CHAPTER XVII.

I have not very often referred in this volume to the character of my husband, for in my opinion it needs no vindication. Mr. Boyd always left in the minds of every one with whom he came in contact the impress of a most noble nature. His devotion to duty was so extreme that all else was laid aside at its call; and at Fort Bayard he so entirely gave his whole time and attention to arduous and unremitting labors as to scarcely find time for any pleasures. Mr. Boyd was as much of a worker as ever can be found in civil life, where a man expects reward for faithful service. In the army there is none. Of course that is well understood, and any one who devotes his life to duty there, does it purely from principle.

Two singular occurrences, which have always been mysteries to me, happened at Fort Bayard. We moved into the new quarters before our new house—a double one—was entirely completed. The part in which we lived was separated from the other by a wall that divided the halls, and the unoccupied side was filled with shavings and _débris_. One night after we had retired, some one laid a lighted candle on a large pile of shavings, which of course caught fire, and we were awakened from sound sleep by a strong smell of smoke. This was soon traced to its source, and we found a fine fire rapidly developing. The floor had burned away, leaving a cavernous depth beneath.

It was unquestionably the work of an incendiary; and a few weeks afterward the same wicked hand, presumably, fired a huge stack of hay, consisting of the entire winter’s supply of six hundred tons, which at frontier posts is always stacked near the corral and guarded day and night by sentries.

In that absolutely dry climate such a fire, when once started, has no hindrance to its progress; and though every available hand was quickly on the spot pouring water, of course it was a useless task. Though a beautiful sight to see that brilliant blaze of light defined against the clear, dark sky, my heart ached when I thought of the trouble and worry it would cause Mr. Boyd, and also of the animals’ deprivation. The entire summer had been required in which to procure enough hay for so many; and the fire occurred in early winter, when no more could be cut.

It is a custom in the army at the slightest alarm of fire to sound a call, which brings every man to the spot with a bucket in his hand. It is really marvelous to see how soon ordinary fires yield to army treatment. But if a high wind is blowing, the supply of water, limited to barrels which are placed between the houses and always kept filled, is insufficient, and little can be done to stay its devastating progress. In spite of sympathy and real concern for losses sustained, one is sure to enjoy the excitement.

I witnessed one shocking fire at Bayard which broke out in a small private stable attached to the post-trader’s house. It had made such headway that when discovered three beautiful horses were already enveloped in flames: they were fairly roasted alive before the eyes of the assembled garrison. Most pathetic cries proceeded from the helpless animals before death mercifully released them from their sufferings.

While the ladies sorrowfully looked on, the men spread wet blankets over an adjoining roof in order that it might be saved; for if a tiny spark had fallen on the dry shingles they would have immediately ignited and the flames spread rapidly.

After three happy years had been passed at that post, orders were received to march into Texas and exchange with the Ninth Cavalry.

Christmas Day was celebrated in camp, and in a double sense, for we had that morning a narrow escape from almost instant death.

On reaching the Rio Grande, we found the river fairly booming. It was a glorious sight, swelled to a huge flood that swept past in majestic grandeur. A primitive flat-boat worked by ropes and pulleys—nothing but a rude raft with no railing or chain either fore or aft—was called into requisition to ferry us across, and we sat quietly in the ambulance while it was driven aboard.

A superb dog that belonged to one of our friends, and had been our pet for years, was inadvertently left standing on the bank. Some one on the boat tried to induce him to swim across, making the same sound in calling the dog that would have been used to start the mules. Our four mules, supposing it was a signal to them, immediately started, and the leaders’ fore feet were actually on the very edge of the boat when a man seized them by their heads. Another second, another step, and our heavy ambulance would have been overboard.

So rapidly had the occurrence passed that almost before realizing an accident was seemingly inevitable, we had been saved from a watery grave. The river at that point was at least twenty feet deep, and had the mules plunged in, sudden and swift death would have followed.

