San Antonio Daily Light

FROM THE BELKNAPS.
What Our Special Reporter Says of the Drill and Their Treatment,
The following newsy letter has been received by the Light from a friend who went to Galveston with the Belknap Rifles and has kindly acted as our special correspondent.

Had a pleasant trip over the S. A. P. except that our reclining chair car was taken from us at Wallis, to accommodate the ladies, and of course we did not object. Did not reach camp until about 2 a. m., much fatigued with waiting. Found our quartermaster and commissary had camp all arranged and fixed ready for us, thanks to them. Camp is situated, it seems, about 5 miles from town (city they call it here) and they charge 20 cents round trip: we don't go to town often. Uncle Sam's troops present a fine appearance, and were it not for their presence, the drill part of the celebration would almost be a failure.

The number of militia do not near come up to expectations of the management. Do not like to run anything down, but it is an awfully uninteresting drill.

General Oppenheimer's officers have treated us very nicely indeed, but the Sealy Rifles have been very discourteous, very different from what they used to be. They have filed a protest against us, to try to keep us from drilling, on the grounds that we are allowed to postpone our inspection, while they were not. We treat the protest with contempt, and the commanding officers assure us to have no fears whatever, that they are running this encampment, and not the Sealys. Many San Antonio people have visited us, among them Mr. H.D. Kampmann, Mr. E. Graves, A.J. Fry, Misses Caro Simpson, Bella Belknap and Miss Garlick, Daisy Gibbs and Miss Dashiell. The ladies all took supper with us last night, and say we have the best cuisine and messhall in camp We received our new streamers, now have six, and keep them flying all the time.

The Mavericks put up a very smooth drill and I think stand very well in the score. The Houston Light Guards drilled Friday to a large crowd. When they came on the field we gave them the Belknap cheer, to which they responded.

Our boys are all here now and think we can put up a fair drill. Are all hard at work cleaning guns and accoutrements for inspection, which will be tomorrow, We expect to drill in the evening (tomorrow), but they now say they intend to hold us until Tuesday, as an extra attraction (?). This will disappoint many of us, who expected to be home and go to work by Tuesday, but hope the boys' employers will excuse them, in the interest of San Antonio, whose name we shall and must uphold against all odds. It is hot, hotter, hottest: not a tree within five miles. Our boys enjoy the surf bathing very much. They go nearly every night, but the beach is so near that they do not wear the regulation bathing suit.

Yours,
GALVESTON.