The National tribune., 1902-12-04

dering to us their quarters, which consisted
| of comfortable huts constructed by them
selves of stones, boards, cactus sticks, mes
quite branches, etc, and more or less fam
cifully furnished with articles of their own
handicraft. One of them gave me we'll
| filed wooden mattress which outlasted my
| term of service.
The New Mexican Volunteers remained
there for several days longer, during which
our Drum Major, Dewitt. so as not to lose
his job and rank, took their two buglers in
hand, making the attempt to teach them
the bugle calls. For this undertaking the
commanding officer assigned to them a
small canyon at safe distance, whence
our eardrums could not be penetrated nor
our nervous systems endangered. From the
! time that we had reached the Pima vii
lagos, and principally during our stay at
Tucson, quite number of our men had en-
| ticed stray dogs away from their habitats
land brought them to Bowie, where the New
| Mexican Volunteers already We're the
proud owners of n canine contingent as re-
markable for breed and color as for ugli-
ness and utter worthlessness. After Il few
days practice with our OWN two drummer
| boys and the aforesaid bugleS, orr Drum
Major announced to Maj. Brown that he
could now undertake to perform with his
| band n creditable Retreat" at the close of
| the usual sunset dress parade. We were
naturally all very much interested il; the
matter. and therefore anxious to witness
the performance. As soon as the parade
came TO parade rest the music started
to beat and blow the Retreat" but, alas,
it never finished it. for as soon as the
| bugles started, giving forth sounds that
seemed to come from the subterranean
caverns of the damned all the dogs i'll the
| immediate vicinity, to the number of about
| 30, squatted on their launches and broke
| forth i'm the most hcart-rendng hOwings.
| Tho ocbp of tbair lntxic poypinD hack 81
| fold from the surrounding hills, combined
| with the accompaniment from the dogs,
| taken up to as far Il distance as the most
| remote CANNES could hear, made up a
veritable pandemonium. Oh, it was grand !,
The commanding officer turned purple with
fury, while we all laughed till our sides
ached. For n moment / thought that Maj.
Brown would throw his sword at the
Drum-Major, or strange him, or some
thing.
That dress parade had two immediate
results: in the first place, the drum corps
was disbanded and the Drum Major reie-
gated to the ranks, where he did his duty
as private hencefortl, until-but we will
come to that later. In the second place,
great slaughter of all the dogs, except
two valuable hunting dogs and fine mas
tiff, was put into effect by detail of men
selected for their craftsmanship.
The officers quarters and stOreroOms of
the a. y. Nj. and a. T.. L. being found III
leaking ana Otherwise unsatisfactory con.
dition, was placed III charge OF detail
consisting of ID men, accompanied by three
six-mule teams, for the purpose of cutting
and hauling some pine tinbers from the
neighbOring mountains. The Wagon Mas
ter, who had come with US all the way
from W llmIngtOn, had charge or the teams
and he relieved the tedium of the road by
relating many stories incident TO the ear
hest days OF Callforiia, 1. e., the discovery
OF gold and Its immediate results. The DIS
lance to the timber camp was about 80
miles, and we took with us three days "a
tlohs; we were, however, not aDie 10 ac
compllsh our task, although the men ana
transfers worked faithfully, until the
fourth day, while we needed one and a
haif days more Tor our return TRIP with
the heaviiy-ioaded wagons. VI course,
when the rations were exhausted hunger
set III; but fortunately, the Mexican vol.
lnteers which. L had with me discovered
on tie borders OF mountain creek or riv.
liiet weed, which they called queiite,
and which they knew TO be edible. We
gathered and cooked few camp kettles
full OF 1t, found 1t quite palatable, and ap-
peased Herewith the worst pangs OF hun
ger.
CocHIsE.
Near tie fort we were shown by this
wagon Master. Mr. Kate, what was gen
orally considered historic spot in those
regions, as it was supposed to be the spot
upon which had stood the tent whence the
famous and willy Apache Chief made good
his escape IN 1898, after being captured
by our troops during raid instituted to
punish him for the murder of two team
sters, whom he was said to have put to
death by fire on a. projecting, inaccessible
rock from our side in full view, but at
a safe distance from, scouting party. 1t
was related that during the night Cochise
him and with knife he carried hidden in
his buckskin leggings, ripped open the rear
of the tent while the sentry in front failed
to observe his escape until the following