The morning call., 1893-05-28
aZyhs R~z1N
At San Carlos.
BY BUCKEY O'NEILL.


EY was In the days OF truce. Not a
~ truce where among the colors of nations
Ri float the white flags Of an armistlce.
IA while waiting armies listen to the music
ia of their bands and the soldier enjoys
each moment of existence win new
Zest, not knowing what minute life may be
snatehed from him. In such times you may
drink champagne with your enemy and de-
scribe the campaign as If it were a & me of
chess il you are an officer and have the money
If you are not you may laugh and talk with him
when you meet him IN the 'burying parties"
as you heap over with sod the comrades that
are to be rolled into their graves. Instead a
regiment or two OF blue coated men watching
two or three times their number of other men
men half naked and sulen and savage. None
of the Domp, none of the glory Of war Uni
forms discolored and fad with wear ana ex-
posure. No music Not even the regimental
colors in sight-not even a guidon. Simply so
many men thrown together TO kill to be
killed. as occasion might fate it. On one side
civilization believing itself authorized under
certain conditions to kill On the other say
ageIy aught TO XII when the opportunity pre-
sented. Between both fear and hatred and
distIust
Day after day would pass unbroken ave by
The relief OF the sentres, the killing of cattle
to be issued as beef ralons to the Indians 1t
was place to be loathed, for the passing away
of ones life there was like lhe wastsful burn
ing of an only candle 10 he bright mondays 5
sun. For the first few days one might wander
atound reading In The little grav yard the
names of the dead. most of them accompanied
by the legend, KILLED by Indians" Where it
was the grave of a civilian there was always
sonelh hing TO speculate on as one read the
headboard. "a DaIiVe OF New YORK" or some
other S. ate, "a native OF Ireland" "a native of
France" "Chlnaman,' would be among the
facts stated. until one would wonder how
many wanderers from home and country there
were on earth. On such stones The ages were
always given either in direct number OF years
or BY the dates of birth aud times,
though. the statement was eau iOusly made
"abnut years of age" With h. soldiers
graves IL was diff rent. "JOhn Smith. sergeant,
Troop, U. S. Cavalry" hOugh the dead he
ofic or enlisted man, save name, rank and
company and regim nj, nothing more would
appear. A first sergeant repeating his COM
pany's roll would have told as much as did
these long lines of little tombstones. No ages,
no nativity-g tZZled veteran and new recruit
one could no. distinguish their graves apart.
This is San Carlos. q San Carlos where the
heal buns and scorches one, unbroken by a
shadow OF tree or shrub Where the dust and
sand OF tile desert is ever In the air-and where
night sleep restless and iitful-lest they sleep
never To awaken. For so long has San Carlos
been synonymous with lieachery and. death,
with piage and rapine that these things seem
to be ever in The air DfOldlng one with their
hideous fears like cliuging garments. reeKing
In blood.
San Carlos has never been with the soldiers a
favorite station. The most careless troop OF
cavalry that ever threw Itself nro saddle never
felt elated at being assigned to it. len TO one
they swore as good troopers only cabin good
royal oatns, full and resoundng-as from tinr
inimemonal has been the troopers prerogative.
Be that as il IN y, when the marching orders
came, they always went, making the brst OF IL.
SO when II came, in he time OF things, for NJ
troop of the Third to go down 10 San Carlos to
watch the Apaches eaI tn beef that was issued
10 them by The Government while spending their
time and en- rgy in trying TO steal arms and
cartridges to add to their buried stores for use
in the next outbreak. the troop went as grace
fully as any that had yer gone before It.
After all man Is no sloucp, and it only requires
the touch OF duty. of love, OF passion, of re-
lteion-any OF those half dozen little things
that make up existence TO convert him in o a
hero. Even Two MOhammeds, or TWO Napoeons
in The woi ID at the same time would depOpulate
II. II is doubtful though If any man in M troop
thought of this, and very doubtful If Harry
day, and grew weary of the living rumors
always afioat of some new station. He had not
been soldier long enough TO become Injured
to accepting everything as it came. and ucca-
sionally he would grumble and find fault, which
would never fall in the end move Gallagher.
the old first sergeant, TO speak despairingly Of
ever trying TO make soldiers out of every
omadhouu that camr along, while be would
refer enthusiastically TO the old days when a
halt;
would make a man out of the biggest "blaggard
that ever bate n drum, or jammed wind through
n horn" Nobody ever pretended 10 rememoer
when Gallagher first s'lisied." as he termed IT,
and rather than contr adict military authority
of such standing, Harry on these occasions
would leave the company's tents to md
change in walking.
II was on the occasion of one OF these "set-
Ting up exercises" as Gallagher termed them,
that the frumpeter met MeIas a. Tall ana
graceful as the women OF civilization seldom
are, with long, dark hair that hung far b low
her waist, and soft. limpid eyes, that seemed TO
be always | .ughing. she was only girl. and
had not been married long enough 10 become
one OF the witnered hags that long marches
without food and water, and cavalry In pursuit
make of the Apache women. Besides, there
was not a woman of the white race In th camp
to talk 10 or look at, and 1t may have been this
as much as anything else that made the trum-
peter notice how pretty she was as she passed
him, to be lost among her people. A few days
later he again me- her, and as he caught her
glance she smiled, ana for the res of thr day
Harry went more janntily through his duties
than he had done since coming 10 San Carlos
He was only l9 and she several years younger,
but long after taps had sounded he laid awake.
thinking OF the pretty brown face of the girl
whose eyes he had caught searching for his
own. IL was merely the interest, though, of
one weary with the monotony of camp lfe
seeking amusement with woman with whom
he could not even converse. as neither knew
the others language. She was but one of the