Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-05-19

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NJ, and it is some job the rockies ct. al.
affirm. The soil here is a MIXTURE of
rock and clay. which is ideal for adobe
building. but after months of dry
weather it is as hard as Portland ce-
ment. The trenches are veryclean-cut
affairs. and are after the most APP
proved models but no provision has
been made to drain them-the rain
question in this part of the world is on
the knees of the gods
If it rains the soldiers will stand up
TO their necks in water. for the soil is
too firm TO drain hurriedly but no self
respecting Mexican goes out in the wet
SO it is hardly likely there will be an
attack on us at this base if the rainy
season sets in. One line of trenches is
between the base camp and the inter
national barbed wire fence about three
miles distant. Today the militia com
panies from New Mexico arrived in
our midst. as one local paper will
probably remark in its society columns
next week II is a weekly in several
senses. and they are in camp down
near the new trenches and they are
very much Impressed.
IT is hoped they will keep discreet
ly in bounds. for they may fall in the
five-foot deep trenches and failing
that they may fall in with the many
regulars, who are just waiting for a
good excuse for a little gentle hazing
OF the militia if only the officers will
look. the other way. which three is
little fear of their doing. The contempt
of the regular for the militia is on 2
par with the salt water sailor and the
navigator of the Great Lakes. the for
mer thinks anyone can navigate the
Great Lakes
IL is within the possibilities that
these militia men will give a good ac-
count OF themselves when the time
comes Many of them look like moth
er's boy" and the Western Union here
has handled a score of kilograms from
mothers trying TO get their sons dis
charged for various reasons. Minors
seem, in many cases, to have rushed OF
TO enlist without asking permission
from the mater
1t does seem a pity to those of us
who see the fine results in mapliness
and earnestness that have come out of
the two months discipline here at this
big army station that mothers should
interfere in what is going to effect, for
the better, the whole lives of their
boys. In the cities the class of men
who here so bravely work at all sorts
of tasks, are often found loafiing on
the street corners ami getting into
mischief. Here there nay be drinking
and playing of cards and shooting of
craps, and events of that kind, but in
seven weeks the writer, who is about
from end to end o, the camp many
times a day, has never seen a man un-
der the influence of liquor: not seen \
card, but has seen more beehive indus
try than even in her experience, to note
on all sides.
Leaving patriotism out of the Ques-
ton, and considered practically rather
than spiritually, l would certainly
raise my boy to be soltiier" if l had
one. and thank the Lord on Bonded
knee for the chance to make a man
out of him. Returning to the matter
of trenches the fashion was started by
the cook at the three-tent outpost near
the International gate, indicated by a
hole in the wire fence, where Perish
ing's men passed into Mexico A short
distance over the International line is
the camp OF the de facto soldiers. and
on our side the American guards live
about twenty feet inside the line. Ten
men, a sergeant and the cook were the
number on duty when | last went that
far The sergeant and cook formed q
reception committee to show off their
domestic and strategic arrangements
The cook. under the impression that
his Carrancista neighbors might take
drink too deep and begin to liyen
| things up with a little target practice
over in the American direction. mas
dug in" after methods of his own
| His work is represented by rifle pit
with two logs at the head chinked
with adobe mud Ii is located ten feet
| from the cook stove, and in times oil
peace comes in handy for the storag,
of raw provision, which, otherwise
| might be in the way in the vicinity OF
| the oven. These adobe ovens are in.
| teresting things and are tin box stoves
coated over with the adobe which is &
| sort of fire-clay, a large clay mound
with a pipe sticking out marks the
oven, where many delicious war baby
is being toasted to delicate brown.
The bread is soft and saltless and i:
| good eating. and thousands of loaves
| are turned cut daily and tied in clear
| bars. are sent down in the motor
| trucks to Mexico by every train. Thi
| is a big Improvement on hard tack
/ though that well-night indestructibl,
compound is supposed to be good fol
almost everything but food. The trucl
| drivers say they can half-sole shoes
| and build barbados and repair Z
broken down motor with hard tack
In these days three carloads of tn.
tack were dumped on the siding here
| They were n light boxes. but no efIor
| was made TO cover them, it being gen
| orally believed that hard tack is i'm
| pervious 10 weather.
(Continued.)
4 UI.II G III Mil H--L.