28 NEW TEAOKS IN NORTH AMEEICA. 



establisliments, carrying out in no particular the term 

 *' fort." Along tlie 'main lines of travel througliout the 

 whole western country, at distances of from 60 to 300 miles 

 apart, the United States Government are obliged to maintain 

 a great number of these little military establishments. There 



are upwards of fifty of them in the territories we passed 

 through en route to the Pacific. In many instances not a 

 white man lives in the intervening country, and yet with- 

 out them overland travel would be impossible. Too thinly 

 garrisoned to wage aggressive war against the red-men, they 

 afford the only protection the emigrant or the traveller has to 

 hope for on the way. 



It is hard to conceive any life more lonely or monotonous 

 than that of the two or three officers stationed in one of these 

 distant forts. It is often dangerous even to hunt in the 

 country around, for the sneaking Apache or the treacherous 



Comanche may be lurking hard by, like a snake in the grass. 

 There are no rivers to fish in, no neighbours to visit, and as 

 for books, they are soon read thi'ough. I' remember the 

 lamentation of one of these poor officers. On leaving Fort 

 Leavenworth with his regiment for distant service, ana 

 anxious to take with him a good stock of books, he applied 

 to the quarter-master, to enable him to transport this extra 

 quantity of personal baggage. " Government regulations 

 were imperative ; only so many pounds could be aUowed 

 regretted not having the power to grant the favour asked. 

 Such was the reply. So the extra weight of books had to be 

 abandoned. 



Another officer afterwards applied, and stated his case. He 

 was the fortunate possessor of two ten-gallon casks of the best 

 B orb on whiskey, " So unusually fine that you must allow me 

 to send you up a sample, you can then appreciate more fuHy, 



