Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-08-25

vast number OF minute facts In iaturc-
things that experienced naturalists wouio
not opserve-ars like an open volume 10
veteran scouts The twist OF turned lear
along q trail will be noted as showing
which way the last persons in that locaii-
ty went, and the height and location OF
the turned leaf show whether the person
was afoot or on horseback. The turned
pebbles denote by their color how Ions
they have been stirred from their beds
Of earth. and consequently how long eince
some one went that way. A scout lead
ing a body OF troops along a trail may
travel at a good jog and at the same time
observe signs-unobservable 10 the fol-
lowing-that the enemy has passed along
that way, and also the number on the
enemy Think of trailing q band OF In
dams among the Businesses OF mountain
range and telling from bent grass. turned
leaves. prints of horses hoofs, fnd the
area occupied at the camping spots the
number of persons there were III Tie
band: whether they were bucks OF
squaws. or mixed as 70 sex. whether they
were fleeing from pursuers. or were gong
to new hunting ground,
EXPERT IN THEIR CRAFT
Some of the most expert Indian scouts
have ever been astute enough TO olstlh-
guish from the character OF smoke tha1
ascends from q camp fire ten and more
miles distant whether the campers were
whites or Indians General Miles used
10 have a Pima scout in the campaign Oh
1850 against Geronimo and Cochise, VIM
could pretty accurately tell from gazing
at the smoke through a glass whether
the fire in a distant camp had been Eln-
died FOR a long or n short time. The
same scout once led a detachment OF sol
diers across the twenty mile desert val
ley, at what is now the settlement OF Dos
Cabezos. in Southeastern Arizona, and
hence into the Dragon mountains, whers
he found a week-old trail OF 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 tive days the Pima scout scented
the trail like a hound. lie led the sol
diers through rayines, among thorny
cacti and chapparal. amid miles OK
bow ;ders, over sun-baked hills. and along
tha foot Of bald mountains. All this time
he seldom spoke. He kept his eyes con-
stantly busy. and occasionally he motion
ed to his followers as II to point out that
he was following the right trail. At iast'
one noon, he suddenly 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. He went back 10 Lieutenant
Cowles. in command of the detachment,
and said softly that the Apaches were in
camp less than a mile away. Then he
guided the soldiers and horses slowly and
silently up the foothill and when the
men had picketed their horses and crawl
ed to the brow Of the hill they saw the
trailed Apaches in camp down in the val
ley on the other side of the hill.
SOME DIFFICULT PROBLEMS.
One of the difficult things to determine
Is the age of trail. If the track is very
fresh It 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
had made given trail, its age, and every
particular about II as truthfully as
though he had himself seen the cavalcade
pass, but this comes after years Of OBJ
servation and familiarity with the GUS
toms and dress of the several tribes.
Major Robinson, United States army IRE
tired, Of Pomona, Cal. says that once
while going with a veteran scout and
guard TO Fort Bowie to pay the soldiers,
he stopped his horse and pointed TO a
well-defned bear track In the dry sand
Of the desert. The scout gaZed at II a
moment and said: mo. that's no bear
track"
well If ! ever saw a bear track, and
I've seen thousands of them, that's one"
Cant help it, Major, but that's no bear
track"
Quickly aighting. the Major pointed out
the heel and toes Of the track, as clearly
defined as If made few minutes before.
We'll" said the scout, If IL does look
like bears track. still 1t 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.
TRATLED APACHE KID.
When the murderous Apache KID was
hunted along the boundary between the
United States and Mexico a few years
ago a detachment of cavalry that lad
trailed the fugitiyes across the San Simon
Valley TO the Pedregosa mountains came
10 an area several miles square II rock
formation. If the soldiers had scratlnize1
that rock with magnifying glasses their
Impractical eyes would probably never
have discovered what course the Apache
Kid and his gang had taken across that
hnty floor. The lieutenant and the SER
geant thought that the trail was at on
end. and that they might as we'll turn
back TO Fort Huachuca. But Jose Caral-
leZ, a famous scout (since shot to death
by an Apache assassin). va. In the party.
and dismounting. he walked Slowly over
the place where the trail i'm the sand led
up 10 the trackless 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 botanist examining a flower. He sur
veyed the canyon mouth and resumed his
studious walk over the ledge.
Come come; this way him go; him
put rags on him horse h0of. but him no
fool me-" drawed the scout at length
Then on hands and knees he showed
the Lieutenant how there was a train OF
very minute particles of jute on the
gray. rocky floor straight toward the
mouth of q distant canyon. II was then
az plain TO the detachment as the noon
day sun that the fleeing Indians had muf-
fed their horses hoofs with gunnysack-
ing 50 as TO close at the rock the trailing
after them. The chase after the Apache
Kid was renewed. but again he escaped
across the border line into Sonora, Mexi-
co, and there the United States soldiers
had 10 stop.
Too Much knife.