primitive accommodations, and supposed that, though the days of camping-out had largely passed away, the resting-places in the Park were still so crude that one would be glad to leave them.  But I lingered here with pleasure long after all the wonders of the Park had been beheld.  The furniture, though simple, is sufficient; to satisfy our national nervousness, the halls are so well-stocked with rocking-chairs that European visitors look about them with alarm, and try to find some seats that promise a more stable equilibrium; the sleeping-rooms are scrupulously clean; soft blankets, snow-white sheets, and comfortable beds assure a good night’s rest; and the staff of colored waiters in the dining-room, steam-heat, a bell-boy service, and electric lights made us forget our distance from great cities and the haunts of men.  Moreover, what is true of this is true, as well, of the other hotels within the Park; and when I add that well-cooked food is served in all of them, it will be seen that tourists need not fear a lengthy sojourn in these hostelries.

[Illustration:  HALL OF THE MAMMOTH SPRINGS HOTEL.]

[Illustration:  THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S HOUSE.]

[Illustration:  MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS.]

[Illustration:  FORT YELLOWSTONE.]

Standing on the veranda of the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, I saw between me and the range of mountains opposite a broad plateau, on which were grouped a dozen neat and tasteful structures.  With the exception of the photographer’s house in the foreground, these constitute Fort Yellowstone.  “A fort!” the visitor exclaims, “impossible!  These buildings are of wood, not stone.  Where are its turrets, battlements, and guns?” Nevertheless, this is a station for two companies of United States Cavalry; most of the houses being residences for the officers, while in the rear are barracks for the soldiers.

[Illustration:  A FOREST IN THE PARK.]

No one who has visited the National Park ever doubts the necessity of having soldiers there.  Thus, one of the most important duties of the United States troops, stationed within its area, is to save its splendid forests from destruction.  To do this calls for constant vigilance.  A fire started in the resinous pines, which cover many of the mountain sides, leaps forward with such fury that it would overtake a horseman fleeing for his life.  To guard against so serious a calamity, soldiers patrol the Park continually to see that all the camp-fires have been extinguished.  Thanks to their watchful care, only one notable conflagration has occurred here in the last eight years, and that the soldiers fought with energy for twenty days, till the last vestige of it was subdued.