Columbus daily courier. [volume] (Columbus, N.M.) 1920-1920, 1920-05-03

musnsl' ana nn.cklv
slennnd outside.
Inc clouds wern aflllne a lauln
thicker. and me moons ra,s rasre
lnss hf,rhL listened for ! momrnt
/ heard ANYTHING. and then nj
could hear me faint sound I'll
i,orars' hoofe. n WA only a few
o6condh until thew rnme over ne
lifllr kAoll ana then they rnuld H.
heard very mainly. 1 walled unul
They uanre within a hundred wards
IN The camn and lhsn yelled Hail.
Nv challnnat woke every man ln
ramn. md they were an onl he lhel
time / had advanced lhe Riders lo
he recognized.
we run on 10 a lunch oil
uesicans on The other ado ofl
hain. ranrh. shr, rr,rd IN rnsnon.
aNusl have hrnn a hundred or
more nf EN-. We nin right lnlol
ON fore We saw 'em
saddle up. sergeant Allen com
mandod. l eei nty saddlc and bride
and unh on The picket line ahead
of Inc other men I hanncnod loI
lhlnk mat the capialn's orderly had
rldden nv horse back into camp
and len me hls.
Anoas. YOU had heller slav An
,aid Sergeant Alien. when hh came
~rhai horse has beer ridden
proffy hard and anyt.ss. We want
10 leave some one herol(o lonk after
the camp. He offsrcd 10 let the
cook STAY In also " he wanted ln
but he wanted 70 40 along. and HE
sergeant lct him 70.
n was only a moment until they
had saddled and were ready 10 60.
1 was instructed 10 20 into the
lroon camp a. quickly a. posslhle.
II I heard any firing. ~ Is likely
the Mexicans will make n break for
this water hole. and In ease they
DO. eet word 10 the cnplain. You
can hear them coming and will have
time 10 get away without being seen
or heard said the sergeant. IN a
moment / was alone
saddled nv horse and took him
nm 40 The gate and lied him 10 the
fence I had not been In the serv.
ice long. having Joined Troop I Of
me -th Cavalry only two months
before. and this was my first duty
on outpost. We had been out only
nine DAYS and were out for one
month. Beinr left alone al mid.
niahl ON the Mexican border was
nm entirely new experience for mr..
Needless 10 say l was on the alert
nnd very little noise startled me.
ID cant be said that I was really
excited. still many strange things
oassed through ms mind. The moon
had almost deserted me. and | did
not leave my horse 9 yfar of.
for should anything happen I want.
ed 10 be able 10 make a quick 81.
away. The clouds were getting
thicker and the intervals between
the bright moonlight and the dark.
ness were getting longer. The old
windmill that had pumped water
for the range cattle for years was
creaking under a light breeze. I
stepped inside the shpck 10 take a
look at the cooks ~Ingcrsol. had
Imagined that Il was about day.
liehi. hut the watch said 10 minutes
Ia 4. All Of a sudden | decided
was thirsty. The canieen hang.na
by the door was empty aud ! must
10 TO the windmill. II had been
fenced 20 keen the cattle from
around the pump and the gate wns
ON the far side. I walked 10 the
fence and crawled through the
wires. The pump was only about
twenty feet away and | took of my
belt and laid down my rifle by the
fence and walked over 10 get q
drink. leaned over the barrel and
was drinking out OF my hands,
which / had made into a substitute
for a Gun. I was much more thirsty
than / had thought. and as u was
impossible 10 drink very fast 10
his way. Il must have taken me