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@@ -1,39 +1,4 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Story of Geronimo, by James Arthur Kjelgaard - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Story of Geronimo - -Author: James Arthur Kjelgaard - -Illustrator: Charles Banks Wilson - -Release Date: December 15, 2012 [EBook #41630] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF GERONIMO *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan, Ross Cooling and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - - - - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41630 *** THE STORY OF @@ -48,7 +13,7 @@ http://www.pgdpcanada.net [Illustration: SIGNATURE BOOKS GERONIMO] - (C) JIM KJELGAARD 1958 + © JIM KJELGAARD 1958 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA @@ -385,7 +350,7 @@ any opportunities for trading. But Geronimo wondered why Nadeze and Sanchez had included the apaloosa. The spotted horse was famous throughout the land. Even the Papagoes and -pueblo-dwelling Zuni knew him, and whoever saw him would surely send +pueblo-dwelling Zuñi knew him, and whoever saw him would surely send winged words to the _shaman_. "Then a war party from the White Mountain Apaches will come to rescue @@ -908,12 +873,12 @@ too often, and too successfully in Mexico to win any friendship from _rurales_ whose duty it was to stop them. Mangus Coloradus addressed the uniformed officer: -"_Buenas tardes, Senor Rurale._ We would trade." +"_Buenas tardes, Señor Rurale._ We would trade." The officer made an effort to stare Mangus Coloradus down, and when he couldn't do it, flushed angrily. But he replied civilly: -"_Buenas tardes_, good afternoon, Senor Apache. You may enter." +"_Buenas tardes_, good afternoon, Señor Apache. You may enter." The _rurales_ drew aside, let the Apaches through the gate, and then reformed across it. The Apaches braced themselves to meet the horde of @@ -930,7 +895,7 @@ Mexican had imprisoned in a wooden cage. In spite of broken and bedraggled feathers, the eagle still looked royal. The Mexican lifted the cage. -"See?" he whined. "See, Senor Apache? Grieved though I must be to part +"See?" he whined. "See, Señor Apache? Grieved though I must be to part with anything so precious, this noble bird is yours for only three horses." @@ -3723,361 +3688,4 @@ Department of the Northeastern Oklahoma A. & M. College. End of Project Gutenberg's The Story of Geronimo, by James Arthur Kjelgaard -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF GERONIMO *** - -***** This file should be named 41630.txt or 41630.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/6/3/41630/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan, Ross Cooling and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Story of Geronimo - -Author: James Arthur Kjelgaard - -Illustrator: Charles Banks Wilson - -Release Date: December 15, 2012 [EBook #41630] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF GERONIMO *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan, Ross Cooling and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - - - - - - - - - THE STORY OF - - Geronimo - - By JIM KJELGAARD - - Illustrated by CHARLES BANKS WILSON - - - PUBLISHERS Grosset & Dunlap NEW YORK - -[Illustration: SIGNATURE BOOKS GERONIMO] - - © JIM KJELGAARD 1958 - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 58-9837 - _The Story of Geronimo_ - - -[Illustration: GREAT EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF GERONIMO] - - - _For_ - Eleanor Gefroh - _who has been the dearest of friends to me and mine_ - - -[Illustration: _It seemed certain the two stallions must -close with each other_] - - - - -Contents - - - CHAPTER - - I Duel by Stallion 3 - - II Raiding the Papagoes 13 - - III Alope 28 - - IV Massacre 39 - - V Flight 51 - - VI Revenge 59 - - VII The White Men 71 - - VIII The Battle of Apache Pass 80 - - IX A Wounded Chief 90 - - X A Chief Dies 99 - - XI Geronimo in Chains 108 - - XII Flight into Mexico 116 - - XIII Fortress Paradise 127 - - XIV Chief Gray Wolf 136 - - XV The Discontented 145 - - XVI Hunted Like Wolves 153 - - XVII A Gallant Soldier 163 - - XVIII The Last Surrender 170 - - - - -Illustrations - - -It seemed certain the two stallions must close -with each other FRONTISPIECE - -The Papagoes saw him, raised their clubs and -rushed forward 19 - -The horses snorted in alarm 35 - -Geronimo brought the skins of puma 37 - -He halted beside a Mexican 46 - -The first shell struck the breastworks 87 - -The Mimbrenos carried him over mountains and -across deserts 95 - -"Look! Usan has smiled upon us!" 122 - -Geronimo had cut the wire with his axe 151 - - - - -THE STORY OF Geronimo - - - - -CHAPTER ONE - -_Duel by Stallion_ - - -Geronimo crawled up the hill so carefully that no stalk of grass moved, -and no bush quivered. A pair of crested quail, feeding on insects in the -grass, merely glanced up when he passed and went on feeding. Geronimo -reached the top of the hill and crouched down in the grass. - -Beyond were more hills, the near ones low, rocky, and given more to -shrubs and grass than to trees. Geronimo's eyes strayed across the -Arizona landscape to the east. There lay No-doyohn Canyon, where -Geronimo had been born in 1829, just twelve years earlier. There his -father had died when Geronimo was five years old. In the far distance -beyond the canyon, tall, pine-clad mountains rose. - -Geronimo looked down the slope on a wickiup. This Apache house was built -of poles thrust into the ground, with deer skin walls and a smoke hole -in the center of the roof. It was the home of Delgadito, a mighty chief -among the Mimbreno Apaches, the tribe to which Geronimo belonged. -Delgadito was so mighty that only the great chief, Mangus Coloradus -himself, outranked him. - -Delgadito owned many horses. Most of them grazed by day in pastures far -from the village. But his black war stallion, his nimble-footed gray -hunting horse, and the mare that his wife rode were only absent from -their picket ropes when a rider was using them. - -[Illustration] - -Now the gray hunting horse was gone, which meant that Delgadito was out -after deer. But the mare and the stallion were still there. Geronimo -had come to steal the war horse. This, however, was not the time to do -it. - -The mare's presence proved that Delgadito's wife was home. If she saw -Geronimo stealing the war horse she would tell her husband. The -punishment sure to follow would be harsh and long remembered. Delgadito -knew how to use a switch on headstrong boys. Geronimo crouched in his -hiding place, waiting. - -Soon Delgadito's wife came from the wickiup, mounted her mare, and rode -away. Geronimo rose and walked swiftly down the hill. - -The stallion raised its head and watched with eyes that were fearless -and questioning. Geronimo grasped the buckskin tie rope, and was drawing -the horse to him when-- - -"You leave my uncle's war horse alone!" - -A girl had come from the wickiup. Geronimo was so interested in the -horse that he did not even know she was near until she spoke. Her name -was Alope, and she was Delgadito's niece. Geronimo thought she was so -lovely that the most dazzling maidens of the Mimbreno or any other tribe -were drab beside her. When grown, such a girl would be too good for any -warrior. Only a chief would be worthy to have her as his wife. - -Geronimo said, "I must have this stallion, Alope." - -"Why?" Alope asked. - -"I must fight a duel of stallions with Ponce, the son of Ponce, and the -only stallion among my mother's horses is too old to fight," Geronimo -said. - -Alope asked, "Why must you fight such a duel with young Ponce?" - -"He gave me the lie!" Geronimo said angrily. "I killed three deer with -my bow and arrows. Ponce said I _found_ them dead!" - -"Twelve-year-old boys are not supposed to be able to kill deer," Alope -said. - -"I did!" Geronimo insisted. - -"I believe you," Alope said. "But these duels are dangerous. You know -the elders have forbidden them." - -Geronimo patted the stallion's cheek. - -"If the elders do not know a duel is being fought," he said, "they can -do nothing." - -"And if my uncle's war horse is killed," Alope told him, "he'll stake -you out on an ant hill and let the ants devour you." - -Geronimo said, "I'll gladly accept any punishment after I have fought -this duel, but I must fight!" - -"What if you are killed?" asked Alope. - -"I won't be. Among all his father's horses, the son of Ponce shall find -no stallion to equal this one, and I am a much better rider!" - -Alope said, "My good sense bids me run and get my aunt, but my heart -tells me to speed a warrior on his way. I'll not tell, but I'll tremble -for what will happen to you should my uncle's war horse be killed or -hurt." - -Geronimo slipped the tether rope, grasped the rein, and vaulted happily -to the back of the mighty horse. Though the stallion wanted to gallop -and Geronimo burned to test the speed and fire of such a mount, he held -him to a walk. There was a fight coming up. The stallion must go into -it rested. - -At the same time, it was a glorious feeling just to be on such a -stallion. All Apaches could ride, but few were master horsemen. Geronimo -had started riding the village colts when he was so small that it was -necessary to lead his mount beside a boulder or stump from which he -could scramble onto its back. He seemed born to ride. Not half a dozen -men in the village could stay on the back of Delgadito's war horse. But -Geronimo was riding him. - -After twenty minutes the Indian boy looked down on the secluded swale -where the duel would be fought. He and Ponce had chosen a battle ground -far enough from the village so that the elders would be unlikely to -interfere. Young Ponce was waiting there with one of his father's best -horses, a fiery bay that had already slain a half dozen rivals. - -Though the elders knew nothing of the duel, a crowd of boys ringed the -chosen arena. They were tense with excitement, but they did not yell and -shout as white boys would have. And all stood far enough away so that -they could escape if either stallion charged toward them. - -As Geronimo rode down the hill, Delgadito's war horse caught scent of -the other stallion and screamed his challenge. Ponce's bay answered, and -the two stallions rushed each other. Quickly Geronimo planned his -battle. - -Such duels were a common way for Apache boys to settle arguments. They -often resulted in the death of a horse, a rider, or both. When they did, -it was usually the rider's fault. Geronimo planned on using his riding -skill to make a fool of Ponce, and he intended that nobody should get -hurt. - -Just as it seemed certain the two stallions must close with each other, -Geronimo turned Delgadito's war horse so expertly that they passed -within inches. At this wonderful display of riding skill, an excited -murmur of admiration rose from the watching boys. - -Geronimo turned back, this time wheeling right in front of Ponce's angry -stallion. He swerved to come in to the side. Ponce's bay reared and -pawed the air with skull-crushing front hoofs. The watching boys gasped. -But just as it seemed certain that Geronimo would be killed, he leaned -over and escaped by the width of a hair. - -Suddenly, to Geronimo's vast surprise, Ponce wheeled his stallion and -galloped away as fast as his bay could run. Deciding to chase him on -Delgadito's war horse, Geronimo was even more astonished when a shrill -whistle split the air. - -The war horse whirled and trotted obediently to--Delgadito himself! For -the first time Geronimo noticed that the watching boys had disappeared -too. He alone had been so interested in the duel that he had failed to -see Delgadito come. The chief's eyes blazed with anger. - -"Why do you fight a duel of stallions?" he demanded. - -"The son of Ponce gave me the lie!" said Geronimo, sitting erect on the -war horse. "I killed three deer with my bow and arrows! Young Ponce said -I found them dead!" - -"Come with me!" commanded Delgadito. - -He turned toward his gray hunting horse, which was rein-haltered near by -and which had a buck strapped behind the saddle. Without a word or a -backward glance the tall chief mounted and rode at a walk in the -direction of his wickiup. - -Though he shivered inwardly, Geronimo did his best not to show it as he -followed. Nor was he sorry that he had stolen the war horse. He had -acted as a warrior should; he would take his punishment like a warrior. - -When they reached the wickiup, they dismounted and Delgadito tethered -both horses. Then he removed his bow and quiver of arrows from the -hunting horse, took a single arrow from the quiver, and gave the arrow -and the bow to Geronimo. - -[Illustration] - -"Killer of deer, I would see you shoot," the chief ordered. - -Geronimo fingered the unfamiliar weapon. "What target?" - -Delgadito nodded at a pine about twenty yards away. "The knothole." - -Geronimo nocked the arrow, raised the bow, and needed every ounce of his -strength to draw it. This was a man's weapon, with a much heavier pull -than the bow he had made for himself. But he did not shoot until he knew -he was on target. - -The arrow's shaft quivered as its copper point bit deeply into the -knothole. - -Delgadito said, "I saw you ride, and now I have seen you shoot. You told -no lies. When the sun has risen three times more, I will lead a raid -against the Papagoes, for we should steal more horses. You will ride -with us." - -Delgadito turned and entered his wickiup to indicate that Geronimo was -dismissed. But for a full two minutes the dazed youngster did not move. -At last, at long last, his fondest dream was coming true. - -He was to be a true warrior. - - - - -CHAPTER TWO - -_Raiding the Papagoes_ - - -Three days later, at sunrise, an excited Geronimo sat nervously on his -mother's aging stallion and waited for the raiders to start. Besides -Delgadito, who was the leader, and Geronimo, there were four braves -named Nadeze, Sanchez, Tacon, and Chie. - -The dome-shaped wickiups where the villagers lived were softly beautiful -in the early morning light. Here and there the embers of last night's -cooking fire--for in this fine spring weather the Apaches did most of -their cooking out of doors--glowed like a star fallen to earth. But -except for the sentries who had been up all night, and the raiders about -to set forth, the village slept. - -When all the raiders were mounted, Nadeze and Sanchez left the others. -Presently they returned driving a dozen loose horses among which was a -beautiful spotted apaloosa. This horse had belonged to a _shaman_, or -medicine man, of the White Mountain Apaches and had been taken from him -in a night raid. - -It was always necessary to have extra horses when going into enemy -country for any reason. They could serve as remounts. If there was no -other food they could be eaten, or they could be traded if there were -any opportunities for trading. - -But Geronimo wondered why Nadeze and Sanchez had included the apaloosa. -The spotted horse was famous throughout the land. Even the Papagoes and -pueblo-dwelling Zuñi knew him, and whoever saw him would surely send -winged words to the _shaman_. - -"Then a war party from the White Mountain Apaches will come to rescue -their medicine man's horse," Geronimo thought. But he asked no -questions. Surely Delgadito knew what he was doing. - -Nadeze and Sanchez drove the loose horses on at full gallop, for the -sooner the animals were tired the sooner they would be willing to stay -with the rest and the less trouble they would cause. The other raiders -rode out from the village more slowly. - -An hour later they overtook Nadeze and Sanchez, and the driven horses, -now too tired to run. They fell in at the rear and seemed satisfied to -stay there. Geronimo felt a rising anxiety. - -He had always imagined raiding to be a stealthy business. These men -laughed, shouted, and gaily mimicked a coyote that moaned from a nearby -ridge. - -[Illustration] - -Presently lithe, slim Tacon challenged fat Chie to a race. Whooping at -the tops of their voices, they were off. Geronimo stopped worrying. -Delgadito was too experienced a raider to do anything foolish. If he let -the warriors act as though there were no enemies within twenty miles, -then there were none. - -That night they camped on top of a rocky hill from which they could see -in all directions, and they were careful to put all fires out as soon as -darkness fell. - -"Fire may be seen for a long distance on a dark night," Geronimo said to -himself. "That is why they were put out." - -The next morning the raiders rode on, and not until midafternoon did -they make the slightest attempt to hide themselves. But when they -finally halted under a cloud-ridden sky, there was a change in every -man. - -This was desert country, and they stopped in a cluster of rocky hills. -Delgadito and Chie dismounted and climbed the tallest hill to scout from -its summit. Soon they returned and told the others to dismount too. -Tether ropes were slipped about the necks of the loose horses, which -were now led by the raiders as all went on quietly. - -A half hour later the raiders made a second stop in a dry wash. The -banks of this desert creek bed were about four feet high and rimmed by -cactus and palo verde trees. - -Sanchez and Delgadito felled one of these trees with copper hatchets, -cut off two stout chunks, and tied either end of a long rawhide thong to -them. Then they stretched the thong as far as it would reach, and -buried the chunks in the earth, at the bottom of the creek bed. Careful -to place a gentle horse between two quick-tempered mounts, they tied all -animals to this picket line. This done, all got their weapons and -started up over the wash. - -Geronimo ran happily for his own bow and arrows and followed. Suddenly -Delgadito turned, put the palm of his hand against the youngster's face, -and pushed so hard that Geronimo found himself seated in the bottom of -the wash. - -"Stay here to watch the horses," the chief growled. - -"But I'm a warrior too!" Geronimo protested. - -Delgadito growled again, and amused smiles flitted over the lips of the -others. The raiders melted into the desert. - -Flames of anger scorched Geronimo's cheeks, and rage ate at his heart. -He had a fierce desire to pursue and kill Delgadito in revenge for being -knocked down. But he knew that he must obey his chief. And he found it -much more satisfactory to be guarding warriors' horses than to be -playing children's games in the village. - -Geronimo pillowed his back against a boulder and for a while never took -his eyes from the horses. Then it began to seem foolish to watch them at -all. The animals were standing quietly, and the idea that an enemy might -come into the creek bed seemed unlikely. Presently Geronimo went to -sleep. - -Some time later he awakened. At first he thought he had been disturbed -by the deepening clouds and a feeling that rain would soon fall. Then he -peered down the wash. - -Two nearly naked Indians carrying war clubs were stalking the horses and -were only about forty yards from the nearest animal. Their clubs, the -way they wore their straight black hair, and their tattooed faces -stamped them as Papagoes. It was plain to see that they intended to -steal the horses. - -When he was certain that neither Papago was looking in his direction, -Geronimo slung his quiver of arrows over his back. Taking his bow in -hand, he crawled swiftly to and under the nearest horse. - -The horses were not in an even line, but all stood perfectly still -because they were interested in the Papagoes, and their legs formed a -rough tunnel. Geronimo crawled down it. Reaching the last horse, he -stopped and licked dry lips. - -[Illustration: _The Papagoes saw him, raised their clubs and rushed -forward_] - -He wished Delgadito or any of the others were there. It was one thing to -dream of becoming a warrior and quite another to face the enemy. What -should he do now? Then the Papagoes saw him, raised their clubs and -rushed forward, and there was only one thing he could do. - -Geronimo plucked an arrow from his quiver, nocked it, drew his bow, took -careful aim at the nearest Papago, and shot. The Papago was hit squarely -in the heart. The only sound as the man fell was a jarring thud when he -struck the ground. His companion turned to run. - -Forgetting to nock another arrow, Geronimo crawled weakly from beneath -the horse and for a few minutes sat shivering. Then