The Troopers hoped by this offer to be enabled to take the field at once, but unfortunately this was not accepted, although the spirit which prompted it was warmly commended in the return message from the War Department. After this there was nothing to do but wait for the Government to provide new horses and equipments.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, the 19th, Captain Groome was called to Washington and Lieutenant Browning remained in charge of the City Troopers camp. He put the men through a long dismounted drill and followed it up with another the next day. While the captain was away, a report came from Washington, through the Associated Press despatches, that the Pennsylvania Cavalry were to be ordered at once to Hempstead, L. I., to camp there until wanted. Saturday noon Captain Groome returned. He borrowed thirty horses belonging to the Sheridan Troop and took one-half of the City Troopers out for drill. When they returned Lieutenant Browning took out the other squad. In the evening there came an inquiry from the War Department as to how many horses were needed by the City Troop. This did not arouse any enthusiasm, however, as the same request had been made two weeks before and nothing had come of it.

Sunday was a pleasant day, for a change, and the Troopers spent it quietly. There were not many visitors on the grounds, as all the regiments had departed except the Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Eighteenth. Most of these men came from distant parts of the State. In the afternoon Sergeant Glendinning tried some experiments in kite flying that were watched with interest, and others of the Troopers planned to go into the kite manufacturing business to be ready for sport on the next clear day.

There was a novelty in the way of drill in store for thirty of the Troopers, on Monday, as they were sent out in search of tramps who had settled in a nearby mountain, and were said to be moonshiners on a small scale. The exercise was splendid, but no tramps were found. That night a baby cyclone struck the camp. The wind got in its fine work about one o'clock in the morning, and the Troopers had to jump out of bed and hold their tents down. Some of the tents were sent flying before the alarm was given, and as rain immediately followed the blow, there were many men who passed an uncomfortable night.

At this time the order of the day, in camp, was as follows:

All the men contributed to the mess from their pay, so that the meals did not consist solely of salt pork and hard tack. In the mornings the drill covered the manual of carbine or saber drills, and pistol practice by squad or troop, also dismounted drill by the Troop; this drill lasted as a rule two hours. The afternoon drill as a rule extended over three hours, and was chiefly in outpost and skirmish work. One platoon would start, under the command of an officer, telling the general direction it would take, and having gone a certain distance would establish outposts of an imaginary camp, twenty minutes later a second platoon would start on a march through the country, throwing out flankers and advance guard. The men of the two platoons wearing different colors on their hats so as to distinguish them. Up hill and down dale the men would crawl their way until the crack of the pistols would show that one platoon had been unmasked. Then it was left to the officers to decide which side had the best of the manœuvres. While two platoons were thus engaged a third was always left in charge of camp. Each morning half the Troop would be taken over to the rifle range for pistol and carbine practice.

One piece of work had been done by the Troopers, during the early days of their stay at Camp Hastings, that has not been referred to. It was a squad of City Troopers that went over the triple muster rolls of the entire quota of Pennsylvania volunteers, for Major Thompson, and their quick, accurate work helped greatly in the rapid mustering-in of the men. When he discharged these Troopers from further duty, Major Thompson wrote a cordial letter to Captain Groome, giving the Troopers high praise.

And so the days passed on. Sometimes the Troopers felt that their peaceful camp life was pretty slow, but as the drills became harder day by day they realized that it was not only a great school of experience, but that each day's drill was part of a general plan of their officers, that would gradually improve their physical condition and bring them to a high state of efficiency as a Troop when they were needed for active service. And so each night, when at the last note of "retreat" the guidon was taken in, they felt they had not only earned a good night's rest, but that they had learned something during the day.

PISTOL PRACTICE AT CAMP HASTINGS.

On May 25th, President McKinley issued his second call for troops, and it was announced that the men thus called for would be added to the organizations already in the field. The City Troop was to be recruited up to a complete war footing of one hundred men, and arrangements were made to notify the men upon the waiting list of the opportunity that would be thus offered. Two days later the Paymaster reached camp for the first time. Three members of the Troop were sent to Harrisburg to secure the cash, and that night the men had their first look at Government money; for in their previous campaigns, as a troop, their pay had come from the State. A Board was appointed, consisting of Major W. A. Thompson, First U. S. Cavalry, and Captain Paxton, Sixth Infantry, U. S. A., to purchase horses for the three troops of cavalry, and the last day of May Captain Groome left camp to join them in New Castle, Pa.

CHAPTER III.

DEPARTURE FOR CAMP ALGER.

June first found Captain Groome back again, with the information that if possible the horses for the City Troop would be grey. A large number of that color had been found and accepted by