Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-04-02
THE CARS 0UTP0STS
Life Of Officers Stationed In
Russian Asia.
FULL CT ADVENTURE AND PERIL.

FULL UE ADVENTURE AND PERIL.
Chief Occupations of the Officers
Consist In Hunting 3risnnds.
Fighting wolves and Wasins
Small Wars Against UnruIy Ma
tfves-Despite RigOrs of Climate
and Their Lonely Life, Social
Amenities Are Not Neglected.
There are no soldiers in the world
who get finer training for the rough
game of war than the cars officers
who are scattered over thousands of
lonely outposts throughout Russian
Asia, says a writer in the New York
Post Siberia, the Caucasus, central
Asia and Manchuria are four vast
training grounds for the cars legiOns.
The number of garrisons, large and
small, distributed over those immense
territories runs well into the thou
sands. At some important points, like
Irkutsk, Khiva, Blagovechesk, Pc
trovsk. Hardin and Askabad, large
bodies of troops are kept, and the life
of the officers and men is much like
that Of soldiers in other military posts.
1t is at the small posts. where a couple
of officers and fifty or a hundred men
are stationed, that adventures occur
almost as regularly as the rising and
the setting Of the sun, and It is there
that the finest training is gained.
Imagine a remote outpost in the cen
ter OF Il desolate steppe. where the mo-
,,f ~ nd nd IL
for several days journey save by the
skeletons of horses. camels and men
who have persisted in trying to cross
il, or in the midst OF a dense forest
thickly clad in ice and snow for tie
greater part OF the year and haunted
by hOcks OF ravenOus wolves and still
fiercer men-cOnvicts escaped from the
lead mines, who would dare any dan
ger and commit any crime rather than
return To the chain gang and the lnout.
1t is tie sport of the officers at the
outpost to Stay the wolves. though the
quarry. numerous and starved, is more
terrible than the fiercest Bengal tiger.
1t is their duty to track down the es-
capped convicts and their pride to try
to capture them single handed with
out the help OF their men.
The lonely, adventurous life they
lead makes daredevils OF even the
Quictest of these men. l knew lieu
tenant who commanded at a remote
post on the banks OF the Amur. He
was n student at the military academy
with me and a quieter, more studiOuS
fellow could hardly be imagined. he
could seldom be induced to join in the
field sports and athletic exercises.
Years afterward | visited him ut his
outpost ami found him a changed man.
The dreamy look had gone from his
face; he had the eye of n leader Of
men. the eye of the man who had look
ed death in the face Il hundred times
without finching. There were hardly
n dozen books in his quarters, but
there were plenty of guns. saddles,
fishing rods and hunting knives.
After dinner, as we sat over our
cigars and vodka, we heard the howl
ing OF Il great pack OF wolves in the
forest which struggled to within half
n mile of the post. My host had beer
interested in my light chatter about
old friends in st. Petersburg and Nc $
COW, but when he heard the woly IS
he became strangely excited and could
hardly listen to what I was saying. At
last he rose and said, It's no food,
my friend: ! cannot resist. / mist go
TO them And lie shouted TO bis serv-
ant to harness the dogs TO his sleigh.
Are you madE" l cried. surely
YOU are not going out TO the W Olives in
the forestF'
Il can't help it," he replied in the
most matter of fact tone. Whenever
] hear them howllng it seems TO me
challenge. and every nerve in my body
is on edge 10 respond. Last winter
they killed my best sergeant, and since
then l have gone out 10 kill Il few Of
them whenever l have heard them
bowling like this at night. Pardon my