he remembered that, -though he was still a boy, he would soon be not just a warrior but an -Apache warrior. Forcing himself to rise, he walked over to look at the -dead Papago, and told himself that he was glad he had put an end to -another enemy of the Apache. But he was just as happy that he had not -killed the second Papago too. - -Before long a black horse, flanked by a gray and four bays, jumped down -into the wash, ran across it, and stopped. They stared back in the -direction from which they had come, and the tethered horses raised their -heads to stare too. Geronimo thought that the black was a wonderful -stallion and was surely stolen from some Mexican _rancheria_ because no -Papagoes bred horses so fine. - -Now more horses came galloping over the desert until there was a herd of -about eighty milling around in the wash. For the most part they were -scrawny Papago ponies. But Geronimo saw one more fine stallion, a dark -gray with black spots. - -Riding stolen ponies, which they guided without help of saddle or -bridle, Delgadito and his raiders were on the heels of the last horses. -As their mounts jumped into the wash they slid off. Delgadito made his -way to Geronimo and looked down at the dead Papago. - -"How is this?" the chief asked. - -"He would have stolen our horses," Geronimo replied. - -"Was he alone?" - -"There was another," the boy admitted. "I did not kill him." - -"You should have," Delgadito scolded. "But come now and mount." - -Geronimo ran with him to the picket line and mounted his mother's old -stallion, then he was astounded to see Delgadito take time to strip -saddle and bridle from his own horse and put them on the apaloosa. -Geronimo marveled. This was enemy country and, when the Papagoes -discovered that some of their horses had been stolen, they were sure to -launch a hot pursuit. But Delgadito seemed as calm as he had ever been -at home in his own wickiup. - -[Illustration] - -Mounting the apaloosa and whooping at the top of his voice, Delgadito -charged the herd. The other riders took off, one after another, and -drove the horses full speed straight north. This puzzled Geronimo. -Finally he rode over to talk with Nadeze. - -"Why do we go north?" he asked. "Our home is almost due east." - -"Worry not and question not," Nadeze said coolly. "Look and learn." - -Always at full gallop, Delgadito was racing from one end of the line to -the other. The apaloosa already had run at least six times the distance -any other horse had traveled. - -About an hour and a half later Delgadito caught his own horse and -transferred saddle and bridle from the apaloosa to him. The exhausted -apaloosa staggered ten feet to stand with head drooping. Geronimo -finally understood. - -Beyond any doubt, Papago trackers were already on the trail of -Delgadito's Mimbreno raiders. They could not fail to find the weary -apaloosa and they would know its owner was the _shaman_ of the White -Mountain Apaches. They would also see that the stolen horses had been -started northward, toward the home of these Apaches. Thus the Papagoes -would think that they had been raided by men from the White Mountain -tribe and they would seek revenge on them, rather than on the Mimbreno -Apaches. - -"We have a wise chief," thought Geronimo, as Delgadito's plan became -clear to him. - -Just then Delgadito said, "Chie, continue northward with thirty of the -more worthless horses. Leave a plain trail, as though we were stricken -with panic. But drive the horses back and forth so it will appear as -though there were many more than thirty. Run as soon as you see -pursuers." - -Chie nodded, and the rest of the men started dividing the remaining -horses into smaller groups. - -"Why do we do this?" Geronimo asked, riding along beside Nadeze. - -"It is easier to hide the trail of a small group of horses," said -Nadeze. "And the Papagoes will find it much more difficult to track us -since we will take each herd in a different direction before swinging -back to our village." - -"Do I drive some?" - -"You are too anxious, stripling." Nadeze was far more respectful since -Geronimo had slain the Papago. "You will ride with one of us." - -Suddenly the rain clouds which Geronimo had noticed earlier loosed an -earth-battering torrent. The raiders smiled. Usan, god of their tribe, -had indeed blessed them. Though the Papago trackers would certainly find -the apaloosa, they would never discover where the rest of the horses had -gone after a storm such as this one. - -Driving all the horses ahead of them through the pouring rain, the -raiders turned homeward. - - * * * * * - -In bright sunlight next day, the stolen Papago horses cropped grass on -the slope opposite Delgadito's wickiup. Geronimo listened anxiously -while Delgadito, as was the right of a chief who led a raiding party, -divided the plunder. - -The leader reserved twenty horses for himself, and the twenty he chose -included the two fine stallions. Then he gave smaller numbers of horses -to the four men who had gone with him. The number each received depended -on how hard he had worked to make the raid successful. Next came a just -share for all families who had no one to steal horses for them. - -Geronimo's heart sank as the horses were given away. He had hoped to get -something for himself, but now the only horses remaining were a dozen or -so fit only for the cooking pot. Delgadito declared them as such. Then -he announced, so that all could hear: - -"I give part of my portion, the black stallion and the gray stallion -with black spots," he swung to Geronimo, "to an Apache youth who -deserves them because during this raid he behaved like a warrior." - -For a moment Geronimo was too surprised and delighted to move. Then he -tilted his head, squared his shoulders, and went proudly forth to claim -his prizes. - - - - -CHAPTER THREE - -_Alope_ - - -It was spring in the year 1846, five years after Geronimo's first raid. -Ten miles south of the Arizona-Mexico border, Geronimo sat silently on -the summit of a low hill. His knife was on his belt. His muzzle-loading -rifle, powder horn, and bullet pouch were in easy reach. A red blanket -was draped over his body, which was naked except for breech cloth, -moccasins, and the warrior's headband that bound his black hair. - -Two young warriors, Zayigo and Pedro Gonzalez, sat beside him. Both were -older than Geronimo. Yet both had chosen to let the seventeen-year-old -warrior lead this raid into Mexico because of his cunning and courage. - -Now they were a little uneasy because of their leader's silence. Usually -Geronimo loved to talk, and he was already a leading orator among the -Mimbreno Apaches. When he was least talkative, he was most dangerous. -Finally Zayigo said impatiently: - -"We sit beside the youngest Mimbreno Apache ever to become a member of -the Council of Warriors. Yet he sulks like a scolded child. It ill -befits him." - -[Illustration] - -"Aye," Pedro Gonzalez agreed. "Since leaving the Mimbreno village, -Geronimo, you have smoldered like a fire that is not quite able to -burst into flame. Is it because some warriors spoke against you when -they met to determine whether you might be admitted to the Council?" - -"I care not who speaks against me," Geronimo said sourly. "Any who -consider me unworthy of being a Mimbreno warrior I'll fight gladly." - -"Those who did not want to admit you to the Council of Warriors never -questioned your bravery or your skill in battle," Zayigo said quickly. -"They said only that you are reckless and headstrong, and that trouble -goes where you do because you never reckon the odds." - -"There are some Mimbreno warriors who have the cowardly souls of -Mexicans," Geronimo grunted. "And I do not mean that you are a coward, -Pedro." - -Pedro Gonzalez said quietly, "Mexican I was once. Apache I am now." - -That was true. Captured in Mexico when he was five years old, Pedro had -been adopted by an Apache family. He had taken so readily to Apache ways -that he was now one of their finest and fiercest warriors. He spoke -again: - -"If you care not because some spoke against you, what is the trouble? It -is no pleasure to go raiding or anywhere else with one who does little -except stew in his own anger." - -Geronimo said bitterly, "Ne-po-se was one of the men who spoke against -me." - -"The father of Alope does not like you," Zayigo said. "But that is no -news in the Mimbreno village. Ne-po-se does not care to have Alope marry -a mere warrior when it is possible that a chief will offer five horses -in exchange for her." - -For a moment Geronimo did not answer. For five years he had watched -Alope become lovelier each year. Her image accompanied him wherever he -went by day and haunted his dreams by night. He was as deeply in love as -a young man can be. - -He said finally, "When I became a warrior in full standing, I went to -Ne-po-se and asked for Alope. He sneered at me, and said to come back -when I could offer ten horses for his daughter's hand." - -"Ten horses!" Zayigo said in astonishment. "That is unheard of, even for -such a bride as Alope! What do you intend to do?" - -"Pay for my bride what she is worth," Geronimo said. "That is why we are -in Mexico, where there are plenty of horses for the taking." - -He spoke more easily, for talking about his troubles had made them seem -less. Zayigo and Pedro Gonzalez smiled, their white teeth flashing in -the darkness. - -"Now you talk as the leader we hoped we were following," Pedro Gonzalez -said happily. "Of course there are plenty of horses in Mexico. And when -it comes to stealing horses, no warriors are more clever than Geronimo. -You shall gain the price of your bride." - -"I shall have the price or I shall not return to the Mimbreno village," -Geronimo vowed. "And I know we shall return for we go against Mexicans. - -"I think it must be true that something in the food they eat or the -water they drink turns the marrow of Mexican men's bones to jelly as -soon as they become men. Captive Mexican women fit very well into our -tribe, as do children if taken young enough. The men do little except -tremble with fear, and that is why it is better to kill than capture -them." - -Pedro Gonzalez laughed joyously. "It is long since I have fought -Mexicans. Let us hope this is a good fight." - -They curled up in their blankets and slept. The night was still black -about them when they rose to go on. Traveling at a loose-legged gait -that covered the ground with amazing speed, they were many miles from -their camping place when the sun rose. They stopped to nibble parched -corn from pouches that hung at their belts, rested less than five -minutes, and went on. - -Geronimo, who had been this way many times and who also had a splendid -sense of direction, led the others through steep-walled canyons and over -brush-grown hilltops. By midafternoon they were looking from the top of -a hill down on the _rancheria_ they intended to raid. - -The house and other buildings were built of adobe, or sun-dried brick. -To one side were extensive corrals made of poles that had been -laboriously hauled from some river bottom or other where trees were -plentiful. There were about fifty horses in the corrals. - -The three Apaches crouched in the brush and bided their time. They were -heedless of the sun that burned down upon them. Thirst that would have -driven a white man mad bothered them not at all. They were trained to -endure thirst. - -An hour before dark, several Mexican riders came with a herd of forty -horses. They put them in the same corral where the fifty were already -confined, and turned their own saddle mounts in with them. Two more -riders came, stripped saddles and bridles from their mounts, and shut -them in the corral. Then all the Mexicans went into the house. - -Night fell before the three Apaches stirred. Geronimo gave his orders. - -"Zayigo and Pedro, keep those in the house from coming out. I go to the -corral." - -Geronimo slipped away in the darkness. He could no longer see the -corral, but his sense of direction was so sure that he went exactly to -it. The Mexicans had draped their saddles over the top rail and hung -their bridles on the saddle horns. Taking no saddles, for all three -raiders were expert bareback riders, Geronimo looped three bridles over -his shoulder and entered the corral. - -The horses snorted in alarm when they got his scent, then wheeled to run -to the corral's far side. Geronimo did not hurry even slightly, for in -the first place any quick move would frighten the horses. In the second -place, with Zayigo and Pedro Gonzalez watching the house, he was not -afraid that the Mexicans would come. In the third place, Geronimo had -done this so many times that he knew exactly how to go about it. - -[Illustration: _The horses snorted in alarm_] - -Presently he backed a group of horses into a corner of the corral. -Geronimo caught one, held it by looping the reins of one of his three -bridles around its neck, and bridled it. He mounted. - -At that moment, a stallion screamed. - -The door of the house was flung open. But when Zayigo's rifle spoke, the -door was slammed shut quickly. Still refusing to hurry, Geronimo caught -and bridled two more horses. Sitting his own mount, and holding the -reins of the other two, he whistled shrilly. - -Zayigo and Pedro Gonzalez appeared out of the darkness. Not speaking, -for each knew exactly what he must do, they mounted the two bridled -horses. Geronimo opened the gate and the three drove the herd through. - -There were hundreds of other horses grazing on the vast acreage of the -_rancheria_. But this was the only herd kept near the house and the -raiders had been careful to take all of them. The rest were miles away -at other water holes. Even if the Mexicans recovered their wits -immediately, they would still need hours to get more horses and launch -any kind of pursuit. - -The raiders drove their herd toward Apache land at a leisurely walk. - -[Illustration: _Geronimo brought the skins of puma_] - -On their return Geronimo gave Ne-po-se twenty fine horses. It was a gift -so dazzling that even Mangus Coloradus, giant chief of the Mimbreno -Apaches, came to inquire about it. And Ne-po-se could no longer forbid -Alope to marry the brave young Geronimo. - -Several thousand people lived in the Mimbreno village. But since most -Apaches liked plenty of room between themselves and their neighbors, the -village was spread over several hills. - -Geronimo and Alope, however, built a fine wickiup very near the house of -Geronimo's widowed mother. Alope decorated it with pictures while -Geronimo brought the skins of elk, deer, antelope, puma, and other -creatures that fell to his hunting arrows. There were no bear skins -because bears are sacred to Apaches. - -The following twelve years were probably the only truly happy ones -Geronimo ever knew. A daughter came to live in the wickiup, then a son, -then another daughter. It was a full and wonderful life for all. - - - - -CHAPTER FOUR - -_Massacre_ - - -Again it was spring, the spring of 1858, and almost the entire village -of Mimbreno Apaches was on the move. - -Twenty or more youngsters, who couldn't contain their own bubbling -spirits and wouldn't restrain their lively ponies, led the main column -by half a mile. Next, riding his immense war horse and surrounded by his -sub-chiefs, came Mangus Coloradus himself--a giant of a man and a great -leader. Immediately behind this group were more than three hundred pack -horses and burros. Their packs bore tanned skins, fruit of the saguaro -cactus, edible roots of the mescal plant, and other trade goods. - -The pack train was guarded by warriors who rode on either side. Far -enough behind so that they would not be bothered too much by the dust -of the pack train, came the remainder of the warriors, the old people, -and the women and children. All were mounted. Some of the smaller -children rode four or five to a pony. They were going on a holiday of -the happiest sort. - -[Illustration] - -Though the Apaches were usually at war with the Mexicans, they had -arranged a peace so that they might have their great annual trading -party, or _fiesta_, in Mexico. Most of their trading would be done in -the town of Casas Grandes, deep in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. But -before reaching Casas Grandes they intended to stop and trade at a -smaller town which they called Kas-Kai-Ya. - -Two and a half miles short of town they halted and set up camp. This was -a simple enough business. Most of the Indians just cast their blankets -down on the ground and arranged a fireplace. Some cut green saplings and -thrust the thick ends in the ground to form a circle. Next they bent the -tops together and held them with buckskin thongs. Then they thatched the -walls with deer skins or blankets. - -Geronimo started building such a wickiup for his mother, Alope, and his -three children. His two daughters, ten and five, and his seven-year-old -son tried so enthusiastically to help him that the wickiup never would -have been built if Alope hadn't taken charge. - -The Apaches had not stopped so far from Kas-Kai-Ya because they were -afraid of the Mexicans. But, though Mexican women might roam at will in -Apache villages, no Apache woman would think of showing herself in a -Mexican town. Besides, trading was a man's business. - -Leaving enough warriors to protect a peaceful camp, the eighty men who -were going in town to trade set out, led by Mangus Coloradus himself. -They took only thirty horses, twelve of which were laden with trade -goods. The rest of the trade goods and the pack horses and burros were -saved for trading in Casas Grandes. - -Every warrior except Geronimo had a hidden knife. Some carried hidden -pistols, and a few had carbines, or short rifles, thrust inside their -breeches. To enter the town openly armed would surely provoke a fight, -and a fight would spoil the holiday. But even though they were -supposedly at peace, no Apache ever trusted any Mexican and no Mexican -ever trusted any Apache. - -Geronimo carried only a buckskin pouch filled with yellow metal that, -to him, hadn't the slightest value. Made into arrow or lance heads, it -blunted on almost any target. It was too heavy for hair or ear -ornaments, and useless to the Apaches except as playthings for the -children. But the Mexicans, who called the metal _oro_--gold--prized it -greatly. - -The traders reached the sun-dried brick wall enclosing the town of -Kas-Kai-Ya and found a squadron of _rurales_ drawn in formation across -the gate. All these soldier police were mounted and armed, and their -snapping black eyes were filled with hatred for Apaches. As Geronimo -knew, there was good reason for this hate. Apaches had raided too long, -too often, and too successfully in Mexico to win any friendship from -_rurales_ whose duty it was to stop them. Mangus Coloradus addressed the -uniformed officer: - -"_Buenas tardes, Señor Rurale._ We would trade." - -The officer made an effort to stare Mangus Coloradus down, and when he -couldn't do it, flushed angrily. But he replied civilly: - -"_Buenas tardes_, good afternoon, Señor Apache. You may enter." - -The _rurales_ drew aside, let the Apaches through the gate, and then -reformed across it. The Apaches braced themselves to meet the horde of -peddlers that screeched and squawked down on them. - -Geronimo was confronted by a lanky man whose only garment was a tattered -_serape_, or blanket-like robe, that was draped over one shoulder and -pinned at the sides with thorns. His hair looked as though it hadn't -been combed in years, his beard was as tangled. His body was dirty. His -eyes were both cunning and humble. - -In sharp contrast were the fierce eyes of a golden eagle that the -Mexican had imprisoned in a wooden cage. In spite of broken and -bedraggled feathers, the eagle still looked royal. The Mexican lifted -the cage. - -"See?" he whined. "See, Señor Apache? Grieved though I must be to part -with anything so precious, this noble bird is yours for only three -horses." - -Geronimo brushed haughtily past the man and walked on. The peddler -called anxiously, "Will you give me some mescal?" - -Geronimo's eyes expressed his disgust. If wild things were not meant for -the wilds, the god, Usan, would not have placed them there. They might -be hunted for food but never should any be imprisoned. - -"Some tobacco?" the eagle's captor wailed. - -Geronimo turned, glared, and the Mexican scurried away. Geronimo -continued his unhurried walk. Kas-Kai-Ya was truly remarkable, largely, -Geronimo thought, because so many people could live in such a small -area. They were so crowded that Geronimo wondered how they kept from -suffocating each other. - -He saw a man lying with his head on a chunk of adobe, the same sun-dried -brick from which the town walls and all the buildings were fashioned. -Suddenly the man leaped up and began to scream. Other Mexican men, -women, even children at once started to scream or shout as loudly as -they could. The clamor was deafening. - -The amazed Apaches halted and gaped. After a bit, assuring himself that -this senseless yelling must be a sickness suffered by those who allow -themselves too little room, Geronimo went on. - -Presently he halted beside a Mexican who had a basket supported by a -ragged rope over one shoulder. The basket was divided into compartments -and filled with glass beads that were separated according to color. - -[Illustration: _He halted beside a Mexican_] - -The beads were so fascinating that Geronimo scarcely knew that the -horrible din had quieted. - -He caught up a half dozen assorted beads and one by one put them back in -the proper compartments. He took out his pouch of gold. But though he -yearned for the beads, and would gladly have given all his gold for -them, he was too good a trader to offer everything at once. Geronimo -dropped two small nuggets onto the palm of his hand and held them out. - -"No," the bead vendor refused. - -But excitement made him breathe hard, and he could not take his eyes -from the pouch. Geronimo gave him two more nuggets. The Mexican gasped -and Geronimo thought he was once more refusing. Recklessly he poured -half the gold into the bead vendor's palm. The Mexican moaned, slipped -the basket from his own shoulder and hung it on Geronimo's, cupped the -gold with both hands, and ran. - -Geronimo dropped the still half-filled pouch of gold into the dust and -forgot it. He noticed for the first time that his comrades were making -their way toward the gate. Trading had been brisk. The Apache trade -goods were gone and each warrior had at least a double handful of -knickknacks. The _rurales_ drew their horses aside and let the departing -Apaches through the gate. - -The Indians started back to their camp. But when they were halfway there -Mangus Coloradus halted suddenly. A split second later, every warrior -was alert. From a brush-grown _arroyo_, or gully, came the hushed voice -of Pedro Gonzalez, one of those who had stayed behind. - -"This way." - -[Illustration] - -The eighty melted into the _arroyo_ as quietly as eighty quail might -slip away from an approaching hunter. They found Nadeze with Pedro. The -wives of five of the men who had gone into town and the wives of four -who had stayed behind were there also. And two girl children. The faces -of all showed shocked, numbing grief. But the eyes of all, even the two -children, blazed with fury. - -"Some _rurales_ came!" Pedro snarled. "I know not from where! But they -outnumbered us two to one. And when we warriors would have fought rather -than let them enter the camp, they reminded us that this is a time of -peace! They said they wished only to trade and talk, but once among us -they attacked without warning! We slew many, but our horses, our arms, -our trade goods, are now theirs! Of those men, women, and children who -stayed behind, we alone live!" - -"Where are the _rurales_ now?" asked Mangus Coloradus. - -"In what was our camp, awaiting your return," Pedro said. - -Mangus Coloradus said, "When Apaches do not make fools of Mexicans, the -Mexicans seem determined to make fools of themselves. The _rurales_ must -have known that some escaped, and that we would be warned. They should -have ambushed us as we left the gates of Kas-Kai-Ya." - -Sadly he thought of all who had been killed. Then he added "I will take -the wives of our brave men and these two children with me, and I will -hold myself responsible for their safety. Of the rest, each seek a -different path and hide his trail. We will meet at the place we have -chosen to be our rendezvous." - -A moment later, the _arroyo_ was empty of Apaches. - - - - -CHAPTER FIVE - -_Flight_ - - -Light from a thin slice of moon glanced from the Bavispe River, stole -through thinly leaved trees, and painted a lichen-crusted boulder with -moonbeams. - -But the moonlight made not the faintest impression in the grove of -thick-limbed, heavy-trunked trees on the river's bank. Beneath the trees -it was black enough for devils to dance. But any devils who might have -been there would have been frightened away by the Apaches who had come -to Mexico in peace but who knew now that there must be war. This grove -was their appointed rendezvous should anything go amiss while they were -trading. - -Geronimo sat as though he had lost everything that made him alive but -was still not dead. He knew dimly that Mangus Coloradus was talking in -low tones with men whom Geronimo was too dazed to recognize. - -The Mimbreno chief said, "We must go to our village." - -"And leave our dead?" The question was laden with heartbreak. - -Mangus Coloradus said, "We are deep in enemy country, with few arms, no -food, and no horses. Is there another way?" - -"I will not go," Nadeze said firmly. - -"Then you will not return to meet again those who massacred our people," -said the chief. - -"Return?" Nadeze was puzzled. - -"We will come again," Mangus Coloradus promised, "but with warriors -only." - -"Ha!" Nadeze snarled like an angry puma. "If my dead know that, they -will forgive me for leaving! I must go and tell them!" - -Others announced their intention to return to the encampment for one -last visit with their dead. - -"Go we may, but we must go cautiously and we must not linger," Mangus -Coloradus said. "The _rurales_ may still await us there. If they do not, -the night is our friend. And we must ask our friend to shield us while -we travel far." - -A clear thought penetrated Geronimo's numbed brain. At the time when the -massacre must have occurred, the people of Kas-Kai-Ya had set up a -deafening racket. Why, if not to make it impossible for the warriors in -town to hear rifle shots? - -The thought faded and Geronimo was again a live body with a numbed brain -and sick soul. He understood dully that they must return to their -village, but that first they would have one last visit at the -encampment. He rose only because the others did, and started out of the -grove. - -They found and traveled the trail to the Apache encampment. It was a -bold move and, under a lesser chief than Mangus Coloradus, might have -been disastrous. But the Mimbreno chief had rightly decided that -Mexicans gauged Apache hearts by their own. If such a disaster had -stricken Mexicans, the survivors would never have dared show themselves -on the trail. Neither would they have visited the scene of the massacre. - -When the angry and grief-stricken Apaches reached the encampment, they -found that the _rurales_ had left. The moon was merciful. The crumpled -figures that lay all about seemed like so many sleeping persons. - -Geronimo sought the wickiup where he had left his family. - -He stopped suddenly. Alope lay full length before him, head turned and -cheek resting on her right hand. Her long black hair tumbled at her -side. Many times had Geronimo watched her sleep in just such a fashion, -and now she seemed asleep. But she did not wake. - -[Illustration] - -Geronimo's mother had fallen at the entrance to the wickiup, and the -children were near. The two little girls had embraced when the Mexicans -overtook them, and had fallen with their arms still about each other. -The boy was at his sisters' feet. His right arm was stretched toward -them, and he still clutched the rock which he had intended to throw at -the treacherous Mexicans. - -Geronimo was unaware of the hand that touched his arm, until Mangus -Coloradus said gently, "Come with us, brother." - -Geronimo responded like an obedient dog. He felt no grief, no shock, no -pain, for he was too numbed to feel anything. He knew he must follow -only because he had been told that he must. - -By sunrise the Apaches were many miles from the scene of tragedy. Mangus -Coloradus had led them over the roughest and rockiest places. They had -waded streams wherever streams flowed and done everything possible to -hide their trail. - -At last Mangus Coloradus called a halt and sent some out to hunt while -he told others to build a smokeless fire from dead wood. One by one, the -hunters returned. Since a shot from a gun would have attracted -attention, the game had been brought down with thrown rocks or knives. -Their bag consisted of some jack rabbits and a crippled peccary. They -ate, rested, and went on. - -Geronimo remembered nothing of the flight. On reaching the village, he -went first to his mother's wickiup. He entered, but at once ducked out -again and sought his own house. Slowly the fogs faded from his brain. -He discovered that he still carried the basket of beads for which he had -traded half a pouch of gold in Kas-Kai-Ya. - -He had not realized, that night while the thin moon lighted the scene of -the massacre, that the beloved people upon whom he looked were dead. Nor -had he understood since. But he knew it now. - -Geronimo plunged into his wickiup and sought his store of weapons. -Shotguns, rifles, muskets, powder, shot, knives, hatchets, lances, bows, -and arrows were carried a safe distance from the wickiup and put -carefully down. The basket of beads was placed near them. - -Then Geronimo strode to a nearby fire. Catching up a burning brand, he -fired the wickiup he had shared with Alope, then cast the brand against -his mother's house. He turned his back on the burning wickiups. Like his -old life, they would soon be ashes. But there would be a new life, he -told himself. A life of revenge! - -Pedro Gonzalez was attracted to the fires, and Geronimo asked him, "Do -you have weapons?" - -"Bow and arrows, a knife, a lance, a hatchet." - -Geronimo indicated his own store. "Choose what you will." - -Pedro's brows arched in surprise. "You make gifts of such?" - -"I give a weapon to whoever will ride with me and meet the _rurales_ who -murdered our people." - -"I will ride, but only when Mangus Coloradus says to. He is still -chief." - -[Illustration] - -"Coward!" Geronimo spat. - -Pedro's face tightened with anger, and he drew his knife. Geronimo -grunted contemptuously and snatched at his own knife. Before either -could make a thrust, Mangus Coloradus stepped between them. - -"What insanity is this?" the chief thundered. - -"I offered him his choice of weapons if he will return and fight the -_rurales_!" Geronimo flared. "He will not go!" - -"I will!" Pedro snapped. "But I wait until Mangus Coloradus leads!" - -Mangus Coloradus whirled on Geronimo. "Have you turned fool?" - -"I go to fight the murderers of my family," Geronimo said flatly. - -"None of us has forgotten our dead," the chief replied. "We will go to -avenge them, but to do so we must not only fight the Mexicans. We must -defeat them. To defeat them, we must plan." - -"Plan?" Geronimo inquired. - -"We will seek Cochise, chief of the Chiricahua Apaches, and Whoa, chief -of the Nedni," Mangus Coloradus said gravely. "We will ask their help. -Then we will prepare. And then we will ride!" - - - - -CHAPTER SIX - -_Revenge_ - - -All fires in the camp near the Bavispe River had been extinguished -before sundown. Naiche, the young, tall, courageous son of Cochise, sat -in the darkness with Geronimo. Geronimo spoke. - -"An autumn, a winter, and a spring have been born and died since Mangus -Coloradus sent me as his spokesman to ask the help of the Chiricahuas -and the Nedni." - -"I well remember your visit," Naiche said. "When you spoke, your words -were fire that burned into my very heart. As I listened I knew that, if -no other Chiricahua would follow you to Mexico and help avenge the -massacre of your people, Naiche would." - -"Soon the battle," Geronimo said. - -"Soon the battle," Naiche echoed. "And at last I shall know." - -"What shall you know?" - -"Why so mighty a warrior as Geronimo, who owns many fine rifles, goes to -fight Mexicans armed with a shotgun, a pouch of beads, a knife, and a -lance." - -Geronimo stared moodily into the darkness. Since fleeing from the -encampment he had lived only to go back to Kas-Kai-Ya. But much time had -been needed to plan an expedition large enough to attack the _rurales_ -there. - -New weapons had been fashioned. Countless messages had been exchanged by -Mangus Coloradus, Cochise, and Whoa, the three chiefs. The women and -children of all three tribes had been taken to mountain retreats whose -only approaches consisted of narrow canyons that a few warriors might -defend. Then those retreats had been stocked with ample provisions and -fuel. - -Planning the campaign had been no easy task. Every warrior burned to go -into Mexico and fight the _rurales_. Nobody wanted to stay home to guard -the women and children. Nor would any warrior serve under any leader -except his own chief. - -Finally each of the three leaders had chosen his picked men. Mangus -Coloradus included among his warriors all who had been at Kas-Kai-Ya. -Now, with two hundred and fifty braves under Cochise, two hundred under -Mangus Coloradus, and a hundred and fifty led by Whoa, they were well -into Mexico. - -Each of the three divisions kept apart from the others, but not so far -apart that they would be unable to join forces when it was time for a -battle. Naiche preferred to travel with the Mimbreno Apaches rather than -with the Chiricahuas led by his father, Cochise. This was because of his -great liking for Geronimo. - -Geronimo said finally, "I took the beads from the Mexicans. Now I return -them. That is only justice." - -"Only justice," Naiche agreed. An owl hooted three times, and Naiche -said, "The signal. A scout returns." - -Geronimo said, "Come." - -They rose and made their way to the camp of Mangus Coloradus. A short -time later, dressed as a Mexican and driving a burro, Pedro Gonzalez -loomed up in the darkness. He had been to Mexico in advance of the -warriors to gather such information as he could. - -Mangus Coloradus rose to meet him. "What saw you?" he asked. - -"I saw _rurales_," Pedro said. "I even talked with them, since they -thought me a Mexican. There are two companies of foot soldiers and two -companies of horse soldiers. Among them are those who attacked us at -Kas-Kai-Ya. But they are not now at Kas-Kai-Ya. They are at Arispe, in -the Mexican state of Sonora and to the west of Kas-Kai-Ya." - -[Illustration] - -Geronimo blurted, "Then we go to Arispe!" - -"To Arispe!" Naiche echoed. - -Mangus Coloradus asked haughtily, "Do warriors decide where the battle -shall be fought?" - -"I will fight the _rurales_ who killed my wife, my mother, and my -children," Geronimo said stubbornly. "If we must attack the people of -Kas-Kai-Ya, that may come afterwards." - -Naiche growled, "I fight beside my friend." - -"We will all go to Arispe," Mangus Coloradus said. "We will start at -once. For in truth we must fight the _rurales_ who massacred our -people." - -"I shall tell Cochise," Naiche said. - -Mangus Coloradus said, "Ask Cochise to inform Whoa. Tell both that we -join forces before Arispe." - -"I shall inform Whoa," Naiche promised. - -Naiche disappeared in the darkness. The word spread like wind-driven -wildfire, and warriors prepared to march. Nobody was mounted. Even with -almost a year to make ready, there had not been enough time to capture -war horses for everyone. Besides, so great a number of horsemen would be -far easier to detect than foot soldiers, so nobody rode. - -Geronimo felt in the darkness to make sure his knife was at his belt. In -turn he fingered his powder horn, the pouch of beads, his parcel of -jerked meat, and his parcel of parched corn. - -He hung over his shoulder the blanket that served him as bed by night -and clothing by day. Like all the rest of the warriors, he was going -into battle wearing as little clothing as possible, and the blanket -would be flung aside when the fight started. Taking his lance in his -left hand, Geronimo carried his shotgun in his right hand. - -Mangus Coloradus said, "Lead on." - -Geronimo strode into the darkness. Partly because he knew Mexico so -well, and partly because of his marvelous sense of direction, he had -been appointed guide for the entire expedition. - -In late afternoon of the third day following, they came before the -walled town of Arispe. - -They halted in a woods some five hundred yards from the town, and -Geronimo's heart leaped as he stood beside Naiche. Again, in -imagination, he saw his mother, his wife, his murdered children. A great -joy rose within him at the knowledge that, only a short distance away, -their murderers awaited. The Apaches had come upon Arispe so stealthily -that the _rurales_ couldn't possibly have fled. A battle was assured. - -But their presence must be known soon, and when they were discovered -they could expect action from Arispe. The sun was sinking when Naiche -said: - -"They come." - -Eight townsmen bearing a white flag of truce left the walled town and -walked toward the trees. Geronimo could not help admiring them. Eight -Mexicans who approached any number of Apaches _must_ be courageous. - -"What would you do with them, brother?" Naiche asked, stepping closer to -Geronimo. - -"Hold them prisoner and force the _rurales_ to come out to attempt a -rescue," replied Geronimo. "Thus we may be sure of a battle." - -"Their flag says they come to talk. It is not honorable to capture -them." - -"The _rurales_ who slew our women and children at Kas-Kai-Ya were less -than honorable too," Geronimo said grimly. - -"That is true, but whether we capture or parley is for the chiefs to -say. Let us hear." - -They made their way to where Mangus Coloradus, Cochise, and Whoa awaited -the eight townsmen. No Apache stirred until the Mexicans were so near -the woods that there was no possible chance of their running back into -Arispe. Then Mangus Coloradus ordered: - -"Capture them so the _rurales_ must try a rescue." - -Geronimo and Naiche remained with the chiefs, for they scorned to fight -townsmen. But other warriors ran forward. The Mexicans halted and -grouped together, each man with his back against a companion's. - -Pedro Gonzalez, one of those attempting the capture, said in Spanish, -"Submit and you will not be hurt." - -"You come to kill!" a Mexican snarled, and eight hands flew to knives. - -The encircling warriors drew their own knives. Near-naked Apaches ringed -the Mexicans and it was over. Pedro Gonzalez came to the chiefs. - -"We would have captured them, but they chose to fight," he said. - -"It is no matter," Cochise shrugged. "The _rurales_ will come now for -revenge." - -The next morning some of the soldier police did come. Twenty horsemen -galloped toward the woods where the Apaches were hiding, fired wildly -into them, and retreated without hurting anyone. That evening the -Apaches captured a Mexican supply train whose leaders knew nothing of -the powerful war party concealed near the town. Besides a store of -food, the Apaches took many guns and much ammunition. - -At ten o'clock the next morning, the _rurales_ came in force. Two -companies of infantry in battle formation advanced toward the woods -where the Apaches were still hidden. Two of cavalry were held in reserve -just outside the town walls. - -Lying near the chiefs, with Naiche on one side and Nadeze on the other, -Geronimo poured powder into the cavernous muzzle of his shotgun. He -emptied the pouch of beads on top of it, tamped them in with cloth, and -primed the gun. Naiche grinned, understanding at last. - -Nadeze exclaimed, "There are the murderers of Kas-Kai-Ya!" - -"So?" Mangus Coloradus said calmly. "What think you, Cochise? What think -you, Whoa? These enemies slew Geronimo's mother. They slew his wife. -They slew his children. Should Geronimo lead the first attack?" - -"It is well," Cochise murmured. - -"It is just," Whoa agreed. - -Geronimo turned to Naiche. "Take fifty warriors and go unseen into that -strip of woods we see from here. Wait until the enemies are past and we -have attacked. Then charge them from the rear." - -"I go, brother," Naiche said grimly. "Good hunting." - -When the _rurales_ were four hundred yards away they stopped to fire. -Those in front kneeled so