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diff --git a/old/65954-0.txt b/old/65954-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 34f9b0d..0000000 --- a/old/65954-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9315 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of General Crook and the Fighting -Apaches, by Edwin L. Sabin - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: General Crook and the Fighting Apaches - Treating Also of the Part Borne by Jimmie Dunn in the Days, - 1871-1876 - -Author: Edwin L. Sabin - -Illustrator: Charles H. Stephens - -Release Date: July 29, 2021 [eBook #65954] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Donald Cummings and the Online Distributed Proofreading - Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from - images generously made available by The Internet - Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GENERAL CROOK AND THE -FIGHTING APACHES *** - - - - - - GENERAL CROOK AND THE - FIGHTING APACHES - - - FIFTH IMPRESSION - - - - -_The American Trail Blazers_ - -“THE STORY GRIPS AND THE HISTORY STICKS” - - -These books present in the form of vivid and fascinating fiction, the -early and adventurous phases of American history. Each volume deals -with the life and adventures of one of the great men who made that -history, or with some one great event in which, perhaps, several heroic -characters were involved. The stories, though based upon accurate -historical fact, are rich in color, full of dramatic action, and appeal -to the imagination of the red-blooded man or boy. - -Each volume illustrated in color and black and white. - - INTO MEXICO WITH GENERAL SCOTT - LOST WITH LIEUTENANT PIKE - GENERAL CROOK AND THE FIGHTING APACHES - OPENING THE WEST WITH LEWIS AND CLARK - WITH CARSON AND FRÉMONT - DANIEL BOONE: BACKWOODSMAN - BUFFALO BILL AND THE OVERLAND TRAIL - CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH - DAVID CROCKETT: SCOUT - ON THE PLAINS WITH CUSTER - GOLD SEEKERS OF ’49 - WITH SAM HOUSTON IN TEXAS - WITH GEORGE WASHINGTON INTO THE WILDERNESS - IN THE RANKS OF OLD HICKORY - - - - -[Illustration: “GET DOWN, GET DOWN!” THEY ORDERED, FURIOUSLY, IN -APACHE] - - - - - GENERAL CROOK - AND THE - FIGHTING APACHES - - TREATING ALSO OF THE PART BORNE BY JIMMIE DUNN IN THE - DAYS, 1871–1886, WHEN WITH SOLDIERS AND PACK-TRAINS AND - INDIAN SCOUTS, BUT EMPLOYING THE STRONGER WEAPONS OF - KINDNESS, FIRMNESS AND HONESTY, THE GRAY FOX WORKED - HARD TO THE END THAT THE WHITE MEN AND THE RED MEN IN - THE SOUTHWEST AS IN THE NORTHWEST MIGHT BETTER UNDERSTAND - ONE ANOTHER - - BY - - EDWIN L. SABIN - - AUTHOR OF “OPENING THE WEST WITH LEWIS AND CLARK,” - “BUFFALO BILL AND THE OVERLAND TRAIL,” ETC. - - - _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHARLES H. STEPHENS - PORTRAIT AND A MAP_ - - - [Illustration] - - - PHILADELPHIA & LONDON - J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1918, BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY - - - PRINTED IN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - - TO THE - - TYPICAL AMERICAN SOLDIER - - WHOSE MOTTO, LIKE GENERAL CROOK’S, IS BRAVERY, - EFFICIENCY, AND “JUSTICE TO ALL” - - - - - “Then General Crook came; he, at least, had - never lied to us. His words gave the people - hope. He died. Their hope died again. Despair - came again.” - - _Chief Red Cloud of the Sioux_ - - - - -FOREWORD - - -“It should not be expected that an Indian who has lived as a -barbarian all his life will become an angel the moment he comes on -a reservation and promises to behave himself, or that he has that -strict sense of honor which a person should have who has had the -advantage of civilization all his life, and the benefit of a moral -training and character which has been transmitted to him through a -long line of ancestors. It requires constant watching and knowledge -of their character to keep them from going wrong. They are children -in ignorance, not in innocence. I do not wish to be understood as in -the least palliating their crimes, but I wish to say a word to stem -the torrent of invective and abuse which has almost universally been -indulged in against the whole Apache race.... Greed and avarice on the -part of the whites――in other words, the almighty dollar――is at the -bottom of nine-tenths of all our Indian trouble.” - - GENERAL GEORGE CROOK - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. JIMMIE DUNN IS BADLY FOOLED 21 - II. JIMMIE LEARNS TO BE APACHE 34 - III. THE RED-HEAD TURNS UP 43 - IV. THE CANVAS SUIT MAN 53 - V. JIMMIE REPORTS FOR DUTY 65 - VI. THE PEACE COMMISSION TRIES 77 - VII. JIMMIE TAKES A LESSON 85 - VIII. THE ONE-ARMED GENERAL TRIES 98 - IX. THE HORRID DEED OF CHUNTZ 113 - X. ON THE TRAIL WITH THE PACK-TRAIN 119 - XI. IN THE STRONGHOLD OF COCHISE 129 - XII. GENERAL CROOK RIDES AGAIN 140 - XIII. HUNTING THE YAVAPAI 152 - XIV. THE BATTLE OF THE CAVE 165 - XV. JIMMIE IS A VETERAN 178 - XVI. THE GENERAL PLANS WELL 185 - XVII. BAD WORK AFOOT 194 - XVIII. “CLUKE” GOES AWAY 203 - XIX. JIMMIE SENDS THE ALARM 211 - XX. THE GRAY FOX RETURNS 221 - XXI. TO THE STRONGHOLD OF GERONIMO 228 - XXII. WAR OR PEACE? 237 - XXIII. GERONIMO PLAYS SMART 246 - XXIV. PACK-MASTER JIMMIE MEETS A SURPRISE 254 - XXV. ON THE JOB WITH CAPTAIN CRAWFORD 262 - XXVI. FOES OR FRIENDS? 273 - XXVII. THE WORST ENEMY OF ALL 286 - XXVIII. THE END OF THE TRAIL 298 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - - “Get Down, Get Down!” They Ordered, Furiously, in Apache - _Frontispiece_ - - General George Crook 13 - - Had the First Volley Killed Anybody? Didn’t Look So 61 - - It was the Piercing-eyed Geronimo! 131 - - Hurrah! It was Nan-ta-je 179 - - “Why Don’t You Speak to Me and Look with a Pleasant Face?” 290 - - - MAP - - Apache Arizona 21 - - - - -[Illustration: GENERAL GEORGE CROOK - -From “On the Border with Crook.” By Captain John G. Bourke. - -By Courtesy of Charles Scribner’s Sons.] - - - - -MAJOR-GENERAL GEORGE CROOK - - -Called by the Indians the “Gray Fox,” because of his weather worn -canvas suit and his skillful methods. Admired by them also as “a common -man who makes war like a big chief.” He first organized the army -pack-mule trains, and employed Indians to fight Indians. He was noted -for his dislike of “show,” his strict honesty, his incessant hard work, -his great endurance, and his knowledge of Western animals and Indian -ways. - -Born near Dayton, Ohio, September 8, 1828. - -Graduates from West Point Military Academy, 1852, No. 38 in his class. -Assigned as second lieutenant, Fourth Infantry, and stationed in Idaho. - -First lieutenant, March, 1856. - -Captain, May, 1861. Meanwhile has been wounded by an arrow during -campaigns against the Indians in Oregon and Washington. - -Appointed Colonel of the Thirty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, -September, 1861, and drills it so thoroughly that it is styled the -“Thirty-sixth Regulars.” - -Brevetted major in the regular service, May, 1862, for gallantry at the -battle of Lewisburg, West Virginia, where he was wounded. - -Brigadier general of Volunteers, September, 1862. - -Brevetted lieutenant-colonel in the regular service, September, 1862, -for gallantry at the battle of Antietam, Maryland. - -Brevetted colonel, October, 1863, for gallantry at the battle of -Farmington, Tennessee. - -Commands the Army of West Virginia, August and September, 1864. - -Major-general of Volunteers, October, 1864. - -Double brevet of brigadier-general and major-general in the regular -service, March, 1865, for gallantry in the Shenandoah Valley campaign. - -Commands the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac, spring of 1865. - -Commands Department of West Virginia, 1865. - -Assigned as major of the Third U. S. Infantry, July, 1866, and -stationed in Northern California. - -Lieutenant-colonel, Twenty-third U. S. Infantry, July, 1866, to command -in the Boise district, Idaho, where he makes a reputation as an Indian -campaigner against the Warm Springs Shoshones or Snakes of Oregon. - -Appointed to command the Military Department of the Columbia (the State -of Oregon and the Territories of Idaho and Washington), July, 1868. - -Transferred to California, 1870. - -Appointed to command of the new Department of Arizona, June, 1871. - -By reason of his success with the Apaches of Arizona, is promoted from -lieutenant-colonel to brigadier-general, October, 1873. - -Transferred to command the Department of the Platte, with headquarters -at Omaha, March, 1875. - -Campaigns, with pack-trains and Indian scouts, against the Sioux and -Cheyennes of the plains, 1875–1878; subdues them and thereafter devotes -his available time to hunting and exploration. - -In 1882 is reassigned to the Department of Arizona, where the Apaches -are unruly again. - -Fails to succeed in holding Geronimo, the Apache war leader; is -relieved at his own request, April, 1886, and reassigned to the command -of the Department of the Platte. - -Appointed major-general, April, 1888, and assigned to the command of -the Military Division of the Missouri, with headquarters in Chicago. - -Dies March 21, 1890, in his sixty-second year, at Chicago. Interred -with high honors at Oakland, Maryland, pending the transfer of the -remains, soon thereafter, to the National Cemetery at Arlington, -Virginia. - - - - -MAJOR-GEN. OLIVER OTIS HOWARD - - -A man distinguished for his deep religious spirit and his benevolence, -as well for his bravery upon the field of battle and his friendship -with the Indians. - -Born at Leeds, Maine, November 8, 1830. - -Graduates at Bowdoin College, Maine, 1850. - -Graduates at West Point Military Academy, 1854, No. 4 in his class. -Assigned as second lieutenant of ordnance at Watervliet Arsenal. - -Assigned to command of the Kennebec Arsenal, 1855. - -In 1856 transferred to Watervliet again. - -December, 1856, ordered to the Seminole Indian campaign in Florida. - -First lieutenant and chief of ordnance, Department of Florida, 1857. - -Assistant professor of mathematics at West Point, 1857–1861. - -Expected to resign from the army to enter the ministry, but in June, -1861, accepts the colonelcy of the Third Maine Volunteer Infantry. - -Commands a brigade at the battle of Bull Run. - -Brigadier-general of Volunteers, September, 1861. - -Loses his right arm, from two wounds, at the battle of Fair Oaks, -Virginia, June, 1862. - -Major-general of Volunteers, November, 1862. - -Commands an army division at the battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg. - -Commands an army corps at the battles of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, -Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga, and elsewhere, and has -the right wing in Sherman’s march to the sea. - -Thanked by Congress, January, 1864, for services at Gettysburg. - -Brigadier-general in the regular army, December, 1864. - -Brevetted major-general in the regular army, March, 1865, for gallantry. - -Chief of the Freedman’s Bureau, at Washington, for the education and -care of the negroes and refugees, 1865–1874. - -Sent by President Grant to New Mexico and Arizona, as special peace -commissioner to treat with the Indians, 1872, and wins the trust and -love of the various tribes. - -Assigned to the command of the Department of the Columbia, August, 1874. - -Campaigns against the Nez Percés of Chief Joseph, 1877. - -Campaigns against the Bannocks and Pai-Utes, 1878. - -Superintendent of West Point Military Academy, 1880–1882. - -Commands the Department of the Platte, 1882–1886. - -Major-general, March, 1886, and appointed to the command of the -Division of the Pacific. - -Awarded medal of honor, by Congress, March, 1893, for distinguished -bravery in the battle of Fair Oaks, where he lost his arm. - -As commander of the Department of the East is retired, November, 1894. - -Devotes his energies to religious and philanthropic work, and dies at -Burlington, Vermont, October 26, 1909, aged seventy-nine. - - - - -THE APACHE INDIANS - - -A large collection of Indian tribes inhabiting the Southwest. They -first are mentioned in 1598 by the early Spanish explorers in New -Mexico. - -The name “Apache” is derived from the Zuni word “Apachu,” meaning -“enemy.” Their own name was “Tinde (Tinneh)” and “Dine (Dinde),” -meaning “men” or “the people.” - -They always were bitter enemies to the Spanish and Mexicans, who -offered high rewards in money for Apache scalps, and enslaved captives. -They were not openly hostile to the Americans until, in 1857, a Mexican -teamster employed by the United States party surveying the Mexican -boundary line shot an Apache warrior without just cause. The survey -commissioner offered thirty dollars in payment, which was refused, and -the Apaches declared war. - -In 1861 Cochise, chief of the Chiricahuas, who had been friendly, was -confined, on a false charge, by Lieutenant Bascom of the army, at the -army camp at Apache Pass, Arizona. He cut his way to freedom. His -brother and five others were hanged by the Americans. Cochise hanged -a white man, in return, declared war, and almost captured the stage -station where the troops were fortified. - -Beginning with the Civil War, the Apaches ravaged all southern Arizona -and the stage line in New Mexico also. Terrible tortures were committed -upon settlers and travelers. - -In 1863 Mangas Coloradas (Red Sleeves), an old Mimbreño chief related -by marriage to Cochise, was treacherously imprisoned and killed by -soldiers, at Fort McLane, New Mexico. - -Thenceforth the Apaches and whites in Arizona had little common ground -except that of “no quarter.” There was constant fighting. - -In March, 1871, a number of Arivaipa Apaches gathered peacefully under -the protection of Camp Grant are killed, captured or put to flight by a -vengeful party of Americans, Mexicans and Papago Indians from Tucson. - -In the fall of 1871 the Government peace commission tries to adjust -the differences between the white people and the red. The Apaches are -offered reservations and guaranteed kind treatment. They have little -faith in the words. - -The Apaches, with the exception of the White Mountain in Arizona and -the Warm Spring in New Mexico, and some smaller bands, decline to -gather upon reservations. In 1872 General O. O. Howard arrives as -special peace commissioner, and by his talks and actions wins the trust -of the Indians. The reservation idea seems a success. Cochise and -his Chiricahuas agree to remain in their own country of the Dragoon -Mountains, southern Arizona. - -In the winter of 1872–73 General George Crook proceeds against the -outlaw Apaches of Arizona, especially the Tontos and the Apache-Mohaves -or Yavapais. His cavalry, infantry, pack-trains and enlisted Indian -scouts trail them down and subdue them. - -General Crook’s plans to make the Indians self-supporting on their -reservations appear to have brought peace to Arizona. - -In 1874 the control of the reservations passes from the War Department -to the Indian Bureau. Reservations given to the Indians “forever,” by -the President, are reduced or abolished, and various tribes are removed -against their protests. Agents prove dishonest, the Indians are not -encouraged to work, and are robbed of their rations. - -The Chiricahuas are generally peaceful, although Mexico complains that -stock is being stolen and run across the border into the reservation. -Chief Cochise, who has kept his word with General Howard, dies in 1874. -Taza his son succeeds him, as leader of the Chiricahua peace party, -until his death in 1876. - -In April, 1876, whiskey is sold to some Chiricahuas, at a stage station -on the reservation. A fight ensues, and killings occur. The great -majority of the Chiricahuas refuse to join in any outbreak. - -In June, 1876, it is recommended by the governor of Arizona that all -the Chiricahuas be removed to the San Carlos reservation. They do not -wish to go, but the majority follow Taza there. Chiefs Juh, Geronimo, -and others escape. - -The policy of the Indian Bureau contemplates putting all the Apaches -together upon the San Carlos reservation. The White Mountain Apaches, -who have voluntarily lived upon the White Mountain reservation, their -home land, adjacent, and have supplied the government with scouts, -decline to go to the low country. When forced, they drift back again, -and finally are allowed to stay. - -In 1877 the Warm Spring Apaches and the Geronimo Chiricahuas who had -taken refuge there are ordered from the Warm Spring reservation in New -Mexico to San Carlos. Some escape; the remainder escape a little later. -Thereafter, Chief Victorio and his Warm Springs are constantly on the -war-path, out of Mexico. - -In January, 1880, Chiefs Juh and Geronimo of the Chiricahuas agree to -stay upon the San Carlos reservation. In August Victorio is killed by -Mexican troops. - -In September, 1881, Juh and Nah-che (a son of Cochise and a lieutenant -of Geronimo), break from the reservation, for Mexico. - -In April, 1882, Geronimo and Loco of the Chiricahuas follow. - -General Crook is now recalled to the command in Arizona. He talks with -the Apaches on the reservations, finds a marked state of mistrust and -misunderstanding, and places his troops to guard the border against the -outlaws. - -In March, 1883, Chato, or Flat-nose, a young captain of Geronimo’s -band, with twenty-six men breaks through, raids up into New Mexico and -Arizona, and murders settlers. With forty cavalry, about two hundred -Apache scouts, and pack-trains, Crook overhauls the Chiricahuas in -the wild Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico two hundred miles south of -the boundary, and persuades the whole band to return peaceably to the -reservation. - -The Chiricahuas are placed under the control of General Crook, and he -locates them upon good land on the White Mountain reservation. Both -reservations are policed by the army. The Apaches seem to be content, -under the Crook plan that they shall work for an independent living. In -1884 they raise over four thousand tons of produce. There have been no -outbreaks. - -In February, 1885, disagreements arise between the War Department and -the Interior Department, of which the Indian Bureau is a function. -General Crook’s powers are interfered with by civil interests at -Washington and in Arizona, liquor is being permitted upon the -reservations and the Indians grow uneasy. - -In May, 1885, after a controversy with the agent over the right to -dig an irrigating ditch, and having obtained a supply of liquor, one -hundred and twenty-four men, women and children under Geronimo and -Nah-che, his lieutenant, escape again into Mexico. During their raids -they kill seventy-three whites and a number of Apache scouts. - -General Crook secures an international agreement that United States -troops may operate in Mexico, and Mexican troops in the United States, -and sends a column on the trail of Geronimo. - -In March, 1886, Geronimo signifies that he desires to talk. The general -meets him, Chihuahua and other chiefs, and they accept the terms of -two years’ imprisonment, with the privilege of the company of their -families. - -On the march north a vicious white man by the name of Tribollet -supplies whiskey to the Chiricahuas, at ten dollars (silver) a gallon, -alarms them with lies by himself and his unscrupulous associates. -Geronimo and Nah-che, with twenty men, thirteen women and two children, -disappear. Chihuahua and eighty others remain. - -The general’s action in making terms with the Chiricahuas, and in not -so guarding them that they would be forced to remain, is indirectly -censured by General Sheridan, commanding the army. Crook explains that -no other methods on his part would have met with any success, under -the circumstances, and asks to be relieved from the command of the -department. - -In April, 1886, General Nelson A. Miles takes the command in Arizona. -He increases the number of heliostat signal stations, discharges the -reservation-Apache scouts (whom he suspects of treachery), employs a -few trailers from other tribes, and by a very energetic campaign which -permits Geronimo no rest, in September induces his surrender upon only -the conditions that his life shall be spared and that he shall be -removed from Arizona. - -Without delay the Geronimo and Nah-che remnant of hostiles, and all the -Chiricahua and Warm Spring Apaches, four hundred in number, at the Fort -Apache (White Mountain) reservation, are removed, whether friendly or -not, to Florida. This is deemed the only practicable measure of freeing -the Southwest from the menace of Apache outbreaks. The expenses of the -Department of Arizona are lessened by $1,000,000 a year. - -The climate of Florida is unfavorable to the Apaches. Geronimo -complains that he and Nah-che had understood that their families -were to accompany them. Many of the Apaches die from disease and -homesickness. - -In May, 1888, the Apaches are removed from Florida to Mt. Vernon -barracks, Alabama; and in October, 1894, as prisoners of war to Fort -Sill Military Reservation, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). - -The principal reservations of the Arizona Apaches are the Fort Apache -and the San Carlos, each containing between two and three thousand -Indians. There are still over two hundred of the Chiricahuas and Warm -Springs at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Geronimo died February 17, 1909, at -Fort Sill. Nah-che succeeded him as chief. - - - - -[Illustration: APACHE ARIZONA - -and the principal places in General Crook’s time] - - - - -GENERAL CROOK AND THE FIGHTING APACHES - - - - -I - -JIMMIE DUNN IS BADLY FOOLED - - -“Tinkle, tinkle,” placidly sounded the bell of the old bell-wether, -to prove that he and the other sheep were grazing near at hand in the -stiff brush. - -“All right,” thought Jimmie Dunn, whose business it was to keep tab on -the whereabouts of that bell. - -For this was a simmering hot summer afternoon of the year 1870, far, -far down in southern Arizona Territory; and here on a hill-slope of -the Pete Kitchen big ranch about half-way between Tucson town and -the Mexican line Jimmie was lying upon his back under a spreading -crooked-branched mesquite tree, lazily herding the ranch sheep. - -The Kitchen ranch really was not Jimmie’s home. He lived with his uncle -Joe Felmer (not really his uncle, either), who was the blacksmith for -Camp Grant, the United States army post ninety miles northward, or -fifty-five miles the other side of Tucson. - -But the region close around Camp Grant was a sandy pocket famous for -fever and ague as well as for other disagreeable features, such as -scorpions, tarantulas, ugly Gila monsters (thick, black, poisonous -lizards), heat and sand-storms; so that Joe had sent Jimmie down to -their friend Pete Kitchen, on a vacation. - -Everybody, American, Mexican and Indian, in southern Arizona, knew the -Pete Kitchen ranch. It was noted for its battles with the Apaches who, -passing back and forth on their raids out of the mountains of Arizona -and Mexico both, were likely to plunder and kill, at any time. Sturdy -Pete had not been driven away yet, and did not propose to be driven -away. - -Jimmie himself was pretty well used to Apaches. They prowled about Camp -Grant, and attacked people on the road from Tucson, and frequently the -soldiers rode out after them. Joe Felmer had married an Apache woman, -who was now dead; he spoke Apache and Jimmie had picked up a number of -the words; but there were plenty of unfriendly Apaches who every little -while ran off with Joe’s mules or filled his hogs with arrows. - -On his back under the mesquite tree Jimmie was not thinking of Apaches. -He was idly surveying the country――at the same time having an ear -open to the musical tinkle of the bell-wether, who told him where the -sheep were straying. And a delightful, dreamy outlook this was, over -all those quiet miles of mountain and desert Arizona which only the -Southern stage-line traversed, and which, so thinly settled by white -people, the roving Apache Indians claimed as their own. - -In his loose cotton shirt and ragged cotton trousers Jimmie felt very -comfortable. Presently his eyes closed, his head drooped, and he nodded -off, for forty or so winks. - -He dozed, he was certain, not more than five minutes; or perhaps ten. -Then he awakened with a sudden start. Something had told him to awaken. -He sat up and looked to see that the sheep were all right. He could not -see one animal, but he heard the tinkle, tinkle. He twisted about to -find the old bell-wether――and he gazed full into the grinning face of -an Apache boy! - -The Apache boy, who appeared to be fourteen or fifteen years old, -was not more than five yards from him――standing there beside a giant -cactus, naked except for a red cloth band about his forehead, and a -whitish cotton girdle about his middle, with the broad ends hanging -down before and behind, and regular Apache moccasins reaching like -leggins half way up his thighs for protection against the brush: -standing there, grinning, in his left hand a bow, in his right the -wether’s bell! - -_He had been tinkling that bell!_ And a smart trick this was, too: to -sneak up on the wether, get the bell, and ring it to fool the herder -while other Apaches drove away the sheep! - -For an instant Jimmie stared perfectly paralyzed with astonishment. He -could not believe his eyes. Instead of a staid old tame sheep, here -was a mischievous young wild Apache! Then, trying to utter a shout, -up he sprang, to run. On the moment he heard a sharp swish, the noose -of an Apache’s rawhide rope whipped about his shoulders, and right in -mid-step he was jerked backward so violently, head over heels, that he -had no time or breath for yelling a word. - -Barely had he landed topsy turvy in the brush when a heavy body rushed -for him, a supple dark hand was clapped firmly over his mouth, and -hauled upright he was half dragged, half carried, through the mesquites -and the cactuses and around the slope of the hill. - -Now he was flung, limp and dazed, aboard a pony, his captor mounted -into the saddle behind him, and away they tore, while the brush beneath -reeled by under Jimmie’s swimming eyes. - -This was a fast ride until the sheep were overtaken. There they -were, almost the whole flock, being forced hotly onward by Apaches -afoot and ahorse, with other Apaches guarding the flanks. It looked -like a war party returning with plunder from Mexico. The bands about -the foreheads, the round rawhide helmets that some wore, the thigh -moccasins, the guns, bows, lances and clubs, proved that they were a -war party; and they had a lot of loose horses and mules besides the -Pete Kitchen sheep. - -Jimmie sighted another captive――a Mexican boy, older than he, fastened -upon a yellow mule led by an Apache horseman. - -A broad-shouldered, finely built Indian wearing an Apache helmet with -feathers sticking up from it, and riding a white horse, evidently was -the chief in command. - -The grip of the Apache who held Jimmie had slackened. Jimmie managed -to squirm ’round enough to look up into the Apache’s face. In return -he got a grin, and two or three Apache words that said: “Good boy. No -fear.” These were common words with the “tame” Apaches who sometimes -came into Camp Grant or to Joe Felmer’s little ranch near by, so Jimmie -understood. - -The country grew rougher and wilder and higher. By the sun Jimmie knew -that the course was generally eastward, and he guessed that these were -Chiricahua Apaches. - -The Apache Indians, as almost anybody in Arizona could say off-hand, -were divided into the Chiricahuas and the Pinals and the Arivaipas -and the Coyotes and the White Mountains and the Apache-Mohaves and -the Apache-Yumas and the Tontos and the Mogollons, and the Warm -Spring Apaches and the Mimbres (of New Mexico), and the Jicarillas -(Heek-ah-ree-yahs) or Basket Apaches, who never came into Arizona; and -so forth. - -The Tontos and Pinals, who were outlaws, and the Chiricahuas -(Chee-ree-cah-wahs), who were hard, thorough fighters, seemed to give -the most trouble. The Chiricahuas lived in the mountains of southern -Arizona and of northern Mexico. - -The pines and cedars of the higher country were reached before dusk. -Not a tenth of the sheep had come this far. The most of them had been -left to die from heat and exhaustion. Now having passed through another -of their favorite narrow canyons, the Apaches halted, at dark, to camp -beside a trickle of water in a rocky little basin surrounded by crags -and timber. - -This night Jimmie was forced to lie between two Apache warriors, the -one who had captured him, and a comrade; and he fitted so closely that -if he moved he would waken them. It was an uncomfortable bed, there -under a thin dirty strip of blanket, limited by those greasy, warm -bodies, and he was afraid to stir. But he was so tired that he slept, -anyway. - -Very early in the morning the camp roused again. Apaches when on a raid -or when pursued were supposed to travel on only one meal a day and with -only three hours’ rest out of the twenty-four. So now on and on and on, -through all kinds of rough country they hastened, at steady gait and -speaking rarely――Jimmie riding a bareback horse. - -In late afternoon they halted on the rim of a valley so deep and wide -that it was veiled in bluish-purple haze. On a rocky point three of the -Apaches started a fire of dried grass, and sent up a smoke signal by -heaping pitchy pine cones upon the blaze. - -Chewing twigs and sucking pebbles to keep their mouths wet, the -Apaches, talking together and watching, waited, until a long distance -across the valley, whose brushy sides were thickly grown with the -mescal, or century plant cactuses, blooming in round stalks twenty feet -tall, a smoke column answered. - -The Apaches tending to their own fire fed more pine cones to it, and -two of them rapidly clapped a saddle-blanket on and off the smoke, and -broke it into puffs. The smoke column across the valley puffed in reply. - -The Apache boy who had played bell-wether pressed to Jimmie’s horse. - -“Chi-cowah,” he said, pointing. That was Apache for “My home.” - -Now the party appeared satisfied. They scattered their fire, and struck -down into a narrow trail that crossed the bottom of the valley. A -peculiar sweetish smell hung in the misted air. This, Jimmie guessed, -was from the steaming pits wherein the hearts of the mescal, or century -plants, were being roasted. - -They glimpsed several squaws and children gathering foodstuff in the -brush. As they filed through a little draw or rocky pass they were -hailed loudly by an Apache sentinel posted above. He could not be seen, -but the chief replied. The pass opened into a grassy flat concealed by -the usual high crags and timbered ridges. Here was the Apache camp or -rancheria (ran-cher-ee-ah), located along a willow-bordered creek. - -Fifty or sixty of the Apache brush huts or jacals were sprinkled all -up and down the flat, and as soon as the party entered, a tremendous -chorus of welcome sounded. Women shrieked, children screamed, dogs -barked and mules brayed. Right into the center of the camp marched the -party, and stopped. - -A circle of staring women and children, and a few men, surrounded. -Other squaws bustled to take the horses and mules from the dismounting -warriors. Jimmie was told to get off. Feeling lonesome and miserable, -he saw close in front of him a boy who did not seem to be Indian at -all, for he had fiery red hair and brick-red freckles and only one eye, -which was blue! - -Yes――a red-headed, one-eyed, blue-eyed boy, rather runty, in only -a whitish cotton girdle, and moccasins. Evidently he dressed that -way――or undressed that way――all the time, for his body and limbs were -burned darker than his face. - -Jimmie was not granted much space for staring back into that one -blue eye. He was slapped upon the shoulder, “Aqui (Here)!” grunted -the chief, in Spanish, and strode on through the circle. So Jimmie -followed, hobbling at best speed. - -The chief went straight to a scrub-oak tree, with a hut beneath it, and -an Apache sitting in the shade of it, on a deer hide before the hut. By -the manner with which Jimmie’s Apache spoke to the sitting Apache, who -did not rise, it was plain to be seen that the sitting Apache was the -principal chief, and that Jimmie’s Apache was maybe only a captain. - -They talked for a moment in Apache, too fast for Jimmie to understand. -Then the sitting chief, who had been eying Jimmie sharply, addressed -him in simple Mexican-Spanish easy to catch. - -He was not at all a bad-looking Apache. In fact, he was about the -finest Apache that Jimmie had ever met: a broad-chested six-footer, -like the captain chief, but large eyed and kindly faced and dignified. - -“What is your name?” - -“James Dunn.” - -“No Mexicano?” - -“Americano,” corrected Jimmie proudly. - -“Your father Pete Keetchen?” - -“No.” - -“Where you live?” - -“Camp Grant.” - -“With soldiers?” - -Jimmie reflected an instant. If he said “With Joe Felmer,” then -the chief would surely hold him as a great prize, for Joe Felmer, -Government scout as well as post blacksmith, was an important enemy. -So―――― - -“Sometimes,” asserted Jimmie, which was true. - -“Why on Keetchen rancho?” - -“Tend to sheep.” And Jimmie blushed when he recalled that he had been a -great sheep-herder! - -“Pete Keetchen your father?” - -“No!” repeated Jimmie. “No father, no mother.” - -The head chief and the captain chief gazed at him as though they would -read his very thoughts. The captain chief had such piercing dark eyes -that they bored clear through. But he was a sure-enough Apache, with -straight black hair and dark chocolate skin, darker even than ordinary. - -’Twas to be imagined that neither of the chiefs believed Jimmie’s -statements. They still suspected that he belonged to Pete Kitchen. - -The head chief spoke abruptly. - -“You ’Pache now. Ugashé (U-gah-shay)――go!” - -Jimmie knew that he was dismissed, and he turned away. He was faint in -the stomach and weak in the knees, and he had no place in particular to -go, until he saw the Mexican boy captive sitting in the sun, with his -feet under him and his shanks high. Jimmie seized upon the opportunity -to talk with him, at last. - -“What is your name?” he asked, squatting beside him. All Americans in -southern Arizona could speak some Spanish; Mexican-Spanish was as -common as English. - -“Maria Jilda Grijalba (Maree-ah Heel-dah Gree-hal-bah).” - -“Where did you live?” - -“In Sonora” (which was in Mexico). “Where did you live?” - -“Camp Grant――American fort, Arizona.” - -“How far?” - -Jimmie shrugged his shoulders. - -“Do not know.” - -“You do not live on the rancho?” - -“For little while.” - -“You have father, mother?” - -“No. Apaches kill them.” - -“My father, mother, brothers, sisters, all killed,” lamented Maria, -weeping. “Alas! All killed, by Apaches.” - -“We run off, pretty soon?” proposed Jimmie. - -“No!” opposed Maria, in much alarm. “Must stay. Be Apaches. They not -let us run off. Big country. Get lost and die. Get caught and be -killed.” - -But Jimmie had made up his mind that he was not going to be an Apache; -he would escape if he could. Or maybe he would be rescued. - -However, here came the captain chief, and the bell-wether Apache boy, -and the strange red-headed boy with the one blue eye. - -“Ugashé!” roughly ordered the captain chief, of Maria. Poor Maria -obediently arose and shuffled away. - -The captain spoke to Jimmie, and smiled. He, also was a fine-looking -Apache: almost six feet tall and straight and sinewy, with square face -and thin, determined lips, and those extraordinary sharp eyes. - -Jimmie stood up. - -“Chi-kis-n,” said the captain, and nodded aside at the bell-wether boy. - -“Chi-kis-n” was Apache for “my brother.” The Apache boy grinned and -held out his hand. - -“Chi-kis-n,” he greeted. - -The red-headed, one-eyed boy explained in Spanish. - -“Your name Boy-who-falls-asleep, his name Nah-che. But you must call -him chi-kis-n――my brother.” - -“Muchos gratias (Many thanks),” answered Jimmie, shaking hands with -Nah-che. Nah-che was a stocky, round-faced boy, and Jimmie liked him in -spite of that trick with the sheep bell. - -“The chief’s name is Go-yath-lay,” continued the red-headed boy. “He is -war-captain of the Chiricahua. Nah-che is son of Cochise, head chief.” - -The war captain, who had been listening intently, trying