The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1894-04-27
INDIANS ON THE TRAIL.
Wonderful Work Done by Utes, Apaches
and Other Redskin Tribes.

WOnoeI1uA work Done by OCe5, Ap8cneS
and Other Redskin Tribes.
While Indians are better trailers than
whites, it does not follow that all In
dians are equally expert. The best tribes
in this respect are the De4awares, Co
manches and Apaches. The best trailer
l ever saw, says a writer in the st.
Louis Globe-Democrat, was an Apache
who was in the employ of the govern
ment during the Crook campaign in
the southwest During that campaign
a report came in that a band of Indian
raiders had made its way down the
valley, almost under the very noses of
the troops, and had robbed several
ranches, killing the settlers. In order
to successfully move against the In
dians in that country it was nee essary
to march at night, on account of the
warning sent ahead by the signal fires.
A troop of cavalry and company of
infantry were sent out after the raid
ers as soon as night came. All that
day the Indian scouts had been scat
tered over the valley searching for
trails, and when the command was
ready to start the scouts were ready to
follow trail that was believed to be
the one that led to the 'rancheria' or viii
lage of the Indians. The trail was care
fully followed over the stony ground
and through the underbrush, the
scouts actually feeling their way with
their hands. They seemed to expert
ence no difficulty in tracing the trail
with their fingers in the dark, but sud-
denly there was halt. Word was
sent back that another trail crossed
the original, and it was fresher track.
light was procured, and it was dis
covered that the cross trail was that of
a bear, which had passed along after
the Indians. The original trail was
taken up again and followed steadily
through the night. and the rancheria
found and captured early in the morn
ing
The most remarkable bit of individ-
ual trailing that ever came to my
knowledge was the finding of a lost
child in the Gunnison valley. Tie lit
tie girl, four years old. wandered away
from a cabin on Tumiche creek, and
was not missed for several hours. Hun
dreds of men in the valley turned out
and searched all that day without
finding single sign of the girl. At last
it was proposed to send for some Ute
trailers at a camp about twenty miles
away. The Indians did not get on the
ground until twenty-four hours after
the child was missing, and then the
whole country had been so searched
over that all hope of a trail was seem
ingly gone. Three Indians went to
work. stimulated by the promise of q
big reward, and before dark they
found the child, unhurt, but almost
dead from fright and exposure. They
did their work in a most systematic
manner. and covered the ground so
| thoroughly that they soon found the
direction taken. and then began an
| ideal bit of trailing. Foot by foot they
! went over the ground, noting a broken
| .tNvig hero, Il turned stone there, or a
| small impression in the damp earth.
Sometimes they would go for a mile
without finding single thing to indi-
cate that thev Were on the right trail.
and then they would find perfect i'm
| preston of little bare foot in a mud
! spot. The child was found eight miles
| from its home, and hid so close when
| the Indians approached her that they
were almost at fault when they were
at the end of the trail, and were com
! pelled to double back several times be-
fore they espied her crouched down un-
der fallen tree.
The Indian is taught from earliest
! childhood to examine and note every
mark upon the ground, He is given
| instructions regarding the placing Oh
his feet while on the march, and under
all circumstances, whether in. peace OF
war, he hides his trail. 1t becomes a
second nature to him, and the watch
ing of the trail that he crosses is as in.
stinctive as hiding his own. The In
dian on a raid pays little attention tc
his front. He knows that his weakness
is in his trail, and he always carefully
| guards the rear of the march. His
knowledge of his own ability to find
the trail of an enemy makes him afraid
of the discovery of that left by himself
!. RICHARD MALCOLM JOHNSTON, who
ranks with Joel Chandler Harris and