The San Francisco call., 1909-09-19


- 1000 miles away-a very ocean OF land,
silent linitless, awe inspiring.
The big, transcontinenta express thunder
ing along far way lost in the vastness OF It,
a sort OF helpless hopeless measuring worm seeking
the impossible Day after day prairie and
wheat fields, furze covered hills and barren sloughs
alternate in dreary succession from the window.
Now and then solitary houses drift by in the ofing
like solitary sails at sea- By night there's the north
star, telling OF the boundess north, with its noun
tains, lakes and ice fields trackless, soundless, my
terious, almost incomprehensble in
Picture yourself this half a continent of land and
then conceive of its being policed by 800 odd cavalry
men, poced and held firmly in hand from its earliest
days of savagery and border rufhansm, through all
its rebellons and vcissudes right up its present
day and wonderful development into wheat fields
and gold fields.
The headquarters Of the northwest mounted po-
lice-Kng Edward gave them the prefix royal"
Regina capital OF the Northwest Territories.
raw, unfinished city of the prairie about 100 miles
due north OF the border line of Montana and North
Dakota.
From Regina the slender lines of control branch
out-west to the Yukon, civilization. south
the fortyninh parallel the great boundary line be-
tween this country and Canada, and north the un-
explored Businesses OF the forest wilderness
Eight Districts
There eight districts in all, with divisional
headquarters in the largest town in each district
from there the control reaches out in the form
OF detachments. where more constabes live
in secusion and make daily rides their spacious
allotments OF territory
Two miles out of Regina are the barracks, dozen
long, low buildings where the new recruits
rockies" they are called-are drilled bunked and
fed until they ready for and given their detach
ments.
1t is very busy post From the time the bugle
OfJ1dSf "rOrn he clo of day
is ride and drill drill and ride, with duties
interspersed
1t is picturesque too The full dress uniform con-
ssts of scarlet tunic with yellow acngs, blue cloth
breeches with yellow stripes white helmet cavalry
boots and overcoat. In winter fur overcoat and
moccasins are and in summer khaki suits and
cowboy sombrero.
Sometimes the big transcontinenta train brings in
of enlisted men, who are met and marched
to the barracks. They serious faced as rule;
they have illusions about the service they are
about enter. They enlisted, every man. not under
the inspiration OF marching bands. flying colors and
all the panoply of but quietly, grimly and for
some good which each man chooses to keep
himself
They heterogeneous crowd, as a rule so far
antecedents are concerned. Side by side with a
second of illustrious English family stands
Cockney, h-less and audacous. or an eastern log
driver, or a from Toronto with the twang of
that city, or Frenchman from Quebec or a cowboy
from Montana
There Scotch halfbreeds and Irish thorough
breds, and each talks at first the speech of his
race; but after bit" said Irish sergeant with
grim they all learn to swear in one tongue and
that's good enough prairie English.
No Time to Drawl
There's tradition that oftentmes in the rough bar
racks one may hear the soft drawl of London club
Maybe" said the Irish sergeant skeptcay, "but
whoever that he talked in his sleep then Sure
there's no time to drawl by the daytime"
The individual histories of the men of the mounted
police doubt interesting the story of the
force itself; and in almost every natural ques
ton rises to the lips of the vistor-"How did YOU
come to take on?"
They used to ask similar question in the early
days OF Texas when many of the settlers to that
state not because they especially admired it, but be-
liberal in laws and confines and they had
some excellent reason for hurredy leaving home
Most OF them made excellent citizens, but all of them
buried their past behind them and few curious
promptly decided that it unwse ask any ques-
ton bearing upon their past even the simple one of
How did you happen to to Texas?"
The innocent visitor at Regina, we'll the newly
enlisted the force, finds very speedily that the
question is generally tabooed there
One day at headquarters the commissioner of the
mounted police paused for instant as he was re-
viewing line of recruits and scrutnized searchingly
the face of high heeed young COW puncher
Your face familiar to me- he said quietly
'Whcre have / you before?"
The new recruit winked blandly and kept discreet
somewhat worried silence. The commissioner
lacked his memory.
why, see here" he finally exploded. Il had you be-
fore for cattle fhievingp
Sure" said the puncher eagerly; "sure, and |
brought my rope with me-" lie added appeangly
Now sir, if you're short OF horses and need any"
In Striking Contrast
In the same lire that morning and touching elbows
with the fcrner horse thief former officer in
famous Irish regiment, whose father is kings
counselor in London, and yet another Englishman
whose first and second proclaimed his family to