Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-03-05
LOST ON THE PLAINS.
SERGEANT JACK. a VETERAN
OF THREE WARS.
For the Loss of Knife Pound Naked,
bleeding. and Torn--Terror Had
Made Him an Idiot--A
Story of Army Life.


The wagon train had made about
three miles from its camp of the night
before when Sergeant Jack OF troop
''E. misses his knife. and remembers
that he left it on the ground after us
ing it TO cut a strap. The captain
gives him permission to ride back
after il. Why not? II is but dash,
and we are at peace with the Indians.
He will overtake US within an hour.
Sergeant Jack is a brawny man and
veteran The arrow and bullet
wounds received prove him fighter.
Men Of his company will tell you Of
seeing him peril his life a dozen times
over, and they can count uD at least
seven redskins he has wiped out A
| grand looking soldier is Sergeant Jack
every inch a man. Your eye would
J pick him out Of a regiment for his
beaApg, and when you had looked
into his bronzed face you would put
him down as game to the death.
Sergeant Jack rides back at an
easy lope. In half an hour he is at
/ the camp. There are a doe gaunt
wolves prowling about and munching
at the bones and they grudgingly give
way for him as he rides up. Yes. tho
knife is there. and he quickly S cures
e A newspaper has been thrown out
Of one OF the wagons. He picks it up
and sits down to scan its columns.
Some one has thrown away letter;
he picks that up and becomes inter-
ested. Some careless trooper has left
a lariat here in the grass. He secures
il walks about for few minutes and
then mounts to reJoin the column. /.
is travelling northwest. II viii now
be about eight miles ahead Of him.
it must bear 10 the left after crossing
Commanche creek. He will therefore
take a short cut and save time and
trouble.
Now follow him and you will wit
ness a curious thing He rides away
humming the air OF q merry tune and
he has not one anxious thought. He
passes ridge alter ridge. covers mile
after mile and SO sure is he of his
way that he scarcely looks up. All o.
a sudden the horse Stacks down. He
has been taking the ridges at toe
! fast pace and is out OF breath. 4
! minute later he is pulled up sharp ano
, Sergeant Jack looks about him with
, anxious eyes. What is it? Nothing
, He has only TO keep on and he vii
{ intercept the column. He has only
: TO ride back over his trail 10 strike
the plain road left by the wagons i
is only o'clock in the morning, anI
. the sky is without a cloud.
Curious, isn't it? The solder stand.
:; up in his stirrups TO look ahead; Their,
. is more than anxiety in mis- eye as h,
I turns and looks back. He chances tc
d the right--to the leit-up at the sun
All OF sudden. as he rode gaily on
!. the terrible loneliness of the great
4 plains struck him like a chill VIVA
2 If he should lose his way! What il h
). Eas lost it! That is enough. He ha
e let doubt creep in, and FIVE minute
later that curious palsy OF the plain
e begins 10 creep over him. 1t ha
;, claimed its hundreds, and all hav
: been brave men.
He will ride on. He smiles at hi
/ fears-he seeks TO shake oil that feel
ing OF terror which made his cheek
). grow pale. There is no cause 70
II haste but he shuts his teeth togethc
= and gives his horse the spar an
e pushes on as If riding race.
See, He bears to the left Let
y man become ratified in the forest or o
~ the plains and he invariably bears {
the left and completes his disaster
When the horse falls with eS
haustion Sergeant Jack is twenty-fiv
= miles from the command. 1t does nc
"a occur to him that he will be searche
. for and that his trail can be followed
: He now feels sure that he is lost bu
i, he cannot reason. A veteran Of thre
= Ind an campaigns-a soldier known I
n be without fear-a man in the prim
OF life. And yet his face is as whit
i. as n dead mans. and he trembles lik
as WOMAN aye! weeps like a child.
a One, two. three days go by. SCI
to gesnt Jack is favorite with al
Every man is anxious that he
m found. We go into camp and send OF
"a squads TO four points of the compass
~ One of them strikes the trail and fine
the dead horse. Another. returnin
. in tho gloom OF evening, starts up
nj strange animal which runs away, u
m tering sounds like human laughte
Sc The morning of the fourth day Sc
ly geaut Jack is discovered as he sleep
He is naked; he Is bleeding and tori
ry there is something so wild and beas
he like in his looks that we shrink ava
from him. He is not glad to see u
,r We call him by name but he does IL
a. remember it. We pity him but
is laughs and gibhers.
m Terror has made him an idiot
says the surgeon, as the poor man
e. brought in, land he is never TO con
no back among us again"
nd There was no danger; no cause I
te fear it was simply that black mi
ne which rises up from the soil of d
~ plains to envelop and blind and u
- | narve tho hravest It was the nal