation from
the rule of " blood for blood ; " it was as unchange-
able as the "Laws of the Medes and Persians."
In a court of justice Weeping Weasel saw a man
arraigned who had wantonly slain a brother by

370 APPENDIX B,

sending a bullet tlirongli his heart. The crime
had been seen by many ; there was no conflicting
evidence; it was premeditated; but again the coun-
selors covered the case with doubt. The murderer
^ had a bright, intelligent face and an undimmed in-
tellect. Weeping Weasel heard him acquitted on
the ground of temporary emotional insanity. The
proceedings of that court were unfit for the un-
civilized Kiowa.

Among the Kiowas, the position of medicine-
man was one of great honor and trust, but ex-
tremely hazardous to the incumbent. When a
warrior sickened the medicine-man was at once
summoned. With rude rites, much beating of
drums and strange incantations, he sought to drive
away the disease. Sometimes he was unsuccessful
and the patient died. When the corpse of his mis-
management was ready for burial the medicine-
man was summoned, and he always came. He was
divested of all his titles to respect, all the trophies
he had gained by successful practice of physic, and
manfully met his death on the scaffold with his
victim.

Such was not the custom among the Pale-faces.
Everywhere Weeping Weasel saw gilt-lettered signs
of the medicine-man of the whites ; yet the Pale-

APPENDIX B. 371

faces died, and the same medicine-man ministered
to anotlier. The savage also noticed that in this
strange country the physician never attended the
burial of his victim. Weeping Weasel concluded
that the death of the doctor had once been a
custom among the Pale-faces, but having fallen
into disuse the fraternity attended no funerals for
fear it might be revived.

Among the medicine-men of the Pale-faces,
Weeping Weasel found a class who with pictures
and posters attracted the eye to fabulous certifi-
cates of wonderful cures. They resided in great
houses wherein were all comforts, and where, with
endless noise and show, they professed to cure all
diseases by water, by physic, by pills, by powders,
by plasters, by new and strange remedies, even by
the laying on of hands. He found that while regu-
lar practitioners were allowed to live, these people
fared better even than they. They waxed fat and
grew rich upon the credulity of an ignorant public.
They lived and moved in the open glare of the
noonday sun. After all he had seen, Weeping
Weasel ceased to wonder at the strange epidemics
that sometimes prevailed among the Pale-faces.

He saw long trains, drawn by the mysterious
Pongo man, and managed by underpaid and care-

372 APPENDIX B.

less workmen, collide with other trains, and as a
result men and women were killed and children
maimed ; yet no one was punished.

Our pilgrim now turned his face toward the
capital of i;he great nation. One of the three
horrible shapes shown him by Stone-Shirt must
inevitably become his. But he did not look back.
Civilization had caused him to think of the
exhortations of the Pale-faced preacher. He " re-
membered Lot's wife."

The Massachusetts school teachers had displayed
in rude letters on the walls of the lodge in which
they taught this text from the scriptures : " The
wicked flee when no man pursueth." In the city
in which Weeping Weasel had just arrived he
found that an officer of the Pale-face warriors was
a defaulter to the sum of many thousands of the
coins of his people. He was shamefully untrue !
His position and name had been used to further de-
fraud. There were no extenuating circumstances —
there could be none. But the officer escaped, and
no one followed and brought him back. Weeping
Weasel was glad that he had burned the teachers
at the stake, for he concluded they had willfully
misrepresented the text hung upon the walls of the
lodge, and that it should have read, " No man pur-
sueth when the wicked flee."

APPENDIX B. 373

In the Kiowa tribe all the councils were held
and the proceedings argued in a grave and digni-
fied manner. The pipe, signifying good will and
friendship, was first passed around. Each warrior
touched it with his lips. That day on the banks
of the Eed Eiver, when Weeping Weasel attempted
to tell me of the councils of the elders of the white
man, his breath was short, and much of what he
said was lost.

In that city he was told offices were bargained
for ; the daughters of the Pale-faces solicited them
for their husbands and friends. He saw a cabinet
minister fall from his high place through the sale
of paltry positions.

Worn, harassed and broken in spirit, his pilgrim-
age useless, as no good could, in his opinion, come
to the savage from the white man's civilization,
Weeping Weasel turned his face towards the set-
ting sun. He traveled as before, sleeping at night
under the stars, and again his drink came from
limpid streams ; but his food was procured by a
revolver and magazine gun of the Pale-faces.
Civilization had taught him the deadly effect of
these weapons which he afterward used upon his
enemies and the Pale-faces themselves.

He returned to his tribe. His coming was seen

374 APPENDIX B.

from afar. Without a word he entered his lodge :
he had no greeting for his faithful wives who
clustered around him.

Three days passed, and then Weeping Weasel
told to his people the story of his pilgrimage, told
what he had seen and heard, and the conclusions
he had drawn therefrom. With barbarous splen-
dor he was tried for the crime of falsehood, which
is capital among Indians, all the men, women and
children of the tribe serving as judges.

In a great amphitheater of rock, at the junction
of the Pecos with the Rio Bravo del Norte, where
the swift rush and meeting of the two rivers forms
a whirlpool from which nothing can escape, the
public trials of the tribe were held, the people sit-
ting for days in solemn judgment. If sentence of
death was decreed the body was thrown into this
fearful eddy, and watched by all the tribe as it
whirled, leaped, and sprang in the boiling water
until its final disappearance. ;

For generations and generations the gray and 1
frowning rocks, had witnessed the trials of offenders
among the Kiowas. On one side rose sloping to
the bluff a half-circle of trees. So thickly grew
the branches of those pines and cedars that but
scant sunlight could filter through them. Custom

APPENDIX B, 375

had decreed that if, at the moment of passing sen-
tence, a ray of light should penetrate those thickly-
mingled branches and fall upon the face of the
criminal, one-half of the sentence should be re-
mitted.

The trial was as great as the occasion. Eagle
Face, the oldest medicine-man of the tribe, was
master of ceremonies. Flowing Hair, the favorite
wife of Weeping Weasel, who had at one time,
during five days of starvation, fed her first-born
boy with blood drawn from her breast, was there,
but silent, in her great fear, as became an Indian
woman. Circumstances were against the pilgrim.
Those wild savages could by no argument be
brought to believe that there were such uncivilized
people upon the face of the earth. If it were true,
how could they live together? It was decided
that sentence of death must be passed.

The chief, proud and defiant, took his stand
against the half -circle of trees. Below, the pool
wafi lashing itself into anger from a rising river.
Flowing Hair had thrown herself at his feet as
if to interpose her womanly strength against the
dread sentence of an undeviating Indian code. At
that moment a broad, imprisoned ray of light that
had been entangled among the pines escaped and

376 APPENDIX B.

fell, in all its trembling warmth and pitying ten-
derness, upon the face of the wild Indian who had
told the truth. In its soft caress it embraced the
form of his fainting squaw.

Weeping Weasel escaped capital punishment, but
was deposed from civil authority over the Kiowas,
and was only obeyed as their supreme war-chief.
His sentence further banished him, when stricken
by death, from his tribe and from burial with his
brethren. This was why I found him while dying,
surrounded only by his family, on the banks of
the Eed Eiver.

On the night of his death, to comfort a poor,
dying soul, whose future seemed bright enough —
although his religion was not mine — I told him,
in the sign language, which his glazed and closing
eyes could but dimly see, that, in my opinion, his
tribe was nearer civilization than he dreamed>
since to advanced ideas his sentence seemed just,
' and that he had only suffered the fate of all
reformers.

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