The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-01-04

scout" is an old saying in the service.
and there are but few who relinquish
that occupation for another.
When the Indians are lying quietly
on their several reservations, the duties
of the scout are light and at times very
monotonous. He has but little to do
besides hang about the fort at which he
is stationed, occasionally going out with
dispatches to some other fort, or to gov
crnment surveying parties in the field.
Such duties are decidedly tame, and
have no attractions for the scout AT
times party of foreigners Of note,
mostly Englishmen, will come to this
country on hunting expedition, armed
with letters of Introduction to officials
at Washington. There they will secure
letters to the commanding officer of the
fort nearest the grounds over which
they desire to exercise their love for
wild sport, and when the fort is reached
scout is detailed to accompany them
as guide to the best hunting grounds
Such an assignment as this is looked
upon as picnic" by the boys, for il
promises oceans Of fun, the best of liv.
ing. and, when the expedition returns.
some valuable present-often the entire
outfit Of horses and camp equipage,
worth several hundred dollars
But when a band or tribe Of In.
dians declare hostilities and go out or
the warpath, the life of the scout is
one of constant danger, privatior
and exposure to all kinds of weather.
He virtually lives in the saddle When
he sleeps, unless back with the COM
mand. he lies down upon the trail in
his clothes, fastening the lariat with
which his horse is secured to his arm
or leg, so that he can reach the animal
and mount at the first intimation OF
danger. He eats his dried meat and
along, or when he halts for briet
time to allow his horse to Craze. The
native horse lives entirely on grass,
and will turn away from grain to crop
that nutritious food. On the trail of a
hostile band or when searching for a
trail he must be keen-eyed and ever OF
the alert. Nothing must escape his
searching gaze, for his life ofte n de-
pends on his watchfulncss. Signs that
would be unnoticed by the ordinary
traveller are to him an open book. A
stone or even a pebble turned over
from its bed, broken down weed or
bunch of grass. an indistinct impress
sion in the gravelly soil, all indicate
that something has been there, and the
scouts first duty is to ascertain what
that something was 1t might have
been a deer, antelope, wolf or stray
horse, or it might be an off-shoot of
the trail sought for. This the scout
can determine in moment. by dis
mounting and closely scrutinizing the
''sign" If the trail proves to be that
of an Indian horse he at once follows
1t, knowing well it will lead him to the
main trail; follows it closely and with
extreme caution, now glancing at the
trail, now sweeping the country ahead
with his quick, trained eye. and at in
tervals halting and searching every
gully and hill with his powerful field
glass. It is necessary for his own safe.
ty that he should discover the Indians
before they see him, in order to avoid
an ambush.
Unless the day be well advanced
when he first sights..the hostile band, he
must ride rapidly back to the com.
mand, report his discovery to the COM
officer, together with the
Of Indians Cif it can be ascer
tanned and the direction they are pur.