NEWS LETTER ! FROM BORDER Plenty to Oorupy the Time, lint After Af-ter All, There's No Place Like Home Tho News is favored with another Interesting letter from Marion Smith-son Smith-son of the 2nd Squadron, I'tah Cavalry, who la serving, with his company, on tho Mexican border. Lachiel, Arizona. December 21, 191(1. Editor, lieavor Co. News, Dear Sir: Getting the News once a week hern on the border is like Betting a letter from home, and It is always welcome. It haa grown in the last few months Into a real "newsy newspaper" news-paper" and If a goneral Idea of our movements here is of any value to you, you are welcome to them. Along about the 27th day of September, Sep-tember, tho First Utah Cavalry and one squadron of California Cavalry-left Cavalry-left Nogales for a hike of 250 miles, i covering a period of 21 days. Our rolls and guns and 90 rounds of ammunition per man, were packed and at daybreak a column of men, horses and wagons two miles long wound down through the canyon and out Into the desert In the direction of Tucson. The fellows were all foellng good as the morning was cool and many were singing "It's a long, long way back to Utah" but as the day wore on, the singing stopped and all settled down for a hard days ride, and there were many other hard days ride ahead. The hot sand raised in clouds along the column, and along with the still air It was, at times, hard to breathe. Some days we looked more like Mexicans than Americana? At many of the camp grounds, however, there was water to swim in, and we were not slow falling Into it for a splash. (A swim on the desert sounds funny, but at many points the underground rivers rise and run on the surface for a Bhort distance.) The country in general over which ' we hiked was barren desert, no thing growing except for cactus and scrub mesquite. We followed the course of the Santa Cruz river for many miles, but as the water flows under the sand and only rises at certain points it was Important that we make these points our camping places. Sot you Bee, Borne of our rides were short and others were very long and tiresome. We knew we had to do It though, and everybody every-body "tied in" and Bingo! it is all finished now. We spent two days in Tucson. None of us will ever forget Tucson and its people. Everything was: thrown open and we were treated j royally, and you know a thousand soldiers "turned loose" make a large .surprise party for one town to treat. It would take pages to tell all about the hike, but at Ft. Hauchuca we had regimental drill and shot on the rifle range for six days, tB,en returned to Nogales. Next day we learned that the 1st Squadron, and California were ordered or-dered home, and that the four troops of the 2nd Squadron were to take up positions at different pointB along the border and begin the real thing, "border patrol." We camo out here on October 25, and will be relieved Hie first of the year. We may be ordered or-dered home soon after. At present we are patrolling about 125 miles of Mexican border and doing the job very nicely. This post Is 27 miles eaat of Nogales. No-gales. There is no town except for ranches. It 13 on a main road into Mexico, and our government has a custom house, as also have the Mexicans. Mex-icans. We make patrolls in both directions direc-tions from this point. At intervals we patrol at night, and one patrol we make takes two days. The point to which we make is known as the 80 ranch. The ranches here, as at other points along the border are large and their principal possessions are livestock live-stock and cattle is an easy thing to steal in the borderlands, so they must be guarded. Smuggling is another an-other thing that Is being watched for closely. Just over the border there is a bunch of Carranza's men. They are doing the same stuntB as we, and at times we meet their patrols. The Mexican soldiers on one Bide of the fence and the soldiers of our country on the other. We never quarrel over Bides. Our outposts at this point surround sur-round our camp in a way that it would be hard for an enemy to get In. Each one is a barricade. A few of us could hold out a good bunch for some time, eaBily. There has been raiding at this point, but none since we came. At first we slept with one eye open, but now a call to arms in the middle of the night is only part of the day's work. When we are called to arms at night, the troop falls out immediately immediate-ly and form .into skirmishers, (the men from 4 to 10 feet apart) and as silently as possible scout over the country in which the enemy has been Seen or heard. In most cases the enemy has proven to be cows. But it is exciting. "Who knows when it may not be the cows?" Drill comes along pretty regularly. Drilling is not so slow doing extended ex-tended order, jumping washes and holes and racks and charging down a steep hill and taking a spill. Nobody No-body gets lonesome. Some of the horses make beautiful jumps and others land over on their heads. Then to see about seventy fine men coming down upon you, full-speed, horses mouths wide open, gloaming and flashing in the sunlight, and worse than all, a noise that would make a band of Piute Indians ashamed (noise is half the charge, make us feel like real soldiers ready to slam into anything that blocks the way. The 2nd Squadron is well drilled and the physical condition of the men Is the best. Our endurance is wonderful. We can do double duty if necessary, without tiring much, but with all our good times and fun we'd sure like to come home.