to understand -the words, nodded, and spoke again in Apache. - -“Your chi-kis-n will show you,” translated the red-headed boy, who knew -Spanish and Apache both. - -“Aqui (Here),” bade Nah-che: and Jimmie followed him to one of those -regulation Apache jacals――a low round-topped hut made from willow -branches stuck in a circle and bent over to fasten together, with -pieces of deer hide and cow hide laid to cover the framework of the -sides, and flat bundles of brush to thatch the roof. The jacals -resembled dirty white bowls bottom-up. Each had a little opening, as a -door to be entered only by stooping half double. - -Before the hut an Apache woman in a loose cotton waist worn outside a -draggled calico skirt was busy cooking. She stirred the contents of an -iron kettle, set upon a bed of coals in a small shallow pit. She threw -back her long, coarse black hair and scanned Jimmie curiously while -Nah-che spoke a few words to her. - -Then repeating the title “chi-kis-n” Nah-che strolled away. The woman -smiled broadly at Jimmie, took him by the arm, and talking to him led -him inside the hut. The earth had been dug out, there, so that they -might stand, in the middle, and not strike their heads on the ceiling. - -The woman made Jimmie remove his trousers and shoes; and leaving him -his ragged shirt tossed to him a pair of old moccasins. - -Again out-doors, she gave him a mess of the stew, in a gourd bowl. The -stew was corn and beans cooked together, and was very good indeed, to a -hungry boy. - -“Go,” she signed. “Come back at night.” - -Here in the open, Jimmie felt rather odd, with nothing on but his shirt -and moccasins. Still, most of the boys and girls of his age, in the -village, had even less on. They were brown, though, and he was white, -which seemed to make a difference. - -Some of the boys were playing at what appeared to be hide-and-seek -amidst the brush and trees and rocks; others were shooting with bows -and arrows. The little girls had dolls, of rags, and stuffed, painted -buckskin. They all viewed him out of their sparkling black eyes, and -the girls giggled the same as white girls. - -Jimmie’s squaw shoved him from behind. - -“U-ga-shé!” she ordered. “Go!” - -After all, thought Jimmie, if he had to live here for a while, he might -better pretend to enjoy himself, until he got a good chance to escape. -So he boldly joined in the game of hide-and-seek. At first everybody -there let him alone. But he chased around, with the others, his shirt -flapping, and soon he was one of the “gang” and was being shouted at in -Apache. - -The one-eyed boy and Nah-che and several others of that age stayed by -themselves, playing a game with raw-hide cards, and talking. They were -too old for foolishness. - -This night Jimmie slept in the squaw’s hut. There was a feast and -dance, judging by the noise that he heard when awake. Nah-che came in -late. In the morning the red-headed boy went away on foot with three -Apaches who evidently had been visitors at the village; and as he -did not return during the day, he probably belonged somewhere else, -himself. - - - - -II - -JIMMIE LEARNS TO BE APACHE - - -These were the principal band of the Cho-kon-en Apaches who were -called Chiricahua (“Great Mountain”) Apaches because of the Chiricahua -Mountains amidst which they lived. But Cho-kon-en was their own name. - -The pleasant-faced Cochise was the head chief. He was about fifty-five -years old. The captain Go-yath-lay or “One-who-yawns” was the war -chief. He was forty years old. The Mexicans whom he had fought had -given him the name Geronimo (Her-_on_-i-mo), which is Spanish for -Jerome. - -There were other bands of Chiricahuas, under other chiefs――Na-na -and Chihuahua (Chi-wah-wah) and Loco, and so forth. Na-na was the -oldest of all; he was nearly eighty, and had been wounded many times -in battle――yes, as many as fifteen times. Chihuahua was stout and -good-natured. Loco was thin and quite bow-legged. - -In the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico, which were the south end of -the Chiricahua Range, were the Nedni Apaches, under old Chief Juh, or -“Whoa.” Chief Cochise and Chief Juh frequently went to war together -against the Mexicans. - -Northeastward, or in western New Mexico lived the Chi-hen-ne――the -Ojo Caliente (Oho Cal-i-en-te) or Warm Spring Apaches, under Chief -Victorio. With Chief Victorio’s people the Cochise people had long been -as brothers. - -The woman who had charge of Jimmie was Nah-da-ste. She was a sister of -Geronimo. Her husband had been killed in battle with the Mexicans. The -warrior who had captured Jimmie was Geronimo’s younger brother Porico, -or “White Horse.” - -Nah-che, Jimmie’s chi-kis-n, was the youngest son of Chief Cochise. -Geronimo the war chief liked him very much. His name meant “meddlesome,” -for he had been a mischievous baby. In about three years, or when he was -seventeen, if he had proved himself worthy in the hunt and on the long -trail, he would be admitted into the councils as a warrior. - -The same with another boy, Chato. He was called Chato, or “Flat-nose,” -because he had been kicked in the face by a mule. - -Taza, Nah-che’s elder brother, already was a warrior and would be -head chief, probably, after Cochise his father died. But that was not -certain; head chiefs were elected and not born. - -As for the red-headed, one-eyed blue-eyed boy―――― - -“His name is Red-head,” said Nah-che. “He is not one of us. He is part -Mexican and part American. He was captured a long time ago by some of -our men, but he lives with the White Mountains now, in the north. The -White Mountains are at peace, on their land where the new American fort -is being built.” - -Jimmie rapidly learned Apache, although many of the Chiricahuas spoke -Spanish. He soon had lost his shirt, and went about with only a rag -around his waist. Everybody in the Cochise camp was kind to him. He -was an Apache boy, now. The Apaches never whipped their children, nor -punished them in any way except by scolding. - -The little children were made to help in the fields where corn and -squash and beans and melons were raised; and went with their mothers -to gather seeds and berries and acorns and mescal――for the Apaches ate -curious things. - -The girls played with dolls, and at housekeeping and tended to the -babies, of which there were many. The boys of nine and ten, Jimmie’s -age, and over, worked some, but they were encouraged to use the bow and -arrow, and throw the lance, and practice at war and at the hunt, so as -to train them as warriors and to strengthen their muscles. - -The war game was the best sport. Some of the boys pretended to be -Mexicans. The others remained Apaches. The “Mexicans” were given a -head-start, into the brush and timber, and the “Apaches” set out to -find their trail and to surprise them. - -Although the “Mexicans” did everything they might think of, to conceal -their tracks and to get away, they always were discovered. Then by -running and sneaking and crawling flat with grass and cactus tied to -their heads the “Apaches” proceeded to ambush the “Mexicans.” Then the -“Apaches” yelled and shot fast with light arrows, and the “Mexicans” -were killed or captured. - -Turkeys were caught by running after them up hill and down until they -were so tired that they could not fly, and were killed by a blow from a -club on the neck. Rabbits were chased, too, and surrounded by a circle -of boys armed with bows and clubs; and they, too, were killed. - -All these sports made the Apache boys fleet of foot and quick of eye -and arm, and very strong in lungs and legs. - -The Apaches had curious customs as well as curious food. - -“You must never ask a Tinneh (‘Tinneh’ was the Apache’s own title; it -meant ‘man’) his name,” explained Nah-che. “Only somebody else may -speak it. If he spoke it, he would have bad luck.” - -And―――― - -“You must never speak of the bear or the mule or the snake or the -lightning unless you say Ostin Shosh (Old Man Bear), or Ostin Mule or -Ostin Snake or Ostin lightning. It is not well to talk about them or -the owl. They are medicine.” - -And―――― - -“After you are married you must not look upon the face of your wife’s -mother. You must avoid meeting her or speaking to her. You must hide -your face or turn your back, or you will be disrespectful.” - -And―――― - -“You must not eat fish meat, or the meat of the pig. They are bad.” - -And―――― - -“When anyone dies we give away everything of his that we don’t burn. If -that was not done, then there might be persons of bad hearts who would -wish a relative to die so that they would get his property.” - -And―――― - -“When I go on the trail as a warrior, for the first four times I must -not touch my lips to water. I must drink through a hollow reed, or I -will spoil the luck of the whole party. And I must not scratch my head -with my fingers. I must use a scratch stick.” - -War parties went out frequently, sometimes under Geronimo, sometimes -under Cochise also. The warriors marched on foot, as a rule, because -then they could climb and hide better. On foot an Apache could travel -forty to seventy-five miles at a stretch, which was as much as a horse -could do. No white man could equal an Apache, in covering rough country -and desert country. - -The parties were sent out mainly against the Mexicans of Mexico, to -get plunder, although the Chiricahuas had no love for the Americans, -either, Nah-che explained again. - -He was sitting, pulling the hairs from his chin and cheeks with a pair -of bone tweezers. It was unmanly for a warrior to have any hair on -his face, and Nah-che expected to be a warrior after he had made four -war-trails. Four was the lucky number, with the Apaches. - -“We hate the Mexicans. They are bad,” said Nah-che. “They kill our -women and children, and pay for scalps. With the Americans it is like -this: - -“When they first came into our country we were friendly to them. We -saw that they were different from the Mexicans, and they had been at -war with the Mexicans, too. They shot one of us, and offered to pay -a little something, which was not punishment enough. Still we did -not stay at war with them. Cochise made a camp near the American -wagon-road at Apache Pass, where Camp Bowie is now, and traded, and -sold wood. One time a Mexican woman and her baby were stolen by some -bad Indians from an American, and the Chiricahua were asked to return -them. We did not have them, or know anything about them, but Cochise -and Mangas Coloradas of the Mimbreño Apaches and some other chiefs went -with a white flag to meet a young American war chief at Apache Pass, -and talk. - -“When they got there the American chief surrounded them with his -soldiers and told them that they would be kept shut in a tent until -they sent and got the baby and woman. They decided they would rather be -killed than be kept prisoners. So they drew their knives, and Cochise -cut a hole through the back of the tent, and there was a fight. Several -were killed. But Cochise and Mangas Coloradas escaped. Cochise was -wounded in the knee by a gun knife (bayonet). The Americans hung his -brother and five others, by the neck, and Cochise hung an American by -the neck; and he and Mangas Coloradas called all their warriors and -nearly captured the Americans. The young American captain had acted -very foolish. - -“After two or three years Mangas Coloradas (this was Spanish for ‘Red -Sleeves’) grew tired of fighting. He was badly wounded, and he sent -word that he would like to treat for peace. The Americans told him to -come in with his people. Cochise had married his sister, and we and the -Mimbreños often helped each other, and now Cochise advised him not -to trust the word of the Americans. But Mangas Coloradas went to an -American fort in New Mexico. - -“Then they seized him and put him into a little house with only one -window, high up. The soldiers scowled at him; so that when he was put -into the little house he said to himself: ‘This is my end. I shall -never again hunt through the valleys and mountains of my people.’ And -that was so. This night while he was asleep somebody from outside threw -a big rock down on his chest――or else a soldier guard punched him with -a hot knife on the end of a gun. We do not know. Anyway, he was much -frightened. He ran about, trying to climb out and fight with his hands -and then the soldiers shot him many times, and he died. - -“Now you see that the Chiricahua cannot be friends with the Americans -any more than with the Mexicans, and it is so with other Tinneh. The -Warm Springs are friendly, because Chief Victorio thinks that is wise; -and the Sierra Blanca (White Mountains) have agreed not to fight. But -they have not lost chiefs and brothers like we have.” - -This was the way the Chiricahua Apaches thought. But of course there -were two sides to the quarrel. Joe Felmer and Pete Kitchen and other -pioneers had claimed that old Mangas Coloradas had been a regular -bandit who never intended to stay at peace. He had tortured and killed -men and women and children, and was determined to drive all the -Americans out of the country. Once he had been captured by miners and -tied up and whipped, which had made him worse. - -He had lived to be seventy years old, and although even Pete Kitchen -did not wholly approve of the manner with which he had been disposed -of, it was a great relief to have him out of the way. Maybe he might -have been educated to stay at peace, and maybe not. - -But now that the Chiricahuas hated the Americans and Mexicans both, -Jimmie saw little chance of escape. - -Maria the Mexican boy had settled down to be an Apache. All his folks -had been killed, and he said that he might as well live with the -Apaches. He had plenty to eat and little to do; and he thought that he -would marry an Apache girl, when he was old enough, and stay Apache. - -The Red-head boy who lived with the White Mountain Apaches came in once -or twice, to visit, while out hunting or just scouting around. He could -not speak English. His father had been Irish and his mother Mexican, -and Spanish had been the only language used in his home. Since the -Apaches had captured him eight or nine years ago he had learned Apache, -too. - -“Are you going to stay Apache, Red-head?” asked Jimmie. - -“Yes,” answered Red-head, in Apache. “I’ll stay with the White -Mountains, but I don’t like the Chiricahua. It is no use for them to -fight the Americans. Besides, they killed my father and mother. Are you -going to be a Chiricahua, Boy-who-sleeps?” - -Jimmie shook his head. - -“No. I am American. I don’t want to be anything but American. I’m a -white boy.” - -“That is good,” approved Red-head. He was a snappy, energetic boy, -built low to the ground, and with his red hair and freckled face and -one bright blue eye looked very nervy. “I like the Americans. Some day -I’ll be a scout with the American soldiers. The White Mountain Apaches -are good Apaches. Chief Pedro is wise. He knows that it is no use to -fight the Americans. It is better to live at peace with them, and raise -corn, and hunt, and be given food and clothes. That is easier than -fighting and starving and losing warriors. The Americans are too many, -and are well armed. The Chiricahua have bad hearts and will all be -killed. You ought to leave them.” - -“I can’t,” replied Jimmie. “I don’t know where to go.” - -“Well,” said Red-head, winking with his one shrewd blue eye, “wait and -maybe I’ll help you. But don’t tell anybody about my talk with you.” - - - - -III - -THE RED-HEAD TURNS UP - - -Jimmie had been with the Cochise Chiricahuas about a year, as he -reckoned, because winter (and not a cold winter) had passed, and the -yuccas, or Spanish-bayonet cactuses, and the mescal, or century plant -cactuses, were again in bloom with their tall, stately plumes of white, -which indicated May. - -All this time nobody had come looking for him, and he did not know what -was going on outside――at Pete Kitchen’s or at Tucson or at Camp Grant -or at Joe Felmer’s, or anywhere. - -All the news was Apache news; gossip about hunting and raids, and -cowardly Mexicans and stupid Americans. - -Camps had been changed frequently, for the Chiricahuas did not remain -long in any one spot. He had not seen Red-head in several months. -According to Nah-che the soldiers were getting more numerous, and -were fighting all the Apaches――the Chiricahuas and the Tontos and the -Yavapais or Apache-Mohaves and the Mogollons: all who would not settle -down at peace like the White Mountains and the Warm Springs. - -Part of the winter had been spent in Mexico, but just now the camp -had been located again amidst the Chiricahua Mountains. Most of the -warriors were out on a big raid, under Cochise and Geronimo. They had -not taken any of the older boys. By this it looked as though they were -going into American country, where they might meet the soldiers. - -Nah-che admitted as much. He said that report had come of a killing -of friendly Apaches at Camp Grant, so it was useless to trust the -White-eyes (as the Americans were called); they were the enemies of the -Apaches, and Cochise had gone to kill all the Mexicans and Americans -that he could find, down there. - -Jimmie felt anxious. He well knew how cunning and bold the Cochise -Chiricahuas were. They had plenty of arms, including guns that they -had captured. They were particularly eager to kill a young American -war-captain who had been leading soldiers upon their trail. - -“Was he a new young war-captain?” - -“No, he was an old young war-captain――a horse chief. He had killed -Apaches out of Tucson and Camp Grant both.” - -As Nah-che would not talk any more about him, Jimmie might only guess. -But all the young officers in the First and the Third Cavalry at Camp -Grant had been brave. - -The Cochise and Geronimo party were gone more than half a moon before -word arrived from them. Then, one morning, two runners or messengers, -Porico (“White Horse”), who was Geronimo’s brother, and Hal-zay, who -was a half-brother to Nah-che, appeared. They had traveled hard and -were tired, but they brought exciting news. - -The Chiricahuas had ambushed twenty American soldiers and scouts at the -Bear Springs in the Mestinez (Mustang) Mountains only a day’s march -east from Tucson; had killed six of them, maybe more, and had driven -the rest back clear into Camp Crittenden, southeast of Tucson; would -have surrounded and killed them, too, had they not fought so skillfully. - -A few Chiricahuas had been killed, but among the first to fall, of the -Americans, was the young horse chief who had given the Chiricahuas so -much trouble. They had taken his clothes and other trophies, and had -easily escaped to the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico. - -Cochise was going to stay there for a time, until the soldiers quit -trying to trail him. Then he would come north. - -The old squaws in the rancheria immediately lay flat upon their -stomachs and screeched and wailed, mourning the warriors who had -fallen. This was Apache custom. But the camp on the whole was happy and -Jimmie was the only truly sad member. He was not an Apache; he was an -American, even though he did not look much like a white boy, now, save -for his eyes and hair. - -The camp was moved, to guard against a surprise from the soldiers of -the American forts. After another half a moon the war party came in and -were given a great welcome. They had eaten most of the captured cavalry -horses, but they brought some of the other plunder. Taza was wearing -the flannel shirt of the young officer. - -He was very proud of it. It was a blue shirt, with the straps of a -first lieutenant sewed upon the shoulders. Jimmie recognized these, -because he knew army uniforms. The shirt was passed about. Inside the -neck had been stitched a little tag, bearing the letters “H. B. C.” -printed on it. - -Oh! This was Lieutenant Cushing’s shirt, then! His initials were H. -B. C., for Howard B. Cushing; and he was a first lieutenant, and he -had commanded lots of detachments out of Camp Grant, against the -Apaches. He was a terrific fighter, too, and one of the very best -officers on a trail. Jimmie remembered him well. All southern Arizona -knew of Lieutenant Howard B. Cushing of the Third Cavalry. He had -served through the Civil War; one of his brothers had been killed at -Gettysburg and another, as a lieutenant in the navy, had blown up the -Confederate iron-clad Albemarle by poking it with a bomb attached to a -long pole. - -This Lieutenant Cushing of the Third Cavalry was just as brave. The -Apaches had had good reason to fear him. No wonder they rejoiced, now -that they had ambushed him and wiped him out. - -Nah-che saw Jimmie gulp in his throat. Nah-che had keen eyes. - -“You know him?” asked Nah-che. - -“Friend,” answered Jimmie, turning away. - -“He was a brave captain,” volunteered Nah-che. “He fought hard. But in -war brave men die.” - -Jimmie longed for the Red-head to take him away; or for soldiers or -scouts to attack the camp and rescue him. - -The killing of Lieutenant Cushing encouraged the Chiricahuas. Cochise -had talks with Chiefs Loco and Chihuahua, and with Chief Nana who was -with a Warm Spring band and helping the Chiricahuas. Parties were -being sent out constantly; some of the captains took their families, -Maria was traded to Chief Nana, and soon the main Chiricahua camp was -much smaller. - -One day Nah-che, who had been away with Geronimo, came hurrying in with -orders for the camp to be moved again. - -“There are soldiers marching this way,” he reported, breathless, and -big with his news. “They struck us when we were eating, in the medicine -springs valley near the Sierra Bonita. We were bringing meat up from -Mexico, but we left it. We have seen signal fires telling us of other -soldiers. Geronimo says to go at once to the next place-we-know-of.” - -Instantly the camp was all confusion. The old men shouted, the women -ran around screeching and gathering their household things, children -scampered and screamed, dogs yelped. The frameworks of the huts were -set afire, and leaving in the smoke the Chiricahuas hustled out for -other quarters. - -They made a queer procession. The old men stoutly hobbled by aid of -long staffs or “walking-sticks”; the women were laden with huge bundles -slung to their backs by means of straps about their foreheads, and with -babies tucked into their shawls or bound in wicker cradles; ponies -had been packed with baskets; the smaller children rode atop, but the -strong boys and girls walked. Jimmie and the boys of his age were not -obliged to carry anything. - -Through canyon and across valley, into brush and timber, up slope -and down, they toiled, led by old Cha-dah, who was the camp tatah -or chief. Every so often the tatah and the other old men in advance -halted, and stuck their staffs into the ground, and waited. Here -everybody rested, for a brief space. By this system many miles were -covered before camp was established, at evening, and all might eat and -sleep. - -Jimmie, lying wrapped in a piece of blanket near Nah-che, under a -pine tree, was awakened in the night by a hand firmly pressed upon -his forehead. The pressure warned him not to stir, so he only stared -up――and in the star-lighted dimness he saw the one bright eye of -Red-head beaming down from close above him. - -Red-head was squatting, waiting. Now he removed his hand slowly, and -beckoned with his finger, and silently backed away. - -This was enough for Jimmie. What Red-head was doing here, on a sudden, -after a long absence, he did not delay to reason out, but began -cautiously to slip from his blanketing. - -First he drew away, crouched; then on hands and knees; then, stooping, -and carefully setting foot before foot, testing the ground lest a twig -snap. From tree to tree he stole, until he was beyond the camp――and on -a sudden, again, Red-head arose right in front of him. - -That was good! Now he followed behind the Red-head’s soundless course, -swiftly, straight away, until Red-head stopped. - -“Do you want to escape?” asked Red-head. He carried a bow and quiver, -and wore only a cloth about his middle, and moccasins. - -“Yes.” - -“If you’ll travel fast, I’ll take you,” said Red-head. “Soldiers are -coming. If we don’t find them you can go to Chief Pedro of the White -Mountains. The Chiricahua never visit there, because of the fort.” - -“Bueno (Good),” approved Jimmie. - -Red-head set out at a trot and rapid walk, but Jimmie kept right in his -wake. Jimmie’s legs were as strong as those of Red-head; his training -in the Apache games stood by him. On and on and on they hastened, -without a word, through the night, amidst timber, and across open -flats, and down cactus hills and up again. - -Red-head seemed to know what he was about, but Jimmie of course was -completely lost. Not until the dusk had thinned and the eastern sky was -pink did Red-head halt, at a spring which had made the ground mushy in -a little hollow among rocks and cedars. - -“Drink, eat, rest,” he said. He grinned with his freckled face, his -long red hair was damp with sweat. “You did well, Boy-who-sleeps. One -more travel and they cannot catch us. Wait.” - -He fitted an arrow to his bow-string and stepped aside, hunting. Jimmie -flung himself down, drank, and lay flat, resting. The sky was pink as -far as over-head, he might glimpse Red-head moving silently among the -cedars; saw him shoot an arrow; and presently Red-head returned with -two rabbits. - -They started a fire by twirling a pointed stick set upon a flat piece -of wood until the dust smoked; then they blew upon the dust and some -bark tinder until there was a glow. Then they cooked the rabbits over -dry cedar that made no smoke. - -First by the stars and later by the pink east Jimmie knew that they -had been traveling toward the north. Now Red-head explained. Some of -his talk was Apache and some was Spanish-Mexican. He used whichever -language came the easier. - -“We will not go straight to Camp Apache in the country where the White -Mountains are,” he said. “It is better that we go round-about. If -the Chiricahua see that we are going to Camp Apache that might make -trouble. They would say that the White Mountains stole you, and some -time they might capture _me_. Now if they try to follow us, we will -fool them. - -“I will tell you about the soldiers. There is a new American -comandante. He has come to Tucson, to fight the bad Indians. He -is leading out a great lot of horse soldiers and white scouts and -tame-Indian scouts――Navahos and Papagos and Yaquis and Apaches, -too――and wagons and pack-mules. He has been at Camp Bowie, and he is -marching north to Camp Apache, but he may not stay. The White Mountains -have heard this from runners. The runners say that he is a wonderful -comandante, who knows everything but asks many questions. Shall we try -to find him, Boy-who-sleeps? I think that now is a good chance, while -the Chiricahua are hiding.” - -“I don’t want to live with the Chiricahuas,” asserted Jimmie. “I hate -them. They kill my friends. I’m not an Indian. I’m white.” - -“I don’t know whether I’m American or Mexican or Indian,” grinned -Red-head. “I can be anything. What is your American name, Boy-who-sleeps? -I will call you by it. We will quit being Apache.” - -“James MacGregor Dunn, but everybody called me Jimmie.” - -“Inju (good),” grunted Red-head, in Apache. “I am called Micky Free by -the soldiers at Camp Apache. You shall call me Micky, and I shall call -you Cheemie.” - -“How did you lose your eye, Micky?” - -“By a deer. Three or four years ago I shot a deer with an arrow, and -knocked him down. I thought I had killed him, but when I ran and -grabbed his head he fought me and struck me with his horn in the eye. -Old Miguel has only one eye, too. He lost that in battle.” - -“Who is old Miguel?” - -“He is a White Mountain chief. There are Miguel and Pedro and old -Es-ki-tis-tsla and Pi-to-ne. They are for peace.” - -“Inju,” grunted Jimmie. - -While they rested and ate and drank, Micky kept a sharp look-out. Every -now and again he mounted upon a rocky ledge and lay there, peering. - -“I see smokes,” he said, coming down the last time. “I do not think -they are meant for us. The Chiricahua are signaling to each other. But -we had better go on, Cheemie, to a cave I know of. We will sleep.” - -Yes, there were smokes, far back on their trail: smokes that signaled -“enemies.” This was well, because with enemies around, the Chiricahuas -would not risk following the trail of a boy. So that noon Jimmie and -Micky slept in Micky’s cave, which was concealed high up in the side -of a canyon. They entered it from above. From the mouth they might see -a long distance. - -“In two days we shall cross the Tonto country,” remarked Micky. “That -is where we turn east for Camp Apache and the White Mountains. We will -have to be very careful again. The Tonto are bad people. They are -outlaws. When an Apache gets bad, he joins the Tonto.” - - - - -IV - -THE CANVAS SUIT MAN - - -The country was steadily growing wilder, with much large timber. For -two days Micky had been leading on and on. The Chiricahuas did not -seem to be pursuing, and Jimmie was certain that he had escaped from -them. He wished that he might have said good-by to good Nah-da-ste, who -had taken care of him; and to his friends Nah-che and Chato, and some -others; but of course that had not been possible. They might have known -that he could not stay being an Apache. - -Now on this the third day from the cave Micky suddenly stopped short -and examined an object beside him. They had been following just below a -gravelly ridge, so as to be out of sight. Yuccas and bunchy grass grew -here, and a few cedars, and the sun was warm. - -“Tonto sign,” spoke Micky, pointing. - -It was a band of dried grass knotted around a yucca leaf. Only eyes -like those of Micky would have seen it; but Micky saw everything. - -“How do you know, Micky?” - -“Because I know,” answered Micky. “That is the way the Tonto tie their -grass. A White Mountain would have tied different, and so would a -Chiricahua or a Pinal. And the same with piling stones or writing signs -on rocks or bark. It means a Tonto war party has passed here, and tells -other Tonto to follow. See――there is the trail.” - -“Shall we hide, Micky?” - -“No. The trail was made early this morning. It is an old trail. See, -Cheemie? You have lived with the Chiricahua and you ought to know. -There is a broken twig, where it was stepped on, and the leaves are -wilted. The sap is done flowing. I think we’d better follow and see -where those Tonto are going, so we won’t run into them.” - -The trail proceeded up the gravelly ridge, where moccasin prints were -plain, and over, and through among cedars of a flat mesa; and suddenly -Jimmie fairly gasped for breath. They had come out upon the edge of a -great, broad, deep valley lying like a green basin; it was so deep that -the trees in it looked like shrubs, and the farther edge was veiled in -purple mist. - -“Tonto home,” said Micky. “Down in there the Tonto live, where they -can hide. Up here is Mogollon country. It is all a flat mountain top, -on the Sierra Mogollon. We shall see many big pine trees soon. When we -find where this Tonto trail goes we had better turn back.” - -The trail skirted the dizzy edge; then it veered inland, and was joined -by another trail, and presently the joined trails made straight into -a tremendous forest. The trees were all pines; they stood up tall and -stately, and under them the ground was clean, except for the needles -and the low grass and flowers. Throughout the long aisles flecked by -the sun not a thing moved. It was a silent forest. - -Micky and Jimmie trotted fast, their eyes upon the trail, or searching -ahead. Now it was past noon. Once in a while the view opened into -the great Tonto Basin; and again there was only the timber, with the -serried trunks extending on every side. In such a forest, and when -gazing into such a basin, a boy felt small. - -About an hour or an hour and a half after noon Micky, who was just -before, stopped short once more――stopped so quickly that he stood with -one foot uplifted. He signed “Come,” and Jimmie came on. - -“Horse tracks now, Cheemie. American horses. Mules, too. American -soldiers.” - -This was a larger trail; the pine needles were imprinted with many -hoof marks. The horses had been ridden four abreast――yes, five and six -abreast, so that the trail lay broadly. They were shod horses, which -meant cavalry horses, because the Apache horses were not shod, save -with buckskin boots in cactus country. No Apaches rode four or five -abreast, anyway. The mule prints were smaller and rounder; and the -prints cut deeper, showing that the mules had been laden: pack-mules. - -Hah! Micky studied the new trail. The Tontos, too, had paused and -studied it. - -“These are some of the soldiers I spoke of, I think,” finally declared -Micky. “They have been at Camp Apache, maybe. Anyhow, they are going -away from it. Maybe the Tonto will attack them. What do you say to do, -Cheemie? My heart tells me we have gone far enough. Shall we turn back, -for Camp Apache?” - -“I’d rather try to find the soldiers, Micky.” - -“I will take you to Camp Apache. There are soldiers at Camp Apache; and -the White Mountains will be good to you if the soldiers don’t want you. -We will all be chi-kis-n to you.” - -“Are you afraid of these soldiers, Micky?” - -“No; but I am afraid of the Tonto. Besides, I live with Chief Pedro’s -people on the reservation near Camp Apache. I have no business off in -this other direction.” - -“I have, though,” answered Jimmie. “I live at Camp Grant. Maybe these -soldiers are marching back to Camp Grant, or Tucson, and they’ll take -me there.” - -“Well,” replied Micky, “I will follow with you, Cheemie.” His one blue -eye danced. “If there is a fight, I would like to see it. I would -like to see those Tonto whipped. But don’t expect me to stay with the -soldiers, Cheemie. That might make me trouble. Come on, but we must be -very careful, or the Tonto will kill us, too.” - -After having surveyed the soldiers’ trail the Tontos had continued on -beside it, and between it and the edge of the basin. But Micky crossed -the soldiers’ trail and hurried away from it. He seemed much excited by -the prospect of a fight, for he set such a pace that Jimmie half ran. -Evidently he was going to circuit out and back again, to cut the trail -farther ahead. - -Jimmie kept his ears sharp pricked for soldier sounds――voices, or the -creak of saddle-leathers, or the tinkle of pack-mule bells; and also -for the shooting of guns: but all was silence. Twice Micky and he -struck the trail again. It wended right along, among the trees, and it -was getting fresher. Indeed, the soldiers could not be far ahead, now. -No Tonto trail had been cut; therefore the Tontos were still on the -other side of the soldiers’ trail. - -The sun had sunk toward some high purplish ridges away yonder, bounding -the basin in the west, and evening was near. The third time that Micky -led in, to cut the trail, he and Jimmie got clear to the edge of the -great basin without coming to any trail at all. For the last hundred -yards they had crawled, with bunches of weeds tied to their heads, lest -the Tontos should be in waiting, but nothing had happened. - -The big pines extended to the edge of the basin, and along the edge -were large boulders, scattered among the trees here. Some of them were -the size of a hut. They lay in twos and threes, as if dropped by a -blast. - -Micky, with Jimmie close behind, wormed from the trees for two boulders -that touched. They touched at an angle, so that they left a space, -within which two boys might crouch, on the ground, and see out by -peeping through the cracks, or by standing up. - -“We have come far enough, Cheemie,” whispered Micky. “It is a good -place to stay, till the Tonto and the soldiers pass. And if they do -not fight I am going back to my White Mountains. But I want to see the -fight. Are you thirsty, Cheemie? You’ll have to drink a stone.” - -He picked up a round pebble and put it into his mouth. Jimmie did the -same. A pebble in the mouth made the mouth wet. - -“Listen!” bade Jimmie. “I hear tinkle!” - -“Yes; pack-mules. The soldiers are coming. You can go with them, -Cheemie, but you must not say one word about me. Promise.” - -“All right, Micky.” - -The