I have never since been able to sit quietly in a carriage while crossing a ferry; though of course no such rude craft, without even a rope guard, can be found in civilized parts of the world.

After all was over, I looked at my little children, so unconscious of danger, and shuddered at the thought of the horrible fate we had escaped. If people should dwell continually on the perils of Western life they would be wretched. That journey embraced every element of danger, and yet I actually became callous.

Our mules were such superb animals, and so capable of swift progress, that every few days they evinced a spirit with which I heartily sympathized, running for miles and creating a profound excitement throughout the entire command. As nine-tenths of Texas is flat prairie with excellent roads, I rather enjoyed the sensation. Nothing in my whole army experience wearied me so much as those endless days of slow, monotonous travel. When with troops we could not go faster than a walk, for the horses must be favored in order that their strength might hold out during the weeks those journeys consumed; and it was not safe, in the then unsettled condition of the country, for us to ride far in advance.

Our march occupied eight weeks; but some of the troops that were ordered from Northern New Mexico to Southern Texas were between three and four months on the road, and the chapter of incidents which beset their path was remarkable. I have before alluded to this journey—the one on which nine infants were born _en route_; and in every instance mothers and children were obliged to proceed the next day, regardless of health or even life.

During one week of our march it rained day and night, and tents were pitched in the midst of mud and general discomfort; but after a cheerful blaze had been started in our little stove we did not mind so very much, though of course it was not pleasant. The real trials from which others suffered, and which were therefore kept constantly in mind, enabled us to realize that, our lot might be much worse.

The baggage of one woman, who had four little girls to clothe and care for, was deluged in crossing the Pecos River, and the fact not discovered until their destination had been reached, when the clothes dropped in pieces on being touched.

As each family packed all superfluities, and kept only a traveling outfit, the trunks with reserve clothing were never opened while _en route_; and the treacherous streams, that seemed shallow enough in crossing, would often, in some inexplicable way, reach the contents of the wagons.

To me the strangest part of that journey was the passing over so much territory without seeing any inhabitants. El Paso, then a mining-town of very slight importance, was the last we saw in Texas. If there were others in that section they could not have been on the traveled highway; for except the military posts, we saw nothing but prairies, which were indeed a striking contrast to our beautiful mountains.

We had all sorts of experiences before New Mexico was left; but after that we settled down to calm travel, which the children enjoyed so much, and that was rendered less monotonous to me by the daily use of a fine saddle horse, and a delightful gallop over tufted grass.

We remained at Mesilla and Las Cruçes long enough to enjoy a ball given in our honor by the residents; and there, for the first time, we saw really beautiful Mexican women, who danced with all the grace for which the Spanish race is noted. We were obliged to hasten our departure, because the soldiers celebrated Christmas too freely; during the ball a perfect battle was raging outside, which compelled the officers to break camp and resume the march before daylight, leaving us to follow.

Those old towns of Mesilla and Las Cruçes would surprise any one from the East. They are situated on the Rio Grande, and surrounded by dense and forbidding sand-hills; but the location being such that much irrigation is practicable, are simply the most fruitful imaginable places. I have never anywhere else seen such absolute abundance of fruit in its season; grapes such as only a southern sun can ripen, and in immense clusters; peaches, large and luscious, that loaded the trees till it seemed impossible they could bear the burden and live; apricots, and every species of small fruits. The same luxuriance prevails in El Paso, and the wine made there is pure and delicious.

It seems needless to dwell at very great length on that journey into Texas, for all those marches were so monotonously alike. If, as in that case, no Indian dangers were to be feared, both on account of our cavalry escort, and because at that time no active Indian warfare was in progress, we were not allowed to forget the possibilities in that line. Not only were the usual sad reminders present in graves that bestrewed the country, but we encamped again and again in places where the most violent outrages had been perpetrated, and entire parties mercilessly slaughtered. It cast a sad shadow over our resting-places, which shrinking women would fain have escaped; but we were obliged to use the same old accustomed grounds, and even then could not always find enough water for the horses and mules.

