The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-08-18
The Sentinel and His Bodyguard.

the pioneer explorer that was to find a
construct platform for dancing, he
would have stopped right here in Los
Gatos at the picnic grounds where Camp
City Guard is located. A huge live oak
tree, the leaves of which are green tine
year round, rises through the center OF a
wide area os solid floor, and its wide
spreading branches, twisted by battles
with many a mountain wind, cover the
entire circumference. Arc electric lights
hang among the limbs, and here and there
a black shadow of tree trunk o. branch
shoots across the floor. Around each side
are convenient seats and at one end a
band stand. Other oak trees make q
canopy of living green for the musicians
and spectators. The floor is white.
The gallant guardsmen and fair bellies
of Los Gatos and San Francisco who are
here danced in and out of the lights, their
shadows making silhouettes and fantastic
figures on the floor. There was just
enough shadow TO add little wildness to
the scene and make it picturesque. To-
night the natural amphitheater under the
trees was filled with deyotees of Terpsicore,
the larger portion of the younger pop
ulation of Los GaIos being present either
as dancers or spectators or both. The oc-
casion partook of the nature OF reception
by Company b to the hospitable people of
Los Gatos. A number OF couples were
also present from San Jose.
There was fun in camp last night. Safe
inside the picket-line, with the familiar
''all's welP' sounding among the sentlnels,
the guardsmen went to bed early and slept
the sleep of the soldier, tired after long
Sunday of entertaining and sweet do
nothing.
For half at hour before all had passed
from the world of consciousness into
dream land strong voices in the tents were
frequently heard shouting a quotation
from a well-known drama. The story is
that a tenderfoot in the mountains meets
an old miner and tremblingly says:
.Say, mister, are there any bears In these
mountains?"
"B'ars! Why, these ere mountains is
full of b'arsl" replies the miner IN voice
of thunder, and the tenderfoot promptly
seeks cover.
Being in a valley of the Santa Cruz
Mountains the soldier boys appropriated
this passage and shouted it at the tops of
their voices And 1t really seemed peril
nent question to the city fellows after
things quieted down bit.
Acting Sergeant /. K. Townsend went to
sleep with his senses abnormally i'm
pressed with danger from "bars,' as it
subsequently developed. Corporal Meyers
occupies the same tent with Townsend.
About midnight there was terrible
racket in Townsend's tent. followed by a
discharge of his rifle, shouts of ''B' arsl"
"Helpr' and Corporal OF the guard p'
w. L. 0verstreet was corporal OF tie
guard and he came running, lantern in
hand, to find out what was the trouble.
He discovered Sergeant Townsend in his
couch in a sitting posture, with his fingers
tightly entwined in the hair OF brown
dog.
1t was ludicrous for everybody but the
brown dog. He looked panied.
Townsend had awakened, stretched out
his arms, and mis- hands coming in con-
tact with a living, moving, hairy body,
ne had thought instantly OF bars" and
set up a call for assistance.
The dog was arrested and placed IN the
guardhouse, but this morning was released
and fed. He is now a favorlte In camp.
He is sometimes referred to as Town
sends bar" he came wandering out of
the dark nowhere of the night, and the
dawn brought him friends.
Corporal Townsend has been in the Ma
tional Guard since 1854 and has seen forty
two wears consecutive service. He Is well
known and is the oldest man in the mill
tarv service of the State. He is not afraid
of ANYTHING that walks on two legs but as
to four legs-weil. that's different.
This morning the guardsmen turned out
promptly at reveille at O'Clock. Expe-
rience in camp shows that the first morn
ing there is no trouble In getting the men
to appear for duty, but each subsequent
morning the response to call is slower and
occasionally on the last day OF camp the
blankets and the men have to be parted