The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-13
HAVE ABANDONED HOPE
WADING THROUGH MUD AND
FIGHTING FLEAS.
Life at the Preside During the Rainy
Season-Men Eager to Be Mus
tered out-Sergeant Lund One of
the Sights of the Camp Red
Cross Ladies.
fsnAcial corresnondence.l

| the battlefield, ana IL is WIN a great
deal of chagrin that they are forced
| to do so. They had intended to make
the rifles of battery c be heard around
the world, like the shot on old Fort
Sumter, but our armament is joke
with us now, and we are beginning to
wonder what we are here for.
! The longing for battle has not yet left
!. the breasts of some of the boys, at
| least. AS result football has been
purchased and team is being organ
| lied. Already two challenges have been
received. from other organizations to
play match games, and both have been
accepted. The team has not yet been
| finally organized, but there are several
applicants for positions.
At first it was thought of putting
| Sergeant Lund, who is about the talleSt
man in the Presidio as center. He
could then reach over the heads of the
others and coolly pick the ball out of
the hands Of the opposing team; but
Lund won't play, so Sergeant Leon
took this place. There is good ma
terial in the battery for a team, and
if they practice enough, success should
crown their efforts.
The first day that the pigskin was
brought out two teams were picked,
and, after about 10 minutes practice,
they challenged each other, and a game
followed. The result is that Corporal
Malloy is going around with a stiff leg,
the limb having been hurt in the con-
test.
Baseball also comes in for a good
deal of attention. Balls, bats, gloves,
ETC., have been purchased, and games
are going on whenever the boys get a
chance after drill hours. The Nevada
cavalry and our boys usually have a
game each Saturday and Sunday,
which serves to pass away the time.
Occasionally we have some excite
ment in camp in the shape of fire call.
as was the case recently. Be
commissioned officers We're out
calling to the men to fall in In
about a minute the battery was lined
up, and, after a double-time of 100
yards or more, we were halted and
reported at the guard house for duty.
AS usual, we were the first on the scene
by several minutes. The fire was over
in the direction of the Tennessee camp,
but we were not needed, as it was of
no consequence.
LUND is A cCURIO.
All day long visitors are strolling
about the Preside, looking at the SOL
diers, and one of the sights which
attracts attention in our camp is our
big sergeant. Every lady who comes
along gets out her kodak and tries to
get picture of him: but Lund is mod
est and does not like to have his pic
ture taken. Occasionally, however, we
see a picture of him taken unawares.
The other day Lund met his match. A
stranger-or, rather, an old friend to
some of us-came into camp. 1t was
Corporal McGifin of B company, Six
tenth infantry. McGiffin used to be
stationed at Fort Douglas, and will be
remembered as the little boy of the
Sixteenth" He, like Lund, is over six
foot inches, but is little taller than
Lund. McGiffin is here on sick leave,
having contracted a fever while lying
in the trenches before Santiago after
the fight.
WADING IN MUD.
We are now up to our ankles in mud;
at least, we are when we get outside
of our tents. The rainy season has
begun, but so far the rainy season has
proved the most pleasant part of our
stay. We do see the sun occasionally
now, but during the dry season it
seldom showed itself
San Francisco bay lies at our
feet, dotted with white sails or
marked by the trailing black smoke of /
a steamer In the center of the bay is
Alcatraz island, rising sheer from the
waters edge for 200 or 300 feet. and on
top are the red brick walls of the mill
tary prison, and a heliograph just be-
low it, which reflects the suns rays
to the Preside. Across the bay can
be seen Angel island, with its bar
racks, and further to the right in the {
distance, is Oakland, while the famous
Golden Gate, guarded by Notifications, |
is on the left. At night it is a beautiful !
sight to look across the bay towards |
Oakland, whose lights sparkle like dia- |
monds in the clear night air.
NO ESCAPE FROM FLEAS.
We had an idea that the rainy season |
would relieve us of at least one pest !
the fieas. We thought of course, the |
rain would drown them out; and it did, /
but only to drive them to the shelter |
of our tents. Our tents are all fioored, /
and in that way we manage to keep a |
little cleaner than we would were we i
forced to have the bare ground for |
floors. The dampness, however per-
vades everything, and even the grass
under the floors is fiOuriShing The |
green blades are forcing themselves up |
through the cracks in the floor and !
one would think we were trying to start |
a greenhouse, to see it.
The reservation is thickly planted |
with trees. and if one takes a walk |
through them he is sure to scare up a |
cuvey of quail and numbers of rabbits |
The boys look with longing at them, |
and visions Of quail ca toast and rab- |
bit DOT pie rise before them like a de- |
iighrful dream. But we are not allow |
ed to hunt on the reservation, and as |
the quail and rabbits always keep with |
in the lines we are forced to dream of |
dainties unknown in the volunteer |
army.
Another sign besides the one prohib- |
ting hunting is one which reads: No |
dogs or kodaks allowed on this reser- |
walton. That sign confronts us at |
every turn, and we wonder why the |
dogs end kodeks are classed together |
The reason for keeping kodaks off of |
the reservation is to prevent photo |
but why the dogs are included with the |
kodaks we cannot understand.
Among the other signs we see about |
the Preside and the city are: mo |
help wanted" and mo peddlers." This |
last sign is fastened to nearly every
door in the city.
RED CROSS DAINTIES.
Ii is truly wonderful to see what
the people of San Francisco have done
for US Door soldiers. Day after day
the ladies of the Red Cross society give |
lis food and other comforts-things not
issued to US by the government Then
every day sees some soldier in our
camp made happier by the gifts of
fruit and lunches brought uD to them.
Young girls and ladies have come to
the cana to look around, and while
here engage in conversation with some
of the boys, and a few days later they
appear again with lunches for them.
The ladies seem to take pleasure in Civ
ing dainties to the soldier boys, and
nothing could better express the feel