bells of the pack-mules were yet a long way off. Micky, with the -weeds still bound on his head, cautiously rose, to peer over the two -boulders――and down he dropped. - -“S-s-s! Tonto!” he whispered. - -He began to poke out his head, gradually, around a corner of the rock -on his side. Jimmie gently wriggled, crawling flat, until he was under -an over-hang on his side, and might see straight before, with his head -just raised from the ground. Right up over the edge of the mighty basin -figures were popping, and scuttling for the timber: a file of them, -Apaches! - -They crossed not more than thirty yards away. They were naked of body -and limbs, their hair was black and long and straggly, they were daubed -with deer blood and mescal juice, they carried strung bows and quivers, -they were the fiercest, most hideous Apaches that Jimmie had ever seen. - -The low sun shone full against them, showing them plainly. They -scarcely glanced aside as they hurried; and if they did chance to note -Micky’s head or Jimmie’s head, they thought them to be two motionless -tufts of weed, like other tufts growing here and there. - -Tontos! Jimmie counted seventeen, all springing out of the depths of -the earth as suddenly as jacks-in-the-box, darting across, and in among -the pines. Then there were two more, who dropped among the rocks under -the trees. - -After the last had passed and vanished, Micky kicked Jimmie’s leg, -and Jimmie drew back to face him behind the boulders. Micky’s blue -eye fairly sparkled; even his freckles glowed, he was so excited. He -certainly loved danger. He was not American enough to say “Hurrah!” but -he looked it! - -“The Tonto are ready,” he whispered. “We’ll see the fight. Good! Quick! -The soldiers are coming.” - -He crawled around the boulders, craned and peered, crept swiftly, with -Jimmie in his tracks, to a better place, and wormed his way until they -both might lie in a warm niche half filled with washed-in soil and -screened with brush. From here they could see much better into the -timber beyond the cross trail of the Tontos. - -Jimmie felt a wild desire to warn the soldiers of the ambush by the -Tontos; but the Tontos were cutting him off and he had no time for -making a circuit. No, none at all. The soldiers were in sight――the -head of their column had appeared, riding on, up an aisle through the -towering pines, a short way back from the edge of the basin. - -The first, by themselves, were five, riding leisurely almost knee to -knee, and apparently enjoying the scenery. Their voices might be heard, -as they chatted. One, a small, sun-dried man, wore an old slouch hat -and grayish flannel shirt and dark trousers and cowhide boots. He -was Tom Moore, a government packer. Jimmie knew him――had seen him at -Camp Grant and in Tucson. Hah! And three were officers, in cavalry -fatigue――there was Lieutenant John Bourke, of Camp Grant! Yes, sir! And -Lieutenant William Ross! And another. But the man in the middle, on a -mule, Jimmie did not know at all. - -If he was riding there he ought to be an officer, but he seemed to be -wearing a brown canvas suit, a sort of brown canvas round-brimmed hat, -and carried a shot-gun across the pommel of his saddle, the muzzle of -course pointing ahead. Perhaps he was some sportsman from the East, on -a hunting trip, with the cavalry. - -Micky lay perfectly still, intent to see with his one eye what would -happen, but Jimmie trembled. His soldier friends were riding into an -ambush and evidently had no suspicion of danger. Neither did their -horses. The timber, with the sunshine streaming through the long -aisles, stretched fragrant and peaceful. The air was so quiet that the -riders’ voices, the occasional blowing of the horses, the scuff of -hoofs and the creak of saddles, could be heard plainly. - -The cavalry column itself was to be seen, behind, a short distance, -winding on among the trees, and the tinkle of the pack bells sounded, -again. Jimmie caught his breath. Micky was tense, beside him. The -advance squad apparently had reached the Tontos――were within short -bow-shot, anyway. Why didn’t――――? Ah, look out! - -“Twang! Whiz!” “Twang-twang! Whiz-whiz!” “Twang-twang-twang!” And -“Whiz! Thud! Thud-thud!” The Tontos were whooping and screeching and -shooting; their daubed faces and flying hair and naked bodies could be -glimpsed gyrating among the trees; their arrows whizzed and glanced -and hummed and thudded, to the twanging of the bows. They were mainly -behind the advance squad, trying to stampede the cavalry column. Up -half-rose Jimmie, up half-rose Micky, the better to see. Had the first -volley killed anybody? Didn’t look so, for not one of the squad was -in sight; the animals were rearing and snorting, but every rider had -instantly plunged from the saddle and dived for a tree, gun in one hand -and reins in the other. - -[Illustration: HAD THE FIRST VOLLEY KILLED ANYBODY? DIDN’T LOOK SO] - -That had been quick and smart work. Lieutenant Bourke and Lieutenant -Ross and Tom Moore were no fools; and that sinewy man in the canvas -suit was no fool, either. - -“Inju! Bueno! (Good! Good!)” chattered Micky, in Apache and Spanish -both. “Huh! Tonto run already! Cowards!” - -“Hurrah! There come the other soldiers!” babbled Jimmie. - -The carbines were banging, as the first troop began to fight――officers -shouted, the man in the canvas suit jumped out, yelled orders and -pointed, and leveled his shot-gun――“Bang!” The first troop, dismounted -to the notes of a bugle, deployed on, firing, another troop was -spurring in at a gallop――and the Tontos were scampering off through the -timber. - -Jimmie was just about to spring upright, glad, when Micky nudged him -hard, in warning. Not all the Tontos had gone. The two who had dropped -into ambush among the rocks at the timber edge had been cut off by -the cavalry, and were now running back, and dancing and dodging, their -heads turned. - -“Don’t shoot them!” shouted the canvas suit man, in a loud voice. “We -have them!” - -He was running, too――and his officers――and the foremost of the -men――from tree to tree, after them, to surround them at the edge of -the basin. The two Tontos had crouched, again, behind a large boulder. -Jimmie might have tossed a stone and struck them; they were close in -front of him and Micky, and fully exposed, against the boulder. But the -soldiers had formed a half circle, hemming them in against the basin’s -edge. Up straightened the two Tontos, behind their rock, drew their -bows to the arrows’ heads, and stood, at bay, aiming now here, now -there, threatening their enemies. - -“Don’t shoot them!” the canvas suit man kept shouting. “Take them -alive.” And he called to the Tontos: “Friends! Friends!” - -However, the two Tontos would have none of _that_. They stood braced, -with bended bows, glaring from tangled hair, as defiant and menacing -as a coiled rattle-snake. On a sudden――“Twang!”――they had loosed -their arrows, and with a single backward spring and another bound -had disappeared over the edge! Evidently they preferred death to -capture――they certainly had killed themselves, for the basin looked to -be a sheer drop of over a thousand feet. - -Out bolted Jimmie and ran, the better to see. Forward ran the canvas -suit man and his officers and the soldiers. And there were the two -Tontos, alive and running, themselves. They were leaping and bounding -like rabbits, from rock to rock and landing-place to landing-place of -the merest trail zigzagging them almost straight up and down! that must -have been the trail which all the Tontos had climbed. - -For a moment everybody was too astonished to shoot. Then――“Bang!” The -canvas suit man had thrown his gun to his shoulder, lightning-quick, -and aimed and pulled trigger. - -The second of the two Tontos leaped aside, one arm fell limp, and was -dyed red. But he did not slacken. Now “Bang! Bang! Bang-bang!” The -soldiers and the officers also shot as fast as they could, so that even -the basin echoed. They were excited, and shooting down-hill, the Tontos -were leaping and dodging and looked very small, not much larger than -coyotes; and as far as anybody might see, not a bullet touched them. - -Pretty soon they had plunged into the brush and scrub-oak chaparral -almost at the bottom of the precipice; they had got away. - -Jimmie drew a long breath. In the excitement he had forgotten all about -himself. Now he came to, and discovered that he was standing out here, -alone, on a curve of the basin rim; and that the soldiers, the nearest -only a few paces away, holding their smoking carbines were surveying -him keenly. Some had begun to steal around, to head him off. - -Naturally they took him for an Apache. - -The canvas suit man had seen as quickly as any of the soldiers. - -“No cuidado, muchacho! Ven’ aqui! (Don’t be afraid, boy! Come here!),” -he called, in Spanish, to Jimmie. And added, in English, to the -soldiers: “Bring that boy in.” - -Jimmie did not wait to be brought in. He raised his hand in the “peace -sign,” and ran forward, crying: - -“I’m not Apache. I’m American. I’m Jimmie Dunn, Lieutenant Bourke! -Hello, Tom Moore! Don’t you know me?” - - - - -V - -JIMMIE REPORTS FOR DUTY - - -“Well, for goodness’ sake!” - -Bronzed Lieutenant Bourke stared: runty Packer Tom Moore gaped amidst -his wrinkles; everybody stood stock-still, amazed. Jimmie’s shrill -announcement, as he ran in, created a sensation. - -Now Lieutenant Bourke hastened to him; so did Tom Moore; so did -Lieutenant Ross: all the officers and men within hearing pressed around -him. - -“By gracious, boy, we thought you were a bleached-out Tonto!” exclaimed -Tom. - -“What are you doing here?” demanded Lieutenant Bourke. “Pete Kitchen -said the Chiricahuas had you.” - -“They did,” answered Jimmie, so glad to speak English again. He found -the words a little stiff on his tongue, but he had not forgotten. “I -ran away.” - -“Those were Tontos, weren’t they? How came you among the Tontos?” - -“I wasn’t among ’em. They didn’t have me.” - -“Are you here alone?” - -Huh! Jimmie looked around an instant; he was so happy that he was -a-tremble. He did not sight Micky; the soldiers were covering the very -spot where he and Micky had been hiding, but Micky was not with them. -He had mysteriously vanished. Jimmie had promised not to betray him, -and must keep his word. - -“Yes, sir.” So far as he knew now, that was true. - -“How long have you been traveling?” - -“Nearly a week, I guess.” - -“Well if that ain’t the limit!” exploded weazened Tom Moore. - -“You’d better report to the general, Jimmie,” bade Lieutenant Bourke -kindly. “General George Crook――that man in the canvas suit. He’s our -department commander now, so don’t omit to salute him. Come along.” - -Scanned by curious eyes, Jimmie followed First Lieutenant John Bourke -to where the man in the canvas suit was standing expectant, his -shot-gun at an order. - -The lieutenant saluted, and Jimmie saluted. That was regulations. - -“This boy is Jimmie Dunn, sir,” reported the lieutenant. “He was taken -by the Chiricahuas about a year ago, while herding sheep on the Kitchen -ranch south of Tucson. He says that he has run away from them, and,” -added the lieutenant, with a quizzical laugh, “he doesn’t want to go -back.” - -Jimmie stood at attention, while General Crook eyed him. This, then, -was the new “comandante” of whom Micky had spoken. He was a straight, -square-shouldered, active-looking man, as strong on his feet as any -Apache. Yes, he was of a tall, muscular build like Geronimo. He was of -light complexion, with sandy hair and thin sandy moustache, and high -forehead, and from between two very keen, gray-blue eyes a large sharp -nose jutted down to a firm mouth set over a longish, firm chin. He -needed shaving. The hands upon his shot-gun were brown and sinewy. - -Now he queried abruptly, military fashion but not gruff; merely as -though he required a short direct answer. - -“What band of Chiricahua?” - -“Cochise’s band.” - -“Where are they now?” - -“I don’t know, sir. They’re traveling around.” - -“Where were they when you left them?” - -“They were in the north part of the Chiricahua Mountains, I think. They -were moving to a new camp, because of the soldiers.” - -“Hah! Was Cochise there?” - -“No, sir. He was out and so was Geronimo. It was just the old men and -the squaws. Most of the chiefs were in Mexico, on raids.” - -“Who is Geronimo?” - -“He’s Go-yath-lay, the war chief.” - -“How long ago did you run away?” - -“Five days, I think.” - -“How did you happen to get up here? Did the Tonto have you?” - -“No, sir. I was trying to go to Camp Apache.” - -“You answer like a soldier, boy. Are you a soldier’s son?” - -“No, sir. My mother and father were killed by the Apaches, but I lived -with Joe Felmer. He’s post blacksmith for Camp Grant.” - -“Lieutenant Ross and Moore and I have seen him there often, general,” -put in Lieutenant Bourke. “He calls Joe Felmer uncle, but they’re not -relations, as I understand.” - -“No, sir; we’re not,” said Jimmie. “Joe is mighty good to me, though.” - -“Did the Chiricahua treat you well?” asked the general. - -“Yes, sir; but I don’t like them.” - -“Why not?” And General Crook slightly smiled. When he smiled his face -was kind and fatherly. - -“Because they wanted to make me an Apache, so I’d help them kill -Americans and Mexicans and steal cattle. They torture people. And they -killed Lieutenant Cushing, too!” - -“How do you know that?” sharply queried the general. - -“They did, didn’t they, sir? I saw his shirt. Taza was wearing it.” - -“Hum!” mused the general. “Could you guide us to the Cochise camp, do -you think?” - -“N-no, sir,” faltered Jimmie. “You see, they have their own names for -places, and sometimes I was in Mexico and sometimes I was in Arizona, -and I got all mixed up.” - -“I see,” admitted the general. “You say you were trying to reach Camp -Apache. Don’t you know that this is a long way west of Camp Apache? How -did you happen to be off here?” - -“Yes, sir; I know it,” replied Jimmie. “The Chiricahua might think I -was starting for Camp Apache, so I tried to fool them. Then I saw the -Tonto trail, and then I saw the soldiers’ trail, and I was hurrying -to catch you as soon as the Tonto did, when the Tonto jumped out of -the basin, and I couldn’t do anything but hide and watch. I knew the -soldiers would whip ’em, though. Did――did anybody get killed?” - -“No,” said the general grimly. “That will do,” he continued. “We’ve -been at Camp Apache, and can’t take you back there; but we may be able -to send you down to Camp Grant. Turn him over to Mr. Moore, if you -please, lieutenant, and see that he’s outfitted more like a white boy -and less like an Indian.” - -“Yes, sir.” Lieutenant Bourke saluted; Jimmie rigidly saluted. “Come -with me, Jimmie.” And they looked up Tom Moore. - -There were two troops of cavalry and twenty pack-mules. Tom Moore was -busy, just now, attending to the pack-train; and having been left with -him Jimmie might gaze about and listen. - -None of the soldiers had even been wounded, but those Tontos certainly -had shot hard. The general and party were examining a pine-trunk into -which a Tonto arrow had buried itself clear to the feathers! In several -other tree trunks there were arrows that could not be pulled out. As -far as might be discovered, no Tontos had been wounded, except the one -shot by the general. It had been a sharp skirmish, nevertheless. - -Micky Free had disappeared. Not a trace of him was noted. Jimmie -loyally said not a word about him, and did not see him again for some -months. - -“All right,” presently spoke Tom Moore. “Now, boy, you can ride behind -me, on my hoss, and I’ll fix you out after we get to camp. Haven’t time -here.” - -For the sun was setting in a range of mountains across the big basin; -the basin itself was growing dark, while the high plateau was still -bathed in the last rays; and the general had given the order to march -and make a camping-place. - -With Jimmie behind his saddle, Tom rode in the advance party. This was -composed of the general, and Lieutenant Bourke his aide, Captain Brent -and Lieutenant Ross and Guide Archie MacIntosh. Mr. MacIntosh was a -new man from the Hudson’s Bay country of the Far North――a fine scout -but not yet acquainted with this part of Arizona. In fact, even Tom -Moore had never been through here. So Tom was acting as pack-master and -assistant guide, both. - -At camp that evening Jimmie was awarded an old flannel shirt and pair -of cotton trousers. The shirt belonged to Lieutenant Ross; the trousers -belonged to “Chileno John,” one of the packers. The suit didn’t fit -very well, but Jimmie now felt more like a white boy again. - -Because he was in charge of Tom Moore, his place was with the packers. -They were a merry set, around their fires after supper: Charley Hopkins -and old Jack Long, of Tucson; and “Hank ’n Yank”――who were Hank Hewitt -and Yank Bartlett; and “Long” Jim Cook (who had a brother “Short” Jim -Cook); and Jim O’Neill, and “Chileno John,” and José de Leon, and -Lauriano Gomez who sang Spanish songs; and others. They looked rather -rough and they talked rather rough――but such stories they had to tell, -of their adventures in California and Arizona and Mexico, and up in -British Columbia! - -The soldiers strolled over, to sit and listen and swap yarns. The -general and officers listened, too, now and then, and laughed. -Altogether it was a much more pleasant camp than a Chiricahua rancheria. - -According to soldiers’ and packers’ talk this General George Crook had -made a hit. He had suddenly arrived, last June, in Tucson by stage from -San Francisco, to take command of the new Department of Arizona. His -regular rank was lieutenant-colonel in the Twenty-third Infantry, but -as he had been brevetted or given honorary rank of major-general for -gallant service in the Civil War, he of course was called “General.” - -Up in the far Northwest, where he had commanded the Department of the -Columbia, he had done such good work against the Shoshones or Snakes -that the Government had now sent him down to see what he could do with -the Apaches. - -He had set right to work. “A powerful active sort of man,” he was, -declared Tom Moore. After having questioned all the post commanders and -many scouts, about the trails and other conditions, he had started out -from Tucson with five companies of cavalry and a company of scouts, -both white and red, and a great pack-train, to make a big circle of -some six hundred miles: east one hundred and ten miles to Camp Bowie -at Apache Pass in the Chiricahua Mountains, thence north two hundred -miles across the mountains to Camp Apache and the White Mountain -reservation, thence west two hundred and fifty or three hundred miles -to Fort Whipple at the town of Prescott, which was the department -headquarters. - -Lieutenant Bourke’s Troop F of the Third Cavalry it was which had -surprised the Geronimo and Nah-che band and made them leave their meat; -and there had been other skirmishes. At Camp Apache the general had -talked to the White Mountain Apaches. - -“That man,” asserted Tom Moore, “he cert’inly knows Injun. He said -he’d nothin’ against the ’Paches; he wasn’t out to war on ’em, but -to get ’em to live peaceably. They could see for themselves that the -white people were crowdin’ into the country, and that pretty soon there -wouldn’t be enough game to live on. So the ’Pache’d better decide to -settle down and go to farmin’ on the land that was given him. He’d be -protected from his enemies, and wouldn’t need to steal. The ’Paches who -came in peaceful wouldn’t be punished; they’d be treated same as white -people; but the bad ones who hung out would make trouble for the good -ones, and he’d expect the good ’Paches to help him run down the bad -’Paches. That sounded like sense, and Pedro and the rest of ’em agreed.” - -“He’s shorely got some pecul’ar idees,” commented old Jack Long. “For -one thing, he says an’ Injun’s as good as a white man an’ some white -men are wuss’n Injuns, ’cause they know better. But I reckon when he -says ‘peace’ he means peace, an’ when he says ‘fight’ he means fight. -He wanted mightily to ketch those two Tonto an’ talk with ’em――an’ -when they threw arrers at him an’ skadoodled, blamed if he didn’t up -an’ shoot ’em himself! Got the olive-branch in one hand an’ sword in -t’other, _he_ has.” - -However, with only these two companies of cavalry and a small -pack-train the general was now on his way to Fort Whipple, there to -wait and plan; for when with all his force he had arrived at Camp -Apache, he had received dispatches from the War Department directing -him to quit until the Government Peace Commission had tried. - -This Peace Commission had been formed in 1867, for the purpose of -seeing that the Indians were being honestly treated, and of persuading -them to live upon reservations. President U. S. Grant was much in favor -of such a scheme. The Indians of Arizona never had been talked with, -so the President was sending a Mr. Vincent Colyer, a patriotic and -large-hearted New Yorker, to represent the Commission in the Southwest. - -“That thar peace plan may work with some o’ those Eastern Injuns, but -’twon’t work with ’Paches,” grumbled old Jack Long. “They got too much -country to travel ’round in, an’ war is meat an’ drink to ’em. They -ain’t been licked yet, an’ till they’re licked they’ll think the whites -are ’fraid of ’em. They won’t understand civilian peace talk, by a -stranger. Some big white chief ought to do the talkin’. An’ now the -soldiers an’ settlers got to sit back an’ be perlite, so’s not to stir -up trouble, an’ Gin’ral Crook can’t make his words good an’ go get the -bad lots. ’Pache’ll see ’tain’t any use to stay on a reservation if he -can have more fun in the hills.” - -Jimmie rather believed, himself, that Mr. Colyer or any stranger from -the East, who was not used to Indians, would have hard times “catching” -the Chiricahuas. - -During the next few days General Crook proved to be a most remarkable -man indeed. At first sight, nobody would take him for a general in the -United States army. He wore no uniform――just a plain canvas suit; he -rode a mule, and he preferred a shot-gun to a rifle. He was not above -talking to anybody, as he chose. Only when you saw how straight and -decisive he was, would you suspect him to be a soldier and an officer. - -Nothing was too small for him to notice, and nothing too hard for him -to do. He could talk in the sign language and he could read a trail. -He could speak Snake and Spanish and some Apache; and he knew almost -as much about Arizona as Tom Moore or Jack Long did. He was up in the -morning, even by two o’clock, as soon as the cooks. All day, as he -rode in the advance, he constantly asked the names of trees and bushes -and flowers, and mountains and streams――and he never forgot. He was a -tremendous hunter, and could stuff the beasts and birds that he killed, -and he had studied wild animals until he could tell many curious things -about them. He liked to explore by himself, with gun and fishing-rod, -and never was lost. He drank only cold water――no tea or coffee. He -could do without drinking at all, and without eating, either. In fact, -Tom Moore and Archie MacIntosh agreed, he could “out-Injun the Injuns”! - -The pack-train was his particular hobby. - -“He fetched a lot o’ notions down from Idyho an’ Californy,” -explained old Jack, with wag of head; “an’ by jinks, he began to tear -things loose as soon as he struck Tooson. Nothin’s too good for the -pack-train. Consequence is, now we’ve got critters an’ men who’ll go -anywhar a dog’ll go, an’ be fresh for an’ arly start next mornin’. He’s -sort o’ pack-train daddy, I reckon.” - -Jimmie did not ride clear through to Fort Whipple at Prescott. At Camp -Verde, the post fifty miles this side of Whipple, the general sent off -dispatches for some of the posts south, and told Jimmie that this was a -good chance to reach Camp Grant, where he belonged. - -“But if you do fight the Apaches, can I help?” ventured Jimmie. - -He loved the bronzed, lean, untiring, wise General Crook, so brief -of speech, so kind in manner, so fatherly and yet so soldierly; who -quickly learned whatever he didn’t happen to know already, and who -somehow got things done without any loud orders. - -“I didn’t come in here to fight them,” smiled the general. “I came in -to make peace. But those who won’t make peace and keep it, I’ll fight -very hard――they may depend on that also. I promised the White Mountain -Apaches that I’d protect the good Indians and punish the bad ones; and -the only way to control Indians is to do exactly what you promise to -do. Now we’ll all have to wait until Mr. Colyer of the Peace Commission -has tried. He’ll give them an opportunity to gather upon reservations -and learn to support themselves without murdering and stealing. A -great deal of the fighting between the Indians and the whites has been -unnecessary, because there are white men who don’t believe in good -Indians. You go to your friends at Camp Grant. Learn all you can about -pack-mules and soldier duties, too, and don’t forget Apache. I haven’t -any doubt that some day you can help the Government very much.” - -When at last Jimmie was delivered at Camp Grant, and set out for Joe -Felmer’s little ranch, above, to surprise Joe, he met him coming in, -mule back. As a result, Joe opened his whiskered mouth widely, and -almost fell off his mule: for here was Jimmie Dunn, who had been -captured by the Apaches in mid-summer of 1870, and now it was the close -of August, 1871. - -“Hello, black-beard white man,” greeted Jimmie, in his best Apache. - - - - -VI - -THE PEACE COMMISSION TRIES - - -“Wall, ’xpec’ you want to hear all the news yourself,” proposed “Uncle” -Joe, that evening, at the ranch, after Jimmie had told his own story in -every detail. - -“Yes, if you please,” answered Jimmie. - -“Wall,” mused Joe Felmer, stroking his shaggy full beard, “lemme see. -‘Six-toed’ Hutton’s been kicked in the jaw by a mule, an’ he’s like -to go under. The kick busted his heart, same time it busted his jaw, -’cause he ought to’ve known better than to get in the way.” - -“Six-toed” Hutton’s real name was Oscar Hutton. He had six toes on -either foot, and was one of the bravest scouts at Camp Grant. To be -killed by a mule kick did indeed seem an untimely end for a scout. - -“’Paches have been awful bad all ’long the line,” continued Joe. -“Chiricahuas an’ Tontos an’ Pinals been raidin’ the stage road out o’ -Tucson, both ways. Forty-seven whites an’ Mexicans have been killed -down thar’bouts, an’ ten thousand dollars’ wuth o’ property burned -or stolen. Up ’round Prescott the Hualpais an’ Apache-Mohaves have -corraled the mail rider an’ run ranchers an’ miners off. An’ a passel -o’ blamed rascals lit out with an old mule from my very pasture――three -of ’em at once on her back, in broad day!” - -The recollection of this evidently made “Uncle” Joe very angry again. -He paused to mumble. - -“Thar’s a band o’ Es-kim-en-zin’s Pinals an’ Arivaipas farmin’ on the -creek ’bout a mile from Grant,” he resumed. “Gathered thar ag’in after -that massacre last spring, when those whites an’ Mexicans an’ Papagos -from Tucson way came up an’ wiped out ’most their women an’ old men an’ -stole their children. Yessir, killed over seventy squaws an’ only eight -bucks, some of ’em while asleep, an’ carried off thirty children. Sold -’em ’mongst the Mexicans an’ Papagos, they did. Now I hear tell that -the Government’s sendin’ what it calls a ‘peace commissioner,’ from New -Yawk, to fetch in other ’Paches an’ feed ’em an’ treat ’em nice. Wall, -reckon he’ll have his hands full.” - -Although Joe and others, soldiers and civilians both, at Camp Grant, -insisted that there could be no good excuse for attacking Indians who -had surrendered themselves, the Tucson papers and people declared that -these very Pinals and Arivaipas had recently been murdering Americans -and Mexicans, and stealing stock, and deserved Indian punishment -instead of white protection. It would teach the Apaches a lesson. - -Of course, when one’s father and mother and brothers and sisters have -been tortured and killed only because they were white, it is hard to -feel at all kindly toward the race that did it. Jimmie knew how that -was. White persons’ clothing――the clothing of the very ones who had -been murdered――was found in the Pinal and Arivaipa camp. Still, for the -white people to act like Indians, set a bad example, if the Indians -were to be shown that the white way of living was the better way. - -The Camp Grant massacre aroused a great cry in the East. The East sided -with the Apaches. But when he had arrived, Commissioner Colyer seemed -to be going about with very odd notions. He was reported as thinking -that the Apaches were only a poor ignorant race, who had been robbed of -their lands and forced into war by the whites, and that they ought to -be met with kindness alone. Then they would be peaceable. The Tucson -_Citizen_ asserted that he advised the Arizona people to avoid trouble -by getting out of the Indians’ way. And the _Citizen_ and the Prescott -_Miner_ published hot, sarcastic articles about him and the Peace -Policy. The Apaches were being referred to as “Colyer’s babes” and -“Colyer’s pets.” - -“What’s that?” growled Joe. “Thinks the Chiricahuas an’ Tontos don’t -know any better’n to hang folks up by their heels over a slow fire, -does he? An’ that we ought to call off the troops an’ get off our -ranches, so we won’t be irritatin’ the Injuns? Then they’d come in -of themselves, to be civilized! Jest why the ’Paches who can live by -fightin’ an’ stealin’ as they please will want to live by ploughin’, -I’d like to hear. This is part o’ the United States, an’ the white -people are jest as much entitled to protection as the ’Paches are.” - -Camp Grant was a four- or five-company post located here in a desert -basin where the valley of the Arivaipa Creek, from the east, and of the -San Pedro River, from the south, joined. The San Pedro was supposed -to flow on north, for a few miles, to the Gila River; but it and the -Arivaipa were only dry sand-beds during the greater part of the year. - -Camp Grant was not a pretty place; it was only a hollow square of clay -or log huts and ragged tents, shaded in front by brush porches or -_ramadas_. - -Against it beat the sand-storms in the spring and the blazing sun -throughout nine months of the year――temperature, one hundred and twenty -in the shade! The giant cactuses, instead of trees, were many and extra -large――and so were the rattle-snakes, scorpions and centipedes. And the -Apache had always been extra bold. - -One never might foresee what was about to occur, at Camp Grant. On some -days it would be perfectly quiet, with only the sentries walking their -hot beats, and the tame Indians squatting out of the sun; and again -there would be a sudden running to and fro, and away would trot the -cavalry, to rescue (if possible) a wagon train, and pursue the hostiles. - -In a few days, at best, but likely enough not until after a week or -more, back the troopers would come, maybe with wounded, maybe with -prisoners, but in any case all fagged out, both men and horses. - -Joe Felmer’s little ranch lay three miles south, up the San Pedro. As -Joe was post blacksmith, and also sold ranch stuff to the quartermaster, -Jimmie felt as though he belonged to the post, himself. He knew all -the officers, and old Sergeants Warfield and John Mott, and others of -the men; and “Six-toed,” and Antonio Besias the former Mexican captive -of the Apaches, and Concepcion Equierre the half-Apache interpreter, -and old Santos the short-legged Arivaipa ex-chief who was Chief -Es-kim-en-zin’s father-in-law; and many more. - -When he had left, last year, Grant had been occupied by some of the -First and the Third Cavalry; but they had been transferred, Lieutenant -Cushing’s and Lieutenant Bourke’s Troop K of the Third had been sent -down to Camp Lowell near Tucson, and now the Fifth Cavalry was here. - -It was in October when Commissioner Colyer, on his rounds, appeared at -Camp Grant. Jimmie was lucky enough to drive down there, with Joe and -a wagon-load of pumpkins, just in time to be present at some of the -“doings.” - -Mr. Colyer had arrived in a six-mule army ambulance (a black, covered -spring wagon with high driver’s seat, and two bench-like seats inside, -facing each other), escorted by a squad of cavalry from Fort Whipple, -under Lieutenant Ross. - -He was a square-set, benevolent-looking gentleman, in dusty black -broadcloth, and white shirt and broad black hat. Attended by Colonel F. -W. Crittenden, the post commander, and by other officers, he had been -talking, through Concepcion the interpreter, to the tame Apaches at the -post, and he was about to go out to Chief Es-kim-en-zin’s rancheria, -where the surrendered Pinals and Arivaipas were farming. - -“They are the same people who were so barbarously attacked last spring, -I understand,” he remarked. - -“Yes, sir,” replied Lieutenant Royal Whitman. - -“You were in charge of the post then, were you not?” - -“I was. But before I could reach their camp the deed had been done. I -think you will see by my report upon the matter, to the Department, -how I feel about it. It was a thorough outrage, and the members of the -attacking party ought to be arrested, tried and punished.” - -“Quite true,” uttered Mr. Colyer. “A shocking state of affairs exists -through the whole Territory. All the Indians with whom I have talked -declare that they would gladly gather upon reservations, accept the -Government’s aid, and live at peace with mankind, if the soldiery and -white citizens would only cease hunting them down. Some of the bands -are so frightened and timid that they won’t confer even with me, their -friend. I’ve tried in vain to meet Chief Cochise, of the Chiricahuas. -You can see, my brothers,” he continued, addressing the group of -soldiers and scouts and tame Apaches, “what an injustice has been done -these simple savages. Our duty is not to punish them for defending -their homes, but to gain their good-will by patience and kindness, -until they are won to the benefits of civilization. That is why the -President and the Society of Friends have delegated me to visit among -you, and bring this bad feeling between the white men and the red men -to an end.” - -“‘Simple savages,’ are they?” afterwards commented Joe. “If thar’s -anybody smarter’n an Apache in sizin’ things up, I’ve yet to find him. -At present this hyar Quaker strikes me as bein’ ’bout the simplest -pusson in Arizony. The ’Paches can understand straight talk, like that -Gen’ral Crook gave ’em, an’ they can understand war; but they don’t -understand coaxin’. When you coax a ’Pache he laughs in his insides an’ -reckons he’ll do as he pleases as long as he can. Once you coax him, -then he thinks you’re ’fraid of him, ’cause that’s Injun way.” - -Mr. Colyer was driven out to the Chief Es-kim-en-zin camp, where he -talked with old Santos and the chief, and others of the Pinals and -Arivaipas. He informed them that the Great White Father at Washington -would see to it that they were no longer ill-treated by the white men. -All the Apaches might come in and live on the lands that the Government -was giving them. They should have plenty to eat, and the white men who -interfered should be punished. - -When he returned to the post he acted much satisfied. He arranged to -have a regular reservation set off, and said that an agent and teacher -would be appointed, by the Society of Friends. Soon he left, with his -escort, to continue his tour. - -While nobody might doubt that Mr. Colyer was a very good and honest -man, nobody put much faith in his methods. After having fought and -raided all summer, many of the wild Apaches would be only too willing -to be fed and protected upon the reservations, all winter. - -Now the Indians of Arizona seemed to be provided for――except that -Commissioner Colyer had not been able to find any Chiricahuas. He had -sent word to them, but they had hidden from him. And when in western -New Mexico he had stopped at the Cañada Alamosa, or Cottonwood Canyon, -where Chief Victorio’s friendly Mimbres and Warm Spring Apaches were -living, the most of them had run from his soldier escort. They liked -their Cottonwood Canyon, and feared that they were to be removed. - - - - -VII - -JIMMIE