Show CAREER OF BABE CLARKE in the year 1880 there reported at the united states mil tary academy as a cand date for admission a louisiana boy who was just 17 years old but wl looked to be three years younger his name was powhatan H clarke no bidet Is admitted to the academy who has not rounded out 17 years of life clarke was called babe by his classmates because he was the young est among them the oldest member of the class Is dubbed dad this has been the custom of the class from time immemorial and the saddling of the word of infancy upon the cadet ian piles of weakness of body or of character one day at sunday morning inspect tion the tactical officer told babe that he must shave and the boy blushed like a holly berry there was tun in camp that day for with the ad vent of the razor into his kit babe hid passed from childhood there was a cadet at the academy who had some grievance against babe it must have been imaginary for the louisiana boy was in demeanor peace and good nature to all the clarke was challenged to a fight the challenger outweighed him 20 pounds but the boy refused to let one of bis classmates take the burden of battle on himself and he fought the cadet and thrashed him beau young clarke proved his pluck on that day later he gave an exhibition of heroism he was a southerner with prejudice against the a southerner s graduation from the negroes but upon academy in 1884 he went into a black regiment the tenth cavalry he was just 21 years of age the youngest ec ond lieutenant in the army of the tn t ed states he was ordered to arizona and before he bad been at his post a month he was sent into the field against hostile apaches with a squad he was directed by his troop detach himself from the main body to commander into a part 0 a making the purpose of all rock and sand while rid the country that was the sandy wa te beyond which with his men across ing command the volley met bis crashing roe the rocks i and be tell through both hips shot duty sergeant was from his horse to the ground almost volley would crash another clarke knew that that he was greatly putnum instantly and he knew also mounted charge was impossible a furthermore bared to fall back to shelter but he clarke ordered his men from his horse to the stayed on th field he jumped ground and attempted to lift the wounded trooper who ills strength was equal the saddle to was a heavy man he could not to the task but the man was so injured retain his spat and in his condition clarke found that it would be impossible to hold him on the back 0 his mount he struck his horse ou the flank with the palm ot his hand and sent him trotting back to the troopers who under orders had retreated then the lieutenant put himself between the indians and the wounded sergeant prepared for an effort and raised the black man to his shoulder the apaches broke loose with another vol ley dark s blouse was pierced twice and the sand was kicked up spitefully about his knees but he was unhurt he staggered back over the yielding sand while the bullets spat about him back through the death beset way clarke carried the black sergeant shielding him as much as it was in his power with his own body while he toiled along finally he reached shelter and with his men he made a detour attacked the apaches in flank and sent them scattering the black sergeant is still living but the white lieu tenant who saved him Is dead he lost his life while swimming in the snake river chui coui try he had baruck a rock in diving the blow in itself might not hive killed him but he was drowned while on the bink stood the troopers for one of whose black comrades powhatan Pow hatin H clarke had once dared deith in the arizona desert |