I was really quite fortunate in having acquired such a fine bunch of fellows to work on the operation. They all seemed to adapt themselves quickly and well to any job assigned to them, and furthermore they seemed to take an interest in their work. One of the big reasons for this was that all the men knew there wasn't too much work in that section of the state, and therefore they were eager to keep the jobs they had. Also, the cave seemed to possess a certain degree of mystery for the men and they felt a certain amount of daring and adventure connected with the whole operation. Working with guano can't be classified as a glamorous operation. The very nature of the substance--bat deposit--has a rather disagreeable odor and it takes a while to get used to it. Also, there wasn't much circulation of air in the big cave with the result that the smell had been bottled up there for centuries and we were getting the full effect of it. From time to time fellows would quit or leave for one reason or another, and whenever a new man started in he would comment on the odor, and then we were conscious of it, but otherwise we grew so accustomed to it that we didn't notice it. The men were human, and just like men everywhere, I guess. They worked hard during the day, but during their off hours they liked to partake of the pleasures men normally like. Of course we were 28 miles from Carlsbad, so the fellows couldn't go that far to spend their evenings. They were, therefore, forced to provide their own entertainment in our own camp. Life in and around the big cave was never boring. There was something happening every minute. New men, it seemed, were the target for pranks, and my boys soon became adept at staging them! 5 Life at the Camp New men were always nervous about going into the cave. A mine is one thing, but a cave! And people back in Carlsbad were continually enlarging their yarns about the adventures we were having in the "big cave" some 28 miles away. As a result, all new men who came to work had illusions about this mysterious cavity in the earth where bats dwelled by the millions. The boys thought new men were fair game--for anything. Take for instance the time a new man came out to work at the cave and the boys decided to have some fun. They asked the tenderfoot if he would go down into the cave for a shovel, and the man obeyed. As soon as he reached the bottom, a voice boomed out of the darkness: "What are you doing down here?" The man, not knowing anyone else was underground at the time was so scared he could hardly talk. Finally he uttered, "Why, I have--a--well--I have come to get a--a shovel!" "Now lookee here," boomed the voice again. "I've lived in this cave nigh on to 50 years, and now you guys think you're going to take it away from me. I'm going to kill you!" With that a gun fired at close range.