The National tribune., 1901-11-07

QlStanCes
Dunno nothing crbout miles"
Can we get there before nightE'
We'll, | reckon you can cf yer ar good
and sound on yer pins. / rid my mare
Moll to the creek after a hOss-thief onst
in less time than it takes to skin a yellcr
dorg.'
SO you don't know just how far it is:''
NO, but ef yer keep on yer will git
there; | reckon it's erbOut three times as
far as yer can see and little more. And
with that he was off.
We looked out over the praiTicS, and ac-
cor,ling to what this man told us we con
clUded that we had good many miles
b, fore we could camp, but we came to
the creek in good time before dark. We
were then getting beyond the settlements.
and it became dark early, on account of
smoke. Next morning as We started on
the march the Wagon Master rode past
us on n mule and said, Boys, those of
you who have never seen n prairIe-hre
VIII get n chance TO see one till about
day after tomorrow and such proved to
be the case. This night we campcd on
what was called Cabin Creek. The creek
at the ford or crossing had been fortified;
long stockadc and rifie-pits We're there,
and we were told afterwards that
bloody fight took place there between
Texas and Kansas soldiers during the civil
war The next morning we were told to
ne sure 10 III our tdnttetS. as we NOuii
not find water before night.
Tie reader may wish to know of what
kind of stuff the army was then made. In
cur squadron every State in the Union
was represented, except the Southern
States, as well as many countries in
Europe. As to characters we had them,
from the plain gentleman down to the
chicken-thef. About half of the squad
ron was composed of veterans of the
civil nj Il old Rpvul0rs
to the frontier for being habtual drunk
ards. We had pick pockets, gamblers, lit
tie thieves, big thieves, tramps, buns, cor
ner loafers, and most all kind of hard
cases. 1t was jolly crowd after we
got thoroughly acquainted with each other.
The night we camped on Cabin Creek
the Lieutenant ordered the guards to tie
John Il. George up by the thumbs for re-
fusing to get wood and build ire in
front of the Licutcnants tent; but he was
not tied up three minutes before Harry
Fisher cut him loose and threatened to
knock the face off the Lieutenant if he
did not go to his tent. The man tied mp
was from Pittsburg, and had served in
some Pennsylvania artillery regiment dur
ing the war. He was Il good fellow, but
deserted after being with us for about
one year.
After a good nights rest, when we
would start on the march. all kinds of
songs could be heard. A tall young fel-
low whose name | have forgotten was
leader Of the choir While marching one
morning he pulled an old book from his
pocket and said: Brethren. this morn
ing we will start our exercises by singing
Hymn No. -. | will read the first verse
then all join in singing | can remcm-
Der the first two lines were rs follows:
There were three crows sat on tree
They were as black as crows could be-
After singing it a few mornings most Of
the boys learned the tune, and we would
make the prairie ring with the song. The
Lieutenant would sCOld at us, and tried
to make us shut up. but it was no good.
Everybody marched as he pleased; we
kept no formation of any kind on the
march. Another song ran as follows:
Farewell, sweet Mary, | bid you adieu;
am ruined forever for the loving of
you;
I'll eat when I'm hungry and drink
II the Indians don't get me III live till
/ die"
After we would march a few miles in
the dust the songs would be heard no
more that day. Starting from Cabin
Creek, our canteens flied with warm
water, we experienced the hardest march
in all that trip south We could see moth
ing but smoke in the morning. About
noon the wind began to blow from tie
northwest, that soon took the smoke away.
Then we saw thousands of cattle. They
seemed to know the fire was approach
ing, and were travelling north. Toward
evening we saw hundreds of prairie chick
ems and some wild turkeys, and gray
wolves were seen running i'll all directions.
The roads were dry and dusty, and the
water i'll the canteens gave out long be
fore night, but still we hObbled along. \
great many played out and lay down un-
til the wagon train came along; soon the
wagons were filled. We kept on, and To-.
sight of the wagons. ON and on we went
everybody worn out, hardly word spoken
except TO curse the country and every
thing in it.
We kept on until long after sundown, it
being Il bright moonlight night. At last
the guide turned to the left through the
grass, as high as a man. Half Il mile
farther we came to q lake of three or
four acres. We ran down the bank to
the water like cattle, and drank as though
we could not get enough. After coming
up the bank of the lake we trampled down
the tall grass and lay down, completely
worn out. and | soon fell asleep. | did
not awake till my old partner, Elias
Leader, shook me and said: Come, get
up; the teams are i'll and supper is ready"
-Four men did the cooking they rode in
the wagons and did not march with u.s.
After eating some bean soup and hard
tack | felt better, although my feet were
sore and | was so stiff | could hardly
walk. \ machine fixed TO one of the
wagons showed the distance the wagon
Travelled in a day, or from the time of
starting to the time it stopped to camp,
and after this wagon came TO camp the
Wagon Master looked, and it had regis
tered III miles.
Next morning we did not march till
about 9 o'clock. After breakfast some
of the boys went to the lower end of the
lake to take a bath. When they got in
Il little ways from the shore one stepped
on something. The water was about two
feet deep. He reached down, picked it
up, and when he brought it above the
water ii was Il human skull. Someone
was killed" he said, 'and his body thrown
in here but soon another skull was
brought TO the surface, and on going far
ther from the shore the bottom seemed
covered with skeletons-bones of human
arms, legs, ribs and skulls were thrown
out on the bank. The boys fired skulls
| at each other, and some used them as
| footballs. We took one Of the skulls to
the doctor who, after examining it, said
| it was the skull of a negro. An old Irish
soldier, n funny fellow, picked up one of
| the skulls. and holding it close to his
face, looking into the opening where the
| eyes had been, said "Ye must have been
n foine choild afore yer wint in here to
| take shwim. "A. STEPP, HerndOn, Pa