On the Border With Crook - ERBzine

CROOK'S ADMIRABLE PACK-TRAINS. 187most of our officers and men had provided themselves with moccasins which would make no noise in clambering over the rocksor down the slippery trails where rolling stones might arouse thesleeping enemy. The Apaches, I noticed, stuffed their moccasins with dry hay, and it was also apparent that they knew all theminute points about making themselves comfortable with smallmeans. Just as soon as they reached camp, those who were notposted as pickets or detailed to gooff on side scouts in smallparties of five and six, would devote their attention to gettingtheir bed ready for the night ;the grass in the vicinity would beplucked in handfuls, and spread out over the smoothed surfaceupon which two or three of the scouts purposed sleeping together ;a semicircle of good-sized pieces of rock made a wind break, andthen one or two blankets would be spread out, and upon that thethree would recline, huddling close together, each wrapped upin his own blanket. Whenever fires were allowed, the Apacheswould kindle small ones, and lie down close to them with feettowards the flame. According to the theory of the Indian, thewhite man makes so great a conflagration that, besides alarmingthe whole country, he makes it so hot that no one can draw near,whereas the Apache, with better sense, contents himself with asmall collection of embers, over which he can if necessary crouchand keep warm.The fine condition of our pack-trains awakened continuedinterest, and evoked constant praise ;the mules had followed usover some of the worst trails in Arizona, and were still as freshas when they left Grant, and all in condition for the most arduous service with the exception of two, one of which ate, or wassupposed to have eaten, of the insect known as the "Compramucho " or the " Nina de la Tierra," which isextremely poisonous to those animals which swallow it in the grass to which itclings. This mule died. Another was bitten on the lip by arattlesnake, and though by the prompt application of a poulticeof the weed called the " golondrina" we managed to save its lifefor a few days, it too died. On Christmas Day we were joinedby Captain James Burns, Fifth Cavalry, with Lieutenant Earl D.Thomas, of the same regiment, and a command consisting offorty enlisted men of Company G, and a body of not quite onehundred Pima Indians. They had been out from MacDowell forsix days, and had crossed over the highest point of the Matitzal