To Cuba 63 



living freight, sweltered in the burning heat of 

 Tampa Harbor. There was nothing whatever for 

 the men to do, space being too cramped for amuse- 

 ment or for more drill than was implied in the man- 

 ual of arms. In this we drilled them assiduously, 

 and we also continued to hold school for both the 

 officers and "the non-commissioned officers. Each 

 troop commander was regarded as responsible for 

 his own non-commissioned officers, and Wood or 

 myself simply dropped in to superintend, just as we 

 did with the manual at arms. In the officers' school 

 Captain Capron was the special instructor, and a 

 most admirable one he was. 



The heat, the steaming discomfort, and the con- 

 finement, together with the forced inaction, were 

 very irksome; but every one made the best of it, 

 and there was little or no grumbling even among 

 the men. All, from the highest to the lowest, were 

 bent upon perfecting themselves according to their 

 slender opportunities. Every book of tactics in the 

 regiment was in use from morning until night, and 

 the officers and non-commissioned officers were al- 

 ways studying the problems presented at the schools. 

 About the only amusement was bathing over the 

 side, in which we indulged both in the morning and 

 evening. Many of the men from the Far West had 

 never seen the ocean. One of them who knew how 

 to swim was much interested in finding that the 



