The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-05-02
HIS OCCUPATION GONE.
Nowadays there Is Very Little for a
Scout to DO.

HIS OCCUPATION GONE.
Nowadays there Is Very Little for a
Scout to DO.
rChicago.Herald.
The scout of the frontier is like the
typical cowboy-a mythical personagein
these days of steam and electricity. The
recent Indian war was conducted with
out him, and the travellers contemporaries
do not need his services. Trailing is! as
much an art as is painting or sculpture,
and almost as few become profcientin
it as in the handling of brush or chisel.
1t is impossible to realize nowadays
the Importance Of scout of former
times. No party dared cross the plains
alone without a. professional trailer to
lead it, and no marauding band of In
dams or whites could be overtaken I'M
less they were tracked across the bound
less wastes of sod.
A traveller across the plains of New
Mexico relates to the writer that one
day while riding with guide he stopped
and pointed to clear and well defined
bears track the sand.
The guide looked at it attentively
moment, then, without dismounting,
declared: "You are mistaken; it is not a
bears track"
"Isn't itY' said the American. "Then
never saw one."
Eyes, you have seen many, but this
isn't one"
Quickly alighting, the American
pointed out the heel and toes of the
track as clear and well defined as if
made few minutes before.
"Well," said the guide, 'tif it does
look like a bears track, still it isn't one.
The marks you imagine to be the heels
and toes are made by those spires Of
grass, which, bent by the wind, scoop
outthe sand in the manner you see.
"You ought to have seen that your
SELF" he went on, "but you didn't stop
to think. You Americans never do.
Americans travel with their eyes shut
and their mouth open. An Indian OF
Mexican will travel all day without
speaking word to any one unless abso-
lutely necessary, but nothing escapes his
observation, while an American will
talk continuously and see nothing but
the general features of the country
through which he travels"
The guide was probably right, for few
Americans become adopts at trailing
either men or animals across the plains
of the west.
FOLLOWING A TRAIL.
1t is impossible to learn the art from
books, though there are a few general
rules which can be observed. For in
stance, every scout knows that to over
take party which has perhaps run off
some stock, provisions must be taken to
last several days; that the start must be
made slowly and the course followed
persistently and at moderate pace, CIV
ing the horses the nights to rest in and
start at Daylight in the mornings.
Then, when the pursuers come near
the pursued, it is the scouts business to
tell the number and condition of the
enemy, and how many hours have
elapsed since they passed the spot on
which you are standing, for it may be-
come necessary for you to remain con-
cealed until you decide upon the manner
of attack, for if the party be made up of
Indians they will scatter before you can
capture them.
Again, any scout can tell whether the
trail be that Of war party or not, be-
cause no Indians take their families with
them on the warpath; hence no lodge
poles drag behind the ponies. If there
is no trace of these it is safe to consider
that war party is on the rampage.
One of the difficult things to determine
is the age of the trail, and to do it cor
rectiy requires much practice. If the
tracks, very fresh it will show moisture
where the earth is turned up, which
after few hours becomes dry, Should
rain have fallen the edges will be less
clear and will be washed down some
what.
The expert Mexican scout can tell by
glance what tribe of Indians has made
given trail, its age, and every partiru-
lar about it as truthfully as though he
had himself seen the cavalcade pass.
A party following an Apache trail dur
ing the Indian difficulties of 1888 sud
denly came to ledge of bare rock. The
officers of the troops examined il care
fully, but could see nothing to indicate
where the tribe had gone. But the scout
led them for two miles across it as un-
erring as though the trail had been made
in heavy grass.
KEEN EYEsIGHT.
When asked what told him the way.
he called attention to the fine moss which
covered the rock, and that bv close
scrutiny gave evidence of having been
pressed by the foot, an indication SO
slight that it would have been passed
unnoticed by ninety-nine out of a hun
dred, yet his keen eye detected every
footprint as easily as could be wished.
In the grass trail can be seen for a
long time, as the blades win be,bent in
thedirection followed by the party. and
even after it has recovered its natural
position an expert trailer will detect a
slight difference in the color Of the grass
that has been stepped on and that grow
ing around it.
So the appearance of the tracks will
also show him the gait at which the
party was travelling, and he thus knows
how to regulate his pace in order to
overtakeit.
tits rare to find white person who
nretrace'his steps for any great dis
tancein the open country, but it is sim
ply impossible to lose an Indian No
matter how circuitUus the route by
which you .havereached, a certain place
the Indian will find his way back to the
place of starting by the most DIRECT
route, and misunderstanding for ain1o-
ment which etoipursue.
Ii you ask. him how he does it he. may
possibly shrug.bis shoulders and reply,
"Qmen saber or's' no knowsr" though
the chances are that vii not repiyat
all. No matter.how affable and enter
tanning he may prove in camp, he'HM
talk little while en- route.-Ch1caso