That journey was on a progressive scale; and guided by previous experiences we had taken two wall tents, and even a board floor for the outer one in which we dined. It was quite envied by other ladies, particularly when we had ten consecutive days of rain; for boards, even if laid on wet ground inside a tent, make a flooring quite different and much superior to mud. Our floor was, of course, in sections, otherwise it could not have been carried. Skins covered the earth in our inner tent, which was furnished with two large beds.

A fire was lighted every night in our tiny stove, and I made chocolate, custards, and many other dainties. It would surprise Eastern people, who deem all the modern conveniences a necessity, to see how systematic even such a mode of life can be, when, knowing it is to last for weeks and months, proper preparations have been made.

On leaving home we had taken the housekeeping supplies that would have been used had we remained stationary. So, when encamped in different military posts, at which we always remained several days, I occupied the time in making mince-pies and baking them in a Dutch oven, which is nothing more nor less than a broad and shallow iron pot, with a cover like a frying-pan. On this cover hot coals are laid, so when the utensil is placed over a bed of the same, uniform heat from above and beneath bakes admirably.

It was a time of rejoicing when we could remain long enough at a post to straighten out the tangled ends continuous travel always produces. Journeying in that way with women and children necessitated laundry work; and when we encamped on the river bank the scene was animated.

Again our route lay for days beside the Rio Grande; in fact, during our entire journey we left it only to make a _détour_ and return. When finally our destination, distant Fort Clark, was reached, we were but forty miles from that famous river, and nearly the entire regiment was to find a resting-place on its banks; for soon our encampments were dispersed from Eagle Pass, on the river, to Matamoras, six hundred miles below, at its mouth.

We heard so many wearisome accounts of those lower camps, with their continuous heat and glare, as to deem ourselves fortunate in being permitted to remain at one situated on a high hill, where we would be sure of a breeze, however warm the Texas summer nights might prove.

A large ball was given on our arrival, and the different posts at which we had stopped _en route_—Forts Bliss, Davis, and Stockton—had all honored us in the same way.

We were obliged to remain in camp at Fort Clark ten days, as the Ninth Cavalry did not leave sooner for New Mexico, and consequently houses were not vacated. Never did the same length of time seem longer or more tedious, the shelter of a roof once again was so longed for. Finally we moved into a very comfortable little house, built of limestone, and charming as to exterior; for even in the month of February vines were growing rapidly, and beginning to cover verandas with beautiful green.

If each woman who has lived at Fort Clark would give a chapter of her experiences while there, I know people would be interested because of the utter novelty.

No other army post has ever been the scene of so constant a succession of regimental changes, and at no other have such a large number of people, for the same reason, been made so uncomfortable. However little there might have been to expect in all the other territories in which we had lived, that little, when once obtained, was kept; but at Clark no one seemed sure, from day to day, of any house in which he lived remaining his own for a length of time.

This arose partly from the fact of there being an insufficient number of quarters, but mainly from the position of the post being such that troops were sent there to be held in readiness for any emergency—which was generally supposed to be impending war with Mexico.

We were so near the border that whenever any marauding band of Indians or horse-thieves succeeded in capturing a herd of cattle from some neighboring ranch, they would coolly slip over the Rio Grande into Mexico with their booty; and by the time our troops, again and again called out, could overtake them, the marauders would have crossed the border, where capture was impossible, because Mexico allowed no American forces to enter her territory without special permission.

Matters continued on that basis for years, infuriating our troops, who were delighted when it produced results that seemed likely to culminate in a war between the two countries.

But that never occurred, though its threatenings filled our post with troops until they formed a little army, which when mustered in full parade stretched in double columns across the immense parade ground, and made a beautiful sight; one which, seen daily, was so pleasing that we almost forgot the discomforts of life that surrounded us.