that those behind could shoot over their -heads. Keeping his men hidden, Geronimo noticed that every weapon was -discharged. - -The _rurales_ fired a second volley from two hundred yards and, as -before, every weapon was emptied. Now, before they could reload, was the -time to take them. - -Shotgun in one hand, lance in the other, Geronimo sounded the Apache war -whoop and raced out of the woods toward the enemy. The Mexicans worked -desperately with their guns, but fewer than half reloaded in time. The -remainder drew sabers and awaited the attack. - -When only fifty feet separated Geronimo from the Mexicans, he leveled -his shotgun, cocked it, and fired. The weapon spewed its glass beads -forth, and half a dozen Mexicans fell. Flinging the now-useless shotgun -from him, Geronimo leveled his lance and raced on. - -He saw Naiche and his warriors swarm out of the woods to attack from the -rear. At the same time he saw the Mexican cavalry charge to the aid of -their hard-pressed comrades. - -An officer, saber raised, rode straight at Geronimo, determined to ride -him down. Geronimo sidestepped, thrust with his lance, brought the -officer out of his saddle, and lost his lance in doing so. - -[Illustration] - -Armed with only a knife, he awaited the next horseman. He dodged beneath -the soldier's saber, caught the arm that wielded it, and pulled the -_rurale_ from his saddle. They rolled in a desperate struggle for the -saber until a stray bullet, ricocheting across the battle-field, buried -itself in the _rurale's_ brain and he went limp. - -Geronimo leaped to his feet, grabbed the saber, and went on fighting -with it until he took another lance from a dead Apache. - -Before sunset, the battered remnants of the _rurales_ were trembling -behind Arispe's walls. There would be wailing soon in some of the lodges -of the Mimbreno, the Nedni, the Chiricahuas. But for every Mimbreno who -had been slaughtered in the massacre of Kas-Kai-Ya, and for every -warrior who had died before Arispe, two _rurales_ lay dead on the field -of battle. - - - - -CHAPTER SEVEN - -_The White Men_ - - -Hidden by brush, Geronimo lay motionless on a hilltop and riveted his -eyes on the scene below. - -He was watching a man, one of the strange white men whom Geronimo had -first seen when surveyors came to mark the boundary between the United -States and Mexico. The man was leading four burros, each with a pack on -its back. He was approaching a bluff. - -Hiding behind the bluff, Geronimo saw two other white men on horses. -When the man with the burros was near enough, the two leaped their -horses in front of him. Leveling pistols, they said something Geronimo -could not hear but was obviously menacing. - -The man dropped his burros' lead ropes and raised both hands. The -horsemen dismounted. While one continued to point his pistol at the man -with the burros, the other rummaged through the packs. Presently he -turned to his companion and exclaimed: - -"Gold!" - -"So you made a strike, Pop?" the other man asked. "Where is it?" - -"'Twas just a pocket," the man with the burro quavered. - -"Better not lie to us, Pop." - -He who had searched the packs encircled the prospector's throat with one -arm and held tight while the other man tied him. Then they built a fire -and in it thrust a knife. - -Grimacing, Geronimo stole down to where he had left his hunting horse. -Apaches tortured prisoners, but only when they seemed to have important -military information that they would not reveal. Even then, Geronimo had -seen battle-hardened warriors turn away because they could not look upon -the prisoner's suffering. - -Mounting his horse, Geronimo heard the prospector shriek as his captors -used the red-hot knife to make him tell where the gold mine was. He put -his horse to a run because he cared to hear no more screams, and slowed -only when he was out of hearing. - -Not once did he even imagine that the prospector's body would be found -by other white men and the killing would be considered as another -terrible crime of Apaches. - -After a while Geronimo stopped beneath another hill. He tethered his -trained hunting horse. Bow in hand and arrow-filled quiver on his -shoulder, he crawled up the hill so carefully that even a stalking cat -would have been more noticeable. - -Reaching the top, he looked down upon fifteen antelope. Very slowly, for -antelope have wonderful eyes that notice the least move, he took two -arrows from his quiver. One he nocked loosely in his bow, then laid the -bow where he could grasp it instantly. To the feathered end of the other -arrow he tied a strip of cloth. He raised this second arrow so that the -cloth appeared above the grass, and waved it slowly back and forth. - -[Illustration] - -Every antelope swung at once to gaze at this wonder. They turned their -heads this way and that, stamped their hoofs, and blew through their -nostrils. Then they let curiosity overcome caution and walked forward -for a closer look. - -When they were well within range, Geronimo dropped the arrow. In the -same instant he seized and drew his bow and rose to one knee. The -antelope whirled to run, but the hunting arrow Geronimo loosed caught a -fat buck in mid-leap and brought him to earth dead. Geronimo dressed his -game, tied it behind the hunting horse's saddle, and rode on to meet -Naiche. He found his friend, who also had a fat antelope, waiting near -the rocky spire where they had agreed to meet. - -"I saw a great herd of antelope," Naiche announced. "I might have killed -several, but I need only one." - -Geronimo said, "I found only a small herd of antelope, but I saw three -white men. I could not attack because they have guns and I carry only a -bow and arrows. Two of the white men tied the third and burned him with -a hot knife blade." - -"All white men are crazy," Naiche growled. "And there are far too many -of them in land that belongs to Apaches." - -"There are not as many as there were," Geronimo pointed out. "It has -come to my ears that they could not find enough Indians to kill, so they -started a great fight among themselves. I have heard they call it the -Civil War, and all the soldiers who were in Apache country have gone to -kill each other." - -Naiche said, "Let us wish them great success in such a worthy -undertaking. Now is the time for Apaches to kill the white men who -remain and again be masters in our own land." - -"We are fast becoming masters," Geronimo said. "The three men I saw -today must be either great fools or of great courage. Most white men -dare not leave their cities of Tucson and Tubac unless they are in -numbers and well armed. Their stages no longer run, and their mail -carriers no longer ride. The ashes of their wagons are blowing -throughout Apache land. Their houses and stage stations are abandoned to -the sun and wind. Their graves are more than one man may count." - -"True," Naiche agreed. "But I worry." - -"For what reason?" - -Naiche spoke thoughtfully. "First came the men who measured land and -drove stakes in the ground. They left and we Apaches rested easier. -Then came rock scratchers, gold seekers, to Pinos Altos, and again we -had cause for anxiety. - -[Illustration] - -"Thinking to be rid of the rock scratchers, Mangus Coloradus himself -went among them and offered to lead them south to rich gold mines in the -Sierra Madre. Truly the gold was there. And truly Mangus Coloradus would -have led them to it, for at that time we had not yet learned the worth -of gold. But the miners thought your Mimbreno chief was lying. They -overpowered and bound him. Then they flogged him more mercilessly than -we ever flogged the most rebellious Mexican prisoner. - -"I worry because Mangus Coloradus is growing old," Naiche went on. "He -cannot forget that white men fought us with weapons better than our own. -When we won or stole such weapons for ourselves, they came with still -better ones. Mangus Coloradus thinks that, when the white men are weary -of killing each other, they will return with weapons even more terrible. -He thinks the only hope for Apaches is to seek peace. Yet he fights on." - -Geronimo said, "The only hope is to fight for that which is ours." - -"I agree, but I worry for another reason," Naiche said. "My father, -Cochise, long kept the peace. He let the white men run their stages. He -protected their wagons and mail carriers from renegades who would have -destroyed them. - -"Then, only a few moons ago, a white chief named Bascom came to Apache -Pass with some soldiers. He summoned Cochise to his tent, saying he -wanted to talk. Suspecting no treachery, Cochise went with five -warriors. Bascom said we Chiricahuas had stolen a boy named Mickey Free -and some cattle. He demanded their return." - -Geronimo said, "I have not heard all this story." - -"Cochise denied that Chiricahuas had stolen either the boy or the -cattle," Naiche went on. "Bascom gave him the lie and ordered his -soldiers to make prisoners of those who had come to talk. Cochise -escaped by slashing the tent with his knife and running. But the -warriors were captured. So we captured some white men." - -There was a moody silence while Naiche pondered his words. He continued: - -"Meanwhile a white chief named Irwin, who outranked Bascom, came to -Apache Pass. We sent word to him that we would free our white captives -if our warriors were freed. Instead, while we watched from surrounding -cliffs, Irwin had them killed in the peculiar fashion of white men. He -tied ropes around their necks and let them dangle from a tree until they -were dead. In turn, we killed our white prisoners." - -"I was raiding in Mexico at the time, for I have raided Mexicans at -every opportunity since the massacre at Kas-Kai-Ya," Geronimo said. "I -wish that I had been present." - -Naiche said, "If you had been, you would have seen for yourself why the -Chiricahuas are at war with the white men. But, though no warrior is -more courageous nor any chief more wise, I know my father. He wars with -them now, but in his heart he, too, thinks that we must some day make -peace with the white men." - -"There is no peace at present," Geronimo said, "so let us return to the -village, get guns, and kill the two white men I have just seen. We shall -not find the third alive." - -"Let us do that," Naiche agreed. - -They rode into the Chiricahua encampment just in time to see the women -and children, with an escort of warriors, leaving. The remaining -warriors were looking to their weapons. Naiche and Geronimo made their -way to Cochise, who was calmly giving orders to sub-chiefs. - -"Why should this be?" Naiche inquired. - -"Our scouts bring word that many soldiers from the land to the west, who -call themselves the California Volunteers, are marching in this -direction. They go to fight in the war that other white men are fighting -to the east," Cochise said. "The path they have chosen will lead them -through Apache Pass. I have sent word to Mangus Coloradus to join us. -Then we will kill every soldier!" - -At the exciting news of a great battle in store, Geronimo and Naiche -forgot all about the two white men whom they had intended to find and -kill. - - - - -CHAPTER EIGHT - -_The Battle of Apache Pass_ - - -High on the steep and boulder-strewn side of narrow Apache Pass, -Geronimo lay behind a pile of rocks. He had made the little breastwork -appear natural by uprooting a cactus and standing it on top of the -rocks. His best rifle and all the powder and bullets he had been able to -gather lay within easy reach. Now he had only to await the soldiers, who -intended to march through Apache Pass, and to give thanks to Usan, who -had created an ambush so perfect. - -Apache Pass was a narrow slit between the Chiricahua Mountains on the -west and the Dos Cabezas on the east. It was one of the very few passes -in the Southwest through which travelers could take wagons. Far more -important, in a land of little water it sheltered sweet and cool springs -that never failed. - -Turning his head, Geronimo saw the stone house built by men of the -Overland Stage Company and abandoned since Cochise took the warpath. -Some six hundred yards beyond the house, tall trees and green grass -marked the flowing springs. - -Geronimo smacked his lips in satisfaction. - -Behind each rock in the pass, each shrub, each cluster of cactus, -crouched an armed Apache. There were almost seven hundred Mimbrenos and -Chiricahuas. They were so well hidden that even Geronimo, who knew they -were there, could see few of them. He smacked his lips again. - -The scouts had reported that there were about as many white soldiers as -there were Apaches in ambush, some on foot and some mounted. The -soldiers had stopped with their supply train at Dragoon Springs, forty -miles west of Apache Pass. There they could drink to their heart's -content, water their stock, and load up with enough water to see them -through to Apache Pass. But their water would be gone by the time they -entered the pass, and they could not get more until they reached the -springs beyond the stone stagehouse. - -Geronimo glanced with pleasure at the stone breastworks which Mangus -Coloradus and Cochise had had built on the heights overlooking these -springs. The fortifications were manned by warriors who could shoot -without being shot, since the breastworks protected them. - -Unable to renew their water supplies, the soldiers who were not killed -by bullets would die from thirst. The greatest Apache victory of all -time was almost certain. - -[Illustration] - -Soon two Apache scouts who had gone out to watch for the soldiers' -arrival came into the pass. One went to Cochise's ambush. The second -turned to where Mangus Coloradus lay. - -Geronimo burned to know what the scouts had seen and what they were -saying, for then he would know how soon he might expect battle. But he -did not leave his position. - -Presently, Naiche slipped down beside Geronimo. He was grinning. - -[Illustration] - -"Most of the heavy wagons, without which white soldiers go nowhere, -remain at Dragoon Springs," he said. "A few horse and many foot soldiers -are coming to Apache Pass, but they are no more than one to our six. -They wear their foolish uniforms of blue cloth and they reel with the -heat. They cannot live without water." - -"Nor can they get water," Geronimo's grin reflected Naiche's. "Before -they reach it we shall slay them all." - -"We shall slay them all," Naiche agreed. - -Naiche slipped back to his ambush. A half hour later Geronimo saw the -thin cloud of dust that hovered above the marching soldiers. - -The soldiers entered Apache Pass, and most of the cavalrymen led their -mounts, for the horses were so desperate for water that they could not -be ridden. There were pack animals too, and they carried strange wheels -and tubes that were typical of the silly things white soldiers took into -battle. But in spite of heat, thirst, and the heavy uniforms, the white -men kept a smart military formation as they walked unsuspectingly into -the trap. - -They were two thirds of the way into the pass when a shot from the rifle -of Cochise rang out. At once firearms blazed from behind the Indians' -breastworks. But the hoped-for massacre did not come about. - -This was partly because the Apaches were so sure the soldiers could not -escape that they did not bother aiming as carefully as they should have. -And it was partly because so many of the Indians were shooting -smoothbore muskets that were not accurate at a long distance. - -Even as he shot at them, Geronimo could not help admiring soldiers such -as these white men. They did not flee in panic, as Mexicans nearly -always did, but coolly shot back. In good order, shooting as they went -and taking their wounded with them, they retreated from the pass. - -Geronimo swallowed his disappointment. He had hoped all the soldiers -might be slaughtered at the first volley. But he knew that those who -still lived must reach the springs or die of thirst. - -Leaving his position, Geronimo raced to the heights overlooking the -springs. He found a place behind the breastworks on the heights and -waited. - -The white soldiers came again. But they were in battle formation this -time, and their rifles were far superior to smoothbores. Every shot -from an ambushed Indian drew a quick reply. Soldiers dropped, but here -and there an Apache went limp too. Carrying their dead and such wounded -as could not help themselves, the soldiers fought their way to the stone -stagehouse. Some entered the building, and some sheltered themselves -behind it. - -Geronimo made ready for the attack on those who would attempt to get to -the springs. He had thought not even one soldier would ever reach the -stagehouse, but most were there. However, they were still six hundred -yards from the water they must have and the deadliest ambush of all. - -The soldiers stayed in or behind the stagehouse for almost an hour and a -half. When they came out and advanced toward the springs, Geronimo was -amazed to see them pulling little wagons with tubes mounted on them. -Only warriors who knew nothing of battle would bother with such clumsy -things. Geronimo's confidence rose. - -The soldiers neared the springs, and the Apaches loosed a rain of -bullets. Again, very few soldiers were hit. - -It seemed to the puzzled Geronimo that the others were very busy with -their little wagons. One wagon escaped from the men who were handling -it and started to roll. Immediately other men pounced upon and halted -it. They turned the little wagon about, so that the tube pointed at the -breastworks. - -[Illustration: _The first shell struck the breastworks_] - -The first shell--for the little wagons were really howitzers--struck the -breastworks squarely about thirty feet to one side of Geronimo. Dust, -dirt, stones, boulders, and Apaches flew into the air. - -The rest of the Apaches waited in stunned silence until the second shell -exploded. Then the Indians began a panicky scramble up the slope. - -When they reached the heights, Geronimo stood with Mangus Coloradus and -twenty other Mimbreno braves and looked down on the battle ground. They -watched the soldiers drink, fill canteens, and retreat with their horses -to the stone stagehouse. - -"We would have killed them all, but they shot wagons at us," Mangus -Coloradus said wonderingly. "But we are still many more than they are, -and we will kill them yet. To do so, we must first kill the messengers -they will surely send for help. Come." - -The warriors followed Mangus Coloradus to the west end of the pass. Soon -they heard the pounding of horses' hoofs. A moment later they saw the -five mounted messengers who were riding to warn those camped at Dragoon -Springs of the ambush and to ask for help. - -The Indians shot. Three horses went down at the first volley, but two -riders were quickly pulled up behind two other soldiers and thundered -on. There remained no one to help the rider of the third downed horse. - -In the thickening night, the Apaches advanced to kill this lone man. The -dismounted trooper crouched behind his dead horse and prepared to sell -his life as dearly as possible. - -The trooper's carbine cracked. Geronimo and two other warriors caught -Mangus Coloradus as he fell and carried him behind an outjutting -shoulder of rock. - -They forgot all about the trooper who, after the Apaches left, made his -way to his companions at the stagehouse and lived to tell the tale. - - - - -CHAPTER NINE - -_A Wounded Chief_ - - -The sorrowful warriors gathered around their wounded chief. Grieving -because he was hurt, they were also worried. While Mangus Coloradus led -them, even though they might suffer temporary defeats, in the end they -always triumphed. What now? - -Nadeze said, "We need a medicine man." - -"I am a medicine man," Geronimo said. - -Geronimo told the truth. Following the massacre of Kas-Kai-Ya, he had -taken the training which he needed in order to become an Apache medicine -man. This he had done in the hope that he might discover some powerful -medicine which would make sure the defeat of the _rurales_ responsible -for the massacre. But even though he had learned all the rituals that an -Apache medicine man must know, he was far too intelligent to have much -faith in them. But others believed in them. - -He said again, "I am a medicine man." - -"True," Nadeze agreed. "I had forgotten." - -Opening his pouch of _hoddentin_, or sacred pollen, Geronimo rubbed a -bit on Mangus Coloradus' forehead. Then he