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 this nature; and the reference is only to show by what means I again became intimately acquainted with renowned Apaches and acquired their language, together with a knowledge of those traits, customs and organizations, which has enabled me to write with confidence and understanding upon these and kindred points.

Capt. Updegraff was ordered to make a reconnoissance of the Bosque Redondo, and select a site for the future post and reservation; such selection to be approved or disapproved by a board of engineers, specially ordered to make a thorough survey. On arriving at the Bosque, the Captain ordered me to go ahead and select a camp ground; and in obedience thereto, I took ten men and reconnoitered the river and its banks for several miles, finally fixing on a spot formerly used as a sheep corral by Mexicans during a time of peace, many years before. This spot was chosen for the three fold reasons that it was near water, which was approachable through an open space in the woods; that it was covered with excellent pasture; and that it contained the stakes and timbers of the old corral, which were dry and made excellent fire-wood. This selection was approved, and the next day a further reconnoissance was made to fix a permanent site for the fort. This ended in confirming the first choice, and here the most beautiful Indian fort in the United States was ultimately constructed, the board of engineers having indorsed the spot as being the most eligible on the river. This fort was built almost wholly by Californian soldiers, and is beyond comparison the handsomest and most picturesque in the Union. Nevertheless, it was easy to comprehend that, should any great number of persons be assembled thereat, a scarcity of wood must ultimately occur, and as Fahrenheit's thermometer occasionally falls to eight and ten degrees