Our first home, a pretty little house with double parlors on the ground floor and two large bedrooms above, seemed delightful; though we had no furnishings for months, and simply used our camp equipage, until carpets, etc., could be sent for. The climate was so fearfully hot, bare floors were no hardship; and during the long summer which followed our arrival, I was so absorbed in the problem of how to live at all, that the absence of luxuries was unheeded.

Leaving the bright and bracing climate of New Mexico for a country where one hundred and ten degrees in the shade was only to be expected, and for six months of the year, was indeed a transition. Ice was an unknown luxury. We had nothing to use for cooling purposes except the _ollas_, made of porous earth by Mexicans.

The post was one hundred and thirty-five miles from San Antonio, the nearest point where anything except absolute essentials could be obtained; and as stages were the only means of transportation, charges of course were exorbitant. Even in San Antonio there was none but manufactured ice; and to transport it such a distance in so warm a climate, required not only much sawdust to prevent its melting, but also a heavy box, all of which multiplied its weight, and the express charges, as I found to my sorrow.

I never indulged in such luxuries; but an officer, who considered himself indebted for kindnesses extended during a severe attack of malarial fever, was most anxious to show his gratitude; and when I, in turn, succumbed to the fever, that was epidemic, he sent me three boxes of ice. I accepted the gift, though, not caring for the ice, dispatched it to the hospital. Some months afterward we received a bill from the express office which amounted to eighteen dollars. It was the charges on that ice—which we paid. The ice having been sent direct to us, so was the bill, instead of being presented to our kind friend who never imagined the sequel.

After our bountiful supply of good things in Bayard, we nearly starved in Texas. The butter was simply oil, if procurable at all; the milk thin—not tasteless, but with a decidedly disagreeable flavor of wild garlic and onions; and the beef dry, and with so strange a flavor we could not eat it. Vegetables could not be procured; and potatoes shipped from a distance were a mass of decay when received. I never knew a woman who, amid all those conditions of improper and insufficient food and severe heat, did not lose health and strength.

For two years I re-lived all my former experiences in trying to keep house under every disadvantage.

We had hoped much from the accounts of famous colored cooks, who, in our experience, proved delusions and snares. We had a succession so worthless that I never have overcome my prejudice against them. They must have been field-hands, who trusting to our Northern ignorance boldly announced themselves as cooks, when perhaps they had never cooked even one simple meal before. Each was succeeded by a worse specimen, until finally, in despair, I begged for a soldier. After that, housekeeping became once again a pleasure, even if under difficulties; for I had a willing coadjutor, who joined heartily in my plans to disguise the flavor of meats by every art we could devise in the way of seasoning.

When the long, hot summer had worn its weary six months away, we began to again breathe freely, and with the advent of cooler weather found ourselves able to enjoy every pleasure. The heat had been so intense that during its continuance life had been simply endured. Then everything brightened and improved, as it always does with custom or habit; or rather, we knew better how to overcome difficulties as time and experience familiarized us with them.

In the winter we not only had better beef, because of the grass which had grown during summer, so the cattle were not obliged to eat weeds and vegetables, but, for the same reason, our milk improved in flavor; butter also kept its consistency.

The experience of a little bride on whom I called one summer evening will perhaps better illustrate the difficulties of housekeeping. In reply to my inquiry if she did not find the enforced idleness because of heat tiresome, she said:

“I am never idle, because my entire time is occupied in keeping wet clothes around the jars that contain our milk and butter.”

In that atmosphere of heat, devoid of dampness, no sooner was a wet cloth wrapped about a jar than it began to dry, and evaporation cooled the contents. If in addition the jar was placed in a draught, great results in that line were attained, but at the expense of constant attention.

One reason that made our army life endurable was the constant exchange of grievances, and our real sympathy one for the other. A group of ladies would naturally fall into conversation regarding the peculiar trials of such a life, and yet not one of them could have been persuaded to leave her husband and seek more comfortable and civilized surroundings.

Fort Clark eventually became very dear to me; but the first two years were exceedingly trying, for I had to accustom myself anew to fresh modes in every direction. The peculiarities of our colored servants would fill a volume.