For instance, I found out that as we were nearer the July date than the January date for the issuance of clothing, and as it had long been customary to issue the winter clothing in July, so as to give ample leisure for getting it to all the various posts, it was therefore solemnly proposed to issue this same winter clothing to us who were about to start for a summer campaign in the tropics.

This would seem incredible to those who have never dealt with an inert officialdom, a red-tape bureaucracy, but such is the fact.

I rectified this and got an order for khaki clothing.

We were then told we would have to advertise thirty days for horses.

This meant that we would have missed the Santiago expedition.