Within a very
short time after he came to the post, a senior officer would turn to
him, and say: 'Pershing, what do you think of this?' and his opinion
was such that we always listened to it. He was quiet, unobtrusive in
his opinions, but when asked he always went to the meat of a question
in a few words. From the first he had responsible duties thrown on
him. We all learned to respect and like him. He was genial and full
of fun. No matter what the work or what the play, he always took a
willing and leading part. He worked hard and he played hard; but
whenever he had work to do, he never let play interfere with it."
His experiences in the Wild West (and it was the Wild West in those
days) cannot be passed over without relating one typical anecdote.
Three cattle rustlers, white men, had gotten into a fight with the Zuni
Indians, who caught them driving off some cattle. Three of the red men
were killed before the outlaws were finally surrounded in a lonely
cabin.
Word was sent of their predicament to the nearest fort, and Lieutenant
Pershing was sent with a small detachment to their rescue. He rode
straight up to the Zuni chief, who was now on the warpath, and told him
he must call off his braves--that the United States Government would
punish these men.
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