t to us as to our friends, for
we had so many on the way over.

We have two wall tents, one for sitting room and one for bedroom, and in
front a "fly" has been stretched. Our folding camp furniture makes the
tents very comfortable. Back of these is the mess, or dining tent, and
back of that is the cook tent. Charlie has a small range now, which
keeps him squeaking or half singing all the time. One morning, before
we got this stove from the quartermaster, breakfast was late, very late.
The wind was blowing a gale, and after waiting and waiting, we concluded
that Charlie must be having trouble with the little sheet-iron camp
stove. So Faye went back to see what was the matter. He returned
laughing, and said he had found a most unhappy Chinaman; that Charlie
was holding the stove down with a piece of wood with one hand, and with
the other was trying to keep the breakfast on the stove.

You know the stovepipe goes up through a piece of tin fastened in the
roof of the tent, which is slanting, and when the canvas catches the
wind and flops up and down and every other way, the stovepipe naturally
has to go with it. The wind was just right that morning to flop
everything--canvas, pipe, stove, and breakfast, too--particularly the
delicate Saratoga chips Charlie had prepared for us, and which, Faye
said, were being blown about like yellow rose leaves. The poor little
heathen was distracted, but when he saw Faye he instantly became a
general and said at once, "You hole-ee him--me takee bleckfus." So Faye
having a desire for breakfast, held down the stove while Charlie got
things together. The Saratoga chips were delicate and crisp and looked
nice, too, but neither the doctor nor I asked Faye if they were some of
the "rose leaves" or just plain potatoes from a dish!

Charlie is splendid and most resourceful. Very near our tent is a small
stream of cold, clear water, and on one side of this he has made a
little cave of stones through which the water runs, and in this he
keeps the butter, milk, and desserts that require a cool place. He is
pottering around about something all the time. There is just one poor
cow in the whole camp, so we cannot get much milk--only one pint each
day--but we consider ourselves very fortunate in getting any at all. I
brought over fourteen dozen eggs, packed in boxes with salt. We are to
start back the first of November, so after we got here I worked out a
little problem in mathematics, and found that t