The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-03
THE WESTERNERS
BY STEWART EDWARD WHITE.
Copyrighted by Mcclure, Phillips & Co.

took form. This was the reason why,
when finally the formation of a genu-
inc train was, undertaken by three Of
the specialists known as scouts, MiChail
| LafOnd was one of the earliest to know
| of it. and one of the first to apply for
/ admission. He owned four strong little
horses of mustang stock, and a light
/ two-wheeled wagon of the bob-tailed
type Most of his life had been spent
in the great Northern wilderness. He
| was expert in his own kind of wood
! craft accustomed to hardships, and
! good shot. In every respect he knew
himself fitted to become a member of
such an expedition as the present. He
| had no doubt of his acceptance. When
he realized that at last his waiting was
, ended, he saddled one of his horses,
| and rode three miles out on the lonely
| prairie where he jumped up and down,
| shook his fists in the air, and scream
| ed with delight. This was the half
| breed of it, ImpaSsibility may be stu
| pid or intensely nervous. Then, all
| a-tremble, he rode back to where the
three specialists in question were camp
| ed, just on the border of the town,
and pronered his formal application.
The three to whom he addressed him
| self were practically at the head of
! their profession. 1t was not a pro-
| fession of easy access, but one of which
| ship gave admittance. Its members
We're men who had lived their lives on
| the frontier. either as express riders,
| hunters, trappers, army scouts, or as
members of the Indian tribes them
| selves. They were a hardy, bold, self
reliant race, equal to all emergencies
and eXacting from the men in their
| charges the most implicit obedience.
| To their wonderful resourcefulness is
due the fact that so many compare
lively weak forces were enabled to
| penetrate in safety a hostile country
teeming with the most treacherous and
willy foes.
As with all crafts, they had their big
| men-the masters. as it were-whose
deeds they emulated, whose feats of
skill and divination they spoke of with
awe, whose names they wOrshipped. OF
such We're Kit Carson. Wild Bill, Jim
Clarke. Buffalo Bill. Slade and the
three men with whom we have to deal
Jim Buckley Alfred and Billy
| Knapp.
Killy Knapp was dark, broad-shoul-
dered, long-haired, wearing a bristly
mustache and goatee. stranger
might have remarked his frowning,
beetling brow with a little uneasiness,
but would have taken heart from the
energetic kindness of the eyes be
meath. In fact, eager, autocratic en-
ergy was the dominant note in Billys
| character. He succeeded because this
energy carried him through-with some
to spare.
Jim Buckley was also tall and large,
| but he gave one less the idea of nerv-
/ Gus force than of a certain static pow
er. He was a mass which moved SLOW
! ~, but irresistibly. His seal-brown
beard, his broad forehead the distance
between his wide. steady eyes strength
ened this impression. One felt that his
decisions would be hardly come at, but
stubbornly held. Success was -inevita-
BILE but it would be the result of slow
| thinking, deep purpose. and quiet
| tenacity of grip that never let go.
AS for Alfred-every body has heard
| of him. His place in the annals of
| the West is assured, and his peculiafi-
' ties of person and character have been
I many times described. Surely no one
! is unfamiliar with his short, handy
/ legs his narrow slopipg little Shout
! ders, his contracted chest, his queer
| pink and white face, with it's bashful
| smile, his high bald head. Everybody
| knows his fear Of women. Everybody
knows. too, that he never had an opin-
! ion of his own on any subject. His
! speciality was making the best of other
| peoples. no mater how bad they We're;
! and competent judges say he could ac-
| complish a more gloriously perfect best
| out of some tenderfoot's fool notion
! than another man with the advice OF
| experts. Some people even maintained
! that Alfred was the best scout the
| plains ever produced, only he was so
bashful that it took an expert to ap-
| preciate the fact.
When Lafond approached the camp
| of these men and threw himself from
his pony. he found only Jim Buckley,
sitting in the shade of one of his wag-
ons, smoking his pipe.
NIL FOL in
through thees summer" began the
half-breed abruptly. "Ah LAX to go
also"
Buckley looked his fnterlocutor over
keenly.
Yes" said he slowly, between puffs
| That's right. We aims to pull through,
but we don't aim to take no lumber
with us. You married."
Lafond shook his head. mo! MOI
No" he cried vehemently.
That's all right. Got any cattle?"
-Four horses"
That one of them?"
Yes
The scout arose, still with the same.
appearance of elaboration, and in
| spected the pony thoroughly, with the
eye and movements of an expert.
Others as good?" he inquired.
'Bettaire," assured Lafond.
''Wagon?" pursued the laconic Buck
ley.
"Bobtail" responded Lafond with.
equal brevity Though young, he al
ready possessed some shrewdness in
the reading of character.
Buckley sat down in the shade and
relit his pipe.
Where are you from?" he asked,
bluntly.
Ontario"
| "Woods?"
Yes"
Thought you wasn't no tenderfoot,
Ever hit the trail?"
| mot on those plains. In the woods
many times
I'VE amt takin' but damn few"
went on Buckley, dissertatively, land
them that goes has to be right on to
their job. No women; good cattle.
That's our motto. Reckon you-all fills
the bill. Cyan't tell. Got to ask the
others"
Lafond knew that this, from a man
of Buckley's stamp, was distinct en-
couragement. At the moment. the 9TH
er two members came up. Buckley, in
a few words, told them of the new
comer's desires and qualifications.
Billy looked him over briefly.
"Yo're a breed. amt yo'?" he inquir-
\ ed, with refreshing directness. "I
thought So" He turned to Buckley,
with the air of ignoring Lafond alto
gether. That bars him." he said with
a little laugh.
Hes got mighty good line of