RUBY. 39 



had been scoured in vain for an available mount. 

 I would have gone any reasonable length, even in 

 injustice, to secure such an animal as was needed. 

 It was not easy to make up one's mind to order 

 a soldier to give up a horse he was fond of, and 

 some soldier had an especial fondness for all but 

 the worthless brutes. My reluctance to do this 

 was perhaps not lessened by the fact that it was 

 forbidden for officers to ride United States horses. 

 It finally became evident that the chances were 

 very small of ever finding a suitable animal, and 

 I even went out, on one shooting excursion, 

 mounted on a mule. 



Up to this time the regiment had been all that 

 could be asked, but now it seemed to contain 

 a thousand ill-tempered, sore-headed men. The 

 whole camp was awry. Some of the officers inti- 

 mated that this was all the fault of the adjutant ; 

 that the orders from headquarters had lately been 

 unusually harsh. This officer, when remonstrated 

 with, insisted that he had only transmitted the 

 exact orders given him, and I knew that my own 

 action had always been reasonable, — on principle 