made a cross of _hoddentin_ -on the chief's breast. He sprinkled a thin line of the sacred pollen all -around the Mimbreno leader and put a touch on the forehead of every -warrior who stood near. Finally, he applied a pinch to his own forehead -and took a bit in his mouth. - -[Illustration] - -And even as he finished, he knew that _hoddentin_ was not enough. - -Geronimo was not so blinded by the ways of the Apaches that he was -unable to see for himself that other people had better ways. Often he -had seen _rurales_ so badly wounded that he thought they could never -fight again. Yet, in a later skirmish, he had fought the same _rurales_, -and apparently they were as whole as before. - -With the rest of the nearby Mimbreno braves too stricken to do anything, -and no sub-chief near, Geronimo took charge. - -He said, "Make a litter." - -"Where do we go with my father?" asked Mangas, son of Mangus Coloradus. - -"To the Mexican medicine man at Janos," Geronimo said. - -Mangas said, "The Mexicans are enemies." - -"That I know," Geronimo grunted. - -He paid no more attention to Mangas. Though a brave warrior, the son of -Mangus Coloradus lacked the qualities that made his father great. When -he was forced to make an important decision, Mangas was never able to -decide on the wise course and always trembled between the two. - -Geronimo was not a chief, but the other warriors obeyed him now because -he acted like one. Some went to fashion a litter of deer skins or -deer-skin jackets stretched between cottonwood poles. Some went to -rally the rest of the Mimbreno warriors. As word reached the followers -of Mangus Coloradus they gathered around their stricken chief. - -Mangas said, "If all of us depart, the Chiricahuas alone must battle the -white soldiers." - -"Let them," Geronimo grunted sourly. - -He could not know that the Chiricahuas were to fight again, and to be -defeated again, the next day. Had the Mimbrenos stayed to help, the -soldiers might have been defeated. Then, at least until the Civil War -ended and more soldiers came, the combined Apache forces probably would -have retaken all their homeland. - -But almost none of the Mimbreno warriors had any thought for anything -save the badly wounded Mangus Coloradus. Under his leadership, they had -become a very powerful tribe. If they were robbed of his wisdom, who -knew what might happen? - -Stockily built Victorio, a cold-eyed, ferocious Mimbreno sub-chief, had -hurried to Mangus Coloradus as soon as he heard of his wound. Now he -said: - -"I will help carry our leader. Guide us, Geronimo." - -He picked up one end of the litter. Mangas took the other. Geronimo led -the way through the darkness. He dropped pinches of _hoddentin_ as he -walked, for this was supposed to make the wounded Mangus Coloradus' path -much easier. But the seventy-year-old chief was unable to speak above a -whisper during the long and difficult journey. - -Stopping only to hunt food and for snatches of sleep, the Mimbrenos -carried him over mountains and across deserts. At last they were in -Mexico, before the gates of the walled town of Janos. - -The _rurales_ of the town came out to meet them. Though they were armed -and in considerable force, the _rurales_ were afraid. The Mimbreno -braves were in full strength. They also were fully armed, and with no -women and children to hamper them. - -Murmuring prayers, the _rurales_ made ready to defend themselves and the -townspeople. But Geronimo stepped up to their captain. - -"We come in peace," he said. "Our chief is wounded, and we bring him to -your medicine man." - -A sweat of fear bathed the captain's face, but a gasp of relief escaped -his lips. There was hope. This was no war party. - -The captain dismounted, gave his horse's reins to a private, and -walked beside Geronimo and the two men carrying Mangus Coloradus' -litter. Men, women, and children shrank against houses or scurried away -as the procession made its way to the doctor's house. - -[Illustration: _The Mimbrenos carried him over mountains and across -deserts_] - -"They come in peace. Their chief is wounded and they wish only to bring -him to our doctor," the captain explained to whoever remained near -enough to hear. - -Those who heard passed the word to others. Then all the people of Janos -hurried to the church. Often they had wished that Mangus Coloradus might -die. Now they prayed for his life, for they feared that, if he died, the -angered Apaches would kill everybody in Janos. - -When they reached the doctor's house, Mangas and Victorio carried Mangus -Coloradus in. Most of the warriors took up positions outside the house -so that no one might come near. The captain of the _rurales_ and -Geronimo entered with the litter bearers. - -Geronimo addressed the doctor. - -"Make him well." - -The doctor was a slender man, not young enough so that his hair was all -dark but not old enough so that it was all white. The hard life he had -led in Janos had taught him to fear nothing. Stepping close to the -litter, he looked at the wounded chief. - -"Put him on the table," he said. - -Mangas and Victorio lifted Mangus Coloradus to a rude wooden table and -stepped back against the wall. Geronimo watched Mangus Coloradus -steadily. - -There had been times during the long march when the Mimbreno chief's -wound had caused him to sleep, and times when his mind had wandered. But -he was awake now and he knew what was taking place. He was ready to meet -this as he had always met everything else. Whatever came, his eyes would -be toward it, and his heart would be strong. - -Though outwardly the Apaches showed nothing of what they thought or -felt, inwardly they were taut as stretched buckskin. The captain of the -_rurales_, hoping Mangus Coloradus would live and fearing the -consequences if he died, was staring, gasping, and sweating. The doctor -and the Mimbreno chief were the only calm people in the room. - -The doctor examined the wound, shook his head doubtfully, and the -captain of the _rurales_ cried aloud. The doctor looked sternly at him -and said: - -"Captain Ruiz, if you cannot control yourself, be good enough to leave." - -"I'll stay, and I'll be quiet," Captain Ruiz promised. - -With a delicate, but firm and sure touch, the doctor slipped a probe -into the bullet wound. Mangus Coloradus did not cry out, but pain -brought a bath of sweat to his forehead. - -Mangas stepped angrily forward. Geronimo reached out a hand to stop him. -The doctor again shook his head doubtfully, and Captain Ruiz clapped a -hand over his mouth to stifle another cry. - -Again the probe went in, gently but surely. - -Two hours after the chief had been laid on the table, the doctor took -the bullet from Mangus Coloradus. He applied a compress of soothing -herbs and held them in place with a bandage. Then he turned to Geronimo, -Victorio, Mangas, and Captain Ruiz. - -"He'll live," he said. - -Thus the Mimbreno Apaches came to Janos and left without harming a -single person. - - - - -CHAPTER TEN - -_A Chief Dies_ - - -Sitting on a hillock beside Victorio, Geronimo's restless eyes sought -the valley beneath, the next hill, and the hills beyond. Often he turned -his head to look behind him. The years had taught Geronimo that an enemy -might come from anywhere at any time. He who failed to see the enemy -first was apt to die swiftly. - -Victorio's eyes searched the hills, too, despite a frown that told of a -troubled mind. - -"It is possible," he said as he continued his conversation with -Geronimo, "that the Mangus Coloradus who was, leaked out through the -white soldier's bullet hole. We did not bring the same chief from Janos -that we took to the medicine man." - -"I have often wondered if the Mexican doctor did not put a spell upon -him," Geronimo remarked. "Many times I have thought of going back to -Janos and killing him. But I have thought each time that even Mangus -Coloradus could not suffer such a wound without being ill. It is a -natural thing." - -"A natural thing," Victorio agreed, "and for many days he was ill. -Remember the snail-pace we were forced to keep when we finally left -Janos? It is a good thing we were many, for even Mexicans might have -overtaken us. But Mangus Coloradus is ill no longer. Still he counsels -that Apaches must make peace with white men or there will be no more -Apaches." - -Geronimo said, "He lives much in the spirit world. I entered his wickiup -to speak to him, and he said, 'I am happy to see you once more, -Delgadito. Now you must tell our people that we cannot conquer these -Americans as we did the Mexicans.' Ha! Delgadito died many years ago in -a battle with Mexicans. Yet Mangus Coloradus talked with him when he -should have been talking with me. It chilled me, for I cannot talk with -spirits." - -"Nor can I," said Victorio. "I can talk only with people and be guided -only by them and by my own common sense. Good sense tells me that if we -do not fight the Americans, they will overrun us and there will be no -more Apaches anyway. In spite of the fact that they still war among -themselves, they have soldiers to spare for Apache land. White men who -come among us are more instead of fewer, but only the Chiricahuas still -fight them." - -"Mangus Coloradus points that out," Geronimo said. "The warriors of -Cochise kill and are killed by soldiers, cattle drivers, and rock -scratchers who are forever looking for gold. But it is as though every -dead white man is a seed from which two more spring up." - -"Do you think that?" Victorio questioned. - -"There is reason for so thinking," Geronimo said. "But I also think we -must fight until every white man is driven from our land or until all -Apaches are killed. If white men become our masters we shall know sorry -times indeed. Do you know they call us thieves, liars, murderers, and -every other vile name their tongues can form? Ha! Any Apache can take -lessons in thievery, lying, and murder from any white man!" - -"What do you mean?" asked Victorio. - -Geronimo said, "When the white men warred against Mexico, Apaches sold -them horses and mules and brought them food. We told them to take the -places called Sonora and Chihuahua and we would help. They accepted our -help when it was needed. The war ended and for a time no more was heard. - -"Then came a surveyor named Bartlett, and he sent word that he was a -good friend to all Apaches. We believed and trusted him, but when we -brought our Mexican slaves to his camp, Bartlett took them away. - -"It seems that, when the war ended, Americans and Mexicans became -brothers. Bartlett said it was wrong to make slaves of his brothers. He -said also that the Americans' God frowns upon those who keep slaves. Ha! -I have since learned that the Americans keep millions of slaves -themselves!" - -"It was a great lie," Victorio said. - -"A very great lie," Geronimo agreed, "but far from the greatest. -Bartlett's real purpose in coming here was to mark where this land ends -and Mexico begins. The Americans were at war with Mexico. They might -have taken the whole country by force of arms, but when they wanted -land, they bought and paid for it. - -"That was very silly, and it was just as silly for the Americans to -think they bought land from Mexico that Mexico never owned. They paid -Mexico for _our_ land, the country of the Apaches. Then they told us, -'We bought you when we bought your land. Obey our laws, or we shall -punish you.' Was there ever a greater swindle?" - -"Never!" Victorio growled. - -"So we fight white men whom we would never hurt at all, if they just -stayed home. And they call us evil! Suppose we went to the people of the -north, the Canadians, and paid money for the lands of the Americans. -Then suppose we told the Americans that they must live by Apache laws or -be punished. Would they not resist?" - -"Fiercely," Victorio growled. "I agree with you that we must fight, but -the Mimbreno warriors follow Mangus Coloradus and will for as long as he -is chief. Let us go see if we might again persuade him to be a war chief -and lead us against the white men." - -The two made their way to the Mimbreno village, and knew as soon as they -looked upon it that something unusual was taking place. People scurried -here and there, dogs barked, and horses on a nearby hill were nervous. - -Victorio and Geronimo began to run. They saw Mangus Coloradus in the -center of the village surrounded by a group of his people. Beside him -was a bearded white man whom Geronimo recognized as Jack Swilling, a -skilled frontiersman who had lived for a long time in the Southwest. -Towering over everyone in the group, old Mangus Coloradus was as erect -at seventy-two as he had been at seventeen. His hair was snow-white now. -But it was still abundant, and it had just been carefully dressed. He -wore his finest moccasins and buckskins, and he was talking calmly. - -"Long have I led the Mimbreno Apaches, and always my first thoughts have -been for my people. Of late I have been greatly troubled. Constant war -is a poor companion, and starvation is a thankless bedfellow. - -"Now comes this messenger from Captain Shirland, of the United States -Army. He asks us to go into Captain Shirland's camp bearing a white -flag, and he brings Captain Shirland's own pledged word that neither I -nor any who choose to go with me shall suffer harm. He has promised that -the Mimbreno Apaches will have their own reservation and plenty of food. -I believe, and I would lead all who choose to go with me to peace and -plenty." - -Geronimo flung himself forward and knelt before his chief. "Think!" he -pleaded. "Think carefully before you do this thing! The white men will -have much cause for boasting if they may say that Mangus Coloradus is -their prisoner!" - -[Illustration] - -"It is a trick!" Victorio warned. - -Mangus Coloradus spoke with the dignity of a chief and from the wisdom -of years. "You, Geronimo, and you, Victorio, have ever been two of the -most hot-headed warriors. Nothing I can say will make you believe that -you cannot continue to battle the white man. Experience alone must -teach you. Rise and let me pass." - -Geronimo rose to his feet and soon Mangus Coloradus and the little group -who had chosen to go with him left the village. - -The evening fires had been lighted six times and were lighted again when -Diablo, a young warrior who had gone with Mangus Coloradus, shuffled -back into the village. His eyes were downcast, his tread weary. He -walked slowly to a fire and stared at it. For a long while he did not -speak. - -"You saw?" Geronimo questioned. - -"I saw," Diablo said dully. - -"What saw you?" - -Diablo said, "We walked into the soldiers' camp. Mangus Coloradus -carried the white flag that should have been our protection, but -soldiers rose up and seized him. They tied our chief as we might tie a -Mexican, or a dog. The rest of us they herded into an unused stable. I -know the rest of the story from Acona, an Apache scout who is serving -the soldiers." - -Diablo quieted and stared intently into the fire, as though he could not -go on. At last he continued. - -"Into the camp came a Colonel West, an Army chief who outranks Captain -Shirland. He talked with some of the soldiers. The soldiers loosed -Mangus Coloradus' bonds and left. Only two soldiers remained on guard. - -[Illustration] - -"Our chief, old and ill, and who must have been weary, lay down by the -fire. He slept. One of the guards thrust the long knife, the bayonet -that white soldiers carry on the end of their guns, into the fire. When -the bayonet glowed red with heat, the soldier touched it against our -chief. Mangus Coloradus sprang up, as who would not? He started to run, -as who would not if awakened in such a fashion? There were two shots -and ..." - -Diablo fell silent and stared moodily into the fire. - - - - -CHAPTER ELEVEN - -_Geronimo in Chains_ - - -In the Apache camp at Warm Springs, New Mexico, Victorio and Geronimo -braced themselves against the side of a big wooden building which had -once been a barracks for white soldiers. All about them wickiups -sprouted like misshapen plants. A large herd of horses grazed near by. -Women and older children ground corn in their stone grinding bowls. - -Others prepared freshly killed meat, but they were not working over the -carcasses of elk, deer, and antelope. These were stolen range cattle -that the women made ready for cooking pots. But they were as tasty as -any wild game. And they also furnished a great deal more meat for every -shot expended. - -The warm sun had made Geronimo and Victorio sleepy, so that neither -warrior felt like moving unnecessarily. But their conversation was -lively enough. - -"The days of our fathers are truly gone, and I do not believe they will -ever be again," said Geronimo. "Even war as we once knew it is no more. -There was a time when Apaches fought more for adventure and plunder than -anything else. But now, since the white men have become our enemies, -both sides fight only to kill." - -"That is how Cochise fought the white men for ten long years," Victorio -remarked. - -Geronimo said bitterly, "But finally even he made terms. He promised to -fight no more if his Chiricahuas were permitted to stay in their -homeland, the Chiricahua Mountains. General Howard, with whom Cochise -treated, pledged his word that they might. - -"Yet, less than eighteen months after Cochise has gone to join his -ancestors, all his people have been rounded up by troops and shipped to -a new reservation. It is somewhere here in New Mexico, and the -Chiricahuas do not like it. Many have already deserted to go back on the -warpath. Many more will desert. There will be much trouble." - -Victorio said bitterly, "The white soldiers are great fools. If they -had left the Chiricahuas alone, there would have been no trouble. But -has there ever been a time when white soldiers did not promise us one -thing and give us another?" - -"Why do you think I followed you to this place where you and your people -have fled?" Geronimo queried. "I will not live with the other Apaches in -that stinking country called the San Carlos Reservation which the white -men saw fit to give them. And there are too many soldiers being -stationed in Arizona. I knew that I and those few who came with me could -not hope to fight them. It is good here." - -[Illustration] - -"It is good here," Victorio agreed. "But only because the white soldiers -are so stupid. In Arizona, every group of soldiers starting on an -Apache trail had many mules to carry provisions. Thus they were able to -stay on the trail for many days or even weeks. Here in New Mexico, each -soldier has only his own horse. When they set out to pursue us, they may -continue only until their horses are too weary to go on. Then the -soldiers must turn back." - -"There is small need to fret about them," Geronimo said confidently. -"For many years we have run away from all the soldiers in Arizona and -New Mexico too. They will not catch us now." - -[Illustration] - -Victorio said, "It is not the soldiers who worry me, but a white man who -is now in charge of the San Carlos Reservation. His name is John Clum, -and he is no more like the ordinary white man who comes to oversee -Indians than a jack rabbit is like an elk. He has treated the Apaches -fairly, and as a result they have grown to respect him. Some of the -bravest and best Apache warriors have joined his Indian police force. -And he has vowed to put you and me, whom he calls renegades, on the -reservation too." - -"Let him talk," muttered Geronimo. "One cannot catch us with words." - -He did not know that even as he spoke, John Clum and a number of his -most fearless and sharpest-shooting Indian police were on their way to -the camp. They had left San Carlos a week earlier for the sole purpose -of capturing these two men and their followers. - -For more than a year the Apaches had remained unmolested in this -isolated camp in New Mexico. When they went to bed that night, they -scarcely bothered to post a sentry. - -In the first light of early morning John Clum and his Indian police -closed in. Taken wholly by surprise, the Apaches could do nothing but -surrender. - -Geronimo felt the cold of iron manacles as they were clamped over his -wrists. He and seven other troublemakers were chained together. John -Clum directed a company of his police to take Victorio and his band to -the Ojo Caliente reservation in Texas. All the rest were returned to San -Carlos in Arizona. - -Geronimo knew perfectly well that