20 The Rough Riders 



feats of victorious warfare against the Apache, no 

 less than against the white road-agents and man- 

 killers. His father had fought in Meagher's Brig- 

 ade in the Civil War; and he was himself a born 

 soldier, a born leader of men. He was a wild, reck- 

 less fellow, soft spoken, and of dauntless courage 

 and boundless ambition; he was stanchly loyal to 

 his friends, and cared for his men in every way. 

 There was Captain Llewellen, of New Mexico, a 

 good citizen, a political leader, and one of the most 

 noted peace-officers of the country ; he had been shot 

 four times in pitched fights with red marauders and 

 white outlaws. There was Lieutenant Ballard, who 

 had broken up the Black Jack gang of ill-omened 

 notoriety, and his Captain, Curry, another New Mex- 

 ican sheriff of fame. The officers from the Indian 

 Territory had almost all served as marshals and 

 deputy-marshals; and in the Indian Territory, ser- 

 vice as a deputy-marshal meant capacity to fight 

 stand-up battles with the gangs of outlaws. 



Three of our higher officers had been in the regu- 

 lar army. One was Major Alexander Brodie, from 

 Arizona, afterward Lieutenant-Colonel, who had 

 lived for twenty years in the Territory, and had be- 

 come a thorough Westerner without sinking the 

 West Pointer a soldier by taste as well as training, 

 whose men worshiped him and would follow him 

 anywhere, as they would Bucky O f Neill or any 



