These People
Bring Nothing Whatever With Them For Camp, But Depend Entirely Upon
The Quartermaster Here To Fit Them Out As Luxuriously As Possible With
Tents And Commissaries - Even To Experienced Camp Cooks!
The railroad has been laid straight through the post, and it looks
very strange to see the cars running directly back of the company
quarters.
The long tunnel - it is to be called the Bozeman tunnel - that
has been cut through a large mountain is not quite finished, and the
cars are still run up over the mountain upon a track that was laid
only for temporary use. It requires two engines to pull even the
passenger trains up, and when the divide is reached the "pilot" is
uncoupled and run down ahead, sometimes at terrific speed. One day,
since we came, the engineer lost control, and the big black thing
seemed almost to drop down the grade, and the shrieking of the
continuous whistle was awful to listen to; it seemed as if it was the
wailing of the souls of the two men being rushed on - perhaps to their
death. The thing came on and went screaming through the post and on
through Bozeman, and how much farther we do not know. Some of the
enlisted men got a glimpse of the engineer as he passed and say that
his face was like chalk. We will not be settled for some time, as Faye
is to take a set of vacant quarters on the hill until one of the
officers goes on leave, when we will move to that house, as it is
nicer and nearer the offices. He could have taken it when we came had
he been willing to turn anyone out. It seems to me that I am waiting
for a house about half the time, yet when anyone wants our house it
is taken at once!
For a few days we are with Lieutenant and Mrs. Fiske. They gave us an
elegant dinner last evening. Miss Burt and her brother came up from
Bozeman. This evening we dine with Major and Mrs. Gillespie of the
cavalry. He is in command of the post - and tomorrow we will dine with
Captain and Mrs. Spencer. And so it will go on, probably, until
everyone has entertained us in some delightful manner, as this is the
custom in the Army when there are newcomers in the garrison. I am so
sorry that these courtesies cannot be returned for a long time - until
we get really settled, and then how I shall miss Hang! How I am to do
without him I do not quite see.
FORT ELLIS, MONTANA TERRITORY,
July, 1884.
THIS post is in a most dilapidated condition, and it - also the country
about - looks as though it had been the scene of a fierce bombardment.
And bombarded we certainly have been - by a terrific hailstorm that
made us feel for a time that our very lives were in danger. The day
had been excessively warm, with brilliant sunshine until about three
o'clock, when dark clouds were seen to be coming up over the Bozeman
Valley, and everyone said that perhaps at last we would have the rain
that was so much needed, I have been in so many frightful storms that
came from innocent-looking clouds, that now I am suspicious of
anything of the kind that looks at all threatening.
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