this reservation, along the banks of -the Gila River, had been given to the Apaches only because no white man -thought he would ever want the land. The reservation was blistering hot -in summer and wind-blasted in winter. There was so little year-round -rainfall that nothing would grow well except cactus, palo verde trees, -greasewood, mesquite, and other desert vegetation. - -Even as he arrived on the reservation, Geronimo knew that he would never -stay. But all his ammunition and his rifle had been taken away. His -knife was gone too. Since no warrior could travel far without weapons, -Geronimo could do nothing for a while except bide his time and draw his -rations of worm-ridden flour and tough, stringy beef. - -But he was not idle, as he waited for a chance to escape. Searching -daily, he found a bullet here, another there, and finally stole a rifle -and hid it out on the desert. The agent who replaced John Clum was not -interested in watching him closely. So Geronimo was able also to -rebuild his horse herds through night raids on the Papagoes. - -Other discontented Apaches were doing likewise. - -[Illustration] - -One dark night, little more than a year after Geronimo had been brought -to San Carlos in chains, a visitor came to his wickiup. He was Carlos -Anaya, who had been one of Victorio's warriors. - -"I come from the warpath," Carlos said softly to Geronimo. - -"Victorio broke out?" Geronimo asked. - -"Aye," Carlos said. "He left Ojo Caliente and fled south to join -Caballero, chief of the Mescalero Apaches. Their combined forces made -war throughout Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Old Mexico. They killed -more than a thousand people. - -"They forced many soldiers and many men called the Texas Rangers, and a -vast number of the _rurales_, into the field against them. But finally -most of them were killed. Only a few of us escaped. Still a warrior's -death is better than a reservation life." - -"Far better," said Geronimo. "I and those who follow me are almost ready -to make a break for freedom too." - - - - -CHAPTER TWELVE - -_Flight into Mexico_ - - -The lowering sun scorched Camp Goodwin, the United States Army fort on -the San Carlos reservation. But despite the sun, Geronimo had been -sitting near the fort all day, as he had sat for the past six days, with -a Navajo blanket draped about him and his fastest pony near at hand. He -wanted the Indian agent at Camp Goodwin, a man named Hoag, to become -accustomed to his sitting thus so that Hoag would pay no attention to -him. - -On this seventh day, plans that had been more than a year in the making -were at last as perfect as they ever would be. Swift action lay ahead. - -Geronimo's blanket hid a Winchester repeating rifle and bullet-filled -belts. He watched a little group of Apaches, all mounted, riding -southward. Nobody else paid any attention; the group might have been -going hunting or wood gathering. - -Geronimo returned his attention to Camp Goodwin. Two Apache chiefs named -Loco and Nana, with most of their people, were gathered near the -building. They all knew that Geronimo and another leader, Whoa, were -about to make a break for Mexico with sixty warriors and a hundred and -sixty women and children. Loco and Nana wanted to be sure that the agent -could see them near the fort and know that they were taking no part in -this break. - -Geronimo wanted to make sure that neither chief told Hoag of the -forthcoming flight. If there was any sign that they intended to betray -his plans for escape, Geronimo would shoot them, and Loco and Nana both -knew it. - -Planning the flight had not been easy. And when the plans were made it -had been necessary to choose the right time for the break. There would -never be a better one than this afternoon. Many of the soldiers usually -stationed at Camp Goodwin were away. Some were campaigning in New -Mexico. Some were hunting outlaw Apaches who had been reported near the -Arizona-Mexico border. - -Whoa had left early this morning to wait in a dry wash some miles to the -south. All day long Apaches had been quietly drifting out to join him. -They intended to start just before dark so they would have all night -before the soldiers still in Camp Goodwin could take their trail. - -Geronimo's eyes narrowed. Loco and Nana and their followers had done -nothing. But the man named Sterling, Chief of San Carlos Police, now -rode up with some Apache policemen. Had someone betrayed the careful -plans? Or had Sterling intended to bring his Apache Police to Camp -Goodwin anyhow? - -The sun told Geronimo that it was a little past four o'clock. He rose. -Still keeping the rifle hidden under his blanket, he walked to his pony -and was preparing to mount when the man named Sterling shouted: - -"Hey you! Wait!" - -Pretending he did not know that he was being addressed, Geronimo did not -look around. Sterling shouted again: - -"I mean you, Geronimo! Stop or I'll shoot!" - -Geronimo sprang to the saddle, dropping his blanket as he did so. -Sterling's rifle cracked and a bullet sang close. Leveling his own -rifle from the back of the already running pony, Geronimo flung a shot -at Sterling. He bent low on his pony's back to make a smaller target as -bullets from Sterling's Apache police whistled past. Then he galloped -over a hill and was hidden. - -[Illustration] - -Geronimo raced into the dry wash where the rest awaited him. All the -warriors were on foot and holding their horses. The women and children -were mounted, and some of the women held tightly to babies not yet old -enough to ride alone. Most children, often with three on the same pony, -managed their own mounts. Whoa, an Indian so big that he dwarfed the -wiry little pony he rode, came to meet Geronimo. - -"What news do you bring?" Whoa asked. - -Geronimo said, "The man named Sterling came with his Apache police. He -shot at me, and I shot at him, but I do not know if I hit him. The -soldiers must know soon that we are gone." - -"Come." - -The warriors mounted. With an advance and rear guard, and scouts on -either side, men, women, and children rode on at a fast trot. - -Night fell, and they were safe until the sun rose again. But sunrise -might find soldiers hot on their trail, so there could be no thought of -sparing horses. The only sleep they dared allow themselves was such -snatches as might be had in the saddle. From time to time they nibbled a -bit of the parched corn or jerky, sun-dried beef that they carried in -pouches. - -With daylight, Geronimo reined in on top of a hill and looked behind -him. There were no soldiers in sight and no cloud of dust, to indicate -that any were coming. Geronimo turned and overtook Whoa. - -"Nobody comes from the rear," he said, "but we shall be in trouble -soon. Our mounts reel from weariness." - -"Yes," Whoa grunted. - -Neither said more. Both had known that they and their people must travel -fast. And both had also known that their horses and ponies could not run -all the way to Mexico. They did not know yet what they would do when the -animals were played out. - -Some Apaches were asleep in the saddle, and now the fastest must suit -their gait to the slowest. A pony stumbled, almost went down, then found -his balance and pounded on. Suddenly Geronimo pointed ahead and -exclaimed: - -"Look! Usan has smiled upon us!" - -A long pack train, with some horses and mules bearing packs and many -more running loose, was making its way up the valley. Knowing how to get -the last burst of speed from his tired pony, Geronimo whooped and sped -to the attack. He began to shoot as soon as he was in range, and he -heard the rifles of the rest of the warriors blasting behind him. - -[Illustration: "_Look! Usan has smiled upon us!_"] - -The white men and the Mexicans with them were outnumbered six to one. -They fired a few hasty return shots and spurred out of danger, leaving -their pack train and loose horses behind them. Letting the fleeing men -go, Geronimo rode in ahead of the frightened horses and turned them. The -warriors surrounded the herd. - -There was a quick exchange of saddles and bridles, a swift rummaging -through all the packs for priceless rifles and bullets, and most of the -Apaches rode on. - -Freshly mounted, Geronimo returned to the top of a hill for another look -at the back trail. He could still see neither soldiers nor the telltale -dust cloud to indicate any were coming. Geronimo hurried to catch Whoa. - -"No soldiers are near enough to cause trouble from the rear," he -reported. "So rather than go on at full speed, it would be wise to ride -these fresh horses at a pace they can maintain." - -"Wise indeed," Whoa said. "But let us not forget that some soldiers are -elsewhere and even now may be returning to Camp Goodwin. We must be -alert for whoever approaches from the front." - -Geronimo said, "You speak wisely." - -Alternately walking and trotting their mounts, they rode steadily toward -Mexico. That day they stopped only long enough to let the thirsty -Apache horses drink from a water hole. A herd of range horses was -already drinking there, and they took those horses with them when they -went on. - -Into the night they traveled, and stopped again for two hours at another -water hole. The horses drank and grazed. Some of the weariest people -slept. Geronimo, who often had been afield a full week with only such -sleep as he could get in the saddle, climbed a hill to look for danger -on the back trail. - -The next day, riding as advance scout, Geronimo saw soldiers coming a -moment before they saw him. There were two companies, about sixty men, -of the Fourth Cavalry, and they were directly in the path the Apaches -must follow. Geronimo waved his rifle as a signal that enemies were -sighted, and the warriors whooped to join him. - -This was Apache country, a land in which they were familiar with every -rock and crevice, and to the west was a bypass around the soldiers. -Driving the loose horses at full run, the women and children raced -toward that bypass. Yelling, but not shooting, because they had no -bullets to waste, the warriors swooped down on the soldiers. It looked -as though they intended to have a hand-to-hand fight with them. - -Again Geronimo could not help admiring American soldiers, who never ran -as Mexicans so often did but always stood their ground. However, the -Apache charge was a trick. - -Suddenly the racing Indians swerved east, toward some rocky hills. They -rode up a narrow cleft, the only one around which horses could climb. -The soldiers shot, but the range was so long that they hit no one. -Reaching the summit of the cleft, the Apaches took their horses behind -some rocks where they would be safe from bullets. Then they scrambled -back to take up positions in the rocks themselves. - -The soldiers launched a spirited attack, but they could not advance -under the withering fire rained down upon them. They retreated, -re-formed, and attacked again. - -The Apaches shot slowly and carefully, for they wanted neither a fierce -battle nor close-quarter fighting. Their only purpose was to delay the -soldiers until the women and children had had time to reach a place of -safety. - -Two hours after the soldiers first opened fire, the Apaches began to -slip away. Each mounted his own horse, and each took a different path to -rejoin the women and children. Finally only Geronimo and a dozen others -were left. They fired at the soldiers and drove them to cover in the -rocks. Then all the remaining Apaches rose and ran to their horses. - -On their next attack, the soldiers took the hilltop. There was not an -Apache left to resist them, but there were sixty different trails that -led in sixty different directions. - -Forty-eight hours after they left San Carlos, the Apaches crossed the -Mexican border and were safe in the Sierra Madre Mountains. - - - - -CHAPTER THIRTEEN - -_Fortress Paradise_ - - -Urged by three of Geronimo's warriors, fifty-three cattle climbed -laboriously up a slope and shuffled into pine forest. Stolen from a -Mexican _rancheria_, they had been driven most of the night at the -fastest pace they could keep up. Now the cattle staggered with -weariness. But they would rest soon. - -Geronimo and a warrior named Francisco, who had helped steal the cattle, -were with the raiding party. Watching only until the cattle had reached -the mountain top, they turned to look back down the slope. - -Beneath, the Sierra Madres leveled into low foothills. In the distance, -the hills seemed to fold into each other, so that instead of many -mountains there was just one. Finally the one was lost in a shimmering -blue haze. - -The two Apaches tied their horses to nearby trees and continued to scan -the hills below them. It was Geronimo who spoke. - -"They come." - -Far beneath, made small by distance, a line of Mexican soldiers moved -slowly but steadily on the cattle's trail. The two Apaches looked at -them as one might regard some interesting insects. - -[Illustration] - -Geronimo had never been a chief while Apaches still lived by their -ancient customs. But he was one now because he had been chosen by the -people who had escaped from San Carlos, to be their leader. Neither he -nor Francisco, the warrior, were the least bit excited by the sight of -the Mexican soldiers. Their rifles leaned against two trees. - -The Sierra Madres, with their low foothills that rose to -ten-thousand-foot peaks, were known only to Apaches. Two hundred miles -long by a hundred miles wide, the only human dwellings in the entire -vast range were wickiups. - -It was here that the Apaches held their pony races, played their endless -games, and hunted. When they felt in need of amusement or plunder, they -left their camps in the Sierra Madres to raid Mexican towns or ranches. -Returning to the mountains, they were always safe. No force of _rurales_ -had ever penetrated this wild retreat. - -After a bit, Geronimo sat down and cast only an occasional glance toward -the oncoming soldiers. He yawned. - -"We needn't have been so hasty," he said. "Mexicans know two gaits, slow -and slower." - -"Yes," Francisco was amusing himself by tracing designs in the earth -with a stick. - -"Still, there are more than there were, and they come deeper into the -Sierra Madres than they ever did," Geronimo said. "I am glad Loco has -come with his people, and Benito, and Nana, and Mangas, and Chato, and -Naiche." - -Geronimo was speaking of other Apache chiefs and braves who had come to -Mexico. After seeing for themselves that the American soldiers were -unable to bring Whoa and Geronimo back, they, too, had defied the Army -and fled the reservation. Now they, too, were living a free life in the -Sierra Madre Mountains. - -"We did not really need them to fight Mexicans," the sulky Francisco -remarked. - -"I am not so certain," Geronimo said seriously. "Have you so soon -forgotten the battle we fought in the stream bed south of Arispe? It was -no more than three weeks after we finally returned to the Sierra Madres. -Do you remember the Mexican general who shouted my name in such foul -terms? - -"He said, 'That dog of a Geronimo is finally cornered!' He screamed to -his soldiers that they must kill every Apache, and that he would post -his wounded to shoot cowards and deserters. They were many more than we, -and we might have been overwhelmed had I not shot the general." - -"But you did shoot the general," Francisco pointed out. - -"I did," Geronimo agreed, "and I am very glad. I have no love in my -heart for Mexicans, especially Mexican generals. That is why I am happy -to see so many Apaches in the Sierra Madres. Together we may fight all -the Mexicans." - -Francisco reminded, "We are not together." - -"That is as it should be," said Geronimo. "Apaches need room, and they -cannot crowd together as Mexicans and Americans do. But we may get -together when we choose." - -"If I had known that Chato was going raiding into Arizona, I would have -chosen to ride with him," Francisco said. - -Geronimo said wistfully, "I too, for I have longed to see Arizona once -more and have a good fight with American soldiers." - -"Let us wish Chato all success," Francisco said. - -Geronimo said, "He will have it. Benito rides with him, and twenty-six -picked warriors." - -"Were I there, there would be twenty-seven picked warriors," Francisco -bragged. - -Geronimo grunted sourly and lay down to sleep. A half hour later he was -awakened by Francisco's hand on his shoulder. - -"They come," said Francisco. - -Geronimo sat up and looked down the slope to see some thirty soldiers -climbing it. All led their horses, and they stopped often to rest. -Geronimo turned to Francisco. - -"These are not the _rurales_ we once fought," he said. "_Rurales_ never -came so deeply into the Sierra Madres. If they did, they were never so -foolish as to be caught in daylight on a slope such as this." - -Francisco asked disinterestedly, "Who are they?" - -Geronimo said, "It has come to my ears that they have been sent from a -far-off place known as Mexico City. The Nan-Tan, the chief, of Mexico -City has at last discovered and is greedy for the gold and silver to be -found here. He has sent his soldiers to protect it. Ha!" - -"Ha indeed," Francisco grunted. "Are you ready?" - -"Ready," said Geronimo. - -Each lifted a football-sized boulder from its bed, tilted it on end, and -let it go. The rolling boulders gathered stones, gravel, more boulders. -A fair-sized landslide, indeed an avalanche, thundered down. A great -cloud of dust arose. - -When the dust cleared, Geronimo and Francisco again saw the soldiers. -They had escaped the avalanche by running frantically to one side or -the other, taking their horses with them. But all were mounted now and -galloping frantically back in the direction from which they had come. - -[Illustration] - -Geronimo said, "The soldier chief at San Carlos asked me how we fought -Mexicans. I told him bullets are too hard to get to waste on them, and -that we fought them with rocks. He thought I lied." - -Without another word he started up the slope, following the trail of the -other three raiders and the cattle. - -A week later Chato, Benito, and twenty-five of the twenty-six warriors -who had gone raiding in Arizona, rode into Geronimo's camp. Chato -dismounted, loosed his horse, and went to sleep beneath a pine. Benito -regarded him admiringly. - -"That one sleeps only in the saddle while he is on a raid!" he said. -"When the rest of us slept, he stood guard!" - -"Was it a good raid?" Geronimo inquired. - -"A very good raid," Benito said. "For the six days we spent in Arizona, -we were seldom out of the saddle. We struck where we would, and stole -fresh horses where we needed them. In six days we rode four hundred and -fifty miles." - -Geronimo said, "I do not see Tzoe among those who returned." - -"You will not see Tzoe," said Benito. "Though Chato warned him that it -was a foolish thing to do, he left us and went to visit his friends who -remain at San Carlos. He is now a prisoner of the white soldiers." - -Geronimo staggered, as though from a sudden blow on the head. He -gasped. Though a young warrior, Tzoe had been among the loudest and -fiercest in declaring that never again would he submit to the white -man's rule. But he had surrendered to the same loneliness and yearning -for his loved ones that was afflicting all the renegades. Who would be -next? - -"Is Geronimo ill?" Benito asked. - -"I am not ill," Geronimo said. - -But he saw a dark cloud hovering over all Apaches. - - - - -CHAPTER FOURTEEN - -_Chief Gray Wolf_ - - -Rumor prowled like a hunting mountain lion over the foothills of the -Sierra Madres. It crept up the canyons, climbed the peaks, searched out -every Apache camp, and came to Geronimo. He surrounded his camp with -scouts. - -The sun was four hours high when one of the scouts imitated the call of -a jay. Geronimo did not stir. A jay's call meant that a friend came; a -hawk's scream indicated an enemy. Ten minutes later Whoa rode into -Geronimo's camp. - -The huge chief of the Nedni was sweating, and Geronimo hid his wonder. -He had known Whoa for many years, and had fought with him when the -Kas-Kai-Ya massacre was avenged. This was the first time he had seen his -friend show fear. - -"Have you heard?" Whoa demanded. - -Geronimo replied, "It has come to my ears that Chief Gray Wolf is in the -Sierra Madres." - -"He is!" Whoa exclaimed. He held up both hands with all fingers spread. -"Ten times this many warriors he leads, and