TAKES A LESSON - - -“Micky Free!” - -Jimmie almost shouted it, he was so astonished. He was again at the -post, on an errand for Joe Felmer, after Commissioner Colyer had been -gone about a week; and who should come trotting across the hot gravelly -parade ground but Micky Free himself, in single file with two strange -Indians! - -Micky’s one quick eye sighted Jimmie, standing agape, and he fell out -of line and pattered over, grinning. - -“How do you do, Boy-who-sleeps?” he said, in Apache. - -“How do you do, Red-head?” answered Jimmie. “I am glad to see you.” - -Micky wore a loose, whitish cotton shirt with its tails outside ragged -cotton trousers, and on his feet Apache moccasins. A white cloth band -was around his red head, his one blue eye beamed alertly, and his -freckled face was streaked with perspiration and dust. All that he -carried was an Apache fiddle made from a bent rib of a yucca, strung -with deer sinews. - -The two Indians with him were stripped to breech-clout aprons, and -moccasins, and red flannel head-bands; one of them had rawhide shield -and long lance, the other, bow and quiver. They had continued on and -now had been stopped before the adjutant’s office by the orderly. - -“Let us sit down and talk, Cheemie,” laughed Micky. - -So he and Jimmie squatted. - -“What are you doing, Micky?” - -“I have come over from Camp Apache with two White Mountain runners. -They bring messages from that fort to this one. We came through in one -day and two nights. It is more than one hundred miles. Have you heard -the news, Cheemie?” - -“What news, Micky?” - -“Cochise says he wants peace. He has gone on the Ojo Caliente (Warm -Spring) place, in the Cañada Alamosa, where Chief Victorio is.” - -“How do you know?” exclaimed Jimmie. This was great news. - -“I got it from Maria Jilda, the Mexican who was captured when you were -captured. He came up to Camp Apache from the Apache Pass where Camp -Bowie is. He escaped from the Chiricahua, and now he is an interpreter -at Camp Bowie. Yes, Cheemie; Cochise and Geronimo and all that band -have gone to live with their brothers the Warm Springs and the -Mimbreños at the Cañada Alamosa on the Rio Grande River in New Mexico. -But,” added Micky, wisely, “they will not stay.” - -“Don’t they want peace?” queried Jimmie. “Did they listen to the words -of the white peace man?” - -“That white peace man in the black clothes?” demanded Micky scornfully. -“No. The Apaches laugh at that white peace man. It is easy to lie to -him. The wild Apache think he promises so much because the Americans -are afraid of them. The Cochise people are hungry and winter is near -and the soldiers have been fighting them hard. They hear that Victorio -is being fed and has plenty of clothes and guns. They can rest there -until they are ready to take the trail again. What are you doing, -Cheemie? Do you like the new American general? I saw him shoot that -Tonto. He is a good shot. Afterwards I found the Tonto. He was dead. -Then I went to the White Mountains, at Camp Apache.” - -“I am living with Joe Felmer, on his ranch. He is a scout, and he works -at the post, too,” informed Jimmie. “The general sent me home, but -he told me to learn all the soldier ways I could, and not to forget -Apache talk. If I’m not old enough to be a scout, I can help with the -pack-trains.” - -“I shall be a scout,” nodded Micky. “That is why I have come out with -the runners: to learn the country. He is a great general, that man -Crook. Chief Pedro and old Miguel liked his talk. It is true that if -some of the Apaches stay bad, the good Apaches will suffer by it. They -will be watched closely and cannot do things they would do if all the -Apaches were trusted. So Chief Pedro and the White Mountains will -help the new general who talks straight. It is this way, Cheemie――I -have heard Pedro and old Miguel and Pi-to-ne and all, say so: As long -as there are any wild Chiricahua and Tonto, there will be trouble -between the red men and the white men, in Arizona. We must kill the -bad Apaches. Then the good Apaches can live at peace and get rich. In -the spring the new general must begin to fight, because by then the -Chiricahua will be rested up.” - -The two Apache runners or dispatch-bearers came back from the -adjutant’s office. Their names, as told by Micky, were Alchisé -(Alchisay) and Nah-kay-do-klunni. They both were Sierra Blanca――White -Mountain Apaches. They and Micky were taken by Antonio Besias the -interpreter to be given coffee and bread; and as there was nothing more -to be said, Jimmie went about his own business. He knew that he would -see Micky Free again, somewhere. Micky was that kind. - -Although Chief Cochise and War-Captain Geronimo had moved with their -band of Chiricahuas upon the Cottonwood Canyon reservation near Fort -Craig in southwestern New Mexico, and Commissioner Colyer had been so -confident that all _his_ Indians were about to gather upon _their_ -reservations, the white people of Arizona had no faith in this peace -policy. - -Almost every copy of the Tucson _Citizen_ and the Prescott _Miner_ -received by Joe Felmer or at Camp Grant contained accounts of Apache -attacks upon settlers and miners and soldiers, by the Tontos and the -Apache-Mohaves, and the Chiricahuas raiding up from Mexico. - -The _Miner_ published a list of three hundred Americans and Mexicans -who had been killed by the Apaches from 1864 to the present time, -October 14, 1871. - -Toward the end of November the worst news yet, arrived. A band of -“Colyer’s babes,” thought to be Apache-Mohaves, had attacked the stage -near Wickenburg, south of Prescott, and murdered the driver and five -passengers. Three of these passengers were members of the Government -surveying expedition which, under Lieutenant George Wheeler, of the -U. S. Engineers, had been exploring through Nevada and Arizona, -getting facts upon the mines and the country. The name of one was -Fred Loring――a well-educated, especially fine young surveyor, from -Washington. - -This attack, said the papers, ought to convince the Government that the -Apaches of Arizona were far from “civilized.” These very Indians had -been living “peaceably” upon one of Commissioner Colyer’s tracts, where -they were protected. - -Lieutenant Wheeler and his main party commanded by Lieutenant David -A. Lyle of the Second Artillery, with an escort of the Third Cavalry -(Company I), supplied by the Department of California, rode into Camp -Grant only a few days after the word of the Wickenburg Massacre had -been received. - -They were on their way from Camp Apache to Tucson; had been exploring -since the middle of May, and were pretty well worn out. They had found -many of the Indians met to be rude and insolent, but―――― - -“No, they never attacked us,” said Lieutenant Lyle. “And now, to think -that they’ve killed poor Loring, when he was all through and was going -home! He had his hair cut very short, on his road out, and laughed when -he claimed that the Apaches would never be able to take _his_ scalp.” - -“One drop of that fine young man’s blood was worth more to the United -States than the whole Apache race is,” declared Lieutenant Wheeler. “In -my opinion, the peace policy of forbidding a military campaign that -shall drive the Apaches in upon the reservations is encouraging them -to commit such outrages. The Indian question in Arizona will never be -settled until the campaigns of an energetic officer shall thoroughly -whip and subdue them.” - -“And Crook’s that man,” asserted Chief Packer Tom Moore, who was over -from Fort Whipple, on a trip around to inspect pack-train outfits. -“We’ve had other gen’rals in Arizony. Some of ’em did too much――took -ev’ry scalp they could ketch. Some of ’em did too little――reg’lar -coffee-coolers. But this Gen’ral Crook, gentlemen, he’s goin’ to know -for himself whether a ’Pache’s good or bad. The good ones he’ll treat -square, and the bad ones he’ll trail down till he has their tongues -hangin’ out. Now he’s just lyin’ low, till the Government’s got plumb -sick o’ these ‘Colyer’s babes,’ and he has orders. If I don’t miss -my guess, next spring the Arizony hills’ll be full o’ soldiers and -pack-trains, and tame ’Paches fightin’ wild ’Paches, and Crook bossin’ -us all from the saddle.” - -Tom Moore and others from Fort Whipple brought word that General -Crook kept very active. He seemed to have no idea of resting. He was -constantly traveling, by mule and buck-board wagon, over the roads and -trails of northern Arizona, learning them as he had learned the trails -of southern Arizona. Usually he traveled with only Lieutenant Bourke, -who was his aide-de-camp, and a cook and a packer, for he did not wish -to use officers and men who should be ready for scouting expeditions. -He issued orders that the pack-train outfits should be prepared at -top notch. It was plain to be seen that he expected to go upon a hard -campaign as soon as the Peace Policy had been tried and had failed. - -Jimmie decided that his best chance of taking the trail with this -active General Crook lay with the pack-trains; even a boy might be -useful in the pack-trains; he could catch mules and pull on ropes and -help the cook――and if he spoke Apache, like Jimmie did, and knew lots -of Apache tricks, he might be valuable as an interpreter, sometimes. -Besides, Joe Felmer was a scout and a horse-shoer both, and he surely -would be ordered out. Jimmie intended not to be left at home. - -Luckily, he had plenty of opportunity this fall and winter to learn -pack-train wrinkles. For the practice that it gave the men, as well as -because it was the better method, the general distributed the supplies -to all the posts by means of pack-mules. - -Before he had assumed command, the supplies out of Tucson and Prescott -had been hauled largely by wagons in charge of “bull whackers” and -“mule skinners,” and operated by civilian contractors, who made -freighting their business. Of course, pack-mules had been necessary, -too, with scouting columns and between out-of-the-way posts; and the -miners, and the Mexican merchants and traders from Sonora of Mexico, -employed pack-mules. - -But in his campaigns against the Indians, in Idaho and Oregon and -Northern California, the general had depended entirely upon pack-mule -trains, which kept right up with the marches, no matter how rough the -country, and were always on hand. According to the say of old Jack -Long, “he had got pack-mule wise.” He had persuaded the War Department -to buy three full pack-trains from their civilian owners who had hired -them out to the Government; and these he had brought to Arizona with -him. - -“He’s the daddy o’ the army mule, I reckon,” again declared Jack. “Yes, -siree! Those thar mules ain’t nary sore-backed Sonora rats, an’ they -ain’t bags o’ bones so high up you have to use a ladder to put a pack -on with. They’re picked stock; an’ every other mule’s got to measure up -to same standard. Gosh durn it, I b’lieve the gin’ral thinks as much of -his mules as he does of his men! He looks as close arter glanders as he -does arter measles!” - -However, the general looked after the men pretty close, too. The -packers themselves had to measure up to standard. Those who were -drunken, or lazy, or cruel to the mules, were discharged, and better -men enlisted. Henceforward the pack-train service was to be known as -“Pack Transportation, Q. M. D. (Quartermaster’s Department), U. S. -Army,” and to belong to it would be an honor. - -Yes, a responsibility, also; for as old Jack explained: “When you get -up in the mountings ’mongst the ’Paches, an’ you’re out o’ ammunition -an’ the pack-train’s got busted somewhars in the next county, then -what’s your scalp wuth? Nothin’!” - -Jimmie might think himself lucky in having old Jack Long at Camp Grant, -to give him pointers. Joe Felmer was a scout and rancher; he did not -claim to be an expert mule packer. But old Jack had been a Forty-niner -in California, and had mined and packed all through California and -Oregon and Idaho and Nevada and Arizona. So he knew a great deal. - -Jack had had two wives, one a Modoc squaw and one a white woman; and -once he had “struck it rich,” in California, and had been almost a -millionaire until he had spent his money. Lately he had been living in -Tucson, freighting and prospecting. There he had “j’ined Gin’ral Crook -ag’in the ’Paches.” - -Now Chief Packer Tom Moore had appointed him to be a pack-master. The -chief packer had charge of all the pack-trains, and each pack-train was -in charge of its pack-master. - -“Want to j’ine the pack trains, do ye?” queried old Jack, of Jimmie. -“Wall, if you’re goin’ to l’arn, you oughter l’arn right, an’ some day -mebbe you’ll be in the Fust-class Packer ratin’. Mebbe you’ll get to -be as big a man as I am. ’Tain’t all in throwin’ the diamond; anybody -can l’arn to throw the diamond hitch. But you got to know the why an’ -wharfore o’ things. Come along to the corral an’ I’ll show ye.” - -So Jimmie gladly followed Jack to the post mule-corral. - -“Hey, thar, _amigo_ (friend)!” summoned old Jack, to Chileno John, who -was at work among the mules. “_Ven’ aqui_ (Come here). Fetch out one o’ -yore bell sharps. Hyar’s a _muchacho_ (boy) who wants to l’arn to be an -_arriero_ (muleteer).” - -Smiling broadly, swarthy Chileno John (who was supposed to have -worked in the mines of Chile) led aside a sedate, round-bellied, -mouse-colored mule, and lugged the pack material for her into position. - -“That thar,” said Jack, “is a bell sharp. If you don’t know what a -bell sharp is, I’ll tell ye. A bell sharp is a pack-mule that’s been -eddicated into mule sense, so she keeps her place in line, an’ doesn’t -stray on herd, an’ comes in to her own feed canvas at feedin’ time. -When she ain’t a ‘bell sharp’ she’s a pesky ‘shave-tail.’ As long as a -mule hasn’t got sense an’ is alluz rampagin’ an’ makin’ trouble we jest -natter’ly roach her mane an’ keep her tail trimmed to about six ha’rs -on the end so’s to pick her out of a bunch at fust sight. Same way,” -grumbled old Jack, “’mongst these hyar army officers. That thar sprig -young Left’nant Stewart, fresh out o’ West Point, who doesn’t know -any better yet’n to climb a cactus tree, he’s a ‘shave tail’; but old -Cap Tommy Byrne, up ’mongst the Hualpais near the Canyon, he’s a sure -’nough ‘bell sharp’ who knows when to come in to his feed.” - -Jimmie had not seen Captain Thomas Byrne, a grizzled Civil War veteran -who, reports stated, was regarded as a “father” by the Hualpai Indians -on the Beale Springs reservation near the Grand Canyon. But he felt -pretty well acquainted with Second Lieutenant Reid T. Stewart, the -slim-waisted, boyish, eager young officer who had graduated from the -Military Academy only last June and had been assigned to the Fifth -Cavalry in Arizona. He was stationed down at Camp Lowell, Tucson, and -Jimmie had got acquainted with him there and here at Grant, also. He -might be a “shave tail,” yet, according to Jack, but he was much more -pleasant than some of those crusty old “bell sharps.” - -“What’s General Crook, then?” queried Jimmie, to get Jack’s opinion. - -“The gin’ral. See hyar, me son,” reproved Jack severely: “no levity. -The gin’ral’s the old bell hoss o’ the hull outfit. Wall,” continued -Jack, “fust, one of us blinds the critter with a bandage o’ sackin’ or -with one o’ those leather contraptions the gin’ral’s interduced, so -she’ll stand. Then havin’ got all the riggin’ to hand, we lay on this -sweat-cloth, for which proper name is _suadera_, an’ a saddle-blanket -or two for more paddin’, ’less we have a reg’lar _corona_, the same -bein’ the blankets an’ the _suadera_ stitched together. Then atop that -we fold the bed blanket that we got to sleep under at camp. Then we -h’ist on the _aparejo_――this-a-way, easy――an’ settle it, an’ pass the -_grupera_ back.” - -The _aparejo_ (ah-pah-ray-ho) was the pack-saddle――a long, broad -mattress of canvas stuffed with hay, and stiffened with ribs of willow -stems running up and down, in either half. It was broken in the middle, -so that it would fit over the mule’s back. - -The _grupera_ (gru-pay-rah) was the crupper――a broad canvas and leather -band that extended in a loop around the mule’s haunches under her tail, -so that the _aparejo_ could not slip forward. - -“Then we lay the _aparejo cincha_ so to hang acrost the middle, pass -the ring end under her belly, connect up with the _latigo_ strap and -all together draw tighter’n sin so’s to hold the aparejo in place.” - -The _aparejo cincha_ was another canvas band, like a woven saddle-cinch. -It was long enough to reach across under the mule’s belly. One end -terminated in a ring and the other end in a leather strap, the _latigo_; -and by connecting the ring and strap the cincha was drawn tight. - -“You have omitted to explain this, Señor Jack,” reminded Chileno John, -resting a sinewy brown hand upon the pack-saddle or aparejo; and he -lifted the flap that hung down on either side. - -“That thar soldier hammer?” grunted Jack. “Wall, me son, every aparejo -has a duck kivver attached to its middle, so’s to protect it from bein’ -cut by the ropes――an’ from weather, too. It’s got a wooden brace sewed -in leather ’crost each end, yuh understan’, to stiffen it whar the -cincha lays, so’s it won’t wrinkle ag’in the mule’s hide.” - -“_Sobre-en-jalmas_ is the correct name, muchacho,” said Chileno John, -to Jimmie, with some dignity――for Chileno John took great pride in -the Spanish language. “It is a very old name, descended to us from -the ancient Moors of Spain. Sobre-en-jalmas――cover for harness. The -first two words are Spanish, and the last word is Arabian. But these -Americanos――――!” And Chileno John shrugged his shoulders. “They do not -know.” - -“Wall, ‘soldier hammer,’ ‘sovrin hammer,’ or ‘Sullivan hammer,’ it’s -all the same,” grunted old Jack. “Plain ‘aparejo cover’ is good -enough.” And thus he disposed of the historic sobre-en-jalmas, which, -pronounced rapidly sobr’-’n-halma did indeed sound like some kind of -a ‘hammer.’ “After the pack saddle, ’long with its sovrin hammer, is -cinched on, then we h’ist on the packs an’ sling ’em an’ fasten ’em -with the diamond hitch,” he resumed. “But as we haven’t got nary packs, -the fust lesson stops right hyar, me son. Now you remember what I’m -tellin’ you, l’arn mules and pack-ways, an’ jump when you’re spoken to, -so you won’t be a drag tail.” - -“What’s a ‘drag tail,’ Jack?” - -“A drag tail, me son, is wuss’n a shave tail. A drag tail is a durned -lazy mule who’s alluz hangin’ back on the trail, an’ a no-’count packer -who’s alluz late on his job. Savvy?” - - - - -VIII - -THE ONE-ARMED GENERAL TRIES - - -“Hey! Cochise is out again!” - -It was a spring day of this next year, 1872, and in the ranch yard -on the Joe Felmer place Jimmie and his assistant, little Francisco -Vasquez, were practicing pack-train. - -Jimmie was the pack-master, little Francisco (a Mexican boy) was -arriero or muleteer; the train was composed of Shosh (Bear), a big -black shepherd dog, Pete, a yellow hound dog, and Two-bits, just dog. - -Shosh already had learned to carry a pack and pack-rigging, dog size. -He was a real “bell sharp.” Two-bits was still an unruly “shave tail,” -and the yellow Pete was so lazy that he ranked as only a “drag tail.” -But they furnished good practice for Jimmie. - -Now Joe, returning from a trip down to Tucson, brought startling news. -Cochise was “out” again! Even little Francisco looked alarmed. - -“Are all the Chiricahua out, Joe?” - -“Cochise an’ Geronimo an’ nigh two hundred more of ’em. That pesky -Colyer man on his way back to the States got the Government to move all -the ’Paches from whar they were comf’table in the Warm Spring country -to another part o’ the New Mexico country called the Tularosa; an’, -by jinks, Cochise said he wouldn’t go――an’ he didn’t go! He took his -Chiricahua an’ lit out for his old stampin’-ground in Arizony. So the -word’s been passed to watch for trouble.” - -Joe stalked on, muttering, to carry some purchases into the house. -Jimmie the pack-master and little Francisco the arriero dismissed -their pack-train and quit for the day. The knowledge that Cochise and -Geronimo and their shifty Chiricahuas had left the Cañada Alamosa -reservation, where they had been staying with Chief Victorio’s Warm -Spring band, and had joined the fighting Chiricahuas who had stayed -“wild,” cast a shadow upon foolery. - -“Will the great General Crook march against them now?” asked Francisco, -his black eyes round and large. - -“Who knows?” responded Jimmie, in Spanish. “There’s a new peace man -coming from Washington. Then if the Chiricahua will not listen to -peace, they will hear war. Bueno!” - -“Bueno (Good)!” piped Francisco. “Will you take me, Jeem?” - -“Perhaps, chico mio (my little one),” grandly promised Jimmie. - -To Francisco, Jimmie was an important person, who had lived with the -Cochise Chiricahuas, and called the chief’s son “chi-kis-n” or brother, -and spoke Apache, and soon was going to be a real arriero or else a -scout, with the American soldiers. - -Aside from a few scouting expeditions, the winter at Camp Grant had -been quiet. The agency for the Arivaipas and Pinals was in operation, -at the mouth of the Arivaipa Canyon about a mile east; a Mr. Ed Jacobs -was the agent. - -Nevertheless, Chief Es-kim-en-zin’s people were still afraid; they had -not forgotten the attack by the Tucson crowd. They came in around the -agency buildings every day, but every evening they went back up into -the canyon, where they might defend themselves. - -The Peace Policy and the visit by Commissioner Colyer had not proved -an entire success. A great many Indians were still out. The Arizona -newspapers insisted that as long as General Crook was forbidden to -drive the outlaw Indians from their hiding-places, the bad hearts who -were simply using the reservations would feel that they might do as -they pleased, also. - -There had been attacks upon ranches and mines and stage stations in -south and north both; the legislature had called upon Congress for -better protection to Arizona; and General Crook was all ready. He was -only waiting. - -“I think that the Apache is painted in darker colors than he deserves, -and that his villainies arise more from a misconception of facts than -from his being worse than other Indians,” had reported the general, -after studying the situation. And he had added: “I am satisfied that a -sharp, active campaign against him would not only make him one of the -best Indians in the country, but it would also save millions of dollars -to the Treasury, and the lives of many innocent whites and Indians.” - -The Indians on the reservations were complaining of food and slack -treatment; in New Mexico Chief Victorio of the Warm Springs and Chief -Cochise of the Chiricahuas had refused to be changed from the Cañada -Alamosa; so the Government was sending out another peace commissioner. -Brevet Major-General O. O. Howard, to try to satisfy everybody. - -He was to make especial effort to talk with Cochise, who so far -had declined to talk at all. Cochise and Geronimo had claimed that -they were willing to live with Chief Victorio on the Warm Spring -reservation, but they had run away from Mr. Colyer, in fear of the -soldiers. They rarely went near the army post, there, Fort Craig, and -orders had been given that the soldiery should leave them alone, so -that they would continue peaceful and contented, among the Warm Springs. - -The President had hoped that Cochise would talk with General Howard, -who was a great chief like himself. Now Cochise was “out” again! - -“As far as I can savvy the trouble, that Colyer man has spilled the -soup,” complained Joe, this evening after his return from Tucson. “Some -o’ these agencies are located in awful pore places, not fitted for the -Injuns at all――like that Date Creek reservation whar the Apache-Mohaves -are herded. But that Cañada Alamosa of the Ojo Caliente (Warm Spring) -country jest suited old Victorio, an’ Cochise, too, an’ they weren’t -doin’ any harm. - -“Now ’long comes Colyer, an’ he says to the Government: ‘The settlers -’round the Cañada Alamosa don’t like to have the Injuns thar. It’s -good cattle ground, an’ they want it for themselves. So to avoid hard -feelin’s I recommend we move the Injuns all up yonder to the Tularosa -country, which nobody wants!’ - -“Natur’ly, bein’ as the same Injuns had been promised the Cañada -Alamosa if they’d live on it, an’ thar’s plenty other land for the -settlers, they see no good reason for swappin’. They say that up at the -Tularosa the weather an’ land an’ water are as bad for Injuns as for -white men, an’ it’s ghost country. I tell ye,” concluded Joe, “when you -make an agreement with an Injun you got to stand by it, or he’ll never -believe in you ag’in. You can’t fool him, or he’ll fool _you_! I’m -curyus to see what kind of a man this Gen’ral Howard is.” - -Jimmie, too, was “curyrus” to see this General O. O. Howard, who was -visiting the peaceful Yumas and Pimas in western Arizona and was -expected, any day, at Tucson. His next stop probably would be Camp -Grant itself, so that he might talk with the Pinals and Arivaipas. - -Veteran Sergeant Warfield, who had served under the general in the -Union Army, at Antietam and Gettysburg and in other big battles, said -that he was a great man, had commanded as high as thirty thousand -soldiers, in the field; had lost his right arm, by two wounds, at the -battle of Fair Oaks; was a hard fighter and was very religious――knew -the Bible by heart and almost had resigned from the army to go into -“preaching.” - -“But let me tell you this,” added the grizzled sergeant, to Jimmie: -“Arizony’ll find out that General Howard’s a man who’ll see that right -is done to both white and red. He’s got a heap of sense, and he’s as -square as a piece of hard-tack.” - -“A great American soldier chief is coming to talk with the Arivaipa,” -informed Jimmie, to old Santos, at the reservation. - -“What does he want?” demanded Santos, in Apache. - -“He wants to make peace with all the Indians.” - -“What good is peace?” retorted Santos. “The Arivaipa asked for peace, -and the white people and the Papagos killed our women and stole our -children. We are still at peace, but none of our women and children -have come back, and we are hungry. We would have done better to fight -like the Chiricahua and the Tonto.” - -In a few days, or early in May, General Howard did indeed appear at -Camp Grant. He was traveling in a six-mule army ambulance, with an -escort of cavalry from post to post. Colonel Crittenden and staff rode -out a short distance to meet him. The four companies of Fifth Cavalry -and Twenty-third Infantry were drawn up, to receive him; their worn -uniforms brushed and every button and buckle polished. - -General Howard certainly looked like a fine, soldierly officer. He was -as tall as, and rather heavier than General Crook; with full brown -beard and handsome, lion-like countenance; in dusty campaign hat, and -double-breasted blue coat with two rows of brass buttons down the -front, and shoulder-straps bearing the single star each of a brigadier -general (which was his regular rank), and with an empty right sleeve -pinned to his sword belt. - -“Yep, I jedge he’s all right,” announced the ambulance driver, to an -inquiring group of soldiers and scouts, after the parade had been -dismissed. The driver was a lean, lank, exceedingly solemn man who -could not be induced to smile. “Only thing I have against him is his -callin’ me ‘Dismal Jeems’――him an’ his aide Cap’n Wilkinson. I dunno -why. All the way over from Fort Yumy I’ve tried my best to cheer ’em -up. I told ’em about every massacree along the hull road; told ’em -we were liable to be scalped, any mile; told ’em all the cheerfulest -things I could think of. But somehow I didn’t make a hit. The gen’ral’s -powerful pious, too――holdin’ prayer-meetin’ on Sunday an’ readin’ his -Bible whenever he has a chance. - -“But the Yumas an’ Pimas cottoned to him, an’ down at Tucson the people -liked him fust-rate. The Pimas an’ Papagos have promised to come in to -a council with the Arivaipas here next week, an’ the Mexicans who have -the Arivaipa kids have promised to fetch ’em, an’ I s’pose when we all -get together thar’ll be a grand killin’ match. But I’m a cheerful man -an’ alluz aim to look on the bright side o’ things.” - -With that, “Dismal Jeems” drew a more melancholy face than before, -sighed heavily, and slouched away to rub down his sweaty mules. - -General Howard was not here to stay long, this time. He spent most of -one day at the agency; then he left for Fort Whipple, to confer with -General Crook. But he was coming back; he had set May 21 as the date -for the big peace council. - -“What do you think of the soldier chief, Santos?” asked Jimmie. Old -Santos, ex-chief, usually was to be found sitting in the sun, on the -bench in front of the agency store. He did not live in the hills with -Es-kim-en-zin. - -“The soldier chief is a good man. He pointed to the sky and said: ‘I -have a Father up there. So have you. There is only one Father. Your -Father and my Father are the same. So you and I are brothers.’ That -was a wise speech. We shook hands, and we are brothers. I am glad. His -words tell me that he is a wise chief, and his sleeve tells me that he -is a great warrior. Now I trust him, because he thinks as I do.” - -The council was held at the mouth of the Arivaipa Canyon, exactly as -General Howard had planned. - -From their agency one hundred miles west, on the Gila River, the Pimas -came on time――twenty of them, with their teacher, the Reverend Mr. -Cook, and their interpreter, named Louis. - -From their agency at Camp Verde, fifty miles west, some Tontos came; -and some Apache-Mohaves, from their agency at Date Creek, southwest of -Prescott; and a company of Papagos, from their homes south of Tucson. - -From Tucson itself there came a large delegation of Americans and -Mexicans, headed by Governor A. P. K. Safford and the district -attorney. Many of the Mexicans were women, bringing the Arivaipa and -Pinal children whom they had adopted after the massacre. - -The Pimas and the Papagos had long been enemies of the Apaches, so they -stayed together. The Tontos and the Apache-Mohaves had been enemies -of everybody, so they stayed together. The Mexicans had been enemies -of the Tontos and the Apache-Mohaves and the Arivaipas and Pinals, so -they stayed together. The Americans――the Tucson citizens and the scouts -and ranchers――were ready to back up the guard of soldiers, in case of -trouble. But General Howard’s purpose was to make peace between all the -peoples of the Southwest. - -“Will there be a fight, you think, Jeem?” inquired little Francisco. -He and Jimmie had ridden over early on one of the ranch mules, to see -and hear whatever might happen. “The Arivaipa will fight to get their -children, and the Pima will fight the Tonto, and the soldiers will -shoot; won’t they, Jeem?” - -“Who knows?” replied Jimmie. “No, they won’t!” he quickly added. “It is -all right, chico. Here comes General Howard. And see who is with him! -That is General Crook! Hooray!” - -“Hooray!” echoed Francisco, who always tried to do what Jimmie did. - -For with its six mules at a gallop, and with General Howard upon the -seat beside “Dismal Jeems,” the army ambulance had swung into the -pretty green valley along the Arivaipa Creek. Behind the ambulance -followed, in the road, a cavalcade of officers on horses and mules. The -first two were Colonel Crittenden of Camp Grant, and a sinewy, powerful -man, in a brown canvas suit, on a mule. General Crook himself! - -He had come over with General Howard from Fort Whipple. So had -Lieutenant Bourke, and Lieutenant Ross, and Lieutenant George Bacon of -the First Cavalry, and others of Jimmie’s old-time officer friends. - -General Howard and party climbed out of the ambulance; the other -officers left their mounts with the orderlies; and all crossed to the -stools and benches reserved for the “chiefs,” on the sod in the center -of the waiting circle. - -“No Es-kim-en-zin yet,” whispered little Francisco. “They stay away. I -am afraid, Jeem.” - -That was true. Only old short-legged Santos and a handful of decrepid -men and squaws were here; Chief Es-kim-en-zin and his warriors had not -appeared. General Howard and General Crook and Colonel Crittenden sat, -waiting. So did the governor and the district attorney. So did the Pima -and Papago and Apache-Mohave chiefs. Everybody waited. Agent Jacobs -plainly was worried, but it would not do to show any sign of impatience. - -“Dismal Jeems,” the ambulance driver from Fort Yuma, circulated about, -wagging his head and prophesying that nobody would leave the spot -alive! Yes, a cheerful man was “Dismal Jeems.” - -In about an hour, there was a sudden murmur of interest. From the mouth -of the Arivaipa Canyon emerged Chief Es-kim-en-zin, leading his band of -Arivaipas and Pinals. They were in their best paint, and advanced with -much dignity to the place assigned to them. Now the circle was complete. - -For fifteen minutes no one spoke. General Howard evidently understood -that it was not proper to hurry a council. Presently he arose, and -through Concepcion Equierre the interpreter, who spoke English as well -as he did Spanish and Apache, invited the Arivaipa-Pinals to make a -talk. - -Es-kim-en-zin was first. He made a very poor talk, because he -stammered, but he spoke thoroughly in earnest, and so did others of his -band. They wanted their children back again. - -The Mexicans who now had the children were invited to reply. They said -that the children were being well brought up, as Christians; they loved -them and did not wish to return them to Indian life. - -The governor and the district attorney spoke. They said that it was -better for Arizona and for the children to have the children brought up -in civilization. The district attorney added that most of the children -were orphans, and that therefore the Territory of Arizona was their -guardian. Their own people were unable to bring them up properly. - -Es-kim-en-zin and his old men answered that it was true that many -mothers and fathers had been killed; but the Arivaipa people wept for -the little boys and girls who had been stolen from them, and would work -hard to take good care of the children of their race. - -All the speeches in English and Apache were translated into Apache and -English by Concepcion Equierre, the agency interpreter; and again into -Spanish so that the Mexicans and the Papagos and Pimas might understand -what was going on. - -That evening the Es-kim-en-zin Arivaipa-Pinals went back, six miles, up -into their canyon. The other delegations camped in the valley bottom -around the agency. - -Jimmie and Francisco, on their mule, rode home with Joe Felmer. - -“It’s goin’ to be nip an’ tuck,” asserted Joe. “As I understand, -Gen’ral Crook he agrees with the gov’ner an’ deestrict attorney that -the children are better off as they’re livin’ now. It may mean less -Injuns to fight, later. On the other hand, I heard that teacher-man -Cook talkin’ with his Pimas; an’ seems as though the Pimas, who are -’most like white folks an’ hate the ’Paches, too, sorter think the -kids ought to be given back to their own kin. The Papagos’ll be ag’in -it, ’cause they helped steal the children, an’ have used ’em. The -Tontos an’ Yavapais, bein’ ’Paches, will feel like the Arivaipas do. -But I have a notion Gen’ral Howard’ll find a way, so everybody’ll be -satisfied.” - -It was not until the third day of the council that General Howard found -the way. Meanwhile both parties were growing angry. Chief Es-kim-en-zin -announced that he could see no good in so many long talks. The general -spent the second night among the camps, and slept on the ground there. -In the morning he made his final speech. - -“The good Mr. Cook, of the Pimas, agrees with me that the children -ought to be returned to their own people,” he said. “Some of them are -being brought up as slaves and servants, and they all were carried off -by force, which is not right. But the district attorney from Tucson, -and the governor, and other honest persons, think differently, and -I should listen to their words, also. So we will take the matter to -Washington. I will appeal to my chief, who is the Secretary of the -Interior; and the district attorney may appeal to his