New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-25

TO sex. whether they were fleeing from pursuers
or were going to new hunting ground
LIKE A HOUND ON THE TRAIL.
Some Of the most expert Indian scouts have
even been astute enough to distinguish from
the character OF smoke that ascends from
camp fire ten and more miles distant whether
the campers whites or Indians. General
Miles used To have Pima scout in the cam
paign Of 1880 against Geronimo and Cochise who
could pretty accurately tell from gazing al the
smoke through glass whether the fire In dis
tant camp had been kindled for long OF snort
time The same scout once led a detachment Or
soldiers across the twenty mile desert valley AZ
what is now the settlement Of Dos CabeZos. IN
Southeastern Arizona and thence into the ORA
COON Mountains. where he found week-old
trail OF dozen fugitive Apaches among the
granite, yet the troopers saw not the least ihdl-
cation that any human being had been that way
in years.
For five days the Pima scout scented the tran
like a hound He led the soldiers through ra-
vines among thorny cacti and chaparral. anna
miles of powders over sun baked hills and along
the foot Of bald mountains. All this time ne sell
dom spoke He kept his eyes constantly pussy.
and occasionally he motioned TO his fo1oW"rs
as il TO point out that he was following the right
trail. At last noon he suddenly stopped ms
horse motiOned to his followers to get th"h
W. apons ready and to dsmount. Then the lnd-
ian scout crawled for half hour on his hands
and knees over the hard brown earth. scrutlhz-
ing the soil for footprints He went PACK 10
Lieutenant COwles, in command or the detach-
camp less than a mile away. Then he guided
the soldiers and horses slowly and silently up
the foothillr and when the men had pcketed their
horses and crawed to the brow or the NIL th"y
saw the trailed Apaches in camp down IN the
valley on the other side Of the hill.
one OF the difficult things to determine Is the
age of trail If the track is very fresh IL VIII
show moisture where the earth is turned up.
should rain have fallen the edges will be less
clear, and will be washed down somewhat. me
scout can tell by a glance what tribe OF lnd-
ians had made given trail It's age ana very
particular about il as truthfully as though he
had himself seen the cavalcade pass. Out TINS
comes after years Of observation and familiarity
with the customs and dress Of the several tribes
Major Robinson u. 5. A retred). OF Pomona
Cal SAYS that once while going with veteran
scout and p guard to Fort Bowie TO pay the
soldiers he stopped his horse and pointed TO
we-defined bear track in the dry sand OF the
desert The scout gazed at IT moment anu
said: mo that's no bear track.
We'll. IL ever bear track. and I've
seen thousands of them. that's one
Cant help it. Major. but that's no bear
track"
Quickly alighting. the Major pointed out the
heel and toes u the track as clearly defined al II
made a few minutes before.
We'll" said the scout, IF it does look like
bears track still it isn't one The marks you
imagine to be the heels and toes are made by
those spires Of fOXta grass, which. bent by the
wind scoop out the sand in the manner you see.
The indentatOn in the sand was carefuIly eA-
amined and the scout was right.
THE SKILL OF CARALLEZ
When the murderous Apache Kid was hunted
along the boundary between the United states
and Mexico a few years ago a detachment Oh
cavalry that had traed the fugitiNes across the
San Simon Valley TO the PedregOsa Mountains
came 10 an area several miles square Of rock
formation. II the soldiers had scrutnZed that
rock with magnifying glasses their unpractised
eyes would probably never have discovered what
course the Apache Kid and his gang had taken
across that flinty floor. The lieutenant and the
sergeant thought that the trail was at an emo
and that they might as we'll turn back to Fort
Huachuca But Jose CaralleZ. a famous scout
(snce shot to death by an Apache assassin, was
in the party. and. dismountng. he walked slowly
over the place where the trail IN the sand lea
up to the trackless granite ledge. He was an
hour at the work The rest of the party smoked
q nd looked on He went over the rocks with the
care and nicely Of a botanist examining a flower
He surveyed the canyon mouth and resumed his
gtudious walk 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 hands and knees he showed the lieu
tenant how there train OF very minute
particles Of lutte on the gray. rocky floor straight
toward the mouth of a distant canyon. IL WAS
then as plain to the detachment as the MONDAY
sun that the fleeing Indians had muffed the@
horses hOofs with gunnysacking so as 10 close AT
the rock the trailing after them. The chase
after the Apache Kid renewed. but again
he escaped across the border line into Sonora,
Mexico. and there the United states SoiulerS nau
to stop.
In the grass trail can be seen for a long
time as the blades will be bent in the direction
followed by the party. ana even after II has re-
covered its natural position an expert trailer VIII
detect a slight difference in the color of the
grass that has been stepped on and that grow
ing around it. So the appearance OF the tracks
will also show him the gait at which the party
was travelling. ard he thus knows how to regu-
late his pace to Overtake the party. There are
stories among the garrisons Of how such scouts