ten times again, and twice -again! The word is that he comes in peace and only to ask Apaches to -return to the reservation in Arizona. Benito believed him and let his -band surrender in peace. Gray Wolf's soldiers shot the men! They cut the -throats of the women and children!" - -For a moment Geronimo remained silent. Ten times ten, and ten times a -hundred, and twice a thousand. Not even Chief Gray Wolf, known to the -white men as General George Crook, could lead two thousand soldiers into -the Sierra Madres unobserved. Nor was General Crook a white chief who -said one thing but meant another. He kept his promises, and he would not -massacre prisoners. But it would not be well for even Geronimo to give -Whoa the lie. - -Finally Geronimo asked, "This you saw?" - -"This I saw," said Whoa. - -"You saw it with your own eyes?" Geronimo asked. - -"Not with my own eyes," Whoa admitted. "One of my warriors saw." - -"Name him," Geronimo said. - -"It was not really one of my warriors," Whoa said. "A warrior from -Naiche's camp, or Zele's, or Loco's, saw. He told my warrior." - -Geronimo said, "I would live in Arizona again, if I could live as befits -an Apache. I would even live on the reservation, but not on the Gila -River flats." - -"You would put yourself in the white man's power?" Whoa asked -unbelievingly. - -Geronimo said, "I put myself in no man's power. But if I might once more -live in Arizona, I would keep peace with the white man and let him go -his way if he kept peace and let me go mine." - -"You speak madness!" Whoa gasped. - -"I speak no madness," said Geronimo. "And I do not think that even Chief -Gray Wolf can catch me now that I know he is here. We saw _you_ coming." - -"As you shall see me go," Whoa promised. "I have ridden this far to ask -you to go with us." - -"Whither?" - -"Far to the south, where no white soldier ever has been or ever shall -be," Whoa said. - -Geronimo said, "I do not think I would like the south." - -"I say no more," said Whoa. - -Whoa caught his pony and rode away. Geronimo knew a great sorrow. Whoa -was frightened. Because he feared, he was willing to see through the -eyes of others rather than find out for himself how things truly were. -It was indeed a sad thing. - -[Illustration] - -Two days later the scout announced another friend. In twenty minutes, -Ana, Benito's wife, climbed the hill to Geronimo's camp. - -"Why are you here?" Geronimo demanded. - -"I bear a message from Chief Gray Wolf," said Ana. - -Geronimo said, "It has come to my ears that Chief Gray Wolf killed all -the followers of Benito. Yet you, Benito's wife, are not dead." - -"We did indeed fight some of Chief Gray Wolf's Apache scouts," said Ana. -"They were commanded by the white chiefs, Crawford and Gatewood. They -surprised us in our camp, and we thought they came for war. But they -came for peace, and though they killed a few of us because we fought -them, they took most of us prisoner and treated us very well. - -"The men remain prisoners. But the children have freedom of Chief Gray -Wolf's camp and all women have been sent forth with the message Chief -Gray Wolf has for all Apaches. That is why I am here." - -"And what is this message?" Geronimo asked. - -"Return to Arizona and live in peace." - -Geronimo asked, "Was Chato in Benito's camp when Gray Wolf's scouts -came?" - -"Chato was there," Ana said. - -"And what says Chato to the message?" - -"Chato and Benito have agreed to return," said Ana. "So have Zele and -Naiche. I know not of the others." - -"She lies," Francisco warned. - -Geronimo said, "Women do not lie about their husbands. Would Chief Gray -Wolf speak with me?" - -"He would," said Ana. - -"Where?" - -Ana used a stick to trace a map on the ground. Geronimo studied it, -rubbed it out with his moccasin, and nodded. - -"Eat and rest," he told Ana. "Then go to Chief Gray Wolf and say -Geronimo will come in four days." - -In four days, carrying his Winchester repeating rifle and wearing a belt -full of bullets, Geronimo approached the meeting place an hour after -sunrise. He looked straight ahead only, for anything else might betray -him. His warriors, who had left camp while night still held, were hidden -all about. But they were to attack only if there was treachery. - -[Illustration] - -Geronimo saw Captain Crawford and Lieutenant Gatewood, army officers -whose deeds had earned them the respect of all Apaches. There was Al -Sieber, famed chief of scouts and one of the very few white men who -could think like an Apache. Mickey Free, whom Cochise had been accused -of kidnapping years before, stood ready to tell Geronimo and General -Crook what each said to the other. Geronimo spoke Apache, Spanish, and -some English. General Crook spoke and understood English only. - -Proud and haughty as the Apache himself, every inch the warrior, General -Crook's eyes met Geronimo's. They did not look away. - -Geronimo asked, "What would you talk about?" - -"Your return to Arizona," said General Crook. - -Geronimo said, "You think I will live again on the hot flats of the -Gila?" - -"It was not I who sent you there," said General Crook. "Choose your -home. There are the White Mountains." - -A mighty yearning stirred in Geronimo's heart. He was homesick for -Arizona, and the White Mountains. - -"What else do you ask?" Geronimo inquired. - -General Crook said, "Your promise to live in peace." - -"Who promises me that the white man will also keep the peace?" Geronimo -asked. - -"I do," said General Crook. "And have you known me to lie?" - -"I have never known Chief Gray Wolf to speak falsely," Geronimo -admitted. "And I see no treachery here." - -Humor lighted General Crook's eyes. "How many of your warriors surround -us, Geronimo?" - -"Do you think I came in fear?" Geronimo asked angrily. - -"I did not say that," said General Crook. "I asked how many of your -warriors surround us." - -"Some," Geronimo admitted. "But they are to shoot only if you start a -battle." - -"See for yourself that we want no battle," General Crook said. "Will you -come back to live on the Apache reservation if you may choose your home -in the White Mountains?" - -"I will if I may do that," Geronimo said. - -"Will you live in peace?" - -Geronimo promised, "I will live in peace." - -"When will you come?" General Crook asked. - -"When I am ready." - -Geronimo turned on his heel and strode away. - - - - -CHAPTER FIFTEEN - -_The Discontented_ - - -A mile and a half from his farm on Turkey Creek, in Arizona's White -Mountains, Geronimo skulked in a thicket and looked sourly at a flock of -wild turkeys. They were so many that they seemed a living carpet over -the five-acre clearing in which they were catching grasshoppers. But -they held no charm for Geronimo. Who besides white men would eat a bird -that ate snakes? - -White men also ate the trout that swarmed in White Mountain streams, and -trout were akin to snakes. Geronimo grimaced. He had had enough, and -more than enough, of white men and their ways. - -A lark called three times. The turkeys skulked away. They knew that it -was not a lark calling, but a man imitating a lark. A moment later -Naiche slipped into the thicket where Geronimo hid. - -Naiche said, "No one saw me." - -"It is well," said Geronimo. "Chato suspects that we are again on the -point of fleeing to Mexico. He will be happy to inform the soldiers if -he can discover our plans." - -Naiche said, "Chato suspects everything since he turned from his own -people to the white men. In his own opinion, Chato is a very great man. -He told me himself that Chief Gray Wolf never would have come to the -Sierra Madres if he, Chato, had not gone raiding into Arizona. He said -the settlers of Arizona had decided that the Apaches would never dare -leave Mexico. His raid taught them otherwise, and so Chief Gray Wolf -came." - -"For once, Chato spoke the truth," Geronimo said. - -Without announcing himself, old Nana came so silently that neither -Geronimo nor Naiche knew he was coming until he was almost upon them. -Mangas and Chihuahua arrived, and the leaders who had planned this -second outbreak were gathered. - -Geronimo spoke. "When I met Chief Gray Wolf in Mexico, I told him that I -would return to Arizona if I might live as an Apache should. But before -I could come, I needed time. Not wishing to return to Arizona a poor -man, I had to steal enough cattle to make me rich. My warriors and I -took three hundred and fifty cattle from the Mexicans. They were -honorably stolen. We brought them to Arizona when we came. But when we -arrived at Fort Apache, our cattle were taken from us." - -[Illustration] - -The chiefs growled like angry wolves. Geronimo continued: - -"That was not what Chief Gray Wolf promised, but where is he? Where are -Captain Crawford and Lieutenant Gatewood? Where are any white men we may -trust? They brought us here and over us set strangers like Lieutenant -Davis, who knows nothing about Apaches and cares less." - -"I told Mickey Free to tell the fat white chief, Lieutenant Davis, that -I had killed men before he was born!" old Nana snarled. "He cannot tell -me what to do!" - -Chihuahua said angrily, "He and others do tell us! We must not do this, -we must not do that! But we must scratch the ground with those foolish -plows they gave us, and try to grow corn when it is much easier to steal -it! I promised to keep peace with white men! I never promised not to -fight with and raid Papagoes and Navajos!" - -"None of us promised anything except that we would live on the -reservation and bother no white men," Geronimo said. "It is true that we -live in the White Mountains rather than on the flats of the Gila, but -how do we live? It is still better to be free and at war in Mexico than -to be at peace and live like the stupid sheep which Navajo herders -chase." - -"Right!" Nana agreed. "It is better to die in battle than to live as a -slave! Before we go, I think that I will pick a fight with the fat white -chief." - -"Have men, not boys, beside you if you do," Geronimo advised. -"Lieutenant Davis is a warrior. How many are we?" - -Naiche said, "In all, we are thirty-five men, eight boys who know how -to shoot, and a hundred and one women and children. We might have had as -many more as we cared to take with us if we had been able to provide -arms for them. As it is, three of the boys who can shoot must carry bows -and arrows since we were unable to get enough rifles." - -"It is as well," Geronimo said. "The smaller the party, the faster we -may travel. We know that the Apache scouts and the white soldiers will -stop us if they can. And I feel that Lieutenant Davis is suspicious." - -Naiche said, "I can go to him and pick a fight. He would kill me, or I -would kill him. If I killed him, he could not stop us." - -"Since we are not sure he knows anything, this is not the time to fight -him," Geronimo said. "He has not tried to stop us. When we are gone, he -cannot stop us." - -"He can send a message by the wire that talks, the telegraph," said -Nana. "He can tell the soldiers at Fort Thomas to stop us, and we shall -have to fight them when we meet." - -Geronimo said, "If we start a fight here, we must fight all the soldiers -and all the Apache scouts. If we run, we cannot be sure that we will -meet anyone. It is wiser to run." - -The Apaches started in late afternoon. Geronimo was the last to leave, -and he scouted thoroughly. Seeing nothing, he turned his pony southward. - -Only another Apache could have hidden from Geronimo's final scouting. As -soon as the runaways had gone, Mickey Free rose from the patch of brush -in which he had hidden and watched every move. He ran full speed to the -army headquarters and found Lieutenant Davis. - -"Geronimo, Chihuahua, Mangas, and Nana lead many people toward Mexico," -Mickey Free said. - -Lieutenant Davis hurried to the telegraph operator. - -"Send this message at once to Captain Pierce, in Fort Thomas: 'An -unknown number of Apaches under Geronimo and other chiefs are fleeing -toward Mexico. Head them off.'" - -"Right away," the operator said. - -While the operator worked his key, Lieutenant Davis tapped his foot -nervously up and down. He did not as yet know how many Apaches had fled -from the reservation. But he did know that, even if they were only a -few, they were far more dangerous than the most savage pack of wolves -that had ever roamed. - -[Illustration: _Geronimo had cut the wire with his axe_] - -If they escaped again into the Sierra Madres, it meant more terror for -the citizens of Arizona. From their stronghold in the Mexican mountains, -the Apaches would certainly raid Arizona towns and ranches. It meant -equal terror for Mexico, and it meant a long and costly military -campaign before the runaways were again under control. - -The telegraph operator continued to work his key. But Geronimo had -already stopped long enough in his flight to climb one of the trees to -which the telegraph wire was fastened. He had cut the wire with his axe -and tied the two ends together with a piece of buckskin. This he did so -that the wires would not dangle, making it easy for soldiers to find and -repair the break. - -After five minutes, the operator turned, much puzzled, to Lieutenant -Davis. - -"I cannot get through," he said. - -"Stay at your key and keep trying," Lieutenant Davis said. "If you get -through, say that I'm on the trail with soldiers and scouts. I hope we -may catch them, but trailing will be slow at night, and I think it means -another campaign in Mexico." - -Lieutenant Davis was right. Geronimo and all his followers again reached -Mexico and found a haven in the Sierra Madres. - - - - -CHAPTER SIXTEEN - -_Hunted Like Wolves_ - - -Geronimo galloped wildly through the black night. Naiche rode beside -him. Ten of the eighteen warriors who remained with Geronimo followed. - -Geronimo turned his head. He saw light from the burning buildings of the -Arizona ranch that he and his warriors had just raided, reflected in the -sky. The Apaches had taken fresh horses. But the four men who had been -at the ranch had fled after firing a few shots. - -Presently Geronimo pulled in his horse to a trot. The rest slowed. -Naiche drew in nearer to his chief. - -"I wish that the white men had stayed to fight," he said. - -"I too," said Geronimo, "but the white men are not fools. They remain -great liars. The last time, I raided in Arizona with but six men, and -Kieta deserted to return to San Carlos. But the white men said we had -two hundred warriors. Loco, who remains on the reservation, sent me a -messenger, asking to know where we found such strength." - -[Illustration] - -Naiche asked anxiously, "Was that the whole message?" - -"There was no more," Geronimo said. - -Said Naiche, "Then I am sad. My wife and children are in Arizona. My -relatives are there. I am sorely in need of news of them. Why does -Chihuahua send me no word? He returned to the reservation the second -time Chief Gray Wolf came to us and asked us to come in." - -"There is no knowing what happened to Chihuahua," Geronimo said. "Chief -Gray Wolf has gone from Arizona, and the Apaches will never see him -again." - -General Crook had indeed made a second journey to Mexico, and again he -met the runaway Apaches and tried to persuade them to come back to the -reservation. Chihuahua and his followers had returned. Mangas and two or -three others had fled deeper into Mexico, but Geronimo and Naiche had -promised to return. At the last minute they, with eighteen other men and -nineteen women and children, had changed their minds and fled back into -the Sierra Madres. - -General Crook had been sharply rebuked by his commander for letting -Geronimo escape. So he had asked to be relieved of duty in Arizona and -sent back to Texas. His wish was granted, and a general named Miles had -come to Arizona to take his place. - -General Miles had five thousand soldiers at his command, and their -principal duty was to capture Geronimo. A large number of Mexican -_rurales_ and police were afield for the same purpose. Besides these, -there were many ranchers, cowboys, miners, and townsmen who would gladly -do anything they could to put an end to Geronimo and his followers. -There were certainly at least ten thousand people actively plotting the -downfall of this one Apache chief. - -And not all of them together had come near to succeeding. - -By special arrangement with Mexico, American troops were permitted to -range south of the border, and there had been several fights between -them and Geronimo's band. Some American soldiers had been killed or -wounded, and the Mexicans had suffered too. But Geronimo had not lost a -single warrior. Not one of his followers had even been wounded. Yet the -Apache chief was discouraged. - -He swayed in the saddle, and bright lights flashed before his eyes. He -put a hand in front of his eyes to shut out the lights. - -"Are you ill?" Naiche asked in alarm. - -"I am tired," said Geronimo. - -Naiche said, "We may stop and rest." - -"I speak not of body weariness," Geronimo said. "My spirit is tired." - -"I understand," said Naiche. "We have fought for a very long while. We -have been driven from our camps and our cooking fires. Seven times in -fifteen months we lost all our horses and had to steal more. We know not -when we will have to fight many soldiers. The spirits of all of us are -tired, but we dare not surrender." - -"We dare not," Geronimo agreed. "Chief Gray Wolf is gone. Captain -Crawford is dead. Lieutenant Gatewood is gone. There is not one white -man among all who pursue us whom we may trust. Almost I wish that I had -gone in with Chief Gray Wolf." - -"I too," Naiche murmured. - -They halted at daylight in a rockbound little canyon. Horses that had -become both weary and thirsty stood with heads raised and nostrils -flared. They smelled water, for there was a water hole ahead. But the -warriors tied their mounts and waited. - -Carrying his Winchester repeating rifle, Geronimo slipped off alone. -With no more fuss than a slinking coyote, he made his way among the -boulders and the scrawny little trees that grew between them. - -After a bit Geronimo stopped and cut a number of leafy twigs. He thrust -them into his headband so that, if he held very still, whoever saw him -would think they saw a bush instead. Then he dropped to wriggle forward -on his stomach. Presently he looked down into another canyon. - -The water hole was there, and the water was fresh and cold. Green grass -surrounded it. Great cottonwood trees bordered it. But a herd of horses -browsed on the grass, and pack mules stamped at a picket line. There -were packs and tents, and there were more than twenty soldiers whose -only reason for being here was to keep Geronimo away from the water. - -Geronimo slipped away as quietly as he had come. - -"Soldiers await," he told Naiche when he had returned to his warriors. - -"Many soldiers?" Naiche asked. - -"Too many for us to fight," Geronimo said. - -Naiche said, "Then we must go." - -"No. We must loose our horses," said Geronimo. - -Naiche said, "They will run to water." - -"They will run to water," Geronimo agreed. - -Naiche asked wonderingly, "You would give good horses to white -soldiers?" - -"These horses are too spent to serve us any longer," Geronimo said. "Let -them go." - -Tie ropes were slipped. Following the smell of water, the horses were -off at a gallop. - -Geronimo led his warriors forward. He stopped them just beneath the rim -of the canyon in which the water hole lay. Again he thrust bits of brush -into his headband and crawled forward to look. - -The thirsty horses had come in and were crowding each other at the water -hole. A young lieutenant was ordering his men to mount. A scout whom -Geronimo had seen, but whose name he had never heard, was arguing with -the lieutenant. - -"Don't do it!" the scout said. "Don't do it, Lieutenant!" - -"You say these horses were loosed by Geronimo's men?" the lieutenant -asked. - -The scout said, "Couldn't of been nobody else, an' every horse wears the -Pratt brand. Geronimo must of stole them there. I figure we'll find the -Pratt ranch burned an' maybe the Pratt brothers dead. But don't dash off -in all directions thisaway." - -"If Geronimo's lost his horses, he and his men are afoot!" the young -lieutenant exclaimed. - -"The only horses Geronimo ever _lost_ was them our scouts or soldiers -took away from him," the scout said. "He's turned these loose for some -deviltry of his own. An' did you ever try to hunt Apaches when