chief, who is the -Attorney General of the United States. And these chiefs will appeal to -President Grant, who is the greatest chief of all. - -“While the President is deciding, the children shall stay here at the -agency with a good Christian white woman whom I have engaged. They will -be well cared for, at government expense. Their relatives and friends -from the Arivaipas may visit them often, and their Mexican friends may -visit them often; and our Great Father at Washington shall say who may -keep them.” - -A cheer started, but the district attorney sprang to his feet. - -“We wish to keep the children until the President decides. We will -guarantee to do whatever he directs.” - -“No guarantee is needed, from either side,” severely answered General -Howard. “Here is General Crook. With his army and his authority he will -see to it that justice is done exactly as I have outlined!” - -“Good!” - -“Bueno, bueno!” - -“Inju!” - -The word was repeated in a perfect storm of languages. The gathering -was all excitement and relief. Everybody seemed to approve of what the -general had said; that is, everybody except the district attorney and a -few scouts and ranchers who did not believe in yielding peace terms to -any Apaches whatsoever. - -The Arivaipa-Pinals and the Papagos and the Pimas and the Apache-Mohaves -and the Tontos hugged one another; some of the Mexicans hugged some of -the Indians; General Crook and the officers laughed. It was a happy -solution of a serious problem. - -“Kinder like a love-feast, after all, warn’t it!” remarked Joe Felmer. -“Huh! Wall, I reckon the gen’ral knows how the President’ll decide.” - -Probably General Howard did, for in due time the children were given -over to the Es-kim-en-zin band, by orders from Washington, and -Es-kim-en-zin always remained at peace. - -Amidst the hurly-burly of excitement Jimmie found himself close to -General Crook, who was talking earnestly with Joe Felmer and old Jack -Long. That was his style; he did not go much on red tape, but spoke -direct to officers and enlisted men alike. - -Here in his travel-stained canvas suit without any mark of rank on it, -he scarcely would be taken, again, for a general commanding all the big -Territory of Arizona. He was thinner than when Jimmie had last seen -him, before; his face was lined, and he looked as though he had been -working hard, and worrying too. - -His eyes, glancing aside, fell upon Jimmie, and recognized him. To -the beck of the general’s finger Jimmie stepped forward and stood at -attention. - -“This is your boy, is he, Felmer?” The general seemed to remember -everything. - -“Yessir, that’s what I call him.” - -“He’s wearing rather more clothes than when I first met him,” commented -the general drily. “What are you going to make of him?” - -“Wall, he’s ondecided ’twixt scout an’ packer,” drawled Joe. “He’s a -leetle small yet, but he’s growin’.” - -“Yes, an’ he’ll have plenty time to grow while we’re all standin’ -’round waitin’ on the Government’s Arizony pets to come in to their -feed canvas when they’re called!” grumbled old Jack. “He’s liable to -die of old age, if he ain’t sculped fust.” - -“Tut, tut!” sharply reproved the general. “General Howard’s doing good -work. He’s the right man. But this is not saying that there won’t be -use for the army. As for you, my boy,” he continued, to Jimmie, “keep -on learning to the best of your ability, so that you’ll be ready for -whatever comes.” - -“Yes, sir,” promised Jimmie. - - - - -IX - -THE HORRID DEED OF CHUNTZ - - -General Crook had ridden back to Fort Whipple, on his mule “Apache,” -and General Howard had left in the ambulance driven by “Dismal Jeems,” -for Camp Apache and the White Mountain reservation. - -He had another good scheme. He was collecting Indians from among the -tribes, to take them with him to Washington and the Great White Father, -that they might understand how many and powerful the white people were. - -Old Santos had agreed to go, for the Arivaipas. The Pimas were sending -their teacher, the Reverend Mr. Cook, and Louis the interpreter, -and the young chief Antonito. The Papagos were sending their chief, -Ascencion. The Date Creek Apache-Mohaves or Yavapais were sending -Charlie and José. - -Concepcion Equierre went from the Arivaipa agency, to translate Apache. - -The general expected to get some of the Sierra Blanca or White Mountain -Apaches, at the Camp Apache reservation; and to invite the Chiricahuas, -also. He arrived safely at Camp Apache, and there added to his party -Chiefs Miguel of the one eye, Pedro and Es-ki-tis-tsla; but he failed -to find any Chiricahuas. - -So he proceeded by wagon and mule, without them. - -“I’d shorely like to see those Injuns’ faces when the hull party -strikes the railroad at Santy Fee!” chuckled Jack Long. “They’ll think -the Old Nick is to tow ’em with his tail up.” - -For Santa Fe of New Mexico Territory was the nearest point east of Camp -Grant reached by a railroad. - -“What does a railroad look like, Jeem?” queried little Francisco, -hearing the talk. - -Jimmie himself had not seen a railroad for several years, but he -remembered, and he tried to explain. - -“It’s two lines of iron, like wagon-wheel tracks, reaching miles and -miles, chico,” he said. “And on them roll fine wagons, joined together -and filled with people, and drawn by a――did you ever hear about boats, -chico? Those boats that sail up and down the Colorado River, and make a -big noise?” - -Francisco eagerly nodded. - -“My father has a brother who saw one.” - -“Well, the thing that hauls the wagons is a steamboat on land. It runs -without horses; and it runs so fast that it could go from here to -Tucson, fifty-five miles, in two hours.” - -Francisco crossed himself. - -“I would be afraid, Jeem,” he quavered. - -Poor little Francisco! He was to meet a sad fate. - -But, first, June and July passed quietly at Camp Grant. From Fort -Whipple General Crook continued to keep scouting detachments and -pack-trains moving. The various posts were strengthened by troops and -supplies. The greater portion of the Fifth Cavalry was in Arizona, with -some troops of the First Cavalry, and part of the Twelfth Infantry and -of the Twenty-third Infantry――the general’s regiment. The Twenty-first -Infantry and most of the Third Cavalry had gone out. - -The general was getting ready. According to the officers of the Fifth -Cavalry and the Twenty-third Infantry at Camp Grant, the President -had resolved that if the Peace Policy in Arizona did not persuade the -Indians to settle down within a year, General Crook should be ordered -to take matters over. - -The year would be up this September. - -Then, in August, things “broke wide open,” as Joe Felmer expressed it. - -General Crook just escaped being assassinated by the Yavapais at Date -Creek, where he had gone for a talk. He had angered them by arresting -several of them for the murder of Engineer Loring and others, in the -Wickenburg stage massacre. He had been told that they were planning to -kill him, but he went anyway. - -They did try to shoot him, in the council. Lieutenant Ross knocked up -the arm of the Indian who fired first, there was an all-round tussle, -Hank Hewitt the packer seized one Indian by both ears and broke his -head against a rock, a part of the Yavapais were killed or imprisoned, -and the rest fought their way into the mountains. - -The Tonto Basin Apaches――Tontos and Yavapais both――were attacking -ranches and mines south of Prescott. Their worst chiefs were Chuntz, -and Delt-che (Delt-shay) or Red Ant (the Yavapais were known as Red Ant -people), and Cha-li-pun, the Buckskin-colored Hat. - -And on the road only thirty miles south of Tucson the Chiricahuas -killed gallant young Lieutenant Reid Stewart, the “shave tail” who had -been out of West Point two months, and Corporal Black, while the two -were riding in a buck-board wagon up from Fort Crittenden, for Tucson. - -“An’ I hear now they’ve got Bob Whitney, at last,” one day reported Joe -Felmer, on return from Tucson. “Yep; shot out his brains while he an’ -Cap’n Gerald Russell o’ the Third were waterin’ their hosses in the -place called Cochise’s Stronghold of the Dragoon Mountains, between -Tucson an’ Bowie.” - -Bob Whitney had been known as the handsomest guide and scout in Arizona. - -“Anyhow,” pursued Joe, “this sort o’ thing won’t hang over, long. They -told me at Lowell (Camp Lowell, near Tucson, he meant) that orders have -been received from headquarters to be ready to take the trail on short -notice, an’ that the old man (who was General Crook) is puttin’ on his -war-paint and havin’ that mule ’Pache, o’ his, re-shod, four squar’.” - -At the instant, while Joe was speaking in the ranch yard, a sudden high -chorus of shrill grief sounded, down the road to Camp Grant. Up the -course of the sandy San Pedro Valley wended a slow little procession, -of men and women afoot and on mules. - -The grief immediately spread to the ranch, where the Mexican women -began to run wildly, and shriek, and tear their hair. Mrs. Vasquez, who -was Francisco’s mother, rushed by, to meet the procession. - -“Mi niño! Ay, mi niño!” she wailed. “My little boy! Oh, my little boy!” - -How did she know? Joe Felmer gaped, puzzled; and a cold fear seized -Jimmie’s thumping heart. - -Upon the seat of a two-wheeled, creaking cart in the midst of the -procession Francisco’s father, Domingo Vasquez, was sitting and holding -in his arms something wrapped in a blanket. He held it very tightly. - -Yes, it was poor little Francisco, killed by an Apache lance-thrust. -Joe Felmer scarcely could get the story, amid all that shrieking and -confusion; but finally he and Jimmie learned from Domingo what had -happened. - -“I take him with me in my cart to Camp Grant this morning,” said -Domingo, in Mexican-Spanish, “while I cut wood along the Arivaipa, for -the fort. He visits with people I know, and I do not see him. When I -go to the fort to get him and come home, he is not there. They say he -has left to find me. We hunt a long time, and we call, and he does -not answer. And then, next, they tell me he is found, and I see them -bringing him. Just a little way off the trail up the Arivaipa from the -fort somebody had found him, behind a cactus there; and he was dead by -an Apache lance. Why should anybody kill my little boy――my niño, my -muchachito!――my little Francisco who never harmed?” - -Why, indeed? Francisco was only a gay, innocent little Mexican boy, -alone, and too young to be an enemy. The murder had been done at a turn -of the trail within rifle-shot from the fort. A party of Chief Chuntz’s -Tontos and Yavapais had been sneaking around the post and the agency, -pretending that they were ready to come in. Old Santos insisted that -the murderer was a Chuntz warrior, if not Chuntz himself. - -Santos was home again, after his trip east with General Howard. He was -filled with admiration of the ways of the white people. The general -had given him a New Testament, which he could not read, of course, but -which he placed under his head, every night, when he slept. - -“Chuntz is bad,” sympathized Santos, to Jimmie. “He is bad and so are -his men. All those Tonto and Yavapai are bad at heart. To kill a boy -is not Christian. The only way to make those Tonto and Yavapai good is -to hunt them down. Cluke, the man with the brown clothes, must go out -after them, and after the Chiricahua, too. I have told the Arivaipa -what I have seen among the white men. The white men are many and very -rich, and we will live like them if they do not try to make us believe -that the earth is round. General Howard started to tell me that the -earth is round, but I answered that he and I are too great chiefs, to -be such fools as that!” - -Little Francisco was laid away at the ranch. For some time Jimmie felt -sad and lonely. Francisco had been his chum. The end was cruel and -horrible. - -So he was mighty glad when Joe sent him out with old Jack Long, to help -take a pack-train and bunch of cavalry horses clear to Camp Bowie, by -way of Tucson. - -“An’, b’gosh, you’d better hustle back,” warned Joe. “That Chuntz is -a-goin’ to be made to pay for his boy killin’, as soon as thar’s snow -on the peaks. The old man’s only waitin’ till winter sets in.” - -It seemed high time that something was done. In the past twelve months -of Peace Policy over forty Americans and Mexicans of Arizona had been -killed by the Apaches, sixteen wounded, and five hundred and fifty -cattle stolen. - - - - -X - -ON THE TRAIL WITH THE PACK-TRAIN - - -John Cahill, the new blacksmith at Grant, went; but Joe had been -appointed a scout, and stayed at home. - -Tucson, only fifty-five miles south, was easily made in two days, for -the loose horses and the Grant pack-mules traveled light. But Camp -Bowie, at the Apache Pass in the Chiricahua Mountains, was one hundred -and ten miles east from Tucson and Camp Lowell. That meant a real march -with thirty loaded mules, and a hundred remount cavalry horses, and the -cavalry escort commanded by Lieutenant Jacob Almy, and a riding-mule -for each man of the pack-train. - -The packs were chiefly ammunition. Each mule carried three hundred -pounds. - -“We’ll jest see what we can do, boys,” said Jack. “Regulations try to -make us think that a hundred and seventy pounds is all a mule’ll stand; -but the gin’ral knows more’n ary regulations issued by those folks -at Washington. I wouldn’t insult a good sound mule by puttin’ only a -hundred seventy on his back――not if he’s packed right. Pack him right, -so the load slings even, an’ he’ll carry his two hundred fifty an’ -three hundred pounds at five miles an hour for twenty-five an’ thirty -miles a day, week in an’ week out.” - -Old Jack was the pack-master or patron (pa-_trone_). Frank Monach was -assistant pack-master, or cargador (car-ga-_dore_). “Slim Shorty” was -cook or cencero (cen-_say_-ro). Frank Cahill was blacksmith. The -packers or arrieros were Jim O’Neill, “Chileno John,” “Long Jim” Cook -(six feet eight), Charley Hopkins, Sam Wisser the Pennsylvania German, -and Lauriano Gomez who sang Spanish songs. - -The pack-train was called an atajo (ah-tah-ho); the packs were -“cargoes,” and the pack-saddles or aparejos, and such stuff, composed -the “riggings.” - -Pack-train service had a language all its own. Yes, and an army train -as organized under General Crook had a discipline all its own, too, as -Jimmie soon found out. - -The trail from Tucson to Bowie was the main Southern overland stage -road between the Rio Grande River in New Mexico and San Diego of the -Pacific. Therefore the traveling up hill and down was good. - -It was Jimmie’s business to help herd the mules, in the evening and the -early morning, while the regular herders were eating; and to come in -and rouse the cook, at daybreak, and get him wood and water, if needed. - -In half an hour after the cook was up, the men were wakened. While they -were folding their blankets (which were the pack-blankets) and taking -the canvas coverings off the “riggings” and “cargoes,” Jimmie brought -in the herd. - -This was not difficult, because when he started the wise old bell -leader, all the mules followed; and so well had they been trained that -except for a few “shave tails” they took their own places, in a sort of -company front, each facing his pile of “rigging.” Every mule had his -own, individual “rigging,” adjusted to fit him perfectly. - -The packers saddled their riding mules, and ate breakfast. After -breakfast they put the “riggings” and “cargoes” on the pack-mules. - -They worked in pairs, and each pair attended to ten mules. A full -pack-train was composed of fifty mules; ten mules were assigned to a -troop or company of soldiers. The thirty mules in this train of Patron -Jack called for six packers. - -Jimmie helped “Slim Shorty” the cook pack his kitchen stuff; and Jimmie -and the cook and John Cahill the blacksmith watched the loaded mules, -especially any “shave tails,” so that they should not ramble away or -try to lie down. - -The packers worked like lightning, uttering scarcely a word except -signal words, for it was against regulations to talk much. The schedule -of breaking camp or “unparking” a train was as follows: Twenty minutes -for before-breakfast work, fifteen minutes for breakfast, twenty -minutes for putting on the “riggings,” twenty minutes for putting on -the “cargoes”; total, one hour and a quarter. - -But “Chileno John” and Jim O’Neill, who were the prize pair of packers, -in an exhibition feat loaded their ten mules complete (“riggings” and -packs and all) in ten minutes! - -The moment that the train was ready, Patron Jack, who had been eying -closely, called “Bell!” and “Slim Shorty” the cook rode the white bell -mare out upon the trail; in single file the pack-mules――“bell sharps” -and “shave tails” and slow “drag tails”――stepped after, usually of -their own accord. - -The cavalry escort took the advance. Patron Jack and “Slim Shorty” led -the pack-train. The packers rode, one beside every fifth mule. Frank -Monach the assistant pack-master or “cargador” brought up the rear, -with John Cahill the blacksmith, whose business it was to look out for -dropped shoes and sore hoofs. - -Jimmie rode behind, too. The long file of swaying, plodding mules, -under the canvas-covered packs, made a fascinating sight. So did the -sturdy packers or “arrieros,” in their broad hats and suspenders and -flannel shirts, and trousers tucked into heavy boots. - -Jack aimed to start out by sun-up at the latest, so as to finish the -twenty-five or thirty miles at one stretch before mid-day heat and -dust. This was only a moderate march, in fairly level country. In rough -mountain country, fifteen miles a day, at a go-as-you-can gait, would -be enough. - -To unload and make camp was called “parking.” The “riggings” and -“cargoes” were laid out in two neat parallel lines, and covered. Jack -and Frank Monach examined the mules, for sore backs caused by badly -fitting aparejos. The “bell” was hobbled and turned to pasture and the -mules followed. - -“Riggings” were repaired, if necessary, and scraped clean of sweat and -dirt. The pack-blankets were opened, to air for sleeping blankets; from -their war-bags, or canvas clothing sacks, the men took out what stuff -they required. - -But the pack-mules were the main thought. Nothing in the way of petting -and fancy trappings was too good for a pack-mule. Each mule had its -name, and knew that name. Nobody was permitted to strike a mule or -abuse it in any manner. - -“You can abuse a dog an’ he’ll forgive you,” said old Jack. “But you -mistreat a mule, an’ he’ll never forget. You can change yore clothes, -but you can’t change yore smell――not to a mule!” - -The bell horse or “cencero” (which is the Spanish for “bell”) had -the easiest time of any of the pack-train animals. It wasn’t packed. -All that the “bell” had to do was to tinkle along and set the pace, -while carrying the cook. The “bell” ought to be white, because mules -were supposed to be especially fond of white; the “bell” ought to be -a horse, because mules respected a horse more than they did another -mule; and if “he” was a white mare, as in this train, then so much the -better, because mules loved white mares. - -The cook rode the “bell,” and therefore was nicknamed “cencero,” -himself. - -Patron Jack expected to make Camp Bowie in five days easy, which would -bring the pack-train and the cavalry through in good condition. The -first two nights out, the mules were herded, to graze; but on the third -day the road crossed the Dragoon Mountains by way of Dragoon Pass. -This night the mules were tied along a stretched picket-rope, for the -Dragoon Mountains were Chiricahua country, and contained Cochise’s -Stronghold. - -“He’s off yonder at this very minute, an’ mebbe lookin’ for us,” -declared Cargador Frank Monach. “I’ll bet a cooky those hills south’ard -are plumb full o’ Chiricahua.” - -“That’s where they killed pore Bob Whitney, all right enough,” mused -Jim O’Neill. “Down at Dragoon Springs, in the Stronghold. Yes, an’ -many another man has left his scalp there. That range westward is the -Whetstones, or Mustangs, where they got Cushing; and on west of the -Whetstones is Davidson’s Canyon south of Tucson, where Lieutenant -Stewart and Corporal Black went under. By ginger, a fellow doesn’t look -out on a very pleasant view, from up here!” - -From the open Dragoon Pass of the stage road the Dragoon Mountains, -low and rolling but very rough, with much brush and stunted timber, -extended southward to the Mexican line; and separated from them by -yellow deserts, west and east and north rose other low ranges――all -chosen hiding-places of the fierce Chiricahuas. - -“Anyhow,” remarked Jack Long, with a sly wink, “we got a young -chi-kis-n o’ theirs hyar――reg’lar member o’ the Cochise fam’ly――to talk -for us; an’ if ary Chiricahua appear we’ll send him in to ’em.” - -Jimmie grinned and scratched his head; whether Cochise and Geronimo -would wait and listen to him, he wasn’t certain. But he’d rather like -to see Nah-che and Nah-da-ste, and explain why he had run away. - -The stage and the mail riders had been attacked in this very pass. -However, nothing alarming happened, to-night. And the probable reason -why, they learned the next day. - -Dragoon Pass was about half-way between Tucson and Bowie, so that Bowie -now lay some fifty miles east. The Chiricahua Mountains and their -Apache Pass might be seen, in the eastern horizon. - -The Chiricahuas had been so bad during the last two months that the -stage road was being little traveled. And when, in the morning, on the -way down from the pass a cloud of dust was sighted before, everybody -stared, suspicious. - -Horsemen! Injuns? No, cavalry! Good! A scouting detachment from Bowie, -as like as not; or from Crittenden or Lowell, behind. Lieutenant Almy -met them first, and both parties stopped, to talk. Patron Jack, at the -head of the pack-train, spread his two arms as signal for “Halt!” and -he trotted on, to join. - -There was a lengthy confab. - -“Wall, wonder what’s up?” drawled Frank Monach. “Reckon I’d better go -an’ see.” - -“Send the boy, an’ save yore mule,” suggested Blacksmith John Cahill. -“He’s fairly itchin’ to sit in.” - -So Jimmie somewhat importantly trotted forward, too, up the long line -of dozing, switching pack-mules, to bring back news if he heard any. - -The party of riders from the east were several officers, and three or -four booted, flannel-shirted, whiskered civilians, wearing heavy Colt’s -six-shooters and carrying rifles. Yes, and somebody else――a young -Mexican, dark enough to be an Apache, clad in broad-brimmed black hat, -dirty cotton shirt, old trousers and moccasins. - -Jimmie knew him in two looks. Maria Jilda Grijalba! That same Maria who -had been a captive in the Cochise camp, and who, Micky Free had said, -had escaped after Jimmie had escaped. - -Jimmie gladly rode straight to him. - -“Buenos dias, Maria (Good day, Maria).” - -“Buenos dias, amigo (friend),” responded Maria, and they shook hands -heartily. - -“I heard you had escaped from the Apaches. What are you doing here?” - -“I have come out from Camp Bowie with these officers,” answered Maria. -“I work for the fort now. I am a scout and interpreter. We are going to -talk with Cochise, at the Dragoon Springs.” - -“What, amigo!” - -“Yes,” nodded Maria. “General Howard, the great man with the one arm, -is there, with Cochise, waiting. He has come from Washington again, -and has found Cochise. He has been in the Cochise camp for six days. -They have made peace. There will be a Chiricahua reservation, and -now General Howard has sent for the comandante at Bowie, so that the -comandante and Cochise shall know each other, and there will be no -mistake.” - -Maria spoke in Spanish except when an Apache word seemed handier. -Jimmie understood. It was a great convenience to speak in two -languages, at once. As for Jimmie, he knew three languages. - -“Would you like to go?” asked Maria. “You come with me, and we will see -Cochise, and Geronimo and Nah-che and all of them.” - -“I’d like to go, but I don’t believe I can, Maria,” faltered Jimmie. -“I’ve got to stay with the atajo.” - -“Are you an arriero? Who is your patron?” inquired Maria. “I will ask -him.” - -But Patron Jack Long already had the matter on his tongue. - -“Hyar’s a muchacho (boy) you can have, if you want him, cap’n,” Jack -was saying to the cavalry captain. “He lived with old Cochise a while -in these very diggin’s. Speaks ’Pache, an’ consider’ble Mex. Reckon we -can spar’ him from the pack outfit, if you’ll fetch him back to Bowie -’fore we leave thar.” - -“Does he speak English, though?” demanded the captain. “I’ve got a -guide with me――Maria, there――who speaks Mexican and Apache.” - -“Does he savvy Americano? Sure he does, bein’ that his name’s Jimmie -Dunn, an’ his folks were both ’Mericans ’fore the ’Paches got ’em, an’ -he’s been brung up by Joe Felmer at Grant. Speak American? Speaks it -better’n I do, ’cause he had schoolin’ back East.” - -“All right. I’ll take him, and much obliged to you,” said the captain. -“Lived with Cochise, did he? How was that?” - -“’Cause he couldn’t help it. Thar warn’t any ‘how’ to it, ’cept the -‘how’ o’ stayin’ close an’ playin’ possum till he had a chance to skip -out. The Chiricahua jumped him an’ some o’ Pete Kitchen’s sheep south -o’ Tucson a couple o’ year ago, an’ tuk him along same time they tuk -yore Mexican. That Maria Jilda an’ him were captives together. He’s -chi-kis-n to Nah-che, old Cochise’s son. But he’s plumb American ag’in, -now. If you meet up with any ’Paches an’ want to talk with ’em, he’ll -interpret for you.” - -“Hah!” exclaimed the cavalry captain, eying Jimmie, as did the other -men. “He’ll do finely, then. Come with us, boy. We’ll return you to -your outfit to-morrow. Let’s go on, gentlemen.” - -“Wall, I don’t wish you any hard luck――or that Gin’ral Howard, either,” -called Jack, after――for Jack said whatever he chose. “But ’cordin’ to -my notion the peacefulest kind o’ Chiricahua is a dead Chiricahua, an’ -you can tell Cochise Jack Long says so. Hey, Jimmie!” continued Jack. -“You tell yore chi-kis-n to tell his dad thar’s a gent in a canvas -suit, up at Whipple, who’s comin’ down hyar pronto (quick) with a -double-bar’l ‘peace policy’ guaranteed to turn wild ’Paches into tame -ones.” - -They left Lieutenant Almy’s little detachment starting onward, and old -Jack grumbling as he signaled his pack train to “march.” - - - - -XI - -IN THE STRONGHOLD OF COCHISE - - -Riding on beside Maria, Jimmie learned more about General Howard and -the Chiricahuas. - -The general had returned as far as the Warm Spring reservation in New -Mexico, with Pedro and Miguel and Santos and the other delegates to -Washington. Then he had engaged two Warm Spring guides――young Chie, son -of Mangas Coloradas, and Ponce, son of another of Cochise’s old-time -friends; and with them, and Captain Sladen his aide, and Tom Jeffords, -a red-haired, red-bearded American trader whom the Chiricahuas never -harmed, he had proceeded right on west, into the mountains, to find -Cochise. - -The rest of his party he had dismissed, to wait for word from him, at -Bowie. - -It had been anxious waiting, for who might foretell what Cochise would -do? But suddenly, one day, the general had appeared again, at Bowie, -with only Chie as companion. He had met Cochise, in the Stronghold; had -talked with him, as man to man; and now he was here, in order that the -word should be sent out all along the line: “The Cochise Chiricahuas -have promised peace. Do not interfere with them.” - -With that, he had immediately returned to the Stronghold; and now -Captain S. S. Sumner, commanding Camp Bowie, and several of his -officers and a few civilians, were outward bound, to be present at the -council. - -“Do you think that the Chiricahua have quit forever, Maria?” asked -Jimmie, as they jogged along. - -“Maybe yes, maybe no,” replied Maria, shrugging his shoulders. “If they -might believe all Americans like they believe that one-armed man――but -who knows? Anyway, he is not afraid, and he speaks truth. What kind of -a man is that other general, the comandante named Crook?” - -“They can believe him, too,” asserted Jimmie. “He’s a fighting general, -and a peace general, both. He’ll carry war to those Apaches that stay -bad. He’s ready now to move against the Tonto.” - -“Good,” grunted Maria. - -The abandoned stage station of Dragoon Springs, on the west slope -of Dragoon Pass, had been appointed as the council place. No -Chiricahuas and no token of any council were sighted here; but a -stout, broad-shouldered officer with black hair and heavy “shoe-brush” -moustache met the Captain Sumner party in the road. - -He was Captain Sladen, General Howard’s aide. He said that the -Chiricahuas had seen soldiers in the road, this very morning; therefore -Cochise insisted that the council be held off at one side, where the -Chiricahuas might protect themselves. - -Guided by Captain Sladen on a narrow saddle trail running south, the -party rode a mile or two, through a rolling park of grass and oaks -and mountain mahogany――and then here came General Howard and his -Chiricahuas! - -Haw, haw! Even the sober Maria laughed. The general was aboard -a mule, and behind his saddle sat a painted, naked Chiricahua, -holding fast with both arms around the general’s waist! It was the -piercing-eyed Geronimo! - -[Illustration: IT WAS THE PIERCING-EYED GERONIMO!] - -That was a great position for a brevet major-general of the United -States army; but it looked “friendly”! - -A large cavalcade of warriors painted and weaponed pranced on every -side. They left a little space about a red-painted horseman who stayed -near the general. - -“Cochise,” said Maria. “I see Taza, too; and Nah-che.” - -The Chiricahuas uttered a loud whoop. At signs from the red-painted -horseman they spread right and left along the opposite edge of this -park. When the Bowie party and Captain Sladen arrived, General Howard -and the Cochise company were waiting. - -“D’yuh notice?” remarked Jack May, one of the men who had been sent to -Bowie by the general. “Ev’ry bronc’ (‘broncho’ was a name for the wild -Chiricahuas) is stationed where he can dive into that little canyon an’ -be out o’ sight in a jiffy. Those fellows are smart.” - -Cochise had daubed all his face with vermilion. He seemed tense -and excited. His large black eyes darted to and fro, searching for -treachery. His hair was graying, Jimmie observed; he had grown much -older. - -Taza was here. And in the background, Chato and Nah-che. Jimmie signed -to Nah-che, and Nah-che responded, but he did not dare to come over, -yet. - -The council was begun at once, with General Howard and officers, and -Cochise and his captains, sitting in the middle of the circle. - -A tall red-bearded man, who was Tom Jeffords the trader, did the -interpreting. - -“The Great White Father has sent me to make peace between the -Chiricahua and the Americans,” said General Howard. - -“Nobody wants peace more than I do,” answered Cochise. “I have done -no harm since I came from the Cañada Alamosa. My horses are few, and -I am very poor. Once we were a large people. We lived well, at peace -with everybody except the Mexicans. But one day the soldiers seized my -best friend and killed him when he was in prison. Right there at Apache -Pass other soldiers hung up my brother, after they had attacked me when -I had surrendered. So I have fought the Americans and the Mexicans, -but the Chiricahua are getting less every day. Why shut us up on a -reservation? We will keep the peace, but we wish to go around free, the -same as other people.” - -“That cannot be,” kindly explained the general. “Some bad white men -might fire on you, or some of your wild young men might fire at the -white men. Then the peace would be broken. The Great White Father, who -is President Grant, will agree that you live at the Cañada Alamosa. -That is a fine country, and you liked it.” - -“We would be there now if the white people had not driven us off,” -answered Cochise. “They might drive us off again, and I will not go to -the Tularosa. The Apaches there get sick, and die. Give me Apache Pass. -That is my home. I will protect all the trails. I will see that nobody -is harmed by any Indians. But my people will not go back to the Cañada -Alamosa. They are afraid. They would not be allowed to stay there.” - -“Then,” said the general, “we will give you this country right here. We -cannot give you Apache Pass. We will fix the boundaries at once. Does -that suit you?” - -“Yes,” declared Cochise, pleased, “that is good. We will keep my -Stronghold, and the country around, of the Dragoon Mountains and the -Sulphur Springs Valley.” - -“It is settled,” agreed the general. “I have full authority to say so. -This shall be your country forever, if you keep the peace. See, I place -this stone upon the mesa.” He moved a rock. “Now, as long as this stone -lasts, so long shall last the peace between the Chiricahua and the -Americans. You may have your friend Tom Jeffords for agent.” - -“That is good,” repeated Cochise. “Staglito (Red Beard) is our friend.” - -“You must send for all your Chiricahua to come in. Tell them that when -they are off the traveled roads they must show a white flag of peace, -so that there will be no mistakes. When they are on a traveled road -they must meet other people without any running or fear, as the white -people do.” - -“That is good,” approved Cochise. “The stone lies on the mesa. The -white people and the Chiricahua will drink of the same water and eat of -the same bread, and be at peace.” - -Now there was a shaking of hands all around, and the general and -Captain Sumner and Tom Jeffords proceeded to arrange with Cochise and -Geronimo the boundaries of the Chiricahua reservation. - -“Let us talk with Nah-che,” proposed Jimmie, to Maria. There had been -no call for them in the interpreting, and now was their chance to look -up Nah-che. - -“Chi-kis-n,” greeted Jimmie, extending his hand to grasp Nah-che’s. - -“Welcome, chi-kis-n,” replied Nah-che, as they shook. - -Nah-che had grown into almost a warrior. - -“How is Nah-da-ste?” - -“She is not here. The women and children are in another place, till the -chiefs know whether it is peace or war.” - -“It is peace, chi-kis-n.” - -“I think so,” answered Nah-che frankly. “The Chiricahua wish peace. -They will keep their promise if the white people will keep theirs. As -long as Staglito stays with us, there will be no trouble, because he -understands us. All these wars between the Americans and the Apaches -come because they do not understand each other. I think if there were -more one-armed soldier-captains there would be fewer wars. That other -soldier-captain, Cluke, is honest, too, we hear. Why doesn’t he come to -see us?” - -“He is getting ready to fight those Indians who are bad,” said Jimmie. -“He was told to wait until the one-armed general had offered the -Chiricahua peace. Now he will go to war against the Tonto and the -Yavapai, who have refused peace.” - -Taza joined them, and shook hands. He was carrying a beautiful -breech-loading rifle――an officer’s rifle. Eying it curiously, Jimmie -suddenly recognized it. It had been the rifle of stripling Lieutenant -Reid Stewart, the dandy “shave tail”――it was the only one of its -kind――engraved so fancifully; that is, Jimmie had seen the lieutenant -with it, at Camp Grant; and now Taza had it! - -Taza must have noticed Jimmie stiffen and choke, for he said, in -Spanish: - -“_No trieste, hermano_ (Do not feel badly, brother).” And in Apache, -“We all do things in war that we would not do in peace.” - -Nevertheless, on the way to Camp Bowie, after the council, Jimmie could -not forget the sign of Lieutenant Reid’s rifle, in the Chiricahua camp. -He was such a young officer, to have been killed so soon, without -having had a chance to defend himself. And Cochise had declared that -his people had done no harm since leaving the Cañada Alamosa! - -But then, that was Indian way. And Apaches had been killed, too, by the -white men. War was a cruel game. - -General Howard did not return to Camp Bowie. He had gone the other way, -to Tucson, with his party and his ambulance. From Tucson he was going -to San Francisco, to report to General Schofield; and from there he -was going to Washington. - -He certainly had accomplished a great work, only―――― - -“Will