The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-09-29

With everything covered save his eyes,
he wriggles by degrees up to the rock,
where he lies motionless until he has
infinitely scanned all the country in
sight. Then he withdraws as stealth
lily as he approached, whether he has
discovered anything or not.
Often he conceals himself by holding
piece of sage-brush in front of him
while lying down. Sometimes he fas-
tens bushes to the upper part of his
body. extending to his head; then, sit
ting in a washout or wallow, he is COM
pletely concealed, while his own view
is unobstrueted.
When Apache scouts are acting with
troops in the field they are up before
the first sign of dawn After instruc-
tions have been given them as to the
next camping place they start ont from
camp and spread out like fan, in
groups of three. They usually push 50
far ahead of the troops that the latter
rarely see them until camp is reached,
or the trail gets so hot" that word is
sent back to the column.
The scouts reconnoitre the country
for five miles on each side of the trail,
and not a single thing escapes their
notice. Ashes of camp fires, upturned
stones, broken branches, tracks-in
short, everything is commented upon,
and, if thought to be important, report
ed to the comma nder of the column.
When camphas been made, the scouts
encircle 1T with an outpost line, which
nothing can approach without being
seen. When it becomes dark every
one is in camp, the horses are turned
out, under soldiers, for night herding,
and the camp sleeps securely.
Shaplish, the chief of the Umatilla
scouts, was once with a company Of
soldiers that were following party Of
Indians who had murdered ranchman
in Idaho. After following the trail for
nearly fifty miles, the scouts suddenly
stopped. and explained that the sol
diers had been discovered, and that the
Indians were travelling by night
He pointed out where they had gone
under low branches of trees, which
could have been avoided by daylight,
and where they had crossed rocks and
ravines at bad places, when there were
good crossings near by, which they
would have selected if there had been
light enough to pick the trail.
The Indian in tracking is neither
guided by the sun in daylight, nor by
the moon or stars at night, his obser-
vations being confined wholly TO the
earth. Even after dark he will find
and follow a trail over rocks and
through thicllets by feeling the ground
covered blanket Is held around the
spot as n screen while a match is
struck SO that more the rough inves-
LEGATION may be made.
In tracking an enemy from point to
point an Indian will discover one sign
after another very rapidly. blade OF
grass trodden down, a foot or pony
all these are discovered with the
most wonderful swiftness, and they are
interpreted with degree of accuracy
which is simply astonishing.
Army officers who have seen service
in the west can tell stories of the won
derful accurateness of these Indian
trailerS. A number of years ago some
Cheyennes were reported to have
crossed the Yellowstone below Fort
Keogh, Montana. and troops were sent
out from the fort to intercept them.
Great herds OF buffalo had been
roaming over the surrounding country,
and the grass had been eaten and
trampled upon in all directions; while
perfect labyrinth of paths had been
made by the animals.
1t was. therefore, difficult to find
any particular trail; but on the third
morning out one of the Indian scouts
who was with the troops suddenly
stopped his horse, went a little to the
right, scanned the ground closely aa1
then. coming back, reported that he
had found the trail of the Indians.
The trail crossed the direction of the
troops at right angles, and half the
command had passed over it when the
Indian found it, although there were
white scouts at the head of the column.
The scout followed the trail for
mile. and then found place where the
Indians had encamped. He brushed
away the ashes from the dead fires and
felt of the earth underneath; counted
the number of fires, and noted, by the
marks made by the pins in the ground,
the size OF the lodges.
Some moccasins and bits of cloth.
which had been thrown away, were
carefully examined. he found that the
moccasins were sewn with thread, IN
stead of with sinews; that they were
made as the Sioux make theirs, and
that the cloth which was lying around
was the same as is used at agencies
Other signs indicated that the Indians
had remained in camp one day, and
soon it w9s clear that they were Sioux
and not Cheyenne, as had been re-
ported; that they had recently left an
agency, and that they had not crossed
the Yellowstone at the time stated, but
two days previously.
Shakespeare speaks of being possible
to find tongues in trees, books in the
running brooks and sermons in stones
To an Indian the record which people
leave in passing over the most barren
country is as complete as if IL had been
written out, and every incident Of their
journey can be pictured by the old sa-
want savage with Photographic exact
ness and distinctnesS-
WEIRD TALES OF TEE SEA.