e
is not much for him to do, as the company is now working on the new
quarters under the supervision of the quartermaster. So we often go off
on little hunts, usually for chicken, but sometimes we go up on one of
the mountains, where there are quantities of ruffed grouse. These are
delicious, with meat as tender and white as young chicken, and they are
so pretty, too, when they spread the ruffs around their necks and make
fans of their short tail feathers.

Yesterday we went out for birds for both tables--the officers' mess and
our own. The other officers are not hunters, and Faye is the possessor
of the only shotgun in the garrison, therefore it has been a great
pleasure to us to bring in game for all. Faye rides Bettie now
altogether, so I was on Pete yesterday. We had quite a number of
chickens, but thought we would like to get two or three more; therefore,
when we saw a small covey fly over by some bushes, and that one bird
went beyond and dropped on the other side, Faye told me to go on a
little, and watch that bird if it rose again when he shot at the others.
It is our habit usually for me to hold Faye's horse when he dismounts to
hunt, but that time he was some distance away, and had slipped his hand
through the bridle rein and was leading Bettie that way. Both horses are
perfectly broken to firearms, and do not in the least mind a gun. I have
often seen Bettie prick up her ears and watch the smoke come from the
barrel with the greatest interest.

Everything went on very well until I got where I might expect to see the
chicken, and then I presume I gave more thought to the bird than to the
ground the horse was on. At all events, it suddenly occurred to me that
the grass about us was very tall, and looking down closely I discovered
that Pete was in an alkali bog and slowly going down. I at once tried to
get him back to the ground we had just left, but in his frantic efforts
to get his feet out of the sticky mud, he got farther to one side and
slipped down into an alkali hole of nasty black water and slime. That
I knew to be exceedingly dangerous, and I urged the horse by voice
and whip to get him out before he sank down too deep, but with all his
efforts he could do nothing, and was going down very fast and groaning
in his terror.

Seeing that I must have assistance without delay, I called to Faye to
come at once, and sat very still until he got to us, fearing that if I
changed my position the horse might fall