the peace last as long as the stone, do you think, Maria?” asked -Jimmie. - -“The white people will break the stone, amigo mio,” said Maria. “Some -day they will break the stone, because they want the land where it -lies. Then there will be war again, and you and I will fight Nah-che. -But Cochise spoke straight. The Chiricahua in Arizona are tired. Did -you hear about the joke on the one-armed general?” - -“No.” - -“Nyle-chie-zie, who is Cochise’s brother-in-law, wanted to trade two -of his young wives to the general for the general’s four wagon-mules. -The general said he already had a wife. But the girls said that made no -difference; they would all get along together nicely. If the general -had not explained that the laws of the Americans forbade him to have -more than one wife at a time, he might have been in much trouble, I -think.” - -“Yes, many wives at once are a trouble,” asserted Ponce, who, with -Chie, was returning to the Warm Spring bands. “The soldier-captain saw -Cochise’s hand. That is why he refused the two girls!” - -“What was the matter with Cochise’s hand?” queried Jimmie. - -They all were talking in Apache. - -“Those two big holes in it are where one of his wives bit him. He was -afraid he would be sick, so he burned the places.” - -“The one-armed soldier-captain is very wise,” laughed Chie. “He does -not wish to lose the only hand he has.” - -“But it is true that white people are allowed only one wife at a time,” -insisted Jimmie. However, Ponce and Chie did not act as though they -believed this. - -Camp Bowie was reached early the next morning. It was a small army -post, about the size of Grant, composed of log and adobe buildings set -in a clearing on a hill in the middle of the celebrated Apache Pass -over the Chiricahua Mountains that extended on southward into Mexico. -The pass was long and rolling, between high brushy, thinly timbered -slopes. Bowie commanded the stage road both ways for two or three miles. - -This had been Cochise’s favorite resort, in former days. At the east -end of the pass was where his brother had been hanged, after the fracas -eleven years ago, or in 1861. There had been no Camp Bowie, then; only -the stage station. - -But Bowie was established the next year, 1862――the same year as Camp -Grant――and like Camp Grant, since that time it had been trailing -Apaches almost every day. What with the attacks on the stages, east and -west, and on livestock, and what with the vengeful ambushing of the -soldiers themselves, by the Chiricahuas, anybody stationed at Bowie -was certain to have plenty of excitement. Why, the graveyard there was -enough to give one the shudders. It was a famous graveyard. - -Before inspecting the graveyard, Jimmie reported to Jack Long. Jack -and the pack train were here. So was Lieutenant Almy, being entertained -by brother officers of the Fifth and Third Cavalry. - -“So it’s sure ’nough peace, is it?” commented Patron Jack, after he had -heard the story of everything that had occurred near Dragoon Springs. -“All right. Gin’ral Howard means well, like as not. But did you tell -old Cochise what I said? No? Humph! One thing’s sartin, anyhow: if -he was put on trial before a jury o’ Arizony people, they’d vote -yewnanimous to hang him an’ half his band. Yes, sir-ee.” - -“You bet yuh,” chimed in Slim Shorty, the cencero. - -And, as a matter of fact, when the general arrived at Tucson, the -newspaper and people there talked just as Jack talked. They said that -Cochise should be punished, instead of being granted a reservation, and -his Stronghold, for his own. Nevertheless, Cochise stayed there, true -to his word, until he died, in 1874; and Taza also kept from war, until -in 1876 he died. But with Geronimo and Nah-che matters went different, -just as Maria prophesied. - -“Now I will show you the graveyard, amigo,” proffered Maria, when -Jimmie had been dismissed from duty, by old Jack. - -The graveyard really was about the only thing of consequence to see, -at Bowie. It was the largest graveyard at any of the army posts in -Arizona. The many wooden slabs, marking the resting-place of soldier -and traveler, read much alike, except for the names. - -“Killed by the Apaches.” “At the Hands of the Apaches.” “Victim of the -Apaches.” “Met his Death by Apaches.” “Of Wounds Inflicted by the -Apaches.” And so forth, and so forth. - -Maria seemed to be proud of this collection, but it was too melancholy -for Jimmie. He was very glad when, on a sudden, a series of loud whoops -attracted his attention. A short, brick-topped, familiar figure in -old shirt outside of old trousers, was beckoning to him, on the way -from the parade ground. A trumpet was blowing “Boots and Saddles,” -cavalrymen were running to the stables, and packers were hustling at -the post mule-corral. - -So Jimmie legged back, to find out what was up. Micky Free, the -red-head, met him, and grinned delightedly, his one blue eye sparkling. -Micky had started a moustache, red like his hair. He showed hard travel. - -“Hello, Cheemie. Your patron says for you to come quick, if you want to -go to Camp Apache.” - -“When did you get in, Micky?” panted Jimmie, as they trotted on -together. - -“Just now. Alchisé (Al-chi-say) and I bring dispatches. The canvas suit -general is at Camp Apache, and everybody is to join him there, to go -against the Tonto.” - - - - -XII - -GENERAL CROOK RIDES AGAIN - - -“That’s right,” Patron Jack was urging, among the fast working men. -“Move yore feet, hombres, or the cavalry’ll beat you. The old man’s up -yonder, waitin’ on his mule, with both bar’ls loaded. Mebbe it’s peace -in the south but it’s war in the north.” And to Jimmie: “Say, muchacho! -Thar’s livelier things’n graveyards. We’re goin’ after Chuntz an’ the -rest o’ those boy murderers. So you jump an’ help the cook.” - -Alchisé and Micky Free had brought orders from General Crook at Camp -Apache to Lieutenant Almy to join him there at once with all the -cavalry and pack-mules that could be spared from Camp Bowie. - -Of course, the orders had not explained why; but the busy-minded Micky -asserted that everybody at Apache knew why: they knew why, because the -Sierra Blanca or White Mountains had been asked to send their young men -with the soldiers and help to drive the bad Tontos and Apache-Mohaves -out of the Tonto Basin. These Tontos and Yavapais were making trouble -between the white men and the red. - -The pack-train was ready first. In an hour the cavalry were ready, and -the column moved out of Bowie, for Camp Apache, two hundred miles by -trail north across the mountains. - -Maria had to stay behind, at Bowie. - -“Good-by, amigos,” he bade, to Jimmie and Micky. “Some day we will go -together against the Chiricahua, with your Crook.” - -There were fifty cavalry, mainly of the Fifth Regiment, and some fifty -pack-mules which carried only supplies for the march. Micky and Alchisé -led by the best trail, so that the trip was made in five days. - -Now Jimmie had an opportunity to see the famous Camp Apache, in the -grassy, well timbered and well watered Sierra Blanca or White Mountains -of northeastern Arizona. By reason of the fine hunting and fishing, and -scenery and climate, it was considered to be the prize army post of the -Southwest. - -It had been located in 1870, and was at first called Camp Ord, and Camp -Thomas. The Chiricahuas had sneered at the White Mountain Apaches, who -had permitted a soldier fort to be established among them. But Chiefs -Pedro and Miguel and Pi-to-ne and all had continued to live just west -of the post, and to remain tame Indians. In this they were wise. - -With the twelve hundred tame Indians, and the many soldiers, some -infantry but the majority cavalry, Camp Apache proved to be a stirring -place. General Crook had arrived, with his escort; clear from Fort -Whipple, two hundred and fifty miles west. He had traveled fast, -breaking camp by four o’clock every morning, and now he was hustling -matters so that he might set out for Camp Grant, to the southwest, and -organize an expedition from there. - -Lieutenant Bourke was at work enlisting the White Mountain young men. -Most of the White Mountains were very anxious to take the war-path -against the bothersome outlaw Tontos and Yavapais. Alchisé enlisted, -so did Na-kay-do-klunni, so did a sub-chief named Es-qui-nos-quiz-n or -Big Mouth, so did Nan-ta-je (Nan-tah-hay), a Coyotero; so did nearly -one hundred others. - -Micky knew every one of them. But his band was the Chief Pedro band. - -“Are you coming, Micky?” eagerly asked Jimmie. - -“Maybe. I will wait and see, Cheemie, until I can tell where there’ll -be the best fighting.” - -“We’ll catch the Tonto, won’t we, Micky?” - -“Oh, yes,” assured Micky. “That Cluke is cunning. All the way over he -saw that the water of the high places was frozen; winter has come and -the Tonto and Yavapai will be staying home. They cannot move their -rancherias, easy. I will go to Camp Grant with you, anyway,” added -Micky. “But don’t say so, to other people. I am not an Apache. I will -do as I please.” - -General Crook did not delay an instant at Camp Apache after he had -turned his orders into action. Upon the second morning after the -arrival of the reinforcements from Camp Bowie he started, with cavalry -and pack-mules and those White Mountain scouts who were ready, for Camp -Grant. - -He directed that the rest of the Apache scouts were to follow, in three -days. They would find many other Indians at Camp Grant, who would try -to be braver than the Sierra Blanca. - -“My young men will show how the White Mountains can fight,” had -answered old Pedro. - -General Crook was in a great hurry. - -“Yuh see,” explained Patron Jack, to the men who were astonished by -being roused out at two in the morning and led on without a halt until -late afternoon, “the old man’s promised to meet a lot more chiefs at -Grant, besides those Sierra Blancas, an’ he knows he’s got to keep his -word. If you don’t keep yore word with Injuns, they call you a liar.” - -The distance by trail from Apache to Grant was a little more than one -hundred miles――but each mile, as Cargador Frank Monach put it, meant -one mile up, two miles down, and one mile across! Alchisé and Archie -MacIntosh the Hudson Bay trapper, were the guides. Micky Free had not -appeared, at the start; and when Jimmie, disappointed, inquired about -him of Alchisé, Alchisé claimed to know nothing about Micky. He only -shrugged his shoulders, and grunted: - -“Maybe come, maybe stay. Who can tell?” - -The second day’s march was terrific, into canyons and out again; -and when darkness fell the column was still struggling to find a -camping-place. The mules and the cavalry horses had all they could do -to keep their feet amidst the brush and rocks; the general rode from -head to rear, encouraging, and looking after men and mules――he sought -no rest, for himself, and everybody worked like a demon. But Alchisé -and Archie MacIntosh, in trying a short cut, had missed the trail. - -Jimmie was toiling and urging with the rest, in the depths of a -star-canopied black canyon, when he heard a laugh, close at his ear, -and a voice that said, in Apache: - -“Why do you work so hard, Boy-who-sleeps? Are you afraid the Tonto will -get away?” - -It was Micky Free, bareback on a mule. He could scarcely be seen, but -Jimmie recognized his speech. - -“Where did _you_ come from?” demanded Jimmie crossly. - -“Oh, I am here,” laughed Micky. “I know all this country very well. I -told you I was going to Camp Grant.” - -“Then you’d better get to work,” retorted Jimmie. “I haven’t any time -to talk.” - -“No, I didn’t come to work; I came to fight the Tonto,” laughed Micky. -“But the rest of you had better work, or I’ll be the only one to get to -Camp Grant.” - -Amidst the hurly-burly of stumbling mules and perspiring packers Jimmie -lost him, and did not sight him again until long after sunrise the -next morning, when at last the command was out of the canyons and the -wearied pack-train followed the cavalry into camp. - -Micky was already there, ahead, squatting beside Alchisé. He arose and -came back to where Jimmie was helping Slim Shorty, the cook. - -“Alchisé says there will be some good fights, Cheemie,” remarked Micky. -“Now I want you to take me to your general, so that he will know who I -am.” - -“Aw, pshaw, Micky!” protested Jimmie. And in Apache: “I can’t. I’m -busy. The general wants to eat and sleep, and so do I.” - -“Who is this one-eye?” asked Slim Shorty. “Where’s he from an’ what’s -his trouble?” - -“His name’s Micky Free. He was with the Pedro band and helped me get -away from the Chiricahua. He asks me to take him to the general.” - -“What! Tell him to chase himself. ’Tain’t any time for payin’ social -visits,” growled Slim Shorty. “It’s grub time an’ sleep time, an’ -you’re workin’ for me. Savvy that?” Slim Shorty was cross, like -everyone else. Twenty-six hours straight had they been climbing and -threshing about. - -“Here comes your general now,” prompted Micky. “He doesn’t eat or -sleep. You can take me to him when he passes, Cheemie.” - -Sure enough, General Crook, on the faithful mule “Apache,” was ambling -slowly from group to group, through the camp; in his stained canvas -suit, his shot gun across his saddle! He seemed to be on a tour of -inspection, with particular regard for the pack-mules. - -As he passed, the men stiffened to their feet, and stood at attention. -He dropped a word here and there, and halted briefly at Slim Shorty’s -fire. Slim stood at attention, so did Jimmie, but Micky only waited, -red-headed, lightly clad, grinning amiably. - -“Feed your men well, cook,” bade the general. “They’ve earned double -rations. I see you’ve got a good supply of beans. That’s right. Always -set your beans to cook the night before, and they’ll be much more -wholesome.” - -“Yes, sir,” answered Slim Shorty. “But these hyar beans won’t be done -till noon. There warn’t any ‘night before,’ this last trip. Got plenty -bread, bacon an’ coffee, though.” - -“Oh, in that case――――,” smiled the general. His face was a little -drawn, but he didn’t look especially tired, and neither did Apache. -“How are you, my lad?” he queried, of Jimmie, and his eyes fell upon -Micky. “Who’s this? I didn’t know he was with the column. I’ve seen him -at Camp Apache. His name is Micky Free.” - -“Yes, sir,” answered Jimmie. “He lives with Chief Pedro’s band of -Sierra Blanca. He helped me get away from the Chiricahua camp, that -time.” - -“He’s not Apache?” - -“No, sir. He’s half Mexican and half Irish.” - -“What’s he doing here? Is he enlisted with the scouts?” - -“I don’t think so, sir,” faltered Jimmie. “Not with the Apache scouts. -He isn’t Indian. He followed us. He asked me to tell you that he wants -to fight the Tonto, though.” - -“Well, well. That’s all right, but I haven’t time to tend to that now, -my boy,” replied the general. “I’m going after some breakfast. Let him -report to Lieutenant Bourke. Bourke has charge of the scouts. When we -get to Grant we’ll give him a chance to fight.” And the general rode -on. He kept going, until he disappeared around a shoulder in some low -ground. He did not return for two hours, and then he brought back a -load of reed birds, for the officers’ mess. What a man! - -“What did he say?” inquired Micky, who spoke no English, of Jimmie. - -“He said to have you report to Lieutenant Bourke, and when we got to -Grant you would be shown fighting.” - -“That is good,” approved Micky. “I don’t care anything about your -Lieutenant Bourke, but the general has promised me fighting and I like -him. I will go to Grant, and then we will chase the Tonto with the -general, Cheemie; you and I.” - -So saying, Micky strolled away, to eat with Alchisé. Throughout the -remainder of the march to Camp Grant he did about as he pleased: -sometimes he rode in advance, with Alchisé and Archie MacIntosh; and -sometimes he rode with Jimmie, at the rear; and sometimes he vanished, -to explore on his own hook. But he always turned up at meal times! - -With his ragged clothes, and his red head and his smudgy reddish upper -lip and his one bright blue eye, Micky was a privileged character. - -Camp Grant was reached exactly on time, and for the next three days of -this first week in November it was a busy place. Dispatch bearers came -and went; Chief Packer Tom Moore was here, from Whipple; one hundred -White Mountain scouts arrived, under Chief Es-qui-nos-quiz-n or Big -Mouth; Pima and Maricopa chiefs were waiting, to talk with “Cluke” and -find out what he wanted; word came that the Hualpais were ready, for -they also hated the Apaches, as the Pimas and Maricopas did. But Chief -Es-kim-en-zin refused to let any of his young men enlist; the Arivaipas -had friends among the outlaw Pinals who ranged near the Tonto Basin. - -Every officer and enlisted man and pack-mule that could be spared -from the various posts, and every Indian who could be trusted off the -reservations, was called into service. Jimmie felt certain that he -ought to be included; he had done his level best, on the trip around by -Bowie and Apache――nobody had worked harder. So he anxiously consulted -Joe Felmer. - -“Wall, you see it’s this way,” said Joe: “I’m goin’ as scout――Archie -MacIntosh, Tony Besias, an’ me, ’long with the Major Brown column. That -keeps us in advance, an’ ’twon’t be any place for a boy. This is war. -So you stick ’round old Jack; he’ll boss the pack-train, an’ I happen -to know that he thinks purty well o’ you. He says you tended strictly -to bus’ness, an’ obeyed orders.” - -Jimmie looked up Patron Jack. - -“Shore thing, muchacho,” answered Jack. “I told you I’d make a -fust-class packer of you, an’ I will. You fetch yore war-bag an’ fall -in ready to help the cook’ an’ by the time we’re out o’ the Tonto Basin -with old Chuntz’s scalp mebbe you’ll get a second-class ratin’.” - -Hurrah! It was only proper, too, for Chief Chuntz had murdered little -Francisco, and had not little Francisco been his, Jimmie’s, partner? -Everybody at Grant was particularly eager to kill or capture Chuntz. - -“To-morrow we start,” remarked Micky. “Where is the Gray Fox, Cheemie?” - -“Who is that, Micky?” - -“Cluke. He is the Gray Fox, because of his smartness and his dirt-color -clothes. All the Indians are calling him the Gray Fox. Where is he?” - -“I don’t know. He is visiting other forts, getting the soldiers ready.” - -And that was true. General Crook was leaving nothing at loose ends, but -instead of issuing his orders from headquarters, was overseeing the -details in person. He never tired. - -“I would rather follow him on the war trail,” continued Micky. “But if -he is not here I shall go with Big Mouth and Nan-ta-je and Lieutenant -Bourke, and you. It will mean fighting. We will find the Tonto and -Yavapai. That I know.” - -“How do you know, Micky?” asked Jimmie curiously――for Micky spoke -assuredly. - -“I know it from Nan-ta-je. Why he knows I cannot tell you now, but -you will see.” And with that, the mysterious red-headed Micky became -Indian, and refused to utter another word on the subject. - -As far as Jimmie could learn from Joe Felmer and Jack Long and the talk -at the post, the plan for the campaign was as follows: - -The troops and scouts at Camp Apache, under Major George M. Randall, of -the Twenty-third Infantry, were to work in toward the Tonto Basin from -the east. The Camp Grant column, under Brevet Major W. H. Brown, were -to work up from the south. From the far northwest, at Camp Hualpai, -Colonel Julius W. Mason (who had roundly threshed the Apache-Mohaves -that had conspired to assassinate General Crook at Date Creek, last -summer) was to march down with his Fifth Cavalry and some Hualpais. -From Date Creek to the southwest Captain George F. Price, of the Fifth -Cavalry, should come on; and from the west the Fort Whipple column, -under Major Alexander MacGregor, of the First Cavalry, and the Camp -Verde First Cavalry under Colonel C. C. C. Carr, and the Camp McDowell -Fifth Cavalry and Pimas and Maricopas under Captain “Jimmie” Burns, -were to complete the circle. - -They all were to clean the country as they advanced, and close in on -the Tonto Basin. - -Just before the Camp Grant column started, the general’s final orders -were read to all the soldiers and scouts, in line. It was to be a -fight to a finish. The Indians who would not surrender must be pursued -until killed or captured. Women and children should not be harmed, -if possible. Prisoners were to be well treated. Men prisoners should -be enlisted as scouts, when they were willing to serve; and full use -should be made of them, to discover the hiding-places of the other wild -Apaches. And―――― - -“The general commanding the Department wishes to state that no excuse -will be accepted for leaving a trail. If the horses become unfit -for service, the enemy must be followed on foot. He expects that no -sacrifice shall be left untried by officers and men, to make the -campaign short, sharp and decisive.” - -Antonio Besias the interpreter and guide translated the orders for the -Apache scouts. At his first opportunity, Micky asked Jimmie to repeat -them. Nan-ta-je also listened attentively. He grunted satisfaction. - -“That is good,” commented Micky. “It is straight talk. We will find -what we are looking for.” - -The Major Brown column out of Camp Grant consisted of Companies L and -M of the Fifth Cavalry, commanded by Captain Alfred B. Taylor and -Lieutenant Jacob Almy, Lieutenant (Brevet Major) William J. Ross, of -the Twenty-first Infantry, who had won honors in the Civil War, and -Lieutenant John G. Bourke, of the Third Cavalry, who had been General -Crook’s aide-de-camp. They were all good fighting men. Then there -were thirty Sierra Blanca Apache scouts――Chief Big Mouth, Alchisé who -was called Alchisay, Nan-ta-je whom the soldiers nicknamed “Joe,” -Na-kay-do-klun-ni who was nicknamed “Bobby Do-klinny,” and the others, -managed by Joe Felmer, Archie MacIntosh and Antonio Besias. Then there -was the pack-train of fifty mules, in charge of Pack-Master Jack Long -and Assistant Frank Monach, and ten such first-class packers as Jim -O’Neill, Chileno John, “Long Jim” Cook and “Short Jim” Cook, Manuel -Lopez, old Sam Wisser the German, with Slim Shorty as cook and John -Cahill as blacksmith――men tried and true. Then there was Mr. James -Daily, General Crook’s brother-in-law who had come out to Whipple -last spring with his sister Mrs. Crook, and was “seeing the country” -with the cavalry; and Micky Free, who might be counted as a sort of -“detached” scout. - -Altogether, Jimmie felt convinced, this was the best column in -the field. As Patron Jack asserted, it could “lick its weight in -wild-cats.” - - - - -XIII - -HUNTING THE YAVAPAI - - -“Now Apache catch Apache,” announced Micky. - -It was a sharply chill evening, December 27, this 1872, and under a -clouded sky the whole Major Brown command were encamped together in the -little canyon of Cottonwood Creek, about seventy-five miles northwest -of Camp Grant. - -Not far west rose the long, high plateau of the Mazatzal or Four Peaks -Range, through which the Salt River cut a deep, crooked trail toward -Camp MacDowell on the other side. - -But the seventy-five miles was only a small portion of the distance -that had been covered. The Major Brown column out of Grant had been -marching north, west, south, and north again, for more than a month; -sometimes in cactus and sunshine, sometimes in snow and storm, ever -trying to corral the Chuntz and Delt-che outlaws. - -These were hard to find. In this rough canyon country they had made -their homes for years and years. They knew every inch of it. Only the -Sierra Blanca scouts, who were afoot, in silent moccasins, and kept -a day’s march ahead, had had any luck. Twice they had struck small -rancherias; and they had killed four or five warriors. - -Micky hunted with the scouts, daytimes; and each night, when in camp, -he had great stories to tell. It all was a lark, to Micky the red-head. -He had captured a rifle, in one of the Chuntz jacals or huts, and now -was very happy. He seemed rather to pity Jimmie, who was held to the -plodding, scrambling pack-train, at the rear. - -Still, duty was duty, and business was business; and the pack-train was -as important as the soldiers or the scouts. Without the pack-train, -then the expedition needs must quit or starve――and what would General -Crook say? - -On Christmas Day forty men of Company G, Fifth Cavalry, commanded by -Captain “Jimmie” Burns and Lieutenant Earl D. Thomas, with pack-train -and almost one hundred Pima Indian scouts, all from Camp MacDowell, had -joined. - -They’d had some luck. On the top of the Four Peaks they had surprised -a Yavapai rancheria (one of Delt-che’s, they thought), had killed six -Indians and captured a squaw and a little boy. They had brought the boy -along, because he could kill quail with stones and with bow and arrow. -His new name was “Mike.” - -Only Nan-ta-je could understand much that Mike said. The Yavapai -language was different from straight Apache. And why Nan-ta-je -understood Yavapai, Jimmie presently found out. - -This evening of December 27, two days after the Captain Burns column -had been met, something evidently was up. Patron Jack had received -orders from Major Brown to park his mules in close, along a picket -line, “in a place easy of defence.” That was one hint. - -“‘Find heap Injuns, poco tiempo (in little while),’ those scouts keep -sayin’, do they?” grumbled Jack. “Humph! Looks like ‘heap Injuns’ -might be goin’ to find _us_, mebbe!” - -And now as Jimmie, having finished his duties for the evening, made way -through the early dusk to look up Micky and listen to the stories of -the scouts, he noted that Major Brown and the six officers and Chief -Guide Archie MacIntosh were in a group around a little fire, talking -low with one another. - -The soldiers, wrapped in their cavalry overcoats, huddled also, in -messes, smoking and joking. They might have been waiting for the time -to roll in their blankets, but somehow they all seemed to be waiting -for something else. - -A little apart from the cavalry camp was the scouts’ camp; Chief Big -Mouth’s White Mountains in one place, the Pimas in another. The Apaches -certainly knew how to make themselves comfortable. They stuffed their -moccasins with dry grass, to keep their feet warmer, and slept two or -three together in snug beds among the rocks. - -This evening they were having an especially good time. They were -roasting and eating pieces of a mule that had died from poison. Micky -was squatting and tearing at a chunk, like the rest of them, near one -of their little fires. - -With greasy mouth he grinned amiably as Jimmie approached to squat -beside him. - -“Come and eat, Boy-who-sleeps,” he greeted, in Apache. - -“I have eaten. I am full,” explained Jimmie. Poisoned mule was rather -more than he could stomach, although when with the Chiricahuas he had -eaten almost anything. - -“It is well to be full,” said Micky, chewing hard. “We may not eat -again for a long time.” - -“Why, Red-head?” - -“Because,” asserted Micky, changing to Mexican-Spanish, “now Apache -catch Apache. We start soon. If you want to go, you had better be -getting ready.” - -“Where are they? How do you know?” demanded Jimmie. - -Micky swallowed a large mouthful of mule meat, and held his chunk in -the coals again, with a sharpened stick. - -“I know,” he said. “Soon all the soldiers will know, so I will tell -you what I could not tell you before. Cluke knew, when we left Camp -Grant. He had talked with Bocon (which was Spanish for Big Mouth), and -with Nan-ta-je. Major Brown knew, too. But it has been a secret. We are -here to fight Delt-che’s Yavapai where they have hidden in the Four -Peaks above the Salt River. Nan-ta-je was brought up, there, when he -was a boy. It is a big cave, in the face of the canyon made by the Salt -River. It is reached by a secret trail from above. Nan-ta-je knows the -trail. He told Bocon and Bocon told the Gray Fox, and they arranged, -at Camp Grant. First we were to chase Chuntz, who had killed your -Francisco. That has been done, and he has got away. Now we will follow -Nan-ta-je to the cave of the Delt-che people.” - -“How far, Micky?” breathlessly asked Jimmie. - -Micky proceeded to gnaw his meat chunk, hot though it was. - -“A night’s march, over the mountains along the Salt River. We start as -soon as a bright star rises over the hills in the east. The soldiers -must leave their horses, and all wear moccasins, to make no noise, and -must get there before daylight. If we are discovered on the trail, -we will be killed, every one of us. Nobody can escape, then. That is -what Bocon and Nan-ta-je say, and they know. It will be a fine fight, -anyway. The Yavapai will be in their cave, behind a rock wall across -its mouth, and we will be on a flat place outside, in front; and those -who fall off will land, in the river, far below. Yes. That is why I -came, to see. You must run off from your pack-mules and be there, too, -Cheemie.” - -“No, I won’t run off, but I’ll ask, you bet!” exclaimed Jimmie, jumping -up. - -“Inju (good)!” grunted Micky, gulping fast, to finish his chunk. “You -and I will stay with the White Mountains. They will fight. But I don’t -think much of these Pimas. Whenever one is killed, the rest stop -fighting and make medicine.” - -Jimmie hustled back. He was all on fire to go. It sounded as though it -was to be a fight that a fellow would hate to miss. - -A change had come over the camp. The cavalry detachments were astir. -The non-commissioned officers were passing among the squads, inspecting -equipment; in the glow of the fires the men were donning moccasins, -overhauling their stubby fifty-calibre Springfield carbines, and -stuffing their cartridge-belts, worn outside their blue overcoats, -with the brass cartridges distributed from the green ammunition-boxes -lugged by the pack-train. - -The officers’ council had broken up; the captains and lieutenants were -with their companies; Archie MacIntosh and Joe Felmer strode briskly -through, for the scouts. Jimmie seized upon Joe. - -“Joe! Can I go? I want to go!” - -“Whar?” - -“To see the fight at the cave!” - -“What cave? How do you know about any cave? You must have been with -that pesky Micky Free ag’in. Wall, you keep yore mouth shut about a -cave. No, I don’t say you can go. You aren’t under my orders. You’re -with the pack outfit. Don’t bother me.” - -And away hastened Joe, following Archie. Away hastened Jimmie, -likewise, to find Jack Long. - -All the cavalry horses had been tied to a picket rope, near the mules, -against the canyon side. The riggings and the packs were being piled as -a breastwork――the task had been almost completed――old Jack and Frank -Monach and Jim O’Neill and Blacksmith John Cahill and even Slim Shorty -were standing armed and ready――evidently the packers were to join the -cavalrymen――hurrah, the pack men were to be in the fight! - -“Say, whar you been?” accused Jack. “Now you stay――――” - -“Oh, Jack, can I go? I want to go, Jack! Please can I go?” pleaded -Jimmie. - -“Seems to me you’re alluz wantin’ to ‘go’ some’ers,” growled Jack. “You -ask Joe Felmer. He’s yore gardeen.” - -“I did ask him and he said I wasn’t with him, I was with the pack -outfit; and the pack outfit’s going, isn’t it?” argued Jimmie. - -“Best part of it,” admitted Jack. “Orders from the major are for every -able-bodied man to march out, an’ for those who can’t climb to guard -the animals an’ packs, hyar. Dunno which’ll be the dangerouser place, -in case the Injuns try a stampede.” - -“Oh, let him go; he’s earned it, I reckon,” spoke up “Long Jim” Cook -gruffly. “He can stick beside o’ me. (Long Jim being six feet eight!) -Then all the bullets’ll fly so high he won’t even feel the wind of ’em.” - -“I’ll be up in front with Micky Free. Micky and I can scout as well as -any Apache,” panted Jimmie. “We won’t be hurt.” He turned, to make off -again, but Jack sternly halted him. - -“You do as the rest do, then: put on a blanket-roll an’ stick in some -grub, an’ change yore feet into moccasins.” - -That took only a few moments, for a boy in a hurry. Slim Shorty the -cook good-naturedly supplied the moccasins; the blanket-roll was made -up in a jiffy, around a wad of bread and cold meat, and was slung over -Jimmie’s left shoulder―――― - -“If ’twasn’t Micky Free I wouldn’t let you go,” warned Jack. “But -nothin’ yet invented can harm _him_, so if you jest hang onto his -shirt-tail he’ll take you through!” - -This time Jimmie got away, but none too soon, for the soldier column -was forming, to low commands. The fires had died down, darkness had -closed in, and he scurried fast, through the gloom. The scouts were -bunched――Apaches together, and Pimas together――standing, wrapped in -their blankets, waiting. Beyond them, somebody struck a match. The -flame lighted the face of Nan-ta-je and of Major Brown, who was looking -at his watch. - -Jimmie, pausing and peering, felt a hand on his arm and heard Micky’s -voice, under breath. Micky could see in the dark. - -“Inju. Star nearly up. Before sun is up, big fight.” - -Nan-ta-je’s star must have appeared at that very moment, for Major -Brown struck another match, to show his hand raised as signal, he and -Nan-ta-je moved forward, the scouts moved, pressing in the wake of -Archie MacIntosh, and Joe, and Tony Besias, there were gruff orders, -half whispers, from the sergeants, to the soldiers; and amidst soft -shuffle of moccasins the whole long column followed the lead of the -major and Nan-ta-je, presently up out of the little canyon, for the -high mesa or table-land above. - -Whew, but the December night was growing cold! The clouds had broken, -the stars were very bright, faintly illumining the dark winding column, -and the frosty breaths wafting from it. Scarce a sound, except the -scuff of the moccasins, could be heard. The United States cavalry in -Arizona did not carry sabers when scouting for Apaches; and to-night -even the canteens had been stowed in the blanket rolls, lest they -jingle. - -According to the north star the course was westerly. Nan-ta-je and the -major led at a rapid pace, to keep the men warm. Jimmie stuck close by -Micky. He had no fear of not being able to hold his own. He trotted -loose-kneed, toeing in, head up, breathing through his nose, Apache way. - -Trudge, trudge, scuff, scuff, hour after hour, as seemed, westward -across the high, rough mesa where the snow lay in patches and the Four -Peaks of the Mazatzal rose close on the right. To the left was the -canyon of the Salt River. - -The Apache scouts forged ahead of the cavalry. Along after midnight, -from a little rise sign was seen away off, before. Lights! Major Brown -and Nan-ta-je had halted. - -“Come! Quick!” hissed Micky, he and Jimmie trotting faster. -“Camp-fires. Maybe Yavapai.” - -“Column, halt! Lie down, men,” sounded the low gruff order, behind. - -Down flopped everybody, except Archie MacIntosh and Joe Felmer, and -half a dozen of the scouts with them, who continued on rapidly. Micky -slipped after, like a shadow; he did not intend to miss anything. - -Jimmie had dropped in the van of the other scouts, near to the major -and Nan-ta-je. They and Chief Big Mouth and Bobby Do-klinny were -crouched under a blanket. - -“Nan-ta-je step in track. Think it man track,” grunted, in Apache, the -Indian beside Jimmie. Queer how the Apaches seemed to know everything! -And Nan-ta-je had merely felt the track, through his moccasin sole! - -Under the blanket the major――or somebody――struck another match. Just -the faint crackle told. The little group examined the track, there was -short muttering; then the crouchers relaxed and quit, and waited. Big -Mouth crept back. - -“Shosh (Bear),” he informed. - -Nan-ta-je had been fooled, but a bear track is very much like a -moccasin track. - -Nobody spoke again. If anyone even coughed, from the cold air, he did -so with his mouth pressed against his blanket. Jimmie shivered with the -cold and the excitement. - -Now here came Archie and Joe and their squad, trotting back from their -reconnoitering. Archie reported to Major Brown and Nan-ta-je. - -“Yavapai fires,” whispered Micky, sinking beside Jimmie. “Pony herd, -too. Four wickyups. No Yavapai. Left wickyups and ponies, little while -ago. Maybe go to tell Delt-che.” - -That looked bad. - -“Huh!” grunted a White Mountain. “We go to surprise