The National tribune., 1901-07-18
ROUGH RIDING.
from first page,

it seems to be their natural condition
and eat heartily of everything they can
get that is eatable, and a great many
things that nice folks would not consider
''ht for a hog to eat" Bet nothing
phazes the average soldier; when he
hasn't anything cooked he makes a hearty
meal on raw bacon, hardtack and water.
Nowadays it is considered imprudent-
even dangerous-to eat any kind of hog
meat that is not thoroughly cooked, on
account of the danger of contracting that
horrible, incursble disease, called ''trich-
inosis," which comes from diseased pork i;
but this maiady was certainly unknown in
those days-at least, L never heard then
of it, and never heard OF a soldier con-
tracing any disease from eating raw
pork, though we often ate heartily of 1t.
A JOKE ON HAGAN.
As ! have before stated, Pat Hagan,
the gambler had a peculiar weakness, an
uncomfortable horror of hostile Indians.
At camp on Rabbit Ear Greek one even
ing our tents were pitched facing q little
grove of trees with a thick underground
of bushes, through which ran the little
creek.
As | was sitting on my blankets near
the tent door L noticed Pat start down Il
path through the bushes just in front of
me with camp kettle in his hand, evil
IDENTIFY going for water for the cook; and
as he peered cautiously into the thick un-
derbruSh on each side of him, seeming to
expect an Indian to spring upon him at
every step, l could not resist the tempta-
ton to play joke on him; so, picking
up a small boulder that lay near, and
waiting till he had stopped down to dip
up his kettle OF water, / sent it rushing
down the hill through the bushes right
alongside of him. 1t had the expected eff
feet.
Pats Imagination, already strained to
the highest degree, magnitied the noise
made by the rushing stone into a real
bloodthirsty savage reaching out for his
scalp; and with wild yell ne dropped
the camp kettle and came scrambling up
the bank, yelling at every jump, Indians!
Indians! HelPl Helpp' swearing as he
reached the tents that an Indian had ac-
tually had hold of him, and that he had
shaken him off and made his escape.
The boys all rushed out with carbines
and pistols, and soon surrounded the little
grove, determined that the Indians, one
of whom Pat was SO sure he had both
seen and felt, should not get away.
being the only one who knew the &C
tual state of affairs, fell back on my
blankets, convulsed with laughter. One of
the men, CHANGING to pass the tent door
and noticing my hilarity, demanded the
soon as | could control myself sufficiently
to explain, he called out to the others,
Come back, boys; it's only joke Peck s
been playing on Pat" and they soon re-
turned to camp.
But it was hard to persuade Pat that
he had not been attacked by real ''hos-
tile" The boys all voted that as a pun
ishment for causing false alarm, should
be sentenced to carry all the water for the
nt I
PATS relief, who still halfway believed
there was an Indian in that thicket.
AS we advanced on the plains we found
the snow about two feet deep ON the level
and sometimes four or five deep in drifts
Our mules suffered for want of trough
ness" having had no hay since leaving
Fort Union, the snow covering all the
dead grass, which is the usual substitute
for hay on the plains.
When we happened to camp near tim
Der or bushes, which are rarely found on
this route, we would cut down small trees
or brush for them to browse on. They are
very fond of cottonwood bark, and viii
gnaw it off the trees and eat it with avid
ity, as also the twigs and small branches.
SIGNS OF THE KIowAs.
Shortly after reaching the Cimarron
River, and while travelling down it, our
spiral smokes rising away to the north
west near a body of timber. This we
knew must be an Indian village, probably
the Winter camp Of our enemies, the
Kiowas.
The smokes were so distinct that we
imagined we could almost see the tops of
their lodges, and the camp was probably
about 10 or II miles away, to our left and
rear northwest.
While looking in the direction of the
supposed Indian village we noticed
single mounted man riding toward us as
rapidly as he could travel through the
snow. We halted a little while to wait
for him. He proved to be big buck In
dian, and from certain indications of fea-
lures, dress and equipments we were
pretty sure he was Kiowa, though he
claimed to be Comanche.
He wanted to trade for some cartridges
for Colts Navy revolver, which he had
strapped around his waist; just such
pistol as the ones we carried. He knew
that it would not be healthy for him to
being a Kiowa, and that we
would never sell or trade cartridges to an
enemy; but if he could pass himself on US
for Comanche, with which tribe we were
at peace, he would be safe, and might eff
feet trade.
TELL-TALE TRINKET,
He first showed some silver coins, which
he offered in exchange for the desired am
and this failing he produced
from within his blanket a gold locket-
one of those old-fashioned trinkets usually
used to contain the portraits of man and
wife-and opening the case, sure enough
there was the ambrotype of man on the
one side and a woman on the other, prob
ably man and wife.
Here was puzzle.
How had this Indian come into posses
sion of a gold locket containing the pic
lures of white man and his wife? 1t
was quickly solved, however, for as soon
as Cronly laid eyes on the pictures he ex-
claimed to ne in an undertone:
by -, it's the man and woman we
buried down on the Arkansas, that was
by the Kiowas a few weeks
ago.
And calling my attention to that pecu-
liar facial blemish known as 'hare lip,"
which marked the woman's features, he
declared he would know her by that.
He had previously told me, when re-
lating the finding OF the murdered family,
that the woman was so marked.
The Indian seemed little uneasy at
our apparent interest In the locket, but
to keep from alarming him we suppressed
our excitement and talked in low tones |
Some of the men, to distract his atten-
ton, pretended to want to trade him some
for q buffalo robe which he |
had wrapped around him, and as he |
keenly anxious to obtain the am
he readily entered into negotia- |
tions.
While this wps going on CropIv and 7 |