December 2, 2007

Nevada's Online State News Journal

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[From Mrs. Orsemus Bronson Boyd, Cavalry Life in Tent and Field (1894), pp. 28-90.]

Nevada History:

CAVALRY LIFE

IN

TENT AND FIELD

BY

MRS. ORSEMUS BRONSON BOYD

NEW YORK

J. SELWIN TAIT & SONS

65 FIFTH AVENUE

l894

* * *

            My husband, previous to his four years 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 surroundings 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, application was therefore made for that; so when appointed 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 California, it was deemed unwise for me to accompany 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. When 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 protective force for the contemplated Pacific Railroad, to a point in the very eastern part of Nevada. The camp was named " Halleck," in honor of General Halleck, arid the accommodations 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 Steamship Company. The three weeks en route were delightful, and the 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 impassable at that season, and who predicted all sorts of mishaps. Nothing daunted, I determined 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 terminus of the Pacific Railway. After leaving the train we continued our journey on sleds, in the midst of a blinding snowstorm, that compelled 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 suggested! Possibly no greater discomfort could have been endured than my companion and self underwent that night. Those old-fashioned 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 passengers, 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 morning. 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 promontory, 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 scenery'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 night holding on to any- thing that promised stability. An ordinary posture was quite impossible : we had either to brace ourselves 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 Donner 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 although haste meant 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 myself to personal experiences ; and I will, therefore, merely state that I gladly left Virginia City, knowing that soon after we should emerge from mountain 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 unendurable. 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 days 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-a-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 situation more endurable. After we had sat bolt upright for two days and nights, vainly trying to snatch a few moments' sleep, which the constant 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 leaning forward and laying our 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 rendered 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-winter, 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 biscuits almost green with saleratus, and meats sodden with grease, which disguised their natural flavors so completely that I often wondered what animals of the prairies were represented.

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

CAVALRY 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 monotony 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 indicates, 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 imagination 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 CAVALRY LIFE.

ing an end seat, and often counted the revolutions 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 before 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

CAVALRY 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- mums," met with in Eastern rural districts.

            As the very tiniest streams in the West are designated rivers, 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 became less monotonous by reason of low mountains 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. Experience 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 connected with the stage station asked my husband :

            " How did the old woman stand the trip? "

            I listened intently for his answer, fully expecting 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 tendency 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 hundred dollars, in return for which five seemingly endless days and sleepless nights of tiresome 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 by endless 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 habitation 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 purpose. 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 greatest 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 prepared 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 by which a mule was tied to each wheel somewhat reassured 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. Sometimes one mule would be seized with an ambitious desire to break away ; this would 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 sufficiently 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 course, only rough bunks of unplaned pine timber ; but by reason of being raised above the mud floors formed very desirable resting-places.

            The almost chivalrous kindness of frontiersmen 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, therefore, our hosts saw my reluctance to deprive them of what must have been occupied by at least two of their number, they assured me I would confer a favor by accepting the proffered hospitality. Although shrinking from the proximity 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 disposed 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 the depth of ten inches or more.

            On 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 reasoned that we were to ride in a covered vehicle, and with only twenty miles to traverse had nothing to fear.

            Though all might have gone well had our ambulance been strong, but two 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 progress 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, with as much protection as our blankets could afford, we rode the remaining eighteen miles, snow falling continually and rendering it impossible to distinguish the road. Travel under such conditions, and especially in a springless 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 journey, was the first on which I had felt discouraged ; 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.

50 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 curtain 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 except for one entrance, as w r ere 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,

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particularly when I remembered the roads over which we had come, and the cluster 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 unmarried first lieutenant. The latter, as quarter- master and commissary, controlled all supplies, and could make us either comfortable or the reverse, as he chose.

            Shortly afterward another company of soldiers, 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 accommodations, 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 remedied. 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 commensurate 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

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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 army since that time, and I am glad to state that for many 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 soldiers. In fact, most of the kindly help which made life on the frontier endurable to me came

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from those men. We were never able to procure 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 became 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 when dining, will never be forgotten.

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

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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 endeavors to hastily remove all trace of such occupation.

            As the season was severe the thermometer during that and the succeeding winter frequently 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, occupied nearly all the spare space, and left only just room enough in front cf 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

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necessary articles, we were apt to use most inappropriate ones. On the occasion referred to, a lighted candle had been placed on the bed, where my husband seated himself without noticing the candle. Soon arose the accustomed smell of burning, and I executed my usual maneuver 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 remoteness 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

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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 covered 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, which 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

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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 soldiers, 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 occurrence 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 ominous 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. What 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

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was left might be sold in New York for a dollar. On comparing the residue with the inventory, 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. Everything, 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 supply ; so when by breakages the secondary disappeared, we had really nothing of any consequence 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

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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 which 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 wedding-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 delicacies occurred to me, but I felt compelled to explain, in the most vehement fashion, that the wash-bowl had never been utilized for its obvious purpose ; in fact, this was the first period of its usefulness.

