Connecticut western news., 1883-07-25
Finding a Trail.

Here n the shadow of this grim mountain is camp of cavalry-20O men n faded and ragged blue uniforms, every face sunburned and bronzed, every sabre and carbine showing long use, every horse lifting its head from the grass at short intervals for swift glance up and down the valley.
 Here, at the foot of the mountain. the Apache trail, which has been followed Tor three days, has grown cold Aye, it has been lost. It is as if the white men had followed path which suddenly ended at precipice. From this point the red demons took wings, and the old- est trailer is at fault.
 The men on picket looked up and ; down the narrow valley with anxious fa1es. Down the valley, mile away, 8 solitary wild horse paws and prances and utters shrill neighs of wonderment and alarm. Up the valley is long stretch of green grass, the earth as level as a floor, and no visible signs of life. The pines and shrubs and rocks on the moun- tain side might hide ten thousand In dians, but there is not the slightest movement to arouse suspicion. It is @ still, hot day. Not bird chirps, not a branch waves. The eye of lynx could detect nothing beyond the cratic move ments of the lone white horse adown the valley, and the circular flight of an eagle 30 high in the air that the proud bird seemed no larger than sparrow.
 For an hour every man and horse has looked for ''signs," but nothing has been discovered beyond what has been described. It is lost trail. There is something in it to arouse suspicion as well as annoyance. Ten miles away the trail was as plain as g country highway, and the Indians had no suspicion of pur- suit. Five miles back there were signs of commotion. Here, in the centre of the valley, every footprint suddenly dis appears.
 Look, nowi A sergeant with grizzly locks and fighting jaw rides down the valley followed by five troopers. They are to scout for the lost trail. Every man has unslung his carbine, every sad de-girth has been frightened, and every man of the six looks over the camp as he rides out as if he had been told that he was bidding last farewell to con- Tades. They ride at slow gallop. Each man casts swift glances along the moun- tain side to his right-along the noun tain side % his left-at the green grass under his horses feet.
 Whats that Afar up the slope to the right something waves to and fro for a moment. Higher up the signal is answered. Across the valley on the other slope it is answered again. Down the valley, a full two miles beyond where the wild horse now stands like a figure of stone, and where the valley sweeps to the right like the sudden turn of the r1yer, the signal is caught up and 200 Apaches. eager, excited and mounted, draw back into the fringe at the base of the mountain and wait.
 The little band gallop straight down upon the lone horse Now they are half mile away, and his breath comes quick and his nostrils quiver as he stands and stares at the strange spectacle. A little nearer and his muscles twitch and qHiver and his sharp pointed ears work faster. Only eighty rods now, and with fierce snort of alarm and defiance he xears up whirls about like top, and is of down the valley like ah arrow sent by strong hand. The sight may thrill, but it does not increase the pace oi those who follow. The men see the wild horse fleeing before them, but the sight does not hold their eyes more thar second. To the right-to the left above them-down the valley-they are looking for hoof-print, for trampled spot, for broken twig-for sign how ever insignificant to prove that men have passed that way. They find nothing The signals up the mountain side were visible only for seconds.
 After the first wild burst of speed fI1e lone horse looks back. He sees that z he is not being pushed, and he recovers courage He no longer runsin astraigh line. bat he sweeps away to the left sVerxee away to the right, and ehanaeI i<