Pluck on the Long Trail

white, like the pines and the snowy range. Our patrol call is the whistle of an elk, which is an "Oooooooooooo!" high up in the head, like a locomotive whi

ountains, one hundred miles, from our town to another town, with our own pack outfit, and finding our

just for fun we called ourselves

He is our patrol leader. He is fifteen years old, and red-h

. He is our corporal. He is sixteen years old, and

n years old, and before he came into the Scouts we called him

ckled, and has only half a left arm. He got hurt working in the mine. But he's as smart as any of us. He can use a camera

dediah Smith. He is only twelve, and is

e brown eyes and big ears, and my father is a lawyer. When we started I had just been promoted from a te

Ashley and Carson; Henry and Smith; Fitzpatri

ay), if a notice hadn't got into the newspaper and put othe

fifteen days in which to perform the trip over, about 100 miles, afoot; so they will have to hustle. They must not make use of any vehicles or animals except their pack-animals, or stop at ranches exc

because we were trying to learn Scoutcraft and to use it right planned to cut us off and take the message away from us.

(he's one of the town fellows; he doesn't do much of anything except loaf) said to me: "Oh,

We knew what he meant, though. And we got an anonymous letter. It

s allowed on the Medic

't scare

d be of service in time of need and of how we could take care of ourselves; and that we were carrying a message to Garcia, an

d us with a military salute, and w

outs'

A.! B.

lk! Ho

together, like the

rd covered by oiled silk with the Elk totem on it, and was slung by a

em on the sleeves, and Scouts' drab service hats, and khaki trousers tucked into mountain-boots hob-nailed with our private pattern so that we could tell each other's tracks, and about our necks were red

back) and Apache (who was a black burro and was named for Kit Carson's-the real Kit Carson's-favorite horse). Behind

e butt of the staff was sharpened, to stick into the ground. The flags flew in camp. We did not have tents. We had three tarps, which are tarpaulins or cowboy canvas bed-sheets, to sleep in, on the ground, and some blankets an

g around in the timber, and somebody getting hit. It was for business, not monkey-work. We took one of our bows, the short and thick Indian kind, and some of our two-feathered arrows, in case that we must get meat without making any noise. (Note

, condensed milk, canned butter, and half a dozen cans of beans, for short order. (Note 9.) Canned stuff is heavy, though, and mean t

us over; and we were allowed to stock up at ranches, if we should pass any.

and mine. We were supplied with camp remedies, too. (Note 10.) Doctor Wa

zly Gulch. Here we turned off, by a prospectors' trail, up Grizzly. The old stage road didn't go to Green Valley. Away off to the northwest, now, was the Medicine Range that we must cross, t

at would have taken our wind. The going was up grade and you can't climb fast on a f

Sally's and Apache's stomachs had gone down with exercise. We followed the trail single file, and ab

e must cross and get under cover again. If anybody was spying on us we could be seen too easy, up here. When you're pursuing, you keep

ry one making a trail of his own, so that the soldiers would not know which to follow; and after a long while they would come together again at some point which they had agreed on. But we weren't ready to

ttle draw. Here we found Ute Creek, which we had planned to follow up to its headw

t was I) drop out and watch the trail," commanded General Ashley (that was Patrol L

tinued right along; and because they were single file the trail didn't show any difference. I d

e side of the draw, among the bushes. These grew as high as our shoulders, and formed a fine ambuscade. We climbed far enou

ept so still that field-mice played over our feet,

with only one hand. He made the signs to watch down the trail, and to liste

A magpie flew over, his black and white tail sticking out behind him; and he saw us and yelled. Magpies are a

ike going to sleep; but Fitzpatrick was all eyes and