Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-11-19
DAILY SHORT STORY
A SCOUTS FEAT.
lOriEinal.l

where powder and ball We're of more
Importance than bread and meat. / was
as familiar with firearms as most men
are with what they get TO eat. Besides
| this familiarity. l had a natural apti-
tude for quick and straight shooting.
1t has always been Il mystery to NE
why soldiers are trained to everything
except craftsmanship. But they are
getting more of that nowadays.
When General Zachary Taylor was
on the Rio Grande / was with him as
one OF his scouts. While Scott. who
had landed at Vera Cruz. was fighting
his way TO the City of Mexico he sent
up TO Taylor for re-enforcements. They
were to be furnished, and / was sent
ahead to give notice of their coming.
carried dispatches from Taylor to
Scott, was not in uniform and IL cap
tured would have been garroted or
shot by the Mexicans for spy. made
the most of my journey safely, when 1
was caught in trap.
Il reached a point within ten miles
Of SCOTS lines at nightfall and. fearful
of losing my way in the dark. conclud-
ed TO lie down where / was and wait
till morning. had crossed Il stream. one
of the tributaries 10 the Rio Grande
and bivouacked on knoll on the
south bank. having picketed my horse
below. / didn't light fire but just
lay down on the grass. with the stock
Of my rifle in my right hand. the same
rifle / had used for years and which
considered part of me.
1T was broad daylight when
awoke. i had slept soundly and posi-
bly, might not have awakened when
did had il not been for the sound of
voice. Turning my head without
rising. l saw five MeXicans riding sin
gle Tile on the opposite shore for the
ford by which 1 had crossed. There
was no doubt about their being Next
cans, for they wore sornbreros. jackets
and slashed trousers. with no end of
tligree and jingling spurs. Besides.
they We're talking in the Mexican jar
gon. which l could partly understand.
Il cast my eyes about Inc quickly TO
take in the situation and was Mortified
to see that if ! escaped il must he over
open ground. / knew my horse. who
had come n long distance, wasn't up
to the work. and there seemed nothing
for it but either to give myself up or
fight the five men. The war proved,
especially at Buena Vista, that one
United States man was worth four
Mexicans, and with my craftsmanship
i thought L ought 10 be worth five. At
any rate. l determined to try ii. If l
could kill one or two of them by rapid
firing / hoped the others would run.
There's no telling what surprised
men Will do. These men didn't d. as
l expected at all. l waited till they
had got into the ford, for / knew that
men crossing q stream would be more
disconnected than when on dry land.
AS soon as they We're all wading il
water up to the bellies of their horses
l aimed at the first mans head and
fired. He pitched forward into the
river. His horse stopped. thus block
ing the ford. The remaining MeXicanS
for q moment did not seem TO know
what to do. Those were days when
rifle once discharged must be loaded
again. and the same was true of pistols.
had two pistols IN my saddle holsters
big fellows-and one at each hip. OF
course when picketed my horse 1 kept
all my arms about me. In six seconds
after my rifle cracked a pistol shot
brought down the second Mexican. He
slid out Of his saddle backward, de-
moralizing the man behind him, who
seemed to realize that his turn was
next. and 1T paralyZed him. At any
rate. he sat rigid to be shot at, though
the man behind him began to try to
turn his horse about. 1 dropped the
third man with the same certainty as
had dropped the others, for you see
there were five MeXicans. and l had
only five shots without reloading. So
1 couldn't afford to waste any bullets.
The fourth mans way backward
was blocked by the fifth, who was too
badly frightened to stir. But before
could fire again both men dropped
from their horses into the water. and
both made for the shore. Somehow
they got behind their horses, and /
couldn't get a bead on them, and, get
ting under an overhanging tree shield
ed by the branches. they gained the
shore. However. one of them was
instant, and I dropped him.
This left one Mexican. whose arms
had doubtless been soaked, and three
horses that had come over 10 me. 1
knew enough Spanish to call out to
the fifth man 70 surrender Cfor ! want
ed a guide for the rest Of my Journey,
which he gladly did. and when I had
seen him deposit his arms on the
ground / ordered him to catch the re-
naming horses. mount one and lead
the other across.
HE did so, and / now had my guide
and FIVE horses TO pick from TO take me
on. The Mexican had holy horror
OF a man who had killed his four COM
panions. and had no trouble whatever
in securing his services. Indeed. /
told him that before l was captured
I would send him 10 rejoin his friends.
and this made him especially careful
that I ShnrIfI avoid his arutrr-rran