had
been sent to preserve law and order and hold military court pending the
passing of the country into the hands of the civil administration, and
the arrival at Council of the United States commissioner, as provided by
law. They camped in their round tents near the river and beyond the
reservation, in our plain view, whence the various bugle-calls came to
us very clearly and marked the time of day.

The world is very small. It soon developed that, after the Cuban
campaign, Lieutenant Offley and my brother, by chance, had traveled
together in the same train from Montauk Point, in the same seat, and the
lieutenant, weak from Cuban fever, had been assisted over the ferry to
New York by my brother. Neither knowing the name of the other, they next
met at this jumping-off place.

Throughout his stay at Council the lieutenant performed his duties with
an ability and conscientiousness which commanded the respect of the
community; and there was much for him to do which was both novel and
perplexing--for instance, the assumption of the judicial role. One of
the things which tried him sorely was the case of a woman physician, who
had wandered down from the Klondike country and squatted with her tent
on a lot which somebody else claimed. The case was argued before the
lieutenant, and the decision went against her, and very properly. She
refused absolutely to vacate, insisting upon being a martyr; and, though
the duty was unpleasant, for the sake of example at least, she was put
under arrest, with generous jail liberties. Finally she was sent down
the river with a corporal's guard to the higher authorities at St.
Michaels.

Within a short time we had as much law work as we could do, and very
interesting and novel, and frequently fatiguing, it was. In addition to
drawing agreements and deeds, it consisted of preliminary interviews in
that stately office, followed by long and laborious walks for many miles
through the timber, up and down mountainous hills, over tundra, and
through streams, to the mines on the creeks beyond, there to examine
stakes, witnesses, and liars. Frequently, before starting back, we would
be invited to eat with the men, and a fine lot they were as a rule. Then
the case had to be presented before the lieutenant and argued, with the
assistance of mining-law quotations and diagrams. In many instances the
lieutenant would make a personal inspection of the property in dispute.
If one side appeared to be clearly