Yavapai. If Yavapai -know and surprise us, we all get killed, says Nan-ta-je.” - -“What ponies?” asked somebody, of Micky. - -“Pima and undah (white-man) ponies. Traveled far. Feet worn out.” - -In their cavalry capes Captain Taylor and Lieutenant Bourke stole -forward, stooping. They had been sent for to consult with Major Brown, -Archie MacIntosh, and Nan-ta-je and Chief Big Mouth. Pretty soon they -went back. The march was resumed, toward the fires. The column had -spread out, ready to defend itself, but the White Mountain scouts kept -ahead. Chief Owl Ears’ Pimas were behind with the Captain Burns company. - -The fires were still glowing at the Yavapai camp on the top of the -mesa, in a hollow where there were grass and water for the stolen -ponies. But save for the snorts of the ponies, all was silence. The -march had been made cautiously, and now the air had thinned; in the -east the sky had lightened. Morning was at hand. - -“Yavapai cave near,” whispered Micky. The word had been passed along, -somehow. The march was halted again. Teeth chattered. - -Next, Lieutenant Ross continued, with Archie and Joe and Nan-ta-je, a -dozen cavalrymen and the packers Jack Long, Jim O’Neill, Long Jim Cook, -Frank Monach, Slim Shorty――dead shots all, and fine Indian fighters. -Nan-ta-je led. - -Captain Burns and Lieutenant Thomas, with their cavalrymen and most -of the Pimas, branched off on the back trail of the pony herd, to the -southeast. More Yavapai might be coming, from that direction, with -other booty. - -The remainder of the column followed Lieutenant Ross. The White -Mountains had dropped their blankets about their waists, as if clearing -for action. Their faces were set alert, their nostrils flared, they -were straining every sense, to detect more “sign.” Micky pointed -downward; underfoot was a regular trail, disclosed in the gray light. - -Their carbines and rifles at a trail, the Lieutenant Ross detachment, -led by Nan-ta-je, with Archie and Joe at his heels, had dipped out of -sight, as if over an edge. The last one of them disappeared. The faint -roar of rapid waters sounded. - -“Canyon of Salt River there,” whispered Micky. “Yavapai cave, too.” - -The crack of the canyon began to open――across were the opposite walls. -Cold mist was floating up. The trail conducted to the canyon, and down. -Major Brown and Captain Taylor and Lieutenant Bourke, with Tony Besias -the interpreter, Chief Big Mouth and others went forward to peer in. As -the column bunched, everybody tried to peer in. Micky craned forward, -with the scouts――he and Alchisé and Bobby Do-klinny; Jimmie edged on; -they all might look over the rim, for the officers were as curious as -the rest. - -The roar of the waters rose louder. The river was far down, hundreds -of feet, at the bottom of a long crooked gorge with precipice walls. -Icicles hung from the crags. The trail entered, here, and clinging to -the niches and wearing away the sod of the few flat spots snaked at a -diagonal until, descending, it rounded a shoulder one hundred yards -below the rim, where the mists were wreathing. - -It was as steep as the trail down which those Tontos had scampered, -into the Tonto Basin! Nobody was on it. The Ross party had gone. - -“Mescal,” whispered Micky, sniffing. All the scouts were sniffing. A -sweetish scent was in the air, as if welling from below. - -Apache mescal pits! Wood smoke, too! Smell it? - -“Huh! Rancheria there,” grunted Bobby Do-klinny. “Close to Delt-che, -now. Where Nan-ta-je?” - -Then―――― - -“Bang-g-g-g-g-g!” - -The noise, echoing through the canyon depths and striking the faces -gazing in, fairly deafened. It sounded like a regiment, but it was only -a volley by the Lieutenant Ross party, unseen. - -The little handful of advance guard had found the Yavapai! - - - - -XIV - -THE BATTLE OF THE CAVE - - -The suddenness of the tremendous outburst paralyzed even Micky. As the -echoes rumbled and jarred, Jimmie’s heart beat in his ears. The hard, -quick voice of Major Brown broke in. - -“Good heavens! What’s all that? Bourke, take the first forty -men――doesn’t matter who――support Ross as quick as you can, and wait for -the rest of the command. I’ll join you in short order. Hold your fire, -if possible, till I arrive. Tell Ross the same.” - -“Yes, sir,” and the strong, active figure of Lieutenant Bourke sprang -to the trail. “Sergeant Turpin! Here!” Top Sergeant James Turpin was -the nearest to him. “Count off forty men, as they come, white or red, -and follow me. Quick, now!” - -Chief Big Mouth yelped at his men in Apache; tossed away his blanket. - -“Soldier-captain want men to fight Yavapai. Don’t let white men beat -you!” - -There was a rush for the trail. Soldiers and Indians both were eager. -Sergeant Turpin had hard work. Jimmie saw no chance―――― - -“Sh! Come!” hissed Micky, at him. - -Micky had slipped over the edge. Only his red head could be seen. His -feet were on a narrow ledge that, extending along, just held him. -Below, the canyon wall of stunted brush and rough gray rock and frozen -trickles fell sharply away, clear down to the cold river, a thousand -feet! It was a dizzy sight. - -Clutching his rifle, planted as a brace to steady him while he half -kneeled, Micky twisted enough to beckon with his free hand. - -“Come on. Leave your blanket.” - -Micky’s blanket lay where he had peeled it. Without a thought of -hesitation Jimmie doffed his own roll, and squirming flat fumbled, -feet first, for the ledge; found it, and carefully lowered his body, -backward. Ticklish work, that was, for a fellow in a hurry――although -Micky apparently had done it as nimbly as a squirrel. - -“Inju!” approved Micky, when Jimmie was safely settled. “Now wait.” - -If anybody above had noticed, nobody took time to object. What with the -soldiers and scouts so eager to pass Sergeant Turpin’s count, and what -with the rear guard hastening up, and what with everybody preparing -weapons and clothing and re-forming for the prospective fight, there -were few thoughts upon the whereabouts of two such items as wild Micky -Free and his partner Jimmie Dunn. Micky was the kind who usually got a -front seat. - -Now they too crouched here out of sight upon the narrow shelf. Scarcely -yet had the echoes of the thunderous volley died away. Listen! -Shrill, distant whoops and yells of defiance, also from below! But -there sounded a brisk command, above――the fast shuffle of feet and -the rolling of pebbles――and down the slanting trail that cut along -the sheer wall plunged, sliding and striding, the support company, -Lieutenant Bourke first, Chief Big Mouth next, and their file of men, -white and red mingled in a fast jumble, close pursuing, every carbine -and rifle ready for business. - -Micky poised, crouching tense. Just as the tail of the little -procession swung past, slipping and steadying again he darted forward -on the shelf. Jimmie imitated. They scuttled so fast that they either -must keep going or tumble off. The shelf pinched out before it cut -the trail, but Micky never paused; he leaped, and landed like a goat, -on a smaller shelf, a mere piece of out-sticking rock; that gave him -purchase for another leap which took him to the trail; and turning -instantly he ran down. - -Jimmie had no time for thought. What Micky could do, he could do――he -_had to_! He, too, leaped; barely touched the next rock with one -moccasin; sprang on, desperately, across space, brushing the wall; -landed on the edge of the trail, slipped, recovered (Whew!), and -gaining balance sped after Micky. - -The trail descended, narrow and broken and icy in spots, at a steep -angle. Anybody who lost his footing on it would be a “goner”――he’d not -stop until, having bounced and rolled and hurtled, he was a fragment of -shattered bone and flesh in the roaring river below. It was a regular -Apache trail. - -But Micky was running. The Lieutenant Bourke file were at a trot, and -already half-way to the turn around the shoulder. So Jimmie ran. - -Micky caught the tail of the file before it rounded the shoulder, and -slackened to keep pace with it. Jimmie caught Micky just as the tail, -who was John Cahill the blacksmith, was disappearing like the lash end -of a dragged whip――but he did not go much farther. - -The file were scattering like frightened quail, to a chorus of Apache -yells, and the clatter and swish of arrows, and a rapidly barked -command. Micky dived for the shelter of a jagged boulder, and Jimmie -followed suit. They all had arrived. - -It was a broad shelf two hundred yards long, about half-way between the -bottom of the precipice and the top, and littered with boulders. On -right and left, behind the boulders, were the Ross men, their carbine -barrels pointing steadily at a high rock wall about in the middle of -the shelf, a little way out from the face of the precipice. Behind this -rock wall――which was ten feet high and built up smooth――was a large -opening: the Yavapai cave! - -All the air resounded with whoops and screeches, and bow twang, and now -and then a gun-shot, coming from the cave. The Yavapais were inside. -Several might be glimpsed, between the end of the rock wall and the -mouth of the cave, darting about. They dragged a body or two back, out -of sight. The Ross volley had killed some of them. - -“Big fight!” panted Micky. “Good. We are in time.” - -“Hey! What in thunder are you doin’ down hyar?” scolded Joe Felmer, -from behind the next boulder――he and John Cahill together. “You want to -lose yore scalps?” - -Micky only grinned impudently, and with an Apache yell answered the -Yavapais. The White Mountains were replying with taunt to taunt. Jimmie -said not a word. He may have done wrong, but here he was. - -“Wall, you stay mighty close,” ordered Joe. “This’ll be no picnic.” - -“What have you done, Black Beard?” called Chief Big Mouth, who was near. - -“The pony thieves were dancing their deeds in the mouth of the cave. -Before they saw us we killed six of them.” - -“Bueno,” grunted the fierce Big Mouth. - -Lying low, Lieutenant Ross and Lieutenant Bourke and Nan-ta-je were -consulting together. Presently orders were passed from man to man, -on this side; and by ones and twos and threes the soldiers and -scouts spread out, in the gray dawn, selecting other positions here, -or bending, went scurrying across, against the shelter of the cave -rampart, to reinforce the other flank, while the carbines of their -fellows kept the Yavapais from shooting at them. - -Listen, again! Amidst the cries of the enraged Yavapais there rose -the clink of carbine butt and shuffle of moccasins from marching men, -again. Major Brown was bringing down the rest of the troops. But Micky -had focussed his attention upon something else. The roving one eye of -his never missed a single point. - -“Yavapai!” he uttered excitedly, half rising and pointing, and up he -jerked his rifle. - -“Hooh!” exclaimed Big Mouth, craning. - -John Cahill was the quickest. Away beyond, down the beetling canyon -wall, on an out-jutting rock there, stood a naked Indian with long -black hair. He whooped triumphantly. He had escaped, somehow, from the -cave――he was almost to the bottom and in a moment more―――― - -“Bang!” - -Blacksmith Cahill’s carbine had spoken even while Big Mouth and Joe and -Micky were taking aim. - -“Thut!” That was the bullet striking flesh. Off from the rock was swept -the Indian, and disappeared. Whether or not he had been killed, nobody -knew; but his body was found later, by some squaws. - -“He will take no word to other Yavapai, I think,” pronounced Micky. “If -other Yavapai come and catch us here, then we are dead, too.” - -The Major Brown soldiers were pelting in, breathless from the slippery -trail. Hither-thither they deployed, sneaking among the rocks and -darting across the face of the cave-mouth wall. Now a Pima of the -Bourke men stood up, daring the Yavapais while he peered for a -shot into the cave. A puff of smoke belched from a niche atop the -rampart――“Bang!”――and down he wilted, into a crumpled heap without -motion. - -The Yavapais yelled louder――their “kill” yell. The Pimas and White -Mountains yelled back. The soldiers were not doing much shooting, yet. -Their officers were arranging them. Very soon the arrangement had -settled into this: - -There was one line of crouching scouts and soldiers behind the many -boulders (which sometimes touched one another) not far in front of -the cave-mouth wall and on either flank as the ends curved in. These -were skirmishers. Back of them, clear along the edge of the immensely -broad shelf and extending around the ends of the shelf, and even among -the crags of the precipice, was a second line, in reserve, also behind -rocks, to cover the first line. Some of the rocks were low, some high; -they formed all kinds of shelter, from which one might shoot over and -around corners and through chinks. The Micky-Jimmie boulder, down from -the foot of the trail, in the second line, was about the size of a -roll-top office-desk; and squatting they might peep across the ragged -surface of it and see the whole length of the big shelf. - -From either side Joe Felmer and Big Mouth wriggled in toward them, to -shoot between their rocks and this. - -“Steady! Hold your fire till orders,” warned Sergeant Turpin and others. - -For Antonio Besias the interpreter was speaking. He half rose, from -along the second line, and called in Apache. - -“You must all come out!” he shouted. “The soldier-captain has many men -and many guns. He has found you, and you cannot get away. He does not -wish to kill you, but he will kill you unless you lay down your guns -and come out.” - -Back behind his rock ducked Antonio, just in time to dodge a dozen -arrows, not to say several bullets. What a storm of hoots and shrieks -had drowned his voice! - -“We are not afraid!” were retorting the cave warriors. “Yah yah! We are -not afraid,” they jeered, in Apache and Spanish. “It is you who will -die, you white men and you traitor moccasin-stealers who rob women.” To -accuse an Apache of stealing moccasins from squaws was the bitterest of -insults. “You will not live to see the sun rise. Our people are coming -up from below, and you will be fed to the buzzards. Yah!” - -Nan-ta-je tried, in Apache and Mohave jargon both. But he, too, had to -duck, before he had finished telling them to send out their women and -children, anyway. - -“We are not fighting those,” he said. “We fight only men. The -soldier-captain will wait until you send out your women and children. -They will not be harmed. It is not right――――” and his words were lost -in another burst of furious, insolent clamor. - -Major Brown’s trumpeter orderly sounded: “Commence firing.” The high -strains lilted gaily from canyon wall to canyon wall, and back again. - -“Take it easy, boys,” cautioned Sergeant Turpin, near the Jimmy squad. -“Let the front line do the work, but if you see a head, hit it. But -watch out for the women and children.” - -The Yavapai warriors, behind their high rock rampart, taller than they -were, had difficulty in seeing out. Occasionally a head seemed to be -cautiously poked up, under an old hat, and the men of the front rank -promptly banged away at it. - -Micky, squirming for a rest, leveled his battered rifle across the -top of the boulder, took aim with his one eye――“Bang!” Instantly an -answering shot so shrewdly scraped the boulder top that the stinging -rock splinters filled not only Micky’s one eye but both eyes of the -intently peering Jimmie. - -“Fool Red-head, you; why you shoot?” scolded Big Mouth. “Squaw hold up -hat on stick, you shoot at that, man shoot at _you_!” - -This trick did not deceive the soldiers long. The Yavapais quit it, and -from behind their wall began to send arrows by scores high into the -air, so that, curving downward, they might land among the rocks where -the soldiers and scouts lay. - -Major Brown met this with a similar scheme. Nan-ta-je and Archie -MacIntosh wriggled forward, as rapidly as snakes, among the rocks, from -back line to front line, taking a message to soldiers and scouts. The -word was passed, for suddenly all the line elevated the carbines and -rifles a little higher and shot fast. - -Long Jim Cook and Alchisé and Lieutenant Ross and the others in sight -were grabbing the cartridges spread by the handful beside them, and -using them as rapidly as triggers might be pulled. From the whole wide -cave floated dust; here and there the edges melted away. - -“Hi! That’s the stuff!” muttered Joe. “Shoot into the cave an’ let the -bullets glance. That’ll fetch ’em.” - -Now squaws and children were crying with pain and fright. The glancing, -re-bounding bullets favored nobody. The warriors howled furiously. -The lead was finding them, behind their wall. Worse, it was wounding -their wives and babies. So they stood up, to face it and try to divert -it――stop it, if possible. - -Their scowling faces and naked or ragged-shirted shoulders might be -seen, above the breastworks, amidst the smoke and dust. They, too, -shot rapidly, point-blank, into the rocks before――and the squaws’ and -children’s arms were glimpsed, handing up to them loaded guns. - -At the far end of the wall was a strange, wild figure――their medicine -man! Yes, because he wore a large head-dress of painted feathers and -a painted, beaded buckskin shirt hung with strings and shells, which -should protect him and his people from the bullets. He was fighting, -too! - -Twice Joe Felmer drew bead on him and shot; only to mutter: - -“I can’t tech that feller.” - -“No. He is big medicine,” reproved Chief Bocon. “You had better save -your bullets, Black Beard.” - -“Cease firing!” shrilled the bugle. And on a sudden there was nothing -doing, and almost a complete silence, except for crying children, until -Antonio Besias called again, in Spanish. - -“You have fought well, but you can see that you have no chance. The -soldier-captain says for you to come out. Or if you are so foolish as -not to come out, send to us your women and children, that they may not -be hurt.” - -The Yavapais did not answer. They had disappeared from the wall. Maybe -they were consulting together, about the peace summons. Everybody -waited expectantly. Jimmie, trembling with the excitement and the -horror of the fight, hoped that the people in the cave would now -surrender. - -Ah, what was that? More defiance? The Yavapais were chanting――a high, -wild chorus, men and squaws both――and the shuffle and thud of a dance -could be heard. - -“Hooh! They make ready to charge,” grunted Chief Big Mouth. “They sing -their death song. We must shoot straight, Black Beard.” - -“Look out! It is the death song! They will charge!” were warning -Nan-ta-je, Bobby Do-klinny, Alchisé, and the other scouts, in Apache -and Spanish; and the soldiers repeated. - -“Good!” pronounced Micky, his blue eye snapping. “It will be a fight -man to man. That is no fun, to shoot into a cave.” - -The chant welled higher and stronger, and all the canyon echoed again. -Would they never come? - -The front or skirmish line had shifted to their knees, guns at -shoulders――Lieutenant Ross had drawn his revolver. - -“Steady, lads,” was cautioning Sergeant Turpin and his non-coms, to -this rear line. “Hold your places.” - -“Here they come!” - -A great cheer rang, for like jacks-in-the-box the Yavapai warriors had -appeared――some twenty or thirty of them――all together leaping atop -their rampart――strong, muscular, bronze-skinned fighters, bristling -quivers of reed arrows upon their left shoulders, strung bows in one -hand, rifles in the other, their eyes gleaming blackly, their raven -hair flung back, their painted faces scowling. They emptied their guns -in a crashing volley, and proceeded to ply their bows while the squaws -handed up fresh guns. The skirmish line of scouts and soldiers swept -the wall――the smoke eddied and hung――and out from the farther end of -the wall bolted a little bevy of other warriors, to break through for -freedom. - -Up from their rocks jumped the skirmish line, and ran to head them -off. Long Jim Cook, Alchisé, Bobby Do-klinny, Nan-ta-je, Slim Shorty, -Lieutenant Ross, with his revolver――they all ran, shooting and yelling. - -They were too many for the Yavapais. The top of the wall had been -cleaned――and back through the opening at the end hustled, pell-mell, -the escaping warriors, dragging cripples, but leaving, in the open -space there, half a dozen crimsoned, motionless forms. - -The firing died away. The face of the cave precipice was beginning to -glow with sunlight. What next, now? - -“Yavapai!” yelped Micky, springing up. - -“Hooh!” exclaimed Big Mouth. - -Micky had leveled his rifle――it missed fire. Now twenty paces before -their rock was standing, on another rock, a tall Apache-Mohave. How he -had sneaked this far, nobody might say. He must have run out from the -near end of the rampart, while everybody was watching the far end. The -smoke was very thick. - -He did not know that there were two lines of enemy, and he had paused -a moment to whoop his triumph at having passed the first line. How -foolish! In a twinkle a score of carbines and rifles were focussed on -him――John Cahill aimed, Joe Felmer aimed, Big Mouth aimed――they could -not miss. - -He was a fine, brave warrior――and he saw, too late. - -“Soldados (Soldiers)!” he shrieked. - -“Crash!” The guns all shot together; the bullets fairly lifted him and -drove him topsy-turvy, riddled through and through from head to waist. - -“Crowed a leetle soon, that feller,” commented Joe. - - - - -XV - -JIMMIE IS A VETERAN - - -The December sun was high and warm, flooding the broad rock-strewn -terrace half-way between river and sky, but the battle was still -going on. Now that the Yavapais had found out they could not break to -freedom, the second soldier line had been advanced, with a dash, to -join the first. As fast as it could be loaded and fired, every gun was -speeding bullet after bullet into the cave, filling it with a very -hailstorm of glancing, crisscrossing lead. - -The cave was broad, and seemed to be shallow; and how anybody in there -could be alive was a mystery. But alive some of those Apache-Mohaves -were, for above the deafening staccato of a hundred carbines rose the -death chant and the shrieks and wails and groans and curses. - -There was no token of surrender. It was a fight to the death. Cleverly -shielded in a niche at his end of the rampart the medicine-man, barely -seen through the smoke and dust, was shooting as before, helped by the -squaws who handed up guns to him; he certainly wore a charmed shirt. -Now and again a warrior bobbed up, fired blindly, and bobbed down. - -Micky had long ago used the last of his cartridges. Like Jimmie, he -might only lie and watch. - -“I told you there would be a good fight!” he shouted, in Jimmie’s ear. -“This is the end of these Delt-che people. They fight like wolves in a -pen, but it is no use.” - -“Look!” shouted back Jimmie, pointing. - -An Apache-Mohave boy――he was naked and chubby and could not have been -more than three or four years old――had run out, around the cave wall, -into the open space in front; and there he stood, sucking his thumb, -and scowling at the Americanos as if he wanted the noise stopped. Over -he keeled, struck by a chance bullet (for nobody would have shot at -_him_); but he was not dead――he lay and kicked and howled, and all the -firing ceased as if by magic. - -From the soldiers’ line somebody darted forward. Hurrah! - -It was Nan-ta-je. He reached the little boy, grabbed him and at one -jump was behind a rock again. - -[Illustration: HURRAH! IT WAS NAN-TA-JE] - -“Hurrah for Joe! Bully for Joe!” Even the Yavapais might have -cheered――but Nan-ta-je had been just in time. Scarcely had the uproar -of banging guns and howling warriors and shrieking squaws and wailing -children been renewed, when down from above rushed a tremendous -boulder, bursting like a bomb-shell upon the wall itself. - -“Hooh!” ejaculated Micky, astonished. - -The firing slackened, everybody outside looked up. On the very top of -the canyon, right over the cave mouth, were many figures――soldiers――and -Indians! Outlined against the sky, they appeared curiously small. - -“By the great horn spoon, thar’s Burns!” exclaimed Joe Felmer. - -Surely! Jimmie had forgotten about the Captain Burns and Lieutenant -Thomas company, but here they were, soldiers and Pimas, crowding the -rim of the cliff, and gazing over as far as they dared. They had -returned from following the pony trail, and had heard the shooting. -Several of the soldiers were hanging part way――waist far, that is――from -the edge, and held in place by other soldiers behind them were aiming -their revolvers. The cliff slanted back, above the cave, so that -persons above might see its threshold, and the rampart before――and, of -course, see the warriors between the two. - -But that rock! Here came another! Watch out――soldiers had rolled a -second great boulder to the rim――they gave it a final shove, and -bounding, ploughing, hurtling, it brought an avalanche down the face -of the precipice and landing truly in the mouth of the cave burst -thunderously into a hundred pieces. - -A third boulder followed immediately. Then two at once. The soldiers -and scouts below were cheering and shouting and shooting again, but -the crashing of the boulders was louder. The dust they made was denser -than the powder smoke――the mouth of the cave could not be seen. But -somewhere in that veil were the wretched Yavapais. Jimmie felt sick. - -Even the death chant had ceased, across there. Anyway, it could not be -heard amidst the other uproar. The Captain Burns men worked hard. The -rampart was being crushed and buried. The Major Brown men were standing -up while they fired; they were so excited. Jimmie and Micky were -standing. - -“Down, down with you!” bawled sergeant and corporal. “Wait till the -chargin’ order!” - -The fight continued, but it was becoming a very one-sided fight. -Bombarded by the rock artillery from above, and by the carbines from in -front, and held by the cave wall behind, the Apache-Mohaves were being -literally wiped out of existence. They were replying not at all; their -brave medicine-man had disappeared amidst the murk――the occasional -rifts showed him no longer. - -Still, it was dangerous, here in front of the cave, for the bursting -boulders, piling up in the entrance and shattering the rampart there, -sent their fragments flying like pieces of shell, causing the soldiers -to duck and laugh as they plied their cartridges. - -Now the trumpet sounded――“Cease firing!” The shots died away as Major -Brown, standing, waved his arm at the Captain Burns company, on the rim -of the precipice over the cave, to signal them to stop rolling down -their boulders. - -“Prepare to charge!” the orders were repeated, along the line below. -The sun was high, marking noon. The battle had been going on for at -least five hours! - -“Prepare to charge!” Up sprang the line, and at the instant down -bounded the last of the boulders, which the officers above had been -unable to withhold. It gave one final tremendous jump, and landed well -out in front of the cave――“Boom!” Something struck Jimmie――yes, a piece -of it caught him as he blindly dodged――and whirling him around knocked -him head over heels. - -He tried to pick himself up, and a fierce pain stabbed him in the right -leg, making him dizzy. He propped on one arm, among the rocks, while -his eyes cleared a little. Already the line was running and scrambling -forward, soldiers and scouts both; nobody now might pause to tend to -_him_. He stared, blinking weakly. What would happen? Were the Yavapais -away back in the cave, somewhere, and where they were waiting, to -defend it? - -There was Micky, scooting about; and Nan-ta-je, and Joe, and Jack Long, -and Captain Taylor and Lieutenant Bourke, their carbines and revolvers -poised, as they advanced at double-quick. Right up to the top of the -huge pile of shattered rocks climbed the first man――Corporal Thomas -Hanlon, he――and glared in; jumped down, out of sight, and over and -around poured the others. But not a shot was fired. Evidently all the -Yavapais were dead. Oh! - -With that, Jimmie sighed, everything swam before him, and he must have -fainted, because the next that he knew, Joe Felmer was sopping his face -from a canteen, and Micky was squatting beside, grinning. - -From the cave sounded the hum of voices; the soldiers and scouts were -still busy there. The Burns soldiers and Pimas had come down. - -“Hyar! You lie quiet,” ordered Joe. “You got a busted leg, I reckon, -an’ you don’t want to see inside that cave, anyhow. Wish I hadn’t, -myself.” - -“Are they all dead, Joe?” quavered Jimmie, helplessly. Wow, how that -leg hurt! But it had been bound up, after a fashion, probably by Joe. - -“Ev’ry buck, includin’ the medicine man. Plumb shot through, or -smashed; lots of ’em both. Some squaws an’ kids left,” grunted Joe. -“It’s what you might call a massacree. Now, you stay hyar, till -we’re ready to move ye. I’m needed yonder. Micky can nuss ye; both -o’ ye ought to be back with the pack-train――’tain’t no place for -boys――’speshully for one who can’t dodge rocks.” - -Muttering, Joe (who really was kind-hearted) trudged away. - -“Ah, I told you it would be a great fight, Boy-who-sleeps,” grinned -Micky Free, as he squatted. “Black Beard is angry, because you are the -only one of us wounded; but you will be a warrior, now.” - -“Were you in the cave, Red-head?” asked Jimmie, also in Apache. - -“Yes. It is very red. All the Yavapai warriors are dead. The medicine -chief is dead, under a rock. One old man was partly alive, and he died -soon. Some squaws and children hid behind large flat rocks, and under -dead people. They will be captives. You will see them. Delt-che is not -there; but he has lost his best warriors, and he never will make a good -fight again. I am glad we came, Cheemie.” - -“What are the Pimas doing, Red-head?” asked Jimmie. For the Pimas, with -Chief Owl Ears in the center, were sitting in a bunch and wailing. - -“Oh, those Pimas!” scoffed Micky. “They make medicine. They no good -any more. They find their Pima who was killed, and now their medicine -tells them they must not fight again till after they have mourned him -by singing and bathing and not eating. That will take several days. But -Apaches wait till they get home. I do not think much of the foolish -Pimas. And the Maricopas are the same. All no good――stop fighting and -make medicine. Huh!” - -The soldiers and scouts worked fast, cleaning out the cave. The squaws -and children were placed under guard, the White Mountains and Pimas -were given whatever stuff――mescal, dried meat, skins, bows, arrows, -lances, guns, and so forth――that they could carry; the remaining -supplies (a great quantity) were piled up and set on fire. - -Joe and Slim Shorty the cook came hurrying back, with a litter -contrived from two lances and a deer hide slung between. - -“Got to get out o’ this place,” explained Joe. “Squaw says some other -squaws went down below, jest before the fight, to the mescal pits; -they’ll carry warnin’ to ’nother rancheria yonder an’ we’ll have the -hull caboodle on our backs if we don’t act fast. Easy, now, while we -put you in.” - -Major Brown was in a hurry to climb up into the open and unite with -the pack-train. The long column ascended the winding trail. There were -eighteen captives――women and children, several of them wounded. Below, -in front of the cave the fire burned fiercely, consuming the supplies -and the many bodies heaped upon. Over seventy of the outlaws had been -killed. Some were left where they had fallen, in the cave. - -After this no Indian would venture inside that cave. The skeletons of -the Delt-che people bleached, undisturbed for years. - - - - -XVI - -THE GENERAL PLANS WELL - - -The campaign against the outlaw Yavapais, Tontos and Apache-Yumas was -by no means over, merely on account of the cave fight. But it was over, -for Jimmie. - -Out went the troops and White Mountain scouts, again, this time from -Camp MacDowell. Jack Long came into the hospital there, just before the -start, and bade Jimmie good-by. - -“You’ll be a fust-class packer yet, muchacho,” encouraged old Jack. -“Yessir; ’bout one more trip an’ I’ll promote ye. You might ask the -doctor to stretch yore legs a trifle, while he has you in hand. Some -day you’re liable to be a reg’lar patron, but that’ll be after my day. -I’ve a notion I’m due to peter out, what with these hyar up-hill, -down-hill, blow hot, blow cold meanderin’s, chasin’ ’Paches with -pack-mules.” - -“Aren’t you feeling well, Jack?” - -“Not extra pert, son. Yuh see, I’m kind o’ old. But I’ll stick as long -as I can. So ‘adios,’ an’ be good to yoreself.” - -This was the last time that Jimmie saw old Jack. He died on the trail, -away over at the San Carlos River toward the White Mountain country, -and was buried there under some beautiful trees. - -The general also paid Jimmie a visit in the MacDowell hospital. - -“Well, my boy, how are you getting along?” he greeted, gazing down with -his peculiar grave smile. - -“All right, thank you, sir,” asserted Jimmie, whose leg nevertheless -pained like sixty. - -“The pack-mules returned in fine shape――fine shape,” abruptly spoke the -general. “Not a sore back, or a sore hoof. That’s the way mules ought -to be handled, always.” - -Located here thirty miles east of present Phoenix, Arizona, Camp -MacDowell was not an unpleasing post at all. The Salt River, flowing -west, was a few miles below; and scarce a mile east the Verde or Green -River rippled down to join it. Hazy against the eastern horizon rose -the Four Peaks of the Mazatzal, in whose southern face had occurred the -cave battle. - -The post buildings were thick adobe, with shingle or clay roofs; there -were cottonwood trees, for shade; and through the post ran a wide -acequia or irrigating ditch. - -During all of January, February and March, in the new year 1873, the -hunt for the outlaws continued. In bitter weather they were chased -from hiding-place to hiding-place amidst the mountains, and given no -rest. Then, on the seventh or eighth of April, Hank Hewitt and a party -of the MacDowell packers appeared at the post. They were thin and -weather-worn: long-haired, long-whiskered, and grimy with smoke and -bacon-grease. - -According to Hank great work had been done. Chief Chalipun――or “Charley -Pan,” as they called him――had sent word that he would come into Camp -Verde and treat with the general for peace. Already three hundred -other Yavapais and Hualpais had surrendered at Camp Grant. - -Naturally, Jimmie was eager to get up to Verde, meet Joe, and the rest, -and report for active duty. He had thrown aside his crutch; the only -thing that bothered him now was a limp, and an occasional twinge when -he twisted his leg. - -So he gladly rode north with Hank and others, by the military road up -the Verde River for Camp Verde, ninety miles. - -He was just in time. The general was here; the last of the scouting -parties, under Lieutenant Almy and Lieutenant Bourke, had arrived from -the Tonto Basin; Chief Big Mouth, Alchisé, Nan-ta-je, Bobby Do-klinny, -and Micky Free were here, with the triumphant White Mountains; and -Chief Chalipun himself had brought in three hundred more Yavapais, for -the peace talk. - -The happy Crook men all looked as tough as had Hank Hewitt’s squad. The -majority of them wore canvas suits, like the general’s; and the suits, -and the faces, and the hair and whiskers, told a tale of many smoky -campfires and hard marches. - -“Hey!” Joe greeted. “That doc. stretched one leg more’n he did the -other! Old Jack said he’d left orders to have ’em both stretched alike.” - -Poor old Jack! But Jimmie laughed bravely, and he and Joe shook -hands. Micky Free pattered across in his ragged moccasins, grinning. -His brick-red hair hung upon his shoulders, his red moustache had -increased, his one blue eye danced in his freckled tanned face. - -“How, Cheemie!” he hailed. “You’re all right? Good! A three-legged deer -runs faster than a four-legged deer. You did not miss much. We had no -fights like the cave fight.” - -There was not much time for hobnobbing. Chalipun was anxious to talk -with the general, and the general was anxious to settle matters with -Chalipun; and everybody wished to hear the confab. On this, the sixth -day of April, 1873, the talk occurred. - -The general sat in a chair