St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-04-15

rler, glad that he was with such strong
big men'-vaguely glad that he lived
Cherub. the bloodhound, growled at tn,
wind and glared at the sea ard keI.
close to Shadows side. Wild Bill cud
died closely.
You have all read of transport nor
rors. Perhaps you have heard. too. o
the sufferings of the splendid trool
horses and about the troopers them
selves on voyage.
Where the air is scented with sag,
brush and the eyes smart with alkali
from the billiards. of Dakota and tn,
sun-baked plains of fTeNas-the cavalry
men.come. They are landsmen. The.
march through dust-clouds and rac'
when on board a rolling ship. Thei
bowed legs fit equally well to the bacl
of a mustang or a Wales, but they will
not adjust themselves to a swaying hur
ricane deck.
Twenty feet below the surface of thu
sea are the air-tight and cold storag'
compartments. Other compartments
where hundreds of hammocks ar,
swung in tiers are above this Whei
the matches are closed this second decl
is also air-fight. Here 600 cavalrymeI
sleep. \ sheet-iron flooring above then
forms the bottom Of the stables. and thu
steel-shod hoofs of the horses make ;
din for the ears of those below like tha
Of many boiler factories. Another tiel
Of horses. and then one sees the day
light and feels the ocean breeze.
Ten hours i'm the black hole would Kill
horses and some people of olden times
but ii only gives headaches 10 -Ameri
can cavalrymen. Ii was sad. though. tt
watch the men trying to put nerve and
strength in the horses they loved-ths
dropping, dying troop horses. 1t was
very sad to see the animals hang theil
heads out into the draughtless passage
way. and distend wider their crimson
nostrils. Their eyes were filmy ano
opaque--very unnatural and pitiful
and their lower lips hung low and quiv
cred on the fourth day out.
Then the hoisting gear became very
busy, and men grew sick when they
heard the rattle of loosening chains and
so many loud splashes from the sea
below. Five days out. and there was
more room in the stables for the suf-
locating troop horses still on their feet
Their limbs were swollen now and stiff
The air in the stables was deathly an6
heavy.
another horse down." cries the sta
BILE guard, and the hosting gear creaks
again.
A strange. ugly mood possessed Cher
ub. the bloodhound. these days. He
refused food and was often heard
growing ominously. from dark places
He occasionally walked the upper deck
but was friend to no one excep,
Shadow. Long after taps. when all save
ship lights were out. and the cavalry
men swung and swel,ered in their ham.
mocks. Cherub was heard growing and
skulking about in the darkness. And
his eyes shone with a baleful glitter
Then Shadow would go to him, and for
a time Cherub would rest.
The dusky boy was sad. The senti-
ment had been torn from him and an
ugly wound was left behind. For the
men from the north Shadow would have
been a martyr. The others he feared
and tried bravely to serve.
shadows no good on dis ship" he
said on the morning of the fifth day
I'VE hated-can't do right-pussy'
toms cross an Cherub's crazy sick
ought to be back-wiv' the niggers."
Many sob with the preceding made
it almost incoherent. 1t was no morbid
melancholy, but helpless. hopeless
expression of grief. No man would
have smiled had he been present-pooI
little heart-broken Shadow!
Even as was thinking of men. black
ard white. and souls unsullied. my ears
were filled with the roar of brute. II
came from the deck below. There was
hideous and fear-inspiring
about 1t. I never heard such sound
Chcrub never made such sound be-
fore. Yet I knew it came from his
throat.
The cavalrymen lounging and laugh
ing upon deck stood erect now and felt
for the six-shooters in their belts. But
the weapons were all stacked below in
the hammock compartment by special
order. Again was heard the cry of a
tortured beast. Shadow moved toward
the sound very slowly. Soldiers and
sailors were running and shouting on
the deck below.
'.Cherub is mad! Shoot the brute.
Look out up there" All these words
we heard. Then Cherub dashed up the
His chain dragged be-
hind His fangs were horrible to see.
A sailor in his way was thrown over,
and to-day there is an ugly scar on his
throat Others were bitten. Shadow
was speaking in a low voice. We could
not understand. The bloodhound and
the boy were close together. We. who
were watching. shuddered. Slowly.
dark hand moved out and
graspsd the chain. The red. flashing
ofpS AONSlVo
ow's gaze. We hoped no more when the
bloodhound growled.
Without haste. seemingly. the dark
hand holding the chain moved toward
the halyards. The fingers worked
swiftly for moment. but how long it
seemed TO us.
Then like a flash Shadow was beyond
the length of the chain, and laughing
like one whose nerve is gone. Cherub
beat his body upon the deck and upon
the halyards.
We were in the tropics where there is
TO cure for canine madness; Cherub
did not roar or suffer long. and for him
who loved all things small and
great, wept long.
But out of that grief there came to
the heart of the little dusky boy JOY
sweet and lasting. for somehow the
men from the south who stood upon the
hurricane deck that day forgot pride
and prejudice.
And now the troop is securing the
hills of Porto Rico-peering
into caves and searching lonely high
land shacks-for Spaniards who were
once soldiers and now guerrillas.
Shadow is with them. and there is