The Diaries of John Gregory Bourke Volume 1: November 20, 1872--July 28, 1876

Chapter 19 • The War Resumes

357 July 7th. Gen’l Crook, accompanied by Lieut. Schuyler, Maj. Burt. Col. Van Vliet, Major Wells and others started for the summit to hunt, expecting to be absent four days. Major Randall, Lieut. Bubb, Mr. Stevens and self arranged a fishing excursion. The site selected was not much over a mile from camp. There we found all that fishermen could desire: shady pools, cool water, little cascades and delightful country. I didn’t catch any trout, being ignorant of the peculiarities of the bright little fish. Lieut. Bubb, who is an expert caught eight in a very few minutes and lost three, making eleven in all. Major Randall and Mr. Stevens had no luck. There was in [the] middle of the current a large, high, flat block of granite with the water rushing around it on both sides and a dark, glassy pool below. Upon this block, I took my station stripping off all clothing in order to reach it. The trout could be seen darting about by twos and threes, but so satiated with food or so scared by the throng of fishermen whipping the stream ever since we first camped on it three weeks ago that my baits did not excite them as much as I had hoped they would. A dark brown fly General Crook gave me wasn’t noticed, but the grasshoppers placed on my second hook were freely bitten at. Two fine specimens adhered to my hooks, but both became deChapter 19 ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ The War Resumes 358 THE GREAT SIOUX WAR: 1876–1877 tached before they could be landed. There were so many men, like myself ignorant of the proper methods to pursue but eager to win the prize of a fine mess of trout that I saw it was impossible to do much in that locality, altho’ the trout were very plenty [sic]. My next effort shall be well up the stream at a good distance from camp. Major Dewees who had taken station three miles up the cañon made a bag of sixty-eight fine fish. Since we came on this branch, some three weeks since, not less than three thousand trout have been cooked and eaten in the commons: this is my own estimate, based on numbers obtained from officers of the expedition; but the general calculation is very much higher and placed the total catch at an average of 400 a day for twenty-one fishing days. This afternoon the air became very sultry; gray-blue clouds gathered along the mountain ranges and lay in heavy strata low down the valley. Little puffs of wind blew from various quarters, those coming down the cañon from the West being most severe. We finished dinner about half past five and were gathered in a little group noting the gathering storm when a sudden rush of wind from behind tore down the dining tent and scattered camp-stools, bedding, books and papers like so many leaves. The heavy dining table, with its trestles was carried more than a hundred yards down hill. All hands turned out to save the tents from destruction; the great danger in such cases is from “ballooning”, that is the wind get[s] inside the tent and lifts it clear from the ground or rips it into shreds. The remedy applied was to hold the tent down firmly by putting new and staunch pins into every loop, tying the door flaps tightly together and affixing guy ropes around the whole tent, at upper extremity of both uprights and just under the ridge-pole. The flies were also taken off as they are of no use in a storm, but very frequently a detriment. This night’s experience settled into conviction a suspicion flitting through my mind for a long time—the inefficiency of our Q.M.D1 and its disinclination to adopt new ideas or to modify old ones. The strings for tying up tentage should be replaced by straps and buckles, the tent pins should be of iron, the roofs strengthened by diagonal bands of canvass and the back with a horizontal one; at the corners should be sewed leather gussets. Around the sides of the tents, pockets of canvass or light cotton cloth should be affixed, giving great convenience as receptacles for combes, 1. Quarter Master Department THE WAR RESUMES 359 brushes, books, papers &c. A flooring of canvass is a preventive of disease by keeping...