The times., 1900-12-30
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condition strikes one as somewhat naive.
As for myself, with bullet in my right thigh,
my lett leg broken below the knee, and an IN
convenient scalp wound that gave intense
headache. II all | could do to pull myself
together and set about getting out of the danger
Gus position into which l had led my com
nand. had abundance of ammunition and
still twenty eight fairly sound men, and at a
pinch all but six seven OF the wounded could
also take a hand il required in hot fight.
had little TO fear that the Indians would again
assault works, and | knew that water with
III entertainments could be had for the
digging. The dead horses and mules would fur
nish food for come days. if we could keep
the meat from putreiying.
This situation strikes the mere civilian
as enc desperate enough for one of Rider
Eaggards crises, but in this case the
crisis happens to have been fact. The
way in which the piucky commander got
his men out of their fearful predicament
was by sending scouts, TWO at a time, to
steal through The enenys lines and bring
help from the nearest fort. ab. ut h IN
dred miles away. The very slim chance
that some of these emissarics would get
through without being scslped prov ed
worth taking, and on the ninth day af,er
the first attack Of the Indians Il troop of
the Tenth Cavalry appeared on The scene,
and the troubles of the little hand were
over, so far as danger from redskins was
concerned.
The second story describes an Apache
raid made in 1852. and the expedition sent
against the White Mountain Ap2ches. he
third deals with Sheridans ride, and the
fourth with the surrender at Appomat-
tox, of which General Forsyth was a wit
ness. The latter incidents are already
well known to readers OF history but per-
sonal testimony is always worth having.
tNew York: Harper & Bros. s15o.)
A second book by General Forsyth is
''The Story of the Soldier" illustrated,
like its companion, by Zogbaum 1t is the
latest volume in the Story of the West
series, and like others of the series. is
particularly we'll adapted for boys read
ing. In this will also be found the story
of the fight on the Arickaree, together with
the story of every important Indian cam
paign which has taken place in the West,
and detailed description of the life and
duties of the enlisted man and the officer
of the Regular Army. 1t is interesting to
note that General Forsyth speaks with un-
qualified disapproyal of the attempt to
abolish the canteen. He is perfectly re-
spectful and considerate toward the mis-
guided people who are at the back of the
agitation, but for the agitation itself he
has no respect whatever. He believes that
the abolition of the canteen means de-
moraliZation for the men, and he Illus
trates this argument by some bits of per-
sonal experience. During the Hayes Ad-
ministration the sale of liquor at the suit
ler's store was forbidden, and the result
was that in about three months little
shacks. known as hog ranches began 10
make their appearance just outside of the
reservations. In these, whisky was sold,
and gambling dens and other dens of an
even worse nature were to be found. The
result was that a considerable percentage
of the men began to suffeI. from infectious
diseases and dissipation. General Forsyth
determined to try an experiment He sent
to Kentucky for three barrels of good
whisky, and instructed the post trader to
sell 1t. Two men were punished for drunk
enness in the first ten days thereafter, and
that was all. The hog ranches vanished
in less than five months; and the post
trader reported scme time afterward that
the men bought hardly any whisky, pre-
ferring beer. They had simply resented
the restriction Of their liberty, in the first
place, and having risked getting into trou-
bic fer the sake OF their drink of whisky,
had succumbed TO other temptations and
made night of it." This is the actual
experience Of one army officer. and il ought
TO have some weight with sensible people.
(New York: d. Appleton G. Co. $1.50)