The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-25
SCOUTS OCCUPATION GONE.
Passing of the Vests Most Famous
Characters.

Characters.
From the Louisville Courier Journal.
In thes days OF railroads and electricity
the scout Of the frontier is like the typical
cowboy, a mythical character, says a Los
Angeles letter TO the Chicago Tribune
Travellers, mining prospectors and hunters
no longer need his services. and the war
department has cut off the pay of the reg
ular old-time scouts in the service in the
far west, and the last Indian war was con-
Quoted without them. There are in New
Mexico, Arizona and California two or
three grizzled old fellows who are hard up
and have a chronic case of the blues be-
cause they know their occupation of scout
ing or trailing is forever gone. Trailing is
as much an art as painting or sculpture.
and almost as few become proficient in 1t
as in the handling of brush or chisel.
1t is impossible to realize nowadays the
Importance Of a scout OF former times.
No party dared cross the plains alone
without a professional trailer to lead it and
no marauding band of Indians or whites
could be eYsrtaken unless tracked across
the bonndless wastes. A traveller across
the plains Of Now Mexico relates that one
day while riding with guide he stopped
and pointed TO clear and well-defned
bears track inthe sand. The guide looked
at it attentively for moment; then. with
out dlsmounting, declared: "You are mis-
taken; it IS not a bears track"
Isn't it?" said the American Then
never saw one.r--
Yes, you have'seen many, but this isn't
tone" 4glIEA .shGiA ia l.
quickly alightlng. the american pointed
out the heel and toes of the track as clear
and as well defined as if made a few min
utes before, rlr
We'll" said the guide, IF II does look
like a bears track, still it isn't one. The
marks you imagine to be the heels and toes
are made by those spires of grass, which,
beat by the wind. scoop out the sand in
the manner you see.
You ought to have seen that YOURSELF"
he went on, ''but you didn't stop to think
You Americans never do. Americans
travel with their eyes shut and their
mouths OPEN An indian or Mexican will
travel all day without speaking a word to
any one unless absolutely necessary, but
nothing escapes his observation. while an
American will talk continuously and see
nothing but the general features of the
country through which he travels"
The guide was probably right for few
Americans become adopts at trailing
either men OF animals across the plains
of the west .r.. ne tr.. tt..
1t is impossible to learn the art from
books, though there are a few general
rules which, cam be observed. For in
stance, every scout knows that to over
take a party that has perhaps run off
some stock provisions must be taken to
last several days.. that the start must be
made slowly and the course followed per-
sistently and at a moderate pace, giving
the horses the nights to rest IN and start
at daylight in the mornings.
Then, when the pursuers come near the
pursued, 1t is the scouts business to tell
the number and condition of the enemy
and how many hours have elapsed since
they passed the spot ON which you are
standing, for 1t may become necessary for
: you to remain concealed until you decide
upon the manner of attack. for If the par
ty be made up of Indians they will scatter
before you can capture them.
Again, any scout can tell whether the
trail be that of a war party or not be-
cause no Indians take their families with
them on the warpath; hence, no lodge
poles drag behind the ponies. If there is
no trace of these 1t is safe to consider
that war party is on the rampage.
One Of, the difficult things to deter
mine is the age of the trail, and tohdo
1t correctly requires much practice Ii
the track is fresh 1t will show moisture
where the earth is turned up, which after
a few hours becomes dry. Should rain
have fallen the sedgesgw will be less clear
and will be washed down somewhat.
The expert American scout can tell by
a glance what tribe Of Indians has made
a given trail, its age and every particular
about it as truthfully as though he had
himself seen the cavalcade pass.
A party following an Apache trail dur
ing the Indian difficulties of 1888 came
suddenly to ledge of bare rock. The
officers of the troop examined 1t care
| fully, but could see nothing to indicate
where the tribe had gone. But the scout
led them for two miles across II as .unerr-
ingly as though the trail had been made
in heavy grass. When asked what told
him the way he called attention to the
fine moss which Covered the rock, and
that by close scrutiny gave evidence OF
having been pressed by the foot, an indi-
cation so slight II would have been passed
unnoticed by nipety-nine out of a hum
bred, yet his keen eye detected every foot
print as easily as could be wished.
In the grass a trail can be seen for a
long time, as the blades will be bent in
the direction followed by the party, and
even after it has recovered its natural
position an expert trailer will detect
slight. difference in the color of the
grass that has been stepped on and that
growing around it. So the appearance
Of the tracks will also show him the gait
at which the party was travelling, and
he thus knows how to regulate his pace
in order TO overtake it,
1t is hard to sAna agwhite person who
can Tetraee his steps fer any great dis
lance in the open country, but it is SIM
ply impossible to lose. an Indian No
matter how circJftons the route by
which you have reached a certain place
the Indian will ind his way back to
the place Of starting by the most direct
roUte and without hesitating for a mo-
ment which course to pursue. If you
ask him how he does IL he may possibly
| shIne his shnrldars q nd renlN. ..Omian