Page:Condor21(5).djvu/6

 180 THI CONDOR Vol. XXI highly organized relative, the horse. Strong and enduring, he is a tower of strength on the dizzy mountain trail and in the parched desert. He soon' comes to recognize the kind touch and decent treatment of the master, and to kind- ness and consideration he quickly responds. A good riding mule, and there are many such, is the easiest riding animal in the world. As mules carried me during my explorations in the far west many thousands of miles I raise my voice in praise of this much misunderstood and much underestimated animal. iay his days in the land be long and prosperous, and in due time may he come into his own. THE CAMP COOK Last but not least in importance in our field personnel was the cook. Whatsoever he chanced to be as man, upon his ability as a cook depended to no small degree the health and comfort of the party. Much rested upon his skill, but perhaps more upon his patience and zeal. To cook a savory meal on a modern gas range, with all the conveniences at hand, is not so difficult; but to achieve this feat in the open air, on a windy day, often under a rainy sky, with bits of brushwood for fuel, and a horde of hungry men demanding some- thing to eat, is given only to the elect and to few 'of them. I hold in grateful memory a number of such cooks whose triumphs over the trials and tribula- tions that beset their calling entitle them to golden crowns. Some of them are still alive, and I trust that these few words of appreciation may meet their eyes ;-while in grateful remembrance of those w_.ho have gone before I add peace to their ashes. INDIANS IN THE FAR WEST In Utah, in 1872, there had been trouble, with some bloodshed, between -the Mormons and the Paiutes. Later, in Arizona, the Apaches were restless, and hence in the early days of the expedition it was thought necessary to at- tach to each of our parties a small escort of soldiers. As however, Lieut. W.heeler took the precaution to call the Chiefs together, hare a talk with them, explain the peaceful objects of the Surrey, and, perhaps wiser still, to make them presents of blankets and other objects of moment in their eyes, our escort was never called upon to use their arms in our behalf, though doubt- less their presence was not Without moral effect on our red brothers. The suspected presence of Indians near us, however, interfered somewhat with our comfort and sense of safety, more especially as in 1872 the party in the' mountains to which I was attached observed signal smokes near our line day by day and signal fires at night. These seemed to signify that the Indians were keeping tab on our movements, and so alarmed our Mormon guide that he refused to accompany us farther into the mountains, and left Lieut. Wheeler to guide the party himself, which he proved fully competent to do. Once, only, during the term of my service with the Surrey did I hear the whistle of a hos- tile bullet. This was on the trip just mentioned when one morning I was peacefully collecting in a brushy canyon a mile or more from camp, when a shot was fired from the brush the other side of the ravine. Interpreting this as a mild request to go no farther in that particular direction, I pursued my later investigations nearer camp. 'I may add here that all the Indians I ever saw shoot, or that I hunted with, were poor shots; as, indeed, was but natural, since the Indian's skill in stalking game was so great as usually to insure a dead shot at close range. Moreover, ammunition was so scarce with them, as a rule, that they could not