Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-23

Yesterday was hard day on the artillerymen.
They did q good deal Of heavy work and
did it well When it was time to 60
down to supper every man was pretty thor
oughy tired and exceedingly hungry. The
captain knew this and he did not attempt to ig-
more it. He knew that it would infict real
hardship on number Of weary men If guard
was mounted, and yet ii would be impossible
cut the Gordian knot by sending the command
to supper in charge of Lieut. Mellaeh,
while he and Lieut.. Robbins did duty around
the tents. There are not many officers Of that
kind in camp.
1t was late, however, before the artillerymen
got anything to eat They were little late
riying at the fort, because of the extra work
which mounted men have to do, and when they
tramped across the old drawbridge and
went under the meal sheds they
gone. Some time was spent in making vigorous
representations Of this state of affairs TO Gen.
Ordway, and it was o'clock before the now
rayenous battery sat down to the hot steak and
Its accomplishments. And they did eat
THERE rs NO LACK OF AMUSEMENT
at any hour of the day but the half hours which
Immediately precede and follow supper are
more full Of interest than any other periods.
One of the most popular bits of recreation is
to gather around in the rear of the company
officers tents in the first regiment and there
witness a ''milr' between two colored boys of
tender years but cast-iron faces. Both are
armed with regulation boxing gloves, and when
Sergeant W. E. Wise calls time" they thump
at each other with the utmost ferocity. The
rules are a combination of London prize
ring, Marquis of Queensbury, and Wash
lngton Light Infantry. Last night there was a
thlrteen-round contest for purse of twenty
cents. The prominent features were one
knock-down, nine fouls, and the nose of one Of
the combatants bleeding after it had been
punched four or five times. Yesterday even
ings scrap" was declared q draw and the
purse was divided.
GOING TO TAKE WASH.
One of the crowd which was over at River
View last night-a member of the hospital
corps-felt like taking wash this
morning, SO he went to the rear of
Capt Parmenter's quarters and turned
the spigot which protruded from the
bung-end Of big barrel Capt. Parmenter
happened to be passing at the time and he
oil?"
II thought it was water" muttered the unwit-
ting culprit. Il was going to take wash.'
See here, young man" said the captain in a
fatherly manner, next time you go to River
View you don't want to ride on tire gravity rail-
road with bottle in your pocket"
PRIVATE sPEER's SNAKE.
Private James c. Speer, or Jimmie" as they
call him in the Infantry, is very proud of his
latest achievement. When the private awoke
this morning he found pitiful-
looking, half-starved snake-the first
one seen in camp-resting under
the edge of his pillow. He killedit and placed
it on exhibition near the barber shop. 1t is
very much shorter when measured with a rule
than it is when the private tells you all about
Its great strength and its capacity for eating
soldiers.
THE FLEA AND HIS HUNTER.
Some portions of the camp are infested with
very fine brand of imported purple-topped
Swedish feas. soldier who has flea on him
can be picked out in an instant
from a company of men who have
no feas. The afflicted one generally
has one leg of his trousers turned up at the
foot-away up, above his knee. Sometimes,
however, he has his coat off and is engaged in
chasing a remarkably active flea all over the
entire superficial area of his body. The man
who can stand or sit unmoved while a
Fort Washington flea is .practicing running
and standing broad jumps all over the DIVERSE
fed surface OF his anatomy can make fortune
in the capacity of tobacco-store Indian. No
one has caught flea yet.