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            My housekeeping was simplified by absolute lack of materials. I had, as a basis of supplies,  during that and the succeeding two years, nothing but soldiers' rations, which consisted entirely 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 unable to ring any changes on rice, for after Mr. Boyd's experience with General Burnside's expedition 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 congratulation, for when we indulged our desire for any change of fare, however slight, we felt as if eating 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 premium of fifty per cent always had to be paid.

62 CAVALRY 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, seriously 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

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procure supplies. First should be named the fact that a lieutenant's pay, exceedingly small at best, was, when converted into gold, just eighty dollars 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 dollars. 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 Hebrew 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 ! "

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            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 injury, 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 roads were so bad, our chairs, having been placed on top of the load, were continually 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

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pangs had worn away, over our fifty-dollar chair, 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 Heade'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 published 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 always came regularly, which fact constrained us

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to believe that we were furnishing light literature 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 insignificant during the dry season, enlarged by melting snows from the mountains; and they were not

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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 improvement. 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 cotton wood-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 penetrated the thin canvas overhead to such an extent 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

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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. Whenever 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 superior numbers.

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            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 the inner tent, where I felt safe, dressing for breakfast, I experienced the most intense sting on my ankle. The pain was so great I screamed, doubly frightened because confident a rattlesnake had bitten me, and too terrified to exercise 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 ranchmen, particularly those who were married, as

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their wives interested us greatly, they were such perfect specimens of frontier women. 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 several 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 numerous that I soon regarded red men as fearlessly 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

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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, 1 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 different 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 Indian 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 warfare, the 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

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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 preparations 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 dwellings. 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 pleasing fancies, realization was but a dream. All our hopes were doomed to disappointment, for

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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.

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CHAPTER III.

            MEANTIME much had happened to make that year an eventful one. My expectation of finding 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 completely 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 enabled 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 mention this only to account for the unnecessary

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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 unruly mustang cannot well be imagined fancied 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 companion 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,

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my first remark was that I derived some comfort 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 malevolence 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 exceedingly 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

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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, friendless 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, were totally unaccustomed to military discipline, 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 officers 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.

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            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 difficulty in managing them while going; but returning, 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

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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 comrade back to the encampment. Fearing further disturbance my husband broke camp and traveled 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 completely 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

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would be commended, if not rewarded. Instead of that he was actually called to account, principally 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 husband made to procure presents for me, and shall never forget the peculiarity of his gifts. In passing through Austin at one time he endeavored 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 indeed it would had I been able to use it ; but the machine was entirely out of order and represented nothing in the way of usefulness, unless a month's pay which it had cost might be so considered.

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            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 inopportune moments. If military orders 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, however, and all his antics were laughed at and condoned.

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            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, who 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

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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 approached, 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 duties, and on one memorable morning the entire top of our sitting-room tent burned away, leaving 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 immediately erect itself for our benefit, decided me. I

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

            During all those months work had been actively prosecuted on the Union Pacific Railroad ; 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 which must promote its prosperity through opening mines, irrigating 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 settlers who occasionally appeared were of a restless, 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

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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 canvas intervening.

            One of the young officers who knew my terror on that score, delighted in giving me exaggerated accounts of their sufferings, and used to relate the most remarkable cases, which 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 suffering 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 almost as much as if we were to share in the material benefits thereof.

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

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at that time received, and we hoped the railroad would enable us to make the journey consequent 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 advent of brighter days, as promised by 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 advantages 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 endure the discomforts of a stage-ride, to strike the railroad twelve miles from Camp Halleck. The road had reached that point only a few

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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 arrangement to make them so, for the cars, two in number, were roomy as possible. The first car was divided into an admirable kitchen and dining room, which were presided over by a Chinese cook ; the second into sitting and bedrooms so arranged that they were cozy and comfortable.

            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.

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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 which 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

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concluded a stage-ride would have been preferable, 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 reaching 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 hours in covering less than fifty miles was not only unexpected, but almost unendurable 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 incredibly 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

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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 difference in vegetation between Nevada and California. Just as soon as we reached the Pacific coast exquisite green verdure contrasted so favorably with Nevada's arid desolation as to cause one to feel as if in a veritable " land of promise." 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.