Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-06-23
CHAPTER VI.

| scouting tHS journey OF Ocdtn.
Once over the New Mexico border
our companies Of the California Gold
Brigade were scattered from the Ric
Grande to the Pourgatoire.
Some fought Comanches and Kio
was with Kit Carson in the north
while others of us chased Navajos and
| Apaches as far south as the Texas
! line.
Many were the sharp fights and hot
! pursuits we had-for while enlisted
as infantry we were mounted and
served as cavalry-through the deep
gorges of the Sacramento and Guada.
lupe mountains, along the head waters
Of the Delaware, Rocky Arroyo, Dog
Canon, the Ruidoso and Bonita, down
into the valley of the Pecos and out
over the arid stretches Of the Staked
Plains, within which in those days
the only known living water was Mes
calero Spring.
Today the vast expanse Of the
Staked Plains, now better known as
the Texas Panhandle, is rapidly com.
ing under fruitful tillage through irri-
cation, made possible by the unlimit-
ed stores of water that lie so near the
ent tanks are made by the use OF on
ly a pillow and scraper.
In those days it was believed to be
so waterless that several Of our men
out on scouts lost their lives Of thirst
at points where, had they only
known. they might have dug water
with their knives!
However, II we paid the scot, some
in death and all in suffering Of the
pacification of the Staked Plains, we
at least have the satisfaction of know
ing that 1t was we who made possible
the prosperity of such Of the later
generation as have since planted
there their homes.
One of the best sol 'iers and by far
the best scout and Indian trailer Of
our California regiments was undoubt.
eddy First Lieutenant Albert j. Foun-
tain, of the First California volunteer
cavalry, who later became the first
attorney-general Of the state of Tex
as under Governor Davis, in the recon
struction days, after the war.
Brave to utter recklessness, he
loved nothing so much as to get out
on scout in the mountains, often ems
tjrely alone, never with more than one
or two men at his back. Frequently
he stayed out on such scouts one to
two weeks. in country so thick with
hostile Navajos or Mescaleros that
nothing but the outdoing of their own
cunning enabled him to win safe
return to his command.
Nor did he always return entirely
scatheless. In fact, one such prowl
we'll out into the tornado del Muerte
(the Journey Of Death), to the west
of the Oscuros, nearly cost him his
life
Working east toward Fort Stanton
one evening found him travelling par
allel to much-used Indian trail that
led up through heavily timbered dry
canon to the north Of Tularosa.
His mate on the scout was the
famous Juan Arollo wha the year be-
fore had brought old Mangus Colorado
into General Vests power, and the
two Of them made the strongest pair
at the Indian game that could be
dealt out Of our military deck.
For two days and nights they had
been without water. Their mounts
were tagged to a near finish, and they
themselves were enduring the tor
lures none can understand except
such as have been forced to like de-
privation in the blazing heat of the
southern plains.
Water and rest they must have or
lose their horses, or perhaps even
themselves perish. To be sure they
were approaching spring we'll
known to both of them But it burst
out Of the base Of cliff and quickly
disappeared In the thirsty sands close
beside the trail. and was often in pos
session Of the hostiles.
1t was imperative they should take
the chance. So. tying their horses In
the pines a good half mile above the
spring, they carefully stalked down
to it, and to their Joy found it unoc-
cupied.
" (To be continued.)