And then he was just from the South, too, where he was too warm
most of the time.
It makes me utterly wretched to think of the long year he was away
from us at Baton Rouge. But what could we have done? We could not have
had him with us, in the very heart of New Orleans, for he had already
been stolen from us at Jackson Barracks, a military post!
With him passed the very last of his blood, a breed of greyhounds that
was known in Texas, Kansas, and Colorado as wonderful hunters, also
remarkable for their pluck and beauty of form. Hal was a splendid
hunter, and ever on the alert for game. Not one morsel of it would he
eat, however, not even a piece of domestic fowl, which he seemed to
look upon as game. Sheep he considered fine game, and would chase them
every opportunity that presented itself. This was his one bad trait,
an expensive one sometimes, but it was the only one, and was
overbalanced many times by his lovable qualities that made him a
favorite with all. Every soldier in the company loved him and was
proud of him, and would have shared his dinner with the dog any day if
called upon to do so.
NATIONAL HOTEL, HELENA, MONTANA TERRITORY,
May, 1878.
TO hear that we are no longer at Camp Baker will be a surprise, but
you must have become accustomed to surprises of this kind long ago.
Regimental headquarters, the companies that have been quartered at the
Helena fair grounds during the winter, and the two companies from Camp
Baker, started from here this morning on a march to the Milk River
country, where a new post is to be established on Beaver Creek. It is
to be called Fort Assiniboine. The troops will probably be in camp
until fall, when they will go to Fort Shaw.
We had been given no warning whatever of this move, and had less than
two days in which to pack and crate everything. And I can assure you
that in one way it was worse than being ranked out, for this time
there was necessity for careful packing and crating, because of the
rough mountain roads the wagons had to come over. But there were no
accidents, and our furniture and boxes are safely put away here in a
government storehouse.
At the time the order came, Faye was recorder for a board of survey
that was being held at the post, and this, in addition to turning over
quartermaster and other property, kept him hard at work night and day,
so the superintendence of all things pertaining to the house and camp
outfit fell to my lot.
