El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-07-12
E PA50 Boys
HIKE To LAJITAS
None Drops Out on II Mile
March Under Pack; Face
to Face With Mexico.
BY JOHN II. REGAN.


! jitas-~We made the hike OF Il miles
under full regulation pack at three
miles an hour, not single man drop
Z ping out At Lajitas we find ourselves
directly on the Rio Grande. the murky
stream flowing some 40 feet below our
camp site. Mexico lies across from our
low set dobies only stones throw and
constantly we watch the passage to
and fro Of MeNicans who cross to trade
at the miniature Mexican and Ameri-
can stores upon this side
sixth Cavalry Troop to Teriingua.
That part Of troop G Of the sixth
cavalry which We relieved in the bor-
der patrol at this point left two hours
after our arrival, returning to head
quarters at Terlingua. where they VIII
{ put in a month. at target range In
all likelihood. the remainder OF com
pany X under Capt. Jenkins Will go
days TO relieve another detachment
from troop c at that ranch on the Rio
Grande-
Water Plenty For Company.
In being stationed at LaJltas, We who
were so lucky as to be in the Elliott
detachment now skip from brusQue
aridity Of Terlingua 10 location thar
affords us water for stomach and SKIN
without hiking over long dusty trails
to get il. We brought none OF the
{ usual camp equipment with US, such a.
! tents or cots. extra bedding or Kitchen
utensils Our quarters consist OF Two
adobe shacks, while built all around
{ and between are shadings OF dried
| branches. We sleep under the dead
/ branches. eat and cook IN one OF the
shacks; while Lieut.. Elliott and th-
! orderly occupy the other structure
Color Tones Are Interesting
All about these environs are noun
! tains. Those 10 the northeast are great
reddish mounds. tinged with splOtches
\ a.T 49, L.
: are great daubs OF white stone forma-
I tion. the variety Of tones being almost
3 eNaggerative II by chance they should
! be transferred 10 canvas. The Aneri-
I can side Of the Rio Grande is barren
Z Of vegetation at this point; while the
Mexican side is restful TO the eye with
its abundance Of chaparraL SurmOunt-
I ing the thin ribbon Of green are foot
hills. such as are peculiar 10 II Pas1
county. and these in turn merge into
great towering ranges. barren il is
true. but Opalescent in blush and pur-
plish tints-
As / now look over the river bed
there comes 10 my ears two sounds
+ one, the falls where the Rio Grands
shows @ bias for the American side and
the sound OF small hand axe strug-
Cling with nails II is the latter sound
that holds the major interest. for our
very amiable Mississippi friend, Lea
H. Evans, formerly OF the J. F
T
. border sport-making bunk He has
I CHOSEN as his model a colonial bed
stead Of the 11S1 model and is at
tempting 10 make the thing 90 by
using one cracker box. two Stats from
a manger, four branches fIom a tree
that was sidetracked by the Rio Grande,
% small sticks as springs and five
gunny sacks from the cavalry feed
room. Nay Providence prosper him.
Mission and ChIppendaIe styles.
Billy Lux acquired his bunk outright
! from cayalrymau- It is a mission
style" with Queen Anne legs and 4
Mary Ann footboard- sam Ventura
has u Chippendale bunk and the re-
semblance comes out the more distinct
y when you think Of ChippendaIes that
| have been quarter OF a century In q
second hand store Ventures bunk is
about as narrow as some OF the boxes
around at kaster's where sam one
time drove the ambulance and
pumped him on mortuary news He
thinks he will eventually do some re-
modelling
DOmicIIed in Stable.
Fats Frank Ross. who now scorns
tennis shoes and dress suits. is put
! ting up in q, stable, having for his
stable mate that remarkable young
pitcher. Barlow Morris Ross has a
] Victorian model for his bunk It is
very substantial 1t looks like the old
| queen in her prime and II a lace cur
tain and four yards Of polly parrot
o
plste. Morris occupies a cQmbins ton
1 OF Victorian and Louis Quihze. The
French part comes in with an old bed
I spring said 70 have come from a Yauui
/ chief. while the Victorian features are
/ the low life curves in the legs. the
] says in the middle, ~ juts and projec-
/ tiOns. the longitudes and ATTITUDES
Constructs RusLin-MOrris Couch
| And so our hunks Coach different,
/ each inprovised with any and every
thing We might lay our hands upon.
! Modestly reserve my own bunk 10
! the end because IL is a frau bit OF art
/ craft, constructed according to the code
! Of John Ruskin ana William Morris
/ IN an old deserted Mexican home
( found the frames Of two paneless win
| dow sashes- 1 seized upon them as pos
1 sible legs. Next I found two long
! branches which served as connecting
/ sides. BY this time / was well off Of
| hunks. Our officer Of the day having
cast aside a "fagEot" hammock for 4
/ wire gate, I took the hammock ans
! made it into my bed springs. After
/ much hammering and blowing and al
! manner OF internal confusion my bunB
| stood complete With all the nails q
is still fran and may yet have my
Like a veterinarians Litter.
| Were / not 10 mention Kenzie Feath
I er's old Maryland bedstead il woulC
make him feel sighted. This bed /.
about as big as the combination edi
| tOrial desk OF The Herald and looks Z
great deal like a litter in a veterinar,
/ ambulance. The most colonial thini
about it is that you either have to D,
/ a high jumper TO get into it or [,
! mount a steps or ladder Kenzie d
happy with his acquisition and can b,
heard carOling cOntentedly al any hou
/ Of the day or night
Shoulders ard Hip Bruised.
, We are proud of our good hike Tn,
/ time was reckOned as excellent, con
sidering it was the first time any o
/ US had shOuldered the 6S pounds Yer,
| few Of US escaped the shoulder bruise
and the hip bruises. No modern Euro
| pean army carries such a pack this
| the mems strength being reserved b,
the use of wagons and trucks TO carr,
| haversa cks and blanket rolls / sin
/ cerely hope for the benefit OF man,
| thousands or new soldiers that the.
will never have TO hike with sue
, | burdens.
Fortunately rains the day before w
! started cooled the canyons and foot
/ hills through which we passed. "
set out at ; o'clock an darrived at la
| jitas before the heat OF the day ha
/ set in