The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1899-01-17
'Todav the REGULARS received a

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To-day the regulars received a
circular instructing those who
desire to be mustered out to send
in their applications. If the
Idahos get like instructions, there
will be about SO per cent send in
their applications. The remain
ing per cent is the officers who
are perfectly satisfied with their
jobs and will stay by Uncle Sam
as long as he gives them com
mission and $3.50 to 5000 per
month. They probably find it
more pleasant and profitable fol-
lowing the flag than the tonsorial
trade or the bell wether in Idaho.
1.-THE transports Valencia and
Senator arrived the other day
from the United States carrying
troops and supplies. The boys
felt like comic valentines when
they saw them come, for they
thought the day of their deliver
ance was at hand. But they
learned with regret that they
had not come to relieve them,
but were simply recruits and re-
endorsements who had come to
help them keep Mr.. Won D. from
stealing the island.
1.-THE men on board say they
were well treated on the way
over and had all the vegetables
and fresh meat they could eat
and all the icewater they want
ed. 1t was different with our
boys. There was nearly 700 men
on board the Morgan City, and
but one little cracker box kitch-
en- to cook their food in. The
cooks did the best they could.
They took everything available
! bareback, salt pork, canned
beef and salmon-threw it into a
large tank and stewed it up to-
gether, and this miserable "'slum-
gullion from which a good !,
respectable hog would turn in
disgust to his daily swill-we
had every day on our way over.
Many of the lads heaved coal for
the stokers in order to get a
square meal' and others waited
on table in the officers mess.
These favored beings had chick
en- and roast beef and the SAVIOR
of these added a touch of grace
to the bad fat pork and hard
tack of the men.
The troopShip'S on the sea my lads,
The troopship's on the sea,
But it's not there for me, my lads,
But it's not there for me.
Meanwhile, the soldiers are
doing their best to kill time, "
as they have abundance of it to
kill, many and various are their
ways of doing it. When it is not
raining and the sun is not too
hot-which is on rare occasions,
because when it is not raining it
is too hot and when it is not hot
it is raining-a game of ball is
INDUCED in. When it is stormy
outside, the men gamble in quar-
ters, tell yarns and speculate on
the probabilities of even getting
home again. Needless to say,
the quarters are rendezvous a
good part of the time. Philip
pine skies know how to easily
shed the rain, and they do it
with an ease and mechanical reg
ularity possible only with long
practice. The typhoon is also a
frequent visitor in these parts.
One of the most terrific ones in
years, so the natives say, has
just dropped it's cards, so to
speak, in one of its periodical
visits. The waters of the bay
have been running high for days,
and the waves, driven in the
teeth of wind that would have
been accounted terrific even in
Kansas, dashed themselves to
fury against the stone walls
along the beach, the bigger ones
jumped clear over them and pre-
empted the back yards of those
who live alOno tho chora Tho