The San Francisco call., 1896-07-08
Picket Long Gives Supposed
Deserter a Keen Sword.
Thrust.
FATHER M'DoNALD's PLIGHT.
Loses His Pet Dog, but Finds the
Canine Prisoner in. the
Guard.House.
CAMP MONTGOMERY,
LEAGUE OF THE Cross CADETS,
A1ra N.Trr~-rn G.r T,,.,,

The League of the Cross Cadets lay around
in the shade tanning themselves and using
other devices to Keep cool. Had il not
been for a gentle breezes, sometimes al
most too gentle to be detected, the day
would have been insufferably hot. Atnoon
it was almost too hot to eat. There was
some threat of putting the butter in the
guardhouse to keep it from running away
Life at the camp is pretty much the
same from day to day. The tricks and di-
versions known to cadets in camp serve to
throw pleasing variety of incidents into
the general routine. The food is good and
the messes have nothing to complain of,
particularly as to quantity. Persons liv-
ing in the neighborhood are doing thriv-
ing business selling the cadets fruit, pies
and ice-cream. Four gallons of ice-cream
were sold to the cadets by the dishful to-.
day in an hour, and the pies did not begin
to go around.
Swimming in the creek is one of the
most popular amusements. The SWIM
ming hole is about q quarter of mile
| away. When a man gets off guard duty
in the sweltering sun the first thing he
makes a dive for is the creek and to its
shady banks.
The chief officer Of the camp is Major
Z. brady. He keeps the boys pretty well
up to the mark. The discipline is good.
For instance. while in mess at noon to-
day one of the younger cadets picked up
good-sized piece of bread and fired" it at
passing photographer in spirit of fun.
Major brady saw the action and he or
dered the entire mess to leave the table.
They left, but fortunately had just about
finished their lunch.
The ''dining-room" and kitchen are
nicely located under wide-spreading live
oak trees, which shed grateful shade on
the tables. The branches are so broad
that the tables are IN the shade almost
the entire day. The tents are pitched
close to other immense oak trees. The
camp is not only picturesque but COM
Portable. 1t is about three miles from So
noma, which is the nearest telegraph
point, and short distance from the warm
springs. All the accommodations in the
vicinity of the springs aIe taken. There
is not even an extra mattress or blanket.
The day in camp is told by the following
schedule: Reveiile A. NJ, breakfast 6
A. NJ. sick call $3.50 A. NJ, company drill
1880 A. NJ, inspection of quarters 9 A. NJ,
camp opens 10 A. NJ, lunch u NJ, camp
closes P. NJ, dress parade P. NJ, guard
mount $50 P. NJ, dinner 6 P. NJ, tattoo 10
P. NJ, taps 10:3D P. NJ.
The cadets ara on guard duty twenty
four hours alternately-two hours on end
two hours off: Having served for twenty
four hours they are not liable for duty in
the next twenty-four. Between the time
that camp opens and closes they are per-
mitted to go where and when they please.
When taps are sounded all lights go out
on the instant. When camp was first
pitched there was disposition to pro-
crastinate little, but since there were sew
eral narrow escapes from remaining in the
guardhouse all night on a bed of thin
straw with cadet at the entrance with
drawn saber lights have gone out on the
tap. If there is particularly good con-
cert going on taps may be delayed little,
but they are seldom sounded later than II
o'clock.
The hospital tent is located off on one
side of the officers quarters. 1t is very
comfortable, but so far has had only one
occupant. A large white flag with q red
cross on it hangs over the entrance.
The sabers are stacked in long rows in
front of the tents. They glitter in the sun
and look quite warlike.
Two humorous incidents worth noting
have occurred, one more painful than
| humorous. When the cadet is on guard
duty at night he is very anxious to cap
! ture somebody, call the officer of the
guard and raise a commotion. If any,
| body tries to sneak in or out of the lines.
with or without pass or the countersign
this is certain to happen. 1t happened
last night with unexpected results.
| Rev. James A. Mcdonald is here on
chaplain duty. Father Mcdonald is con-
siderable OF a sportsman in quiet way.
When be came up here to look after the
spiritual welfare OF the boys in camp and
| sing military mass, he brought his pointer
dog Belle and his hammerless shotgun
along. There are rabbits and pigeons in
the valley and on the hills and the Off
GERS mess has already protited by Father
McDoDald's Workmanship. This morning
when reveille echoed against the hills and
awoke the camp and priest, Father Nc
Donald found his dog missing He al
ways ties her tightly to tent stake at
night He was nonplused at first. He
did not know whether to cross-examine
the cook or to inspect the guardhouse
first. Finally, somebody gave him a
pointer that the trail lea to the guard
house, and there he found Belle, cheerful
! but tightly bound to stake. The COM
mon penalty at Camp Montgomery for
getting into the guardhouss-which, by
the way, is tent and not house at all
is to do police duty-that is, clean up the
camp, do the drudgery. As the dog could
neither do police duty nor be court
martialed, she was released, while the
cadets stood around and cheered her exit.
Willie Long of Company A has had a
narrow escape from court-martial, and Al
Martison, one of the cooks, from death or
a sightless eye. Mattison found himself
| in jured internally yesterday and went into
the hospital under DR.. Muliigan's care last
night Willie Long was on guard duty at
midnight near the hospital tent 1t was
very, very dark and Willie was loneIy. He
was also very vigilant. Nobody accuses
him of being frightened, for didn't he have
big saber in his strong right arm? Sud-
denly Willie heard noise close to him.
1t was so dark that he could hardly see the
tents, but Willie began to hunt for the
source of that noise. He first thought the
noise came from behind stone fence by
the road and he rushed over there, but
could see nothing. He thought one of the
cadets was trying to slip in or out through
his post He ran over to the hospital tent.
Willie spied Mattison asleep, lying with
his pale face outside the tent. The sem