they was -afoot?" - -"No," the lieutenant admitted. "But they should be easy to catch." - -[Illustration] - -"'Bout as easy as so many quail with six extry wings," the scout said. -"You can't catch 'em." - -The lieutenant said sternly, "Mount and come with us." - -"All right," the scout said. "But don't leave no horses here!" - -"I won't. But we must travel fast so I'll leave the pack mules." - -"Then leave a guard too." - -"I'll need every man," the lieutenant said. - -"S'pose the Apaches come here?" the scout asked. - -"They won't," the lieutenant said. "They're too cowardly. Geronimo and -every last one of his men are running for Mexico. We must overtake them. -Geronimo's the last Apache war chief! When he's captured or killed, it -will mean an end to Indian wars here in the Southwest! The least I'll -get out of this is a captain's rating, and perhaps even a major's!" - -The scout said, "If I'm asked, I'll say I told you 'twas a fool thing to -do." - -"Say what you please," the lieutenant said. "I know what I'm doing." - -The soldiers followed the scout, who in turn followed the back trail of -the horses. When they found the place where the horses had been loosed, -the lieutenant thought, they would also find helpless Apaches on foot. - -When the soldiers were out of sight, Geronimo signaled his men forward. - -They drank at the water hole. Then they rummaged hastily through the -packs and tents and took all the rifles and ammunition they could find. -Minutes later, each warrior was mounted on a mule. Geronimo led them -into rough and rocky ground where mules could travel but horses could -not. - -Long before the young lieutenant brought his men back to their camp, -every Apache was safe. - - - - -CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - -_A Gallant Soldier_ - - -Sitting in the shade of some pines on the rim of a lofty mountain, -Geronimo stared down at Mexico's Bavispe River. From the mountain top -the river looked like a silver ribbon that followed the curves of the -valley and gave back the sparkle of the sun. - -Geronimo shook his head. When he was a medicine man, he had tried in -vain to see the visions that should appear to all _shamans_. Though he -was no longer a _shaman_, visions came now. - -He saw that long past day when he had stolen Delgadito's war horse to -fight a duel of stallions with the son of Ponce. Again he went with -Delgadito on the raid, and saw the two Papagoes who had come to steal -horses. Once more he lived in his mother's wickiup, and knew the love -that had warmed him there. Next followed his happy days with Alope, but -not the massacre at Kas-Kai-Ya. - -Then the battle that avenged the massacre, the ambush of the California -Volunteers in Apache Pass, and the battles that had been since. - -He thought of all that had passed since his first fight with the two -Papagoes. Geronimo had been twelve years old then. He was fifty-eight -now. He had known forty-six years of war. - -[Illustration] - -More visions came. Geronimo saw old Mangus Coloradus, leaving the -Mimbreno village to surrender to the white man. He saw Cochise, who -fought fiercely for ten years after the death of Mangus Coloradus but -finally gave in too. - -No more visions appeared. Geronimo turned to Naiche, who sat beside him. - -"You told me that you long to see your wife, your children, your -relatives," he said. - -"I do," said Naiche. "Have you no wish again to visit your blood kin?" - -"No one awaits me--" - -Geronimo was interrupted by the whistle of a hawk, the sentry's signal -that an enemy came. The sentry signaled again, the enemy was not in -force. - -The women and children ran to hurry the horses into hiding. The men hid -themselves where they could ambush their foe. In less than a half -minute, not one of Geronimo's band and no horses could be seen. - -Presently two Apaches appeared. One was Kieta, who had deserted Geronimo -while raiding in Arizona. The second was a warrior named Martine. - -When the pair was well within the ambush, Geronimo and his hidden -warriors sprang up. Kieta and Martine stood motionless. But both knew -that, if either raised a weapon, both would die. - -Geronimo said, "It is good to see you again, Kieta." - -"I am here because I like you, Geronimo," Kieta said, "and I like you -because you led us well. I know you bear me no ill will because I left -you and returned to San Carlos." - -[Illustration] - -Said Geronimo, "If you wished to follow me no more, your own path was -before you, and how can I bear ill will because you chose it? Have you -now returned to me and brought Martine with you?" - -"We are here as messengers for a very gallant soldier," Kieta said. - -Geronimo said harshly, "I treat with no soldiers." - -"Will you hear his name?" Kieta asked. - -Geronimo said, "I will hear his name." - -"Lieutenant Gatewood," said Kieta. - -Geronimo could not hide his astonishment. He knew that Lieutenant -Gatewood was fierce in battle, merciful in victory, and always true to -his word. With that respect which one great warrior must feel for -another, Geronimo said, "More than once I have met Lieutenant Gatewood -in battle. But it came to my ears that he had gone far from the land of -the Apaches." - -"Your ears heard truly," Kieta said. "Lieutenant Gatewood has been in a -place so far off that I do not even know its name. But when he learned -that Geronimo refuses even to talk with the soldiers who are pursuing -him, he came as one whom Geronimo himself knows he may trust." - -"How many soldiers are with him?" Geronimo asked. - -Kieta said, "There are six soldiers, all of whom serve as couriers and -none as warriors. There are two interpreters, Jose Maria and Tom Horn." - -"They are all?" Geronimo asked. - -"They are all with Lieutenant Gatewood," said Kieta. "But there are many -soldiers not far away. Will you talk with this brave man?" - -Geronimo gave himself to serious thought. After a while, he looked at -Kieta. - -"I will talk with him," he said. "But only Lieutenant Gatewood, the six -couriers, and Tom Horn and Jose Maria. No one else must come to the -meeting place. Should there be soldiers, we fight." - -"We go to tell him," Kieta said. - -Geronimo said, "Martine goes to tell him. Just to be sure Martine speaks -truly, you stay with us until he returns." - -Later Geronimo stood very still as he watched Lieutenant Gatewood and -his group come near. Lieutenant Gatewood had been ill and showed it. But -he was armed as a warrior should be, and mounted as a warrior should be, -and he was completely at ease. True to his word, he was accompanied only -by the six couriers and two interpreters. - -Geronimo's mind took him back almost six years to a nameless canyon. He -and Naiche, with a large band of well-armed warriors, had succeeded in -luring a company of United States Cavalry to a water hole in the canyon. -The Apaches fell upon the soldiers and might have massacred every one -had not the brave Lieutenant Gatewood rallied his men and led them out -of the trap. - -Geronimo stirred uneasily. His warriors could kill these few men in less -than a minute. But even as the thought occurred to him, he knew that he -would never give the order to shoot. Not when this gallant soldier was -in command. - - - - -CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - -_The Last Surrender_ - - -Lieutenant Gatewood dismounted, handed the reins of his horse to one of -the couriers, and shook hands with Geronimo. Geronimo searched the -officer's face for some sign of fear. But there was not even a slight -nervousness. Lieutenant Gatewood was indeed worthy of his reputation for -both courage and gallantry. - -Geronimo said, "Your face is pale and drawn, as though it has not seen -the sun in too many days. Or perhaps you have been ill?" - -"It is nothing," said Lieutenant Gatewood. "I have merely ridden far and -fast so that I may talk with Geronimo." - -"You did not say, 'My friend, Geronimo,'" Geronimo pointed out. - -"You are not my friend," Lieutenant Gatewood said calmly. "You are the -friend of no white man or Mexican as long as you continue to live like -a wild beast, and raid and kill at your pleasure. Except for those who -are with you now, even the Apaches have turned against you, for you have -given a bad name to Apaches who would live at peace." - -"It is true that many thirst for my blood," Geronimo said thoughtfully. -"It is equally true that you still speak with a straight tongue. Some -have called me 'friend,' and when they thought I was no longer -suspicious, have tried to betray me. But you say at once that you are -not my friend, and that is honest talk. What would you have from me?" - -Lieutenant Gatewood said, "For myself I want nothing, and as a soldier I -may ask nothing. But for General Miles, the great chief in command of -the soldiers who are pursuing you, I ask your surrender and the -surrender of all your band." - -Geronimo asked, "And what does General Miles offer in return?" - -"Imprisonment in Florida for you and your families," Lieutenant Gatewood -said. - -"Is he mad?" Geronimo flared angrily. "His soldiers have pursued me for -many months, and we have fought them many times. Many soldiers have died -in these fights, but not a single Apache has been killed by white -soldiers. Does your General Miles not know that we are capable of -carrying on the fight?" - -"He knows," Lieutenant Gatewood said. "But if you fail to surrender, -General Miles has another offer. He will hunt you down and kill every -one of you if it takes another fifty years." - -"Take a message to your General Miles," Geronimo said. "Tell him that we -will return to Arizona if we may go back to our homes in the White -Mountains, and if we may live there as we did before fleeing into -Mexico." - -"That is childish talk, Geronimo," Lieutenant Gatewood said. "You have -had many opportunities to prove that you would live in peace on the -reservation. There will not be another chance. General Miles' orders -stand. Accept imprisonment in Florida or be killed by soldiers." - -"We may also kill soldiers," Geronimo reminded him. - -"That you have proven many times," Lieutenant Gatewood admitted. "But -you remember the times of long ago, when for every white man in Arizona -there were a hundred Apaches. Now, for every Apache, there are two -hundred white men and more to come. You cannot kill all the soldiers." - -"Nor can they kill us," Geronimo said. "My terms stand. We return to the -White Mountains and live as we once lived, or we continue the war." - -Lieutenant Gatewood turned suddenly to Naiche and smiled. "I saw your -mother and daughter, Naiche, just after they came in with Chihuahua's -band. They have been sent to Florida with the rest, but both inquired -about you." - -"Are they well?" Naiche asked eagerly. - -"Very well," Lieutenant Gatewood said. "They wish you to surrender so -that you may join them, and I am to remind you that an enemy more -merciless than any soldiers lies in wait. It is winter that is just -ahead. Geronimo, do I have your final answer?" - -Geronimo said, "May we talk again tomorrow?" - -"We may," said Lieutenant Gatewood. - -They parted. Lieutenant Gatewood and his party returned to their camp -while the Apaches went to theirs. The Indians were sober and thoughtful. - -"It is true," Geronimo said, "that few animals have been hunted harder -than we. We have fought and fought well, but we are very few, and our -enemies are very many. We cannot continue to fight them forever." - -Said Naiche, "It is also true that we would like to see our friends and -families again. There is small chance of doing that as long we are in -Mexico and they are in Florida." - -[Illustration] - -Others of the band murmured agreement. All were desperately tired and -lonely. They had endured far more than flesh and blood should be -expected to bear. But they were willing to continue the fight if -Geronimo and Naiche decided that that was best. - -"Yet," Naiche continued, "I fear to surrender even more than I fear to -continue the battle. Mexicans south of the border and Americans north of -it would kill us as readily as we would kill a pack of rabid wolves. If -we hand our arms over to Lieutenant Gatewood, who will protect us until -we are safe in Florida?" - -Suddenly Geronimo, who had been silent, saw in full the vision he had -seen only in part as he sat beside Naiche. There was old Mangus -Coloradus advising his people to make peace with the white men, since -they could never hope to conquer them. There was Cochise, who had needed -ten years of bloody war to teach him what Mangus Coloradus had been -taught by his own wisdom. Now, almost twenty-five years after the death -of Mangus Coloradus, Geronimo finally understood what one of these -chiefs had known and the other had learned. - -Apaches could not fight the white men. But neither could they surrender -to them unless it was possible to work out a plan guaranteeing their own -safety. - -When they resumed their talks the next day, Geronimo said bluntly to -Lieutenant Gatewood, "Forget you are a white man and pretend you are one -of us. What would you do?" - -"Trust General Miles and surrender to him," Lieutenant Gatewood said -promptly. - -"So you have spoken and so shall we do," said Geronimo. "But it is a -long way to the border where General Miles awaits, and this is enemy -country. We will not surrender our arms until we are met by General -Miles." - -"That is agreeable," said Lieutenant Gatewood. "In addition, Captain -Lawton and a company of soldiers are camped not far away. I will ask -them to march with you and help beat off any Mexicans who may attack." - -[Illustration] - -"You march with us," Geronimo said. "Captain Lawton and his soldiers -may come, but they are to stay ahead or behind. We do not care to mingle -with white soldiers." - -"That, too, is agreeable," said Lieutenant Gatewood. - -[Illustration] - -It was thus that the Apaches marched to the border of Mexico. Lieutenant -Gatewood marched with them. Captain Lawton provided an escort of -American soldiers. And a mob of two hundred Mexicans, who finally saw -the hated Apaches in captivity, trailed them all the way. But the -Mexicans did not dare start a fight. - -When they reached the camp where General Miles was waiting, Geronimo -stalked haughtily to the general, who stared coldly at the great Apache -leader. Geronimo and his warriors laid down the arms that they had -carried so many miles and into so many battles. The disarmed Apaches -were surrounded by soldiers who took them, first to prison cells at -Arizona's Fort Bowie, then to the train that carried them to exile in -Florida. - -So ended the fighting days of Geronimo, the last and fiercest Apache war -chief. And so, also, ended the Indian Wars in the Southwest. Never again -would men and women on lonely ranches or in isolated villages awaken, -trembling, in the middle of the night to hear the pound of ponies' hoofs -and the wild Apache war cry. Never again would travelers in Arizona, New -Mexico, and northern Mexico find it necessary to travel in groups and -well-armed for fear of Apache attacks. - -Geronimo and his followers, as well as many other Chiricahua and Warm -Springs Apaches, were imprisoned at old Fort Pickens, or at Fort Marion, -in Florida. Eventually they were moved to a reservation in what was -then Indian Territory and what is now the State of Oklahoma. There -Geronimo died at Fort Sill, on February 17, 1909. - -Whether he was a great villain or a great patriot depends on whether one -looks at him with the eyes of the white men whom he plundered, or the -Apaches whom he championed. But nobody can deny that he fought for a -free life for himself and his people and that he was one of the greatest -warriors of all time. - - - - -_About the Author_ - - -Jim Kjelgaard was born in New York City but spent his childhood and -youth in the Pennsylvania mountains. There he learned to hunt, fish, and -handle dogs. He still likes to hunt and has done so in most parts of the -United States and Canada, although he has exchanged his rifles and -shotguns for cameras. After graduating from high school, he spent two -years at Syracuse University Extension. Since then he has held a variety -of jobs ranging all the way from trapper to factory superintendent, and -has been writing professionally for over twenty years. Of some thirty -successful books, all but one are for young people. - - -_About the Artist_ - -Charles Banks Wilson, well known to young people for his illustrations -of many historical books about the West, has achieved equal success as a -painter. Over 150 exhibitions of his work have been held in museums -throughout America. In both book illustration and painting, Mr. Wilson -is associated with the contemporary life of the American Indian. Many -Indian ceremonials which have never been photographed are recorded in -his work, which has taken him throughout the Southwest as well as the -Far West. He lives in his native Oklahoma with his wife, a Quapaw Indian -princess, and their two children. Since 1947 he has been head of the Art -Department of the Northeastern Oklahoma A. & M. College. - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Story of Geronimo, by James Arthur Kjelgaard - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF GERONIMO *** - -***** This file should be named 41630-8.txt or 41630-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/6/3/41630/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan, Ross Cooling and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Story of Geronimo - -Author: James Arthur Kjelgaard - -Illustrator: Charles Banks Wilson - -Release Date: December 15, 2012 [EBook #41630] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF GERONIMO *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan, Ross Cooling and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41630 ***</div> <div class="figcenter"> <img src="images/tp.jpg" alt=""/> @@ -237,7 +197,7 @@ Geronimo</h1> <p class="center">SIGNATURE BOOKS GERONIMO</p> -<p class="center">© JIM KJELGAARD 1958</p> +<p class="center">© JIM KJELGAARD 1958</p> <p class="center">PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA</p> @@ -571,7 +531,7 @@ any opportunities for trading.</p> <p>But Geronimo wondered why Nadeze and Sanchez had included the apaloosa. The spotted horse was famous throughout the land. Even the Papagoes and -pueblo-dwelling Zuñi knew him, and whoever saw him would surely send +pueblo-dwelling Zuñi knew him, and whoever saw him would surely send winged words to the <i>shaman</i>.</p> <p>"Then a war party from the White Mountain Apaches will come to rescue @@ -1129,12 +1089,12 @@ too often, and too successfully in Mexico to win any friendship from <i>rurales</i> whose duty it was to stop them. Mangus Coloradus addressed the uniformed officer:</p> -<p>"<i>Buenas tardes, Señor Rurale.</i> We would trade."</p> +<p>"<i>Buenas tardes, Señor Rurale.</i> We would trade."</p> <p>The officer made an effort to stare Mangus Coloradus down, and when he couldn't do it, flushed angrily. But he replied civilly:</p> -<p>"<i>Buenas tardes</i>, good afternoon, Señor Apache. You may enter."</p> +<p>"<i>Buenas tardes</i>, good afternoon, Señor Apache. You may enter."</p> <p>The <i>rurales</i> drew aside, let the Apaches through the gate, and then reformed across it. The Apaches braced themselves to meet the horde of @@ -1151,7 +1111,7 @@ Mexican had imprisoned in a wooden cage. In spite of broken and bedraggled feathers, the eagle still looked royal. The Mexican lifted the cage.</p> -<p>"See?" he whined. "See, Señor Apache? Grieved though I must be to part +<p>"See?" he whined. "See, Señor Apache? Grieved though I must be to part with anything so precious, this noble bird is yours for only three horses."</p> @@ -4037,385 +3997,6 @@ Far West. He lives in his native Oklahoma with his wife, a Quapaw Indian princess, and their two children. Since 1947 he has been head of the Art Department of the Northeastern Oklahoma A. & M. College.</p> - - - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Story of Geronimo, by James Arthur Kjelgaard - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF GERONIMO *** - -***** This file should be named 41630-h.htm or 41630-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/6/3/41630/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan, Ross Cooling and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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