The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-07-23
IN The MOUNTAINS.
A Description Of Nature In Her MOS
Malegtic Mood.

when the bugle blew the welcome
sound, and the troop came to Il halt |
and prepared to make camp in a little |
pocket" high up in the Rincom noun
tains. 1t had been hard, hot and |
wcarisome march over Il sandy plain |
aud up rocky paths where the horscn |
could not safely carry their riders, with
the mercury at one hundred and ten |
| degrees in the shade and the water in
| the Canteens so thoroughly imprcg-
mated with all1ali that it was almost
impossible to drink it. The spring that
bubbled out from under "a rock and
lost itself before it had travelled two
hundred feet through the dry rocks
and sand was refreshingly cool. clear
and inviting; the daily downpour
of August had not yet made its APP
pearance and the men congratulated
themselves that the clear sky gave
promise of dry supper, even though
indicating drenching later on. For
during the rainy season downpour
once in twentyfour hours can like
taxes, be depended upon.
The tired horses were lariated out by
their riders whenever the scant herbage
gave promise of at least u portion of II
supper. Fires blazed up from the dried
limbs OF the stunted mesquite and cof-
fee, bacon and hard tack were soon
served Supper over, and the stock
brought in and tied to the picket line,
the men sat down and smoked and gos-
siped and looked at their surroundings.
High on every side of them rose the
dreary mountains, their brown, barren
nights pointing high up toward the sky,
the monotonous slopes gashed and
slashed in thousand pieces by gullies
and ravines, the everlasting rocks and
/ sands only occasionally relieved by
, patches of mesquite or stunted dwarf
., oak. Scarcely "a sound breaks the soli-
, tude; the neighing ofa horse, the sharp
bark of prowling coyote, hunting for
his supper; the disturbing burr" of a
: nearby rattlesnake, soon sent to his
;. long rest, mayhap the shrill cry of a
= mountain lion.
: As the sun slowly sinks behind the
range he seems as if by balance weight
to bring little dark cloud over the tops
y, of the opposite mountains. There is Il
scramble to doff superfuous clothing
;, and rush to cover wetable things with
!, shelter tents and tarpaulins, while
| every DOu,y lTOln Une COOK 10 Jne cap
= seeks the lee side of friendly rock.
= The horses are all on one side of the
;, picket line now, with their sides toward
. the setting sun and their tails to the
east. In ten minutes the little cloud
has assumed the proportions of a vast
= overhanging pail and the wind begins
~ to whistle In fifteen minutes the sky
Z is like ink and the rain is rushing down
II in torrents, and ten minutes later the
l. black clouds. vivid lightning and deer
sounding thunder are slxurrying over
Il Il the western range after the setting
= :, sun, leaving behind as a memento o.
. their visit, only magnificent rainbow
y spanning the heavens from horizon tC
= = horizon, a wet but cool and chippel
u u troop of horses, and a big gulley through
the center of the camp where a minia
:, ture torrent has plowed its way during
3" the continuance of the storm. Assem-
~ bly, for the guard is sounded, and thu
10 sentineis are posted
Then, as Mr.. Haggard would put it
~ might comes rushing down over th
I earth like tangible thing" The moon
10 big and round and silvery, comes smil
70 . ing up over the range and throws thu
IL into fantastic shapes, accentuating wha
~ little beauty they possess, and hiding
10 their deformities, and, in time, glide
70 softly and almost imperceptibly behint
y the high peak opposite, making room
W for the countless stars which glistei
- down through the clear, pure air iron
~ as beautiful sky as there is in tn
le world. The sentinel walks and walks
D and looks up into this magnificent vast
ness, and thinks. 1t is time of silence
solitude, vastness, beauty, which woul
IL lift mans thoughts above the cart
and make them soar in regions beyond
e. But the sentinel is probably trying t
as think out scheme for liquidating hi
&c debts with his pay, or wondering if h
IN will get enough bacon for breakfast
or and why the gray horse always persist
n in hanging himself on the picket line
1t Not sound disturbs him, except thos
m familiar ones of the movements of tn
Il horses or the occasional call of a nigh
id bird which exists, heaven only know
wv how in the midst of all this barrenness
he Possibly it lives on the beauty of tn
ne Arizona stars.
ld "Who comes there? Halt"
es "Relief."
On advance, relief"
In "Alls we'll"
H. Or it may be:
IN "Who comes there? Halt"
en- "Officer of the day"
p, "Advance, officer of the day."
1t "All's we'll"
er And the new sentinel starts on h
en- monotonous round of the sleeping 50
as diers and the restless horses, while til
!st stars twinkle and fash like diamond
he and the night bird calls. He sits on
on friendly rock and takes the risk of stea
he ing seven winks of needed sleep, an
ot awales, startled, from dozc. Hav
re- his sleepy eyes seen an Indian camphr
ne signal on Il distant peak? Have h
les drowsy ears caught the sounds made b
nd an approaching enemy? No, not tina
nd Something is crawling up his leg. II
en- hopes it is lizard lie prays it ina
We be neither snake nor centipcde. Wit
ad almost one motion he grasps the cree
nd ing thing, throws off his boot an
IN shakes his pantaloons, and utters
en- heartfelt, longdrawn sigh of relief as
ms harmless and nearly crushed ''swif
49, slides to the ground
re- So the long night wears away. II
nd stars begin to pale and the first gra
ms streaks of dawn creep over the moui
Ily tain tops and down the slopes liftir