The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-04-15
sW T He He train train. that tss

8. a nau DOfnc the
regiment up from the south was side
tracked in very contracted quarters,
with cattle train on one side and
high board fence on the other. 1t was
their second day there, and the place
& between the tracks on the left and the
fence on the right was beginning to
take on the peculiar offcnsiveness of d
camp of men when the camp is avow-
edly temporary. Bits of decaycd veg
etables, tin cans, bottles--all the refuse
OF the mess when command is under
going the crucial luxury of day or
two near city-combined with
steaming litter from the cattle train to
make the place very tight, as the cap
tain of Troop L remarked.
1t was during the last-r umored In
dian outbreak, and four troops of the
Seventh cavalry, ordered to the front,
We're lying over at Denver, awaiting
the rest of the regiment. The officers
those who were young enough to
consider such problcms-had long since
exhausted every phase of the possibili-
ties as to whether they would see lit
tie actual service, or simply be half
frozen mounting guard on the Dakota
prairics, and had given themselves up
" otNiiI anu CODGCcO.
'l'll be hanged if l was ever in n
tighter place! Reminds me of night
spcnt out here on the Platte, though,
before l went into the SERVICE" the
captain of Troop Z remarked, as he
languidy watched the awkward tow
headed squad turning out for the rather
superogatory task of relieving the
guard.
Young Mr. shortridgc. who was from
the Point, and had lately joined his
regiment whipped u bit of cigar ashes
off the front OF his blouse with his
handkerchief and focused the captain
n look that wondered what worth
remembering could have happened 10
anyone before he went into the service.
The captain of Troop l. caught at
even that He was not used to cncour-
agemcnt when he struck reminiscent
vein. He had lived himself up from
the ranks into his shouldcr-straps.
The thirty years that the feat had
taken, OF burning summcrs'at unheard-
OF posts on the Texas border, where
the beer could not be kept cool. and
.snow-locked winters on the northern
plains, where the punch could not be
kept warm, while they had given him
picturesque quality as u story teller,
had also taken the zest of exceeding
newness from his recitals, so far as
most OF the mess were concerned
1T was back in the COS, when 1
Killed my only man." the captain of
troop went on, as the line in faded
blue and yellow broke into twos and
swung off, the light on the bugler's
trumpet across his shoulder shifting
brightly from mouth piece to bell, as
he stepped off at the head of the col
umn, bent on the momeutous duty of
relieving the guard.
1T was just after the first gold ex-
citc1ncnt here. had come out with
the rest There had been an Indian
outbreak: settlement or two had
been wiped out, a few immigrants
killed, and three troops of the Sixth
had been sent down from old Fort
Laramie to put stop to the business.
remember, it was beastly hot had
fallen in with the regiment, with the
rest of the stragglers. and we had
made forty miles that day-forty Of
The most Internal miles that anyone
ever rode over
I'VE had camped the. night before
without water. Our cnnteens were
dry, yet no one was SO thirsty that he
cared TO leave the main column to look
Tor water for fear of having his thirst
qucnched with hot lead. Somehow
the line of march of the main column
didn't seem to lead to water Once we
came to an old watercourse, the bed of
1T as dry and baked as an adobe wall.
sometimes, as we galloped up with tho
front files, the hot air would come full
in our faces, smelling of ooze and
water-reeds, till we were sure there
must oe spring or at least a buffalo
wallow just beyond. But the nearest
approach we found to water that dav
was holiowed-Out ravine or two.
nlieo WITT suntiowers standing in the
cracked soil that looked like stiffened
alligator leather. There was nothing
anywhere but bunch grass and cactus.
wei, that lasted till toward night.
Then we came to where the settlement
mad been, in a little draw, up from the
river. There lay the bones of the oxen
and the others, huddled together.
"A rnsty-loolling buzzard got up from
the boneheap as we rushed by into the
river up to our horses dust-calscd
shoulder blades.
But there were other things to
think Of besides water, though the Of
ficcrs had to beat us back from it with
the flat OF their sabcrs.
''Cn a rise just beyond the bones was
al old log cabin, or rather series of
cabins, with dirt roofs, which for some
reason the Indians had left unburncd.
We thought we knew why aftcrward.
The colonel decided to stable all
the horses there; for though we hadn't
scen an Indinn that dnv Xac l.nn,r tl,o.,