The Van Buren press., 1898-04-09

By the lieutenant's reckoning they
we're then about 65 miles from Bolin's
ranch. where there was a good we'll;
so he resolved to try to reach the ranch
bv the next night He ordered reveille
TO be blown at three in the morning,
and boots and saddles" an hour later.
OF course there were more growls
when this was announced. Grumbling
was favorite pastime with the mob :
if there was nothing to find fault with
they were most unhappy.
That night. about tattoo" the
trumpeter of the troop, mere boy, to
whom Dust had shown more than or
binary kindness, came and scratched
at the tent door. The lieutenant I'M
tied the fly. The lad saluted, looked
down at the ground little abashed,
and finally stammered out:
"Please, lieutenant, there is an awful
hard crowd in the troop-a wicked lot,
sir. There are some that were stage
robbers and deserters, and a heap of
them have been in jails. They are up
to anything. sir, If we should happen
to get jumped by Patches, the lieu
tenant would do well''-here he stopped
short and at last blurted Quito keep
/ back of the men, sir"
Before the young officer could reply,
the boy had saluted again and disap-
peared in the dark.
4 Tho gaFtsIaa he Iianfau n ref nGtp6
was hardly what he had expected to
! find it. He wondered how many Off
GERS had been killed accidentally" in
action, by their own men.
The great yellow moon came UP from
behind the swelling prairies and flood
ed the cactus waste with its mellow
light. The prairie-dogs barked away
| off in the dark. and the young officer
| looked out of his tent as the stars came
out one by one, and wondered how men
could be so unjust and brutal. He felt
no resentment against them; he only
pitied them.
When the trumpet sounded reveille
in the morning. the lieutenant awoke
| to find the camp in disorder. In some
unknown manner liquor had been OBJ
tanned, and most of the men we're under
| its influence. 1t was nearly two hours
before tents came down, wagons were
packed and the command under way.
| The officer rode far ahead of the men,
who followed in a disorderly column
across the plain. When the sun came
up it was broiling hot. There was not a
| drop of water fit to drink. The air was
| full of fine white alkali dust. Cactus,
sage-brush and sand underfoot sent
back the rays of the sun with redoubled
| force. The men, heated with liquor,
suffered intensely. Horses, their
tongues lolling out, had to be goaded
to keep up the regulation gait, and the
troopers lounged and swayed in their
| saddles.
| Lieut.. Dust rode back along the col
umn from time to time, speaking a
cheerful word to those who were suffer
ing most, but he was greeted only with
| insolent leers from the men. He tried
to set an example in his own bearing,
| lounge in their saddles, for fear of eans-
ing the saddles to hurt the horses
backs.
The day wore painfully on. Toward
evening the troop passed a small bunch
of cattle. One of the soldiers, Pat
Leary, pulled out of the ranks without
permission, and riding up to fat steer
drew his pistol and shot the beast
through the head.
Fresh beef is luxury in an Arizona
light. The lieutenant heard the shot
and refined back. 1t was strictly against
orders to kill any stray cattle.
He ordered Leary under arrest.
There was murmur of disapproval
among the soldiers, and Leary himself
shouted:
Sure I'm not going to be put in ar
rest by any shave-tail lootinant for try
ing to get dacint feed for the boys!"
The lieutenant raised his voice to or
der the man to take his arms away.
BY this time all the troop had crowded
around the officer, threatening and
| protesting. He tried to draw his pistol
/ but one ruffian dealt him a crushing
blow from behind, and when the lieu
] tenant awoke to consciousness he was
bound with lariats to the tail of one
of the escort wagons.
The worst element in the troop had
cowed the non-commissioned officers,
and, with Leary At their head, the pri-
Yates were running things to suit them
selves. The steer had been quartered
and thrown into wagon, and the whole
/ disorderly rabble started again for
Bolins ranch, which was now but a
short distance off.
| Lashed to the tail-piece of one of the
wagons, the Lieutenant was iolted over
the prairie, filed with Indignation at
the wretched mutiny, but powerlcss to
quell it. No one dared to come to his re-
| lief. for the leaders rode behind him and
/ threatened to shoot any man who
should attempt to free him.
In this manner the mob arrived at
Bolin's ruined and deserted ranch.
They rode into an adobe corral, dis
mounted, and made rush for the well,
fighting like madmen for the water.
One after another-all but the little
trumpeter, who was lodging about the
wagon looking for n chance to cut the
lieutenant free-all drank their fill
eagerly of the cold, clear water Then
the horses were unsaddled and led out
side to water at the bad-water hole in
the prairie near the ranch.
After tying their horses to an i'm
provised picket-line, the men built a