The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-16

leading body of troops along trail may
travel at a good jog and at the same time
observe signs nobservable to the follow
ers-that the enemy has passed along that
way, and also the number of the enemy
Think of trailing a band of Indians among
the Businesses Of A mountain range ana
telling from bent grass, turned leaves,
horses hoofs and the area occupied at the
camping spots the number of persons there
were in the band whether they We're bucks
or squaws or mixed as to sex, whether
they were fleeing from pursuers or were
going to a new hunting groundl
Some of the most expert Indian scouts
have been astute enough To distinguish
from the character Of smoke that ascends
from a camp fire ten or more miles distant
whether the campers were whites or In
dams. Gen. Miles used 70 have a Pima
scout in the campaign of 1890 against Ger
onimo and Cochise who could pretty ac-
curately tell from gazing al the smoke
through a glass whether the fire in DIS
tant camp had been kindled for long or
short time. The same scout once led
detachment of soldiers across the twenty
mile desert valley at what is now the set
Element of DOS Cabezos, in Southeastern
Arizona and hence into the Dragon
mountains, where he found a week-old
trial Of a dozen fugitive Apaches among
the granite. yet the troopers saw not the
least indication that any human being had
been that way in years.
For five days the Pima scout scented the
trail like a hound. He led the soldiers
through ravncs, among thorny cacu ana
chaparral, amid miles of powders, over
sun-baked hills and along the foot of bald
mountains All this time he seldom spoke.
He kept his eyes constantly busy, and
as If to point out that he was following
the right trail. Al last one noon he sud
denly stopped his horse, motioned TO his
followers TO get their weapons ready and
to dismount. Then the Indian scout
crawled for half an hour on his hands
and knees over the hard brown earth,
scrutinizing the soil for footprints. lie
went back to Lieut.. Cowles, in command
of the detachment, and said softly that
the Apaches were In camp less than
mile away. Then he guided the soldiers
and horses slowly and silently up the foot
hill. and when the men had pfc6eted their
horses and crawled to The brow Of the hill
they saw the trailed Apaches in camp
down in the valley on the other side Of
the hill
Telling the Age of n Trail.
One of the difficult things to determine
is the age of a trail. If the track is very
fresh 1t will show moisture where the
earth is turned up. Should rain have fall
len the edges Will be less clear and will
be washed down somewhat. The scout
can tell by a glance what tribe of Indians
has made a given TRAN, its age, and ev-
cry particular about Il as truthfully as
though he had himself seen the caval-
cade pass, but this comes after years OF
observation and familiarity with the Gus
toms and dress of the several tribes
Maj. Robinson. United States Army (re-
x.r Do, NJ
while going with a veteran scout and a
guard to Fort Bowie TO pay the soldiers
he stopped his horse and pointed 10 a
well-dehned bear track in the dry sand
of the desert. The scout gazed at IL a
moment and said: mo, that's no bear
track"
"Well, If ever saw bear track, and
I've seen thousands Of them, that's one"
Cant help It, major, but that's no bear
track"
Quickly alghHng. the major pointed out
the heel and toes Of the track, as clearly
defined as If made few minutes before
'Well," said the scout IF IL 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 foxtail
grass, which bent by the wind, scoop out
the sand in the manner you see
The indentation in the sand was care
fully examined and the scout was right
PURSUIT OF Apache Kid.
When the murderous Apache Kid was
hunted along the boundary between the
United States and Mexico few years ago
a detachment Of cavalry that had trailed
the fugitives across the San Simon valley
to the Pedregrosa mountains came TO an
area several mixes square of rock forma-
ton. If the soldiers had Scruunized the
rock with magnifying glasses their I'M
practiced eyes would probably never have
discovered what course the Apache Kid
and his gang had taken across the finty
floor. The lieutenant and the sergeant
thought that the trail was at an end and
that they might as well turn back to Fort
Huachuca. But Jose Carallez, a famous
scout (since shot to death by an Apache
assassin was In the party, and, dismount-
ing, he walked slowly over the place where
the trail In the sand led up to the track.ess
granite ledge. He was an hour at the
work. The rest Of the party smoked and
looked on. He went over the rocks with
the care and nicely OF a botanist examiu-
ing a flower. He surveyed the canyon
mouth and resumed his studious walk over
the ledge
Come come; this way him go; him put
rags on him horse hoof, but him no fool
me-" drawled the scout at length.
Then on hand and knees he showed the
lieutenant how there was a train Of very
minutes particles of jute on the gray
rocky floor straight toward the mouth of
a distant canyon Ii was then as plain
TO the detachment as the MONDAY sun
that the fleeing Indians had muffied their
horses hoofs with gunnysacking so as 10
close at the rock the trailing after them.