St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1916-09-13

quently reaches 10 degrees and a
few times has gone up to lis. But
gradually the men have become bet
ter acclimated and were better able
to drill Then drills were scheduled
from 100 to IL and 1.3O to 4.
One Sunday morning we lined up
awaiting church call when the lieu
tenant announced that our mules had
come and we were to march down
town to Skin mules" Sixty carloads
of mules and horses had arrived from
FL Paso and as the cars were unload
ed the animals ran out into the stock
yards. Then began the work of rop-
ing and leading off. 1 can't describe
my own feelings when l found myself
leading a mule along the road that
leads to camp. 1 have always looked
upon a mule as the devil incarnate
and subsequent experience has done
much to confirm that belief. The
creatures weer half wild, and ner-
vous because Of their long ride from
FL Paso. But / managed to stay at
tached to my end of the rope and
the mule to the other end, and we
reached camp without serious mis-
hap.
Our having the mules. meant more
work and we drilled necessarily,
teaching them to turn and run at
double quick, and halt. A little later,
Sergt. White, a regular detailed by
the government, helped us break the
animals in so that they would carry
their packs. Each squad of men has
three mules; the first carries the ma
chine gun and 1900 rounds of am
each carry 1900 rounds, also SHOW
els, picks, etc. The pack and outfit
for each mule weighs about 800
pounds. The mules were blind-fold-
ed and the packs put on and loaded
Such bucking and kicking and rolling.
1 felt a vast respect for the strength
violent efforts, with 800 pounds on his
back. But even a mule tires, and
after a time we led them around as
if they were docile through and
through. And they groaned and
grunted quite human like over the
weight of their burden.
Not all of camp life is onerous, and
it would be unfair to omit telling you
of some of the fun that is enjoyed in
camp. Even washing ones clothing
is a pleasant change from drill. The
various companies have organized
baseball teams and heap up huge
scores, whenever the ball is clouted
into a mesquite bush. Frequently
that accident wins or loses the game
Many of the fellows prefer a quieter
game so indulge in the after-supper
game of quoits.
Another source of pleasure is the
discovery and capture of some native
ANIMAL RATHER or a centipede
Much has been written about the dan
gerous things here, and much of it
is oVerdrawn. True we have killed
rattlers near camp and we have found
tarantulas and centipedes in our
blankets. But very few fellows have
been bitten and no one killed. After
a little a fellow overcomes much of
his foolish fear-and if he finds a
centipede in his bed, instead of shiv-
ering and staying up all night be-
cause he found it-he thanks God
that he did find it, kills it and then
Gods country where everything
doesn't have a sting or a thorn and
where there are no centipedes.
These are some of the activities
that occupy the time of the men at
the border. At night, of course, the
fellows gather for the evening sing,
but observe that as they become bet
ter acclimated, their increased cheer
fulness is manifested in the vivacity
of the songs. Even Home, Sweet
Home" loses its mournful wall and
become almost ragtime. This does
not mean that the fellows are forget
ting home. There would be a grand
rush for the homebound train if
someone made the announcement that
such a train awaited. But it does
mean that the men who answered the
calI-coming from all professions
and walks of life are slowly being
hammered into men who can and will
perform the duties of real soldiers, if
succeeding events should lead up to
a real necessity.
Very truly,
Ebert c. COLE.