The Van Buren press., 1894-11-24

was riding over the mesa In column Of
swos, with his leading two abreast Of
those OF A troop. whereas the latter
troop by right should have been troop
distance and nine yards ahead. Myers
was riding near the center Of A troop,
and the boys face should have been
painted during that gallop.
But Geronimo kept the lead. aided
by Satan and the nature OF the co,tn.
try. When the hither hills Of Eagle
creek were reached the hostiles were
distinctly seen, through field glasses,
crawling up the hog backs OF the
further hills beyond the creek, max
ing their way over exceedingly rough
country in the direction of Blue river.
Their distance from the cavalry by
birds flight could then hardly have
been three miles. By the only way
Myers and his comrades could possibly
get to them they were still quite ten
miles to the front And even Myers
had begun to notice that hard riding
over rough country tells on horses.
The ten or twelve cavalrymen riding
lame public animals, hurt during the
night, and now ten or fifteen miles be.
hind, need not be considered, but OF
the horses yet in column, the forty or
fifty animals showing extreme exhaus-
tion made an aggregate as to cavalry
efficiency Of much higher Importance.
Geronimo had wisely sent ahead to the
Eagle creek hog backs, Or certain OF
his men sent ahead had there craftily
rounded up FROM contiguous ranches
fresh horses The hostilcs could be
seen changing their worn-out steeda
for new stock. The cavalry marched
down to Eagle creek and went into
camp.
II any mistake was made by the
first pursuers of Geronimo, this early
camp at Eagle creek was the mistake.
But men and horses were badly ex-
hausted. Sixty miles had been COW
cred In seventeen hours, including
short halts and the two hours of rest
waiting for daylight. Men had no ra-
tions of any sort; and, more important,
there had been no grass and there was
no forage for the horses. Nobody was
sorry when the order was given to
halt and unsaddlc. And when it wac
seen that sunset came before the pack
train pulled into camp the wisdom OF
the stop was not at that time ques-
toned by any Of the hungry men con-
cerned.
EARLY next morning the pursuit was
resumed up the steep hills bordering
Eagle creek into Eagle mountains, and
camp was made towards evening on a
little stream in the heart of the noun
tains. Travel was slow, because the
hostile trail had scattered and was hard
at first to follow. That night the men,
gathered around camp ares, told SOL
dier stories and sang soldier songs; and
Myers, seated near the big sergeant
with the fine tenor voice, felt glad he
was a soldier too; and finally. wrapped
in his saddle blanket and lying on
the mattress Of Mother Earth only.
fell asleep with a heart wondrously
content.
1t was after crossing Blue river the
following morning, and while heading
through Blue noun tains towards the
San Francisco river, that the first dead
of the trail was found. This was
Myers first sight Of the kind, and 1t
was not an agreeable sight even to o
veteran. The dead mana German
trumpeter Of hussars, 1t was after
wards discovered. In Americn on fur
Tough. had evidently been attacked
while going from his ranch to Eagle
creek. The hostiles had from q dis.
tance spied him coming towards them,
and simply lay in wait and shot
him as he rode by. There he
lay, on one side of the trail, and a
little above him and to his left up the
slope OF the hill was his horse, also
dead. The mans face and head were
badly bruised by rough stones, proba-
bly, squaw-work, and the action of the
hot sun caused the corpse to be horri-
bly, swollen. Myers was detailed as
one of the burial party. 1t seemed
awful to the boy TINT no grave was
dug; as matter of fact, none could
be, there being no spade or shovel
any where at hand; merely stones were
carefully and tenderly piled over the
body of the poor little Dutchman.
The main column, not waiting for
the burial party, pressed on. A small
creek-the Little Blue-was crossed.
two more murdered men found near
by, and dusk fell upon the command
on the broad Alma mesa, whore they
went into dry camp-near the body of
still another victim discovered. The
party OF whom Myers was one, in
overtaking the column, rode by the
men engaged in burying two Of these
other bodies found. The corpse first
met was that of the elder brother Of
the German trumpeter; and this
brother had himself been a soldier.
discharged from Troop g, Sixth United
States cavalry, and who, with his
small savings, had taken up and
meagrely stocked q miniature COW
ranch. The two brothers had plainly
teen living alone in the cabin of the
ranch, and there were signs Of at
tempted improvement Of the property.
New shingling Of the roof of the cabin
was almost completed. One room
showed evidence Of recent application
of canvas in lieu of wallpaper. In one
of the three tiny apartments a letter
was discovered, which read-so said
the grizzled old German corporal who
com manded Myers burial party-that
the old mother of the two brothers
was even now on her way from West
phalia to join her sons in America.
The corpse OF the ex-Sixth cavalry
man was discovered by the barking OF
little dog. The ranch seemed de-
serted when the cavalry reached it.
An Indian scOut prow1iuu arouud