on the porch of the post headquarters. With -him were Captain and Brevet Colonel J. J. Coppinger, Twenty-third -Infantry, who commanded Camp Verde, a number of aides, and spare, -black-whiskered Antonio Besias, the Apache-speaking Mexican -interpreter; and Nan-ta-je. - -The general also had grown whiskers. A sandy full beard it was, rather -thin on the chin but bunching thickly down from the cheeks. - -“Tell Chalipun I am ready to hear what he has to say,” directed the -general, to Antonio. - -Chief Chalipun, his black snaky hair cut square across the forehead and -confined by a band of red flannel, stood straight and spoke with fierce -energy. - -“My people are done fighting the white people,” he said in good -Spanish. “We have come in because we want to be at peace. The Gray Fox -has too many cartridges of copper, and we have very few. We can fight -the Americans alone, but now our brothers are fighting against us, too, -and we do not know what to do. We cannot sleep at night, for fear of -being surrounded. We cannot hunt, because there are always soldiers -within sound of our guns. We cannot cook mescal, because the smoke and -the smell of our fires bring the soldiers to us. We cannot live in the -valleys; the valleys are full of soldiers. And when we hide in the snow -of the mountains, our Apache brothers follow us, with soldiers. We have -no place to go; our men and women and children are dying. We want to be -at peace with the whites, and be told what to do.” - -“I have heard what Chalipun has said,” answered General Crook――Antonio -Besias translating, sentence by sentence, into Spanish. “It is good. I -will take him by the hand. If he keeps his promise to live at peace and -stop killing people, I will be the best friend he has ever had. If any -of his people have died, that was their own fault. I sent messages to -them, asking them to come in. When they refused, I had no way to do but -to fight them and kill them. - -“The Yavapai have said that the white people began the war. It is no -use now to talk about who began the war. There are bad men among all -peoples. There are bad Americans, and bad Mexicans, and bad Apaches. -The thing to do now is to forget this, and to make a peace that will -last forever. It must be a peace not only between the red men and the -white men, but also between the red men themselves. There must be no -more fighting and stealing. - -“The red men in Arizona shall live by the white man’s laws; they -shall be treated exactly as the white men are treated, and shall -not be punished unjustly. If they think that they are being treated -unjustly, they must tell the soldier-captain who has charge of their -reservation, and he will do right by them. They must remain where they -are put, as long as there are any bad Indians out in the mountains to -make trouble. They must not cut off the noses of their wives, as a -punishment. They shall have their own soldiers, to arrest drunkards -and thieves and other bad persons. They shall be allowed to work and -earn a living, like the white men. And the sooner they go to work, the -better, because when a man has nothing to do, he is liable to get into -mischief.” - -With that, the general advanced and shook hands with Chalipun. The -assembled Yavapais seemed satisfied. - -“It was a good talk,” agreed Jimmie and Micky. - -“Where do you live now, Cheemie?” asked Micky, as the council broke up. -“There is no old Camp Grant, and there will be no Apaches to watch, at -the mouth of the Arivaipa.” - -That was true. Old Camp Grant had been abandoned, and a new Camp Grant -established by the general, in a better country about fifty miles -southeast, half-way to Camp Bowie. The Arivaipas and Pinals, and the -Yavapais and Hualpais who had surrendered first, were being removed to -the new San Carlos reservation, over toward Camp Apache. - -“Joe has his ranch, though,” reminded Jimmie. - -“Yes; but he has no post to sell to. You come to the White Mountain -country, and we will talk Apache and hunt and go to war together.” - -“The war is almost done, Micky. A big peace is being made.” - -“No,” declared Micky, with a shake of his red head and a thoughtful -squint of his blue eye. “Chuntz is still out, and Delt-che is still -out, Naqui-naquis of the Tonto is still out. The Chiricahua have no -police, no soldiers, no anything over them; they do as they please. -This is not fair, the White Mountains think. Did you know that Major -Brown and Lieutenant Bourke have been to see Cochise?” - -“No!” - -“Yes,” asserted Micky. “They were sent down there by Cluke, before the -last scout. Cluke has had orders to let the Chiricahua alone, but he -wanted to get a talk with Cochise. Cochise is for peace, because he is -living where he chose to live. Maybe, though, his young men will grow -tired of one spot; then who will stop them, says Alchisé?” - -“The general will,” assured Jimmie. - -“Cluke will try hard,” wisely assented Micky. “He will follow them――his -trail has only one end. But you cannot turn Apaches into white men all -at once. I look to see more fighting.” - -In April Delt-che the Red Ant made one last vengeful raid. But the -troops and scouts were hot after him. Major George M. Randall of Camp -Apache did the final work, this time. In the night of April 21 he -and his men climbed on hands and knees up the steep slope of Diamond -Peak in the Tonto Basin. Here, on the top of the Yavapais’ “medicine -mountain” they surprised the Delt-che band at dawn and drove them over -the edges of the precipice. - -Delt-che and his surviving people were brought into the reservation at -Camp Verde. - -At the various posts there was read, to the troops on parade, a message -from Division Headquarters: - - GENERAL ORDERS NO. 7 - HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE PACIFIC, - San Francisco, Cal., April 28, 1873. - - To Brevet Major-General George Crook, commanding the Department - of Arizona, and to his gallant troops, for the extraordinary - service that they have rendered in the late campaign against - the Apache Indians, the Division Commander extends his thanks - and his congratulations upon their brilliant successes. They - have merited the gratitude of the nation. There is now occasion - for hope that the well-deserved chastisement inflicted upon the - Apaches may give peace to the people of Arizona. - - By order of Major-General Schofield. - -General Crook also issued congratulations, in General Orders No. 14, -Department of Arizona: - - The operations of the troops in this Department in the late - campaigns against the Apaches entitle them to a reputation - second to none in the annals of Indian warfare. In the face of - obstacles heretofore considered insurmountable, encountering - rigorous cold in the mountains, followed in quick succession by - the intense heat and arid waste of the desert; not infrequently - at dire extremities for want of water to quench their prolonged - thirst; and when their animals were stricken by pestilence or - the country became too rough to be traversed by them, they left - them, and, carrying on their own backs such meager supplies - as they might, they persistently followed on, and, plunging - unexpectedly into chosen positions in lava-beds, caves and - canyons, they have outwitted and beaten the wildest of foes, - with slight loss comparatively to themselves, and finally - closed an Indian war that has been waged since the days of - Cortez. - -Jimmie heard the orders read at Fort Whipple, where he was herding -horses for the quartermaster’s department. A scourge of epizootic had -played havoc with the army animals, and much of the cavalry required -remounting. The new horses were driven to Whipple from Los Angeles and -San Diego of California, in bunches of several hundred at a time, to -be divided among the posts. - -This was rather a poky job, but if the war had ended, a fellow needs -must do something. - -Joe Felmer had decided to quit scouting and ranching, and try -prospecting. So he had headed for Tucson. - -The two thousand Yavapais, Tontos and Apache-Yumas at Camp Verde -were content. Everybody working, with worn-out tools they had dug an -irrigating ditch five miles long, to water fifty-seven acres of land, -and were putting in crops. The general had promised them that they -should be paid money, the same as white people, for whatever they -raised to sell, and they believed him. - -From Camp Apache and the San Carlos agency there came encouraging -reports. In the south the Chiricahuas were quiet. Mexico complained -that stock was being stolen and run across the line into the Chiricahua -reservation; but Agent “Staglito” or Red-beard, who was Tom Jeffords, -declared that this was done by the Chief Whoa outlaws in Mexico. - -Arizona did indeed seem at peace, for the first time in three hundred -years. - - - - -XVII - -BAD WORK AFOOT - - -“Lieutenant Almy is killed! Almy’s been murdered!” - -“What! Where?” - -“At San Carlos! An Injun shot him. There’s been an uprising.” - -The word sped rapidly through Fort Whipple. It was a noon of the first -week in June, and Jimmie had ridden in to dinner just on time to see a -courier dash across the parade-ground for the adjutant’s office. - -Chief of Scouts Al Sieber appeared, walking fast. The men made a rush -for him. - -“What’s that, Al? Almy killed?” - -Al spoke tersely. - -“Yes. At San Carlos. Chan-dezi (Long-ear) shot him. Chuntz was in it, -too; he and Cli-bic-li (Tied Horse) and Cochinay. The Chuntz gang have -been hanging ’round the agency, and sneaking in at night for food -and to make mischief. The Tonto and Yavapai had hatched a scheme to -kill the agency whites, this month, and take to the hills. But they -got hold of some whiskey on the reservation, and broke too soon. The -agency police started in to arrest the chiefs. Long-ear tried to lance -Agent Larrabee. Yomas, a friendly, knocked the lance aside. There was -a mob. Almy undertook to do the arresting himself. Went in among them -alone――bravest act I ever heard of. Long-ear shot him dead and made a -getaway, with Chuntz and Cochinay. That was May 27.” - -“Does it mean a little scout, Al?” they hopefully queried. - -“No, I think not, boys. The hostiles probably won’t leave the Gila -Canyon, there, and the troops and the police can corral them. But the -general’s going over.” Al saw Jimmie, and beckoned him apart. “Are you -fit for a trip to Apache?” - -“Yes, Mr. Sieber.” - -“That’s good. Joe Felmer asked me to keep an eye on you, whenever I was -around, and I’ve been thinking that it’s a little dull for a boy of -your calibre to be herding horses all the time. Well, the general and -some of the rest of us are starting for Apache in the morning, to look -into this fracas. They need horses, over there. The quartermaster’s -a good friend of mine, and I’ll just drop a hint that now might be a -proper time to send a bunch in, and you with it. That’ll help you to -learn the country. You’ll be forgetting how to speak Apache if you stay -here talking horse.” - -“I’d like to go mighty well, Mr. Sieber,” Jimmie admitted. - -“All right. Micky Free’ll be glad to see you. He asks about you every -time I run across him.” - -Mr. Sieber hastened on. A fine man, was Al Sieber. He spoke Spanish -and considerable Apache; had lived among the White Mountains at Camp -Apache, and was a great favorite with Chief Pedro, there. “Man of -Iron,” the White Mountains called him. - -He was of powerful build, and stern-looking; apt to be of few words, -right to the point; but he had a kind heart. He was now acting chief of -scouts, from Whipple and Camp Verde. - -Lieutenant Jacob Almy dead――murdered? That was shocking news. Everybody -liked First Lieutenant Jacob Almy, of the Fifth Cavalry. Since he had -been put in charge of the Indians at San Carlos, by his gentle but -firmly just methods he had made many friends among them, also. - -General Crook was energetic, as usual. He set out early the next -morning, on “Apache” his mule, with a small escort including Lieutenant -Bourke his chief aide, and Al Sieber. Jimmie and a Mexican herder -accompanied, driving the bunch of remount horses. - -The loose horses traveled well. The trip of two hundred and fifty miles -through the roughest country in Arizona was accomplished in ten days. - -There had not been much talk on the way over. The general acted -grimly determined, and in a hurry. Camp Apache was found saddened and -expectant. - -Having turned his horses over to the post quartermaster, Jimmie -saw Micky waiting for him, beside the corral here back of the -parade-ground. Micky was sitting a spotted pony, and smiling broadly. -He certainly had the knack of always being on hand. - -“Hello, Boy-who-sleeps. Have you come over to fight?” greeted Micky. - -“Has there been a fight yet, Micky?” - -“Only a little one, when those Chuntz men ran away. But we are ready.” - -“Where is Chuntz?” - -“He and Long-ear and Cochinay are hiding in the canyon of the Gila. -Tied Horse has been arrested. If we go after those others there will be -good fighting. The canyon is deep and long and full of caves. Would you -like another cave fight, Cheemie?” - -“I’d like to get Chuntz and Long-ear,” vowed Jimmie. - -“So would I. Come on. Pretty soon Sibi the Iron Man will talk with old -Pedro, and you and I will want to hear what they say. Sibi can talk -Apache, but he cannot talk as fast as Pedro, or as you and I. We will -help.” - -The general was in confab at the post headquarters with Major Randall -and Al. There were fifteen hundred Pinals, Arivaipas, Yavapais, and -Tontos at San Carlos――many of them now very restless under guard. -Nobody might foretell just what was about to happen. - -Soon after Jimmie had begun a sort of a reunion with Alchisé and -Nan-ta-je and Bobby Do-klinny and others, at the Camp Apache agency -building, Mr. Sieber came riding by. - -“Jimmie,” he summoned, with crook of finger, “you ride along with me. I -may have use for you. Bring Free, if you want to.” - -“I’m going for a talk with Pedro,” he continued, in Spanish, so that -Micky might understand. Micky knew no English. “If he talks too fast -for me, I want one of you to explain. And the same way if I speak with -words that he doesn’t know.” - -“We will talk for you, Sibi,” answered Micky. - -Old Chief Pedro of the White Mountain Apaches was, as everybody said, -the wisest, most sensible chief among the tame Indians. They found him -at home, sitting upon a blanket in the shade of a tree near his house. -Since he had come back from Washington he had put up a board shanty, -to live in instead of a brush wickyup. He was still wearing a white -shirt――which was white no longer. - -In spite of the soiled ragged shirt, a splendid old Indian he looked to -be. - -“You are well come, Sibi,” he remarked. “Sit down and we will talk. But -who is this boy with one leg shorter than the other? I do not know him.” - -“He is a friend of mine, and of Micky Free,” replied Al. “He was -captured by Geronimo, and lived with Cochise and Geronimo. He was a -soldier at the cave fight when the Yavapai were destroyed. He is a -brave boy. The leg was made short by a wound. We may speak freely -before him.” - -“That is good,” answered Pedro. “I know you, and I know this wild -Red-head. Now I know this other. I remember who he is. What have you -come to say, Sibi? Did Cluke send you?” - -They all sat down: Al beside Pedro, but Jimmie and Micky a little way -apart from them, as was correct when in the company of chiefs. - -“The Gray Fox is talking with Major Randall,” said Al. “That was bad -work at San Carlos, Pedro. You are a wise chief, and you know Apaches. -General Crook wishes to do what is right by all the Apaches. He wishes -peace, so that we may all live together and prosper. No one prospers -long in war. What is the best course to follow with these bad Indians? -Can they be made good?” - -“Let us talk in Mexican, Sibi,” spoke Chief Pedro. “And if you or I -use words that are not understood, the Red-head or maybe the short-leg -boy will explain. This talk must be very clear. Now, there is no way -to make those bad Apaches good, except to kill them. The bad Indians -do not know what I know; they have not been to the cities of the Great -White Father and seen how powerful he is. I will give Cluke one hundred -and fifty of my warriors, smart fighters all. Let Cluke send them into -the Gila Canyon. The Gray Fox is brave, and his white soldiers are -brave, but the Chuntz people will go where his soldiers cannot follow; -this is summer, and they know every spot in the canyon, and will hide. - -“But my Apaches will find them, and kill some of them. Then my men -will come home, and rest a while, and go out and kill more. By winter -time there will be fewer of the mean Apaches; and if they do not all -die during the winter, in the spring we will kill the rest of them. -But if Cluke waits till winter, before that time the bad Indians will -have made much more trouble at San Carlos, and perhaps among my White -Mountains, and perhaps among the Chiricahua.” - -“I will think on what you have said,” responded Al. - -“It will be no use to send you or any other person into the canyon, to -spend words on those people,” proceeded Pedro. “They will burn him, and -will send back an old woman to tell Cluke to give them more of his -men, to burn. Now I am done, Man of Iron. I cannot read from paper, but -I can look at the actions of a bad Indian, and can read how he feels -and what he will do.” - -“Humph!” mused Al, as with Jimmie and Micky he rode away. “I believe -old Pedro is right.” - -The next afternoon the general held a talk at the San Carlos agency -with Es-kim-en-zin, of the Arivaipas, and with those Tonto and Yavapai -chiefs who had not joined Chuntz. - -The San Carlos agency was seventy miles southwest from Camp Apache, -where the San Carlos River emptied into the Gila. This San Carlos -reservation was really an addition to the southern boundary of the -White Mountain reservation. It was sixty miles wide and extended clear -to the New Mexico line, one hundred and twenty miles. The eastern half -was rough and mountainous, but the western half, along the Gila River, -was flatter and more open――especially around the agency, where the -Indians were supposed to live. - -The majority of the Apaches did not like it. They said that it was low, -hot and unhealthful. - -“I am sorry to hear that there are bad hearts at work among you,” spoke -the general. Concepcion Equierre translated. “They have deceived you -into believing that the white people might be killed, and that the -Apaches might be free to rob and murder again. Now the innocent have -suffered. Lieutenant Almy, one of your best friends, has been killed, -and you all are prevented from going about on hunts and visits. - -“I want you all to live as free as the white men. I do not expect you -to stop being red men. I want your women to gather mescal and seeds and -roots, and your men to hunt deer and turkeys without fear; for these -things are good to eat. But you cannot do this without fear, when there -is war. - -“Now about these Chuntz and Long-ear bad men. I have thousands of -soldiers, and many Apache scouts, and they are enough to give the bad -Apaches no rest. But I want you to punish your own bad people. You must -send out your own warriors, and keep sending them out until Chuntz -and Long-ear and Cochinay are killed or captured, and their people -surrender. It is not right that a few bad men should work so much harm -to everybody. I hope that you will consider what I have said. I am -done.” - -All that summer of 1873 and into the next summer the San Carlos and -White Mountain police, assisted by cavalry and infantry detachments -patrolling the hills, harassed the outlaws. Wherever the Chuntz -people moved, in the Canyon of the Gila, the reservation Apaches were -ferreting them out. - -Some of the outlaws sent in word that they were ready to surrender. -They were told that they might come in if they brought Chuntz, Long-ear -and Cochinay. Finally the outlaws were hunting their chiefs. - -Cochinay was killed on May 26, 1874; Long-ear was killed on June 12; -Chuntz the villain was killed on July 25. A whole sackful of heads was -spilled by the Apache police upon the ground in front of Major John B. -Babcock’s headquarters, at San Carlos, to prove that “peace” was being -made! - -Over at Verde, Delt-che had broken out and had been killed, in July. - -So by mid-summer of 1874 the bad-hearted chiefs seemed all out of the -way, at last. Old Cochise, also, had died, in June, on the Chiricahua -reservation, and Taza was the head chief. He could be depended upon, -for peace. - -Meanwhile Jimmie was helping to run the first telegraph lines in -Arizona, connecting military post with military post. He stayed in -telegraph work some years――during which a number of things happened. - - - - -XVIII - -“CLUKE” GOES AWAY - - -The general’s plans had apparently worked out all right, when for no -especial reason, as far as Arizona could understand, the management of -the reservations was changed from the Military Department of Arizona to -the civilian agents appointed by the Indian Bureau at Washington. The -soldiers were to be retained only as guards and not as instructors. - -The Indian Bureau started in to move the Apaches about. That had been -tried two years before, when in New Mexico Chief Victorio’s Warm Spring -Apaches had been ordered from the Cañada Alamosa to the hated Tularosa -tract. But General Howard had obtained from the President permission -for them to live again at their beloved Cottonwood Canyon. - -In the summer of 1874 it was reported that the Camp Verde Indians were -to be taken over to the San Carlos reservation. The Camp Verde lands -were desired by the white people. - -General Crook had much opposed this scheme. He was powerless, but he -sent a protest to the War Department, saying: - - There are now on the Verde reservation about fifteen hundred - Indians; they have been among the worst in Arizona; but if the - Government keeps its promise to them that it shall be their - home for all time, there will be no difficulty in keeping - them at peace, and engaged in peaceful pursuits. I sincerely - hope that the interests that are now at work to deprive these - Indians of this reservation will be defeated; but if they - succeed, the responsibility of turning these fifteen hundred - Apaches loose upon the settlers of Arizona should rest where it - belongs. - -All that winter of 1874–1875 the general (who had given his word) and -Chief Chalipun strove against the threatened change to the San Carlos -reservation. But it was of no avail. - -In the spring of 1875 the general had been transferred to the -Department of the Platte, with headquarters at Omaha, Nebraska. He had -pacified the Snakes in the Northwest and the Apaches in the Southwest; -now he was needed to subdue the bold-riding Sioux and Cheyennes of the -great northern plains. - -He took with him Lieutenant John G. Bourke, chief of staff, and other -officers whom Jimmie so well knew. Tom Moore, chief packer, was to -follow with the best of the pack-trains. The Third Cavalry already was -in the north; and the Fifth Cavalry was soon to go. - -“Cluke has been sent away. The Apaches have lost their best friend,” -mourned Chief Chalipun; and submitted to being removed. So the Yavapais -and the Apache-Yumas at Camp Verde left their ditch and fields, and -went to a strange region――that of San Carlos. - -Young Second Lieutenant George O. Eaton, of the Fifth Cavalry, was the -only man whom they would trust, to take them over. Even at that, on the -way they had a fight among themselves, and eighteen were killed and -fifty wounded. - -The White Mountains were moved, next, down to the San Carlos. Their -reservation was to be closed. - -Whatever the reasons of the Indian Bureau, Chiefs Pedro, Pi-to-ne and -others objected bitterly. - -“These are our lands,” asserted Chief Pedro. “They were promised to -us by the great one-armed soldier-captain, Howard. When I went to -Washington, our White Father there told me again that if we were good, -these should be our lands forever. We have been good. We have done -as we were asked to do. We have raised more crops than all the other -Apaches put together. We have helped the soldiers fight our brothers. -We are contented here. But we are mountain Indians and we cannot live -down there in the low country where the water is bad and the air is -hot. The Pinals and the Arivaipas are not friendly to us, and the -Yavapai ways are not our ways.” - -Finally eighteen hundred of them were herded down to the San Carlos. -Some hid out, and after a time many stole back from the San Carlos. The -soldiers at Camp Apache permitted them to stay. - -The next year, 1876, the Chiricahua reservation was broken up. It -had no soldiers and no Indian police, and was too near the border. -Whiskey-sellers and outlaw Apaches sneaked in, but Taza said that if -the American government would help him he could keep the bad people out. - -“Why does Washington punish good people on account of bad people?” he -asked, when told that the Chiricahuas must go. - -At last, with about three hundred of his Chiricahuas, he went to the -San Carlos. Geronimo agreed to go, too; but he and Chief Whoa, who -had come in from Mexico, and old Nana, and Nah-che, and four hundred -others, ran off into Mexico. - -The next spring they returned to visit Victorio’s Warm Spring band at -the Cottonwood Canyon reservation. Because of this, Chiefs Victorio and -Geronimo were arrested, and all the Indians were started, under guard, -for the San Carlos. - -On the way Chief Victorio escaped, with forty warriors. After this he -made war on the Americans until he was killed in 1880. He claimed that -he had done no wrong, and that he never could trust the Americans again. - -“The policy of concentration,” was what the Indian Bureau called its -scheme to place all the Apaches upon the San Carlos reservation. “A -policy of concentrated trouble,” Al Sieber said. - -And that proved true. - -Soon the San Carlos reservation contained about five thousand Indians, -good and bad; some working, some lazy. There were Yavapais, Tontos, -Coyotes, Apache-Yumas, Chiricahuas, Pinals, Arivaipas, Sierra Blanca -(White Mountains), and even a few Hualpais. They had different habits. -The Indian Bureau seemed to think that one Apache was just like another -Apache, but General Crook had known better. - -Whiskey was being smuggled in or manufactured; white miners and -ranchers and prospectors were trespassing, and large sections of the -reservation had been lopped off for other uses; the agents were accused -of selling the Indians’ supplies outside, instead of distributing them -properly or storing them; the Indians quarreled among themselves, and -even some of the White Mountains had revolted. - -So in the early morning of April, 1882, Jimmie Dunn, riding telegraph -line up along the Gila River from Camp Thomas, had plenty to think -about. Jimmie was a young man, now, with a limp (an honorable limp) but -with a good hard head. - -Camp Thomas had been established just at the southeast corner of the -San Carlos reservation, or thirty-two miles up the Gila from the agency -quarters. Jimmie’s business as line-man was to ride between Thomas and -the second Camp Grant, and to see that the line was in order. - -There was still constant trouble at San Carlos. The Apaches there -had no faith in the Government. The good ones saw little reason in -remaining good. Their only reward had been San Carlos, and they hated -San Carlos. The Chiricahuas especially were restive. A long time ago -Taza had died, while in Washington trying to talk for his people. -Geronimo was head chief, and Nah-che was his partner in everything. - -Parties frequently broke away from the reservation, for Mexico. At this -very moment Chief Whoa and Nah-che were out again, with a band. They -had fled to join old Nana, who at almost ninety years was living wild! - -Geronimo and two hundred of his Chiricahuas, and Loco and the Warm -Spring Apaches, were at the San Carlos, but likely enough they would -run away, too, whenever they took the notion. They despised the Taza -people as “squaws” and cowards; the other Indians, in turn, despised -them as trouble-makers. - -General Crook was in the north. He had conquered the Sioux and the -Cheyennes, and was busy keeping them at peace. - -General O. B. Willcox, of the Twelfth Infantry, commanded in Arizona. -The Sixth Cavalry had replaced the Fifth Cavalry. But there were not -enough soldiers, most of the white interpreters and scouts had been -discharged, and the Apache police were supposed to maintain order upon -the reservation. - -The military telegraph had connected all the army posts. There was a -civil telegraph, also――for the railroad had arrived. - -The Southern Pacific Railroad crossed the southern part of the -Territory, about by the old stage route. Through the northern part -of the Territory the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad was crossing the -great Mogollon Plateau, where General Crook had broken a trail in the -campaign of ten years ago. - -The telegraph line had puzzled the Apaches very much, as “big -medicine.” They called it “pesh-bi-yal-ti”――“the talking wire.” But -they were learning to interfere with it by cutting it, and inserting a -little piece of rubber. Then the wire quit “talking.” - -A sharp eye was required to see such a break, which usually was near -a pole or tree up which the Indians had shinned. Jimmie had the eye. -Also, he was not afraid. He was accustomed to the country, and to the -Apaches. - -Sometimes he saw parties of them. If they were running away, they -were in too much of a hurry to stop. If they were hunting, they were -friendly. However, the run-aways did not cross hereabouts. They took -another route, further east, along the New Mexico western border. - -As a rule, Jimmie rode with a partner; but to-day his partner was ill. -Jimmie felt capable of repairing any break by himself, whether the -Indians had made it, or whether the limb of a tree had fallen. The line -had to be ridden, anyway. - -The military road was very quiet. It stretched on, up hill and down, -through timber and open parks, with the Gila River on the left, and far -on the right, or the south, the dark Pinaleno Mountains, beyond which -lay Camp Grant. Pretty soon the telegraph line would head down there. -He would ride on until he met another rider, coming from Grant. - -The San Carlos reservation was behind, to the northwest, on the other -side of the Gila; and away in the north, beyond a high ridge, was the -White Mountain reservation, with old Camp Apache that was now Fort -Apache. - -He was about ten miles out of Camp Thomas, and jogging easily. The only -moving things that he had sighted were rabbits and squirrels, and once -or twice a deer. But now when from a rise he looked across the Gila, he -saw, in the distance to the north, a great cloud of dust. - -That froze him. It appeared mighty suspicious. Many people, and horses -or cattle, would stir up such a dust. In that case, Indians! This was -not white man’s country. - -If they were Indians, they were moving very fast, and striking east, -like run-aways from San Carlos. Or was it cavalry, riding hard? But if -it was cavalry, that meant Indians, too. - -Well, he’d soon find out. The Gila, running bank full, was some -distance below; the country beyond, approached by the dust, was open -and rolling. He had a fine view. So sitting his horse, Jimmie whipped -off his field-glasses and leveled them. Ash Flats sprang into the -field; and here surged the brown dust, and under it, into the clear of -a little swale, streamed a mass of hastily scurrying figures. - -Indians, sure! - - - - -XIX - -JIMMIE SENDS THE ALARM - - -First there were fifteen or twenty mounted warriors, as an advance -guard. Then there followed about one hundred and fifty other warriors, -all with rifles, and stripped and painted to fight. Then there trooped -and jostled a large procession of squaws and children, mostly afoot, -herding a tremendous bunch of loose horses and mules, and packing camp -stuff. - -There must have been five hundred squaws and children, and six or seven -thousand animals, not counting dogs! A small guard of warriors were -riding the rear flanks of the march. It certainly was a big outbreak of -the San Carlos Chiricahuas, and they were hot-footing for Mexico! - -Whew! Where were the police and the soldiers, then? Jimmie swept the -landscape for sign of them, and saw nothing. He clapped his glasses -closed. His eyes leaped to the nearest telegraph pole. His duty was -clear. He ought to send word at once to Camp Thomas. - -Just as he was about to swing down, tie his horse, and climb the pole, -he sighted, with a last glance of his eye, four Indians swimming the -river below, with their ponies. Either he had been seen, or else they -were coming to cut the wire. Maybe both. - -Already the foremost was urging his pony up out of the water’s edge, -to the bank on this side. Of course they had seen him, as he sat! But -he still had a chance to race back, to the fort, and give the alarm. -No; that would lose an hour, or more. Likely enough the wire from San -Carlos to the fort had been cut; at the rate that those Chiricahuas -were traveling, every minute was precious if they were to be headed off. - -He ought to climb the pole and tap the wire. If he could not raise -Thomas in the one direction, he might raise Grant, in the other. But -he’d have to work fast. Lives were at stake, for no settler could stop -those bronc’s. - -Jimmie resolutely tumbled off his horse, in a jiffy strapped on his -climbing irons, left his horse, and his rifle in scabbard (a rifle -would be of no use up there), and ran for the pole. And this was -a brave act, for he might easily have run, horseback, in another -direction――back to Camp Thomas, or to hide in the farther timber until -the Indians had gone after cutting the wire. - -At top speed he shinned up the pole, and digging in, rapidly unshipped -his line-man’s little sending kit, in order to break in on the wire and -call the Camp Thomas operator. He did not dare to watch the movements -of those four Indians. - -No doubt the four were coming full tilt, up from the river and through -the brush; but if he tried to watch them he would be nervous and make -false motions. The thing for him to do was to clamp on to that line, -and _get there first_. That required swift, sure work, and all his -attention. So he endeavored not to think of the four Indians. - -Never had he felt so high in the air, and so much exposed. Almost any -other pole would have been better, but none had been as near and -convenient. He made a splendid mark, like a hawk roosting in a dead -tree. - -“Ping!” A bullet! They were shooting at him! “Pung!” That was the -report, following. “Whing!” “Pung!” But he must not mind the warning. -He needed only a minute more. As he worked rapidly his fingers seemed -all thumbs. He did not dare to take his eyes off them. “Thud-bang!” The -bullet shook the pole, and the report was so close that the shooter -could not be far away. He heard shrill yells, somewhere below―――― - -“Whack-bang!” A heavy hammer fell on the top of his shoulder, and well -nigh knocked him from his perch. He clung desperately, wrapping himself -tighter――his shoulder stung and was oddly warm――but it was his left -shoulder, he was on the wire at last, and was sending with his right -hand. - -“D,” “D,” “D,” he called Camp Thomas. - -There was thud of hoofs below, a chorus of angry yells――“Whish-bang!” a -bullet fanned his cheek――“Ping-bang!” another cut a large sliver from -the pole close to his neck――“D,” “D,” “D,” he kept calling, even while -he glanced aside. - -The four Indians were into the road and tearing for him, rifles leveled -upward――he saw smoke, heard the bullets――but the Thomas operator had -answered. - -“I――I D,” “I――I D.” - -Now for the ten seconds’ grace! - -“Injuns out. Big band――――” - -Camp Thomas broke. - -“Repeat. Who are you?” - -“Too nervous. Steady, boy,” cautioned Jimmie, to himself. He was not an -expert operator, anyway. But this was a crisis. - -He hastily started to repeat. The four Indians were right at the foot -of the pole, yelling at him. - -“Get down, get down!” they ordered, furiously, in Apache. He gazed -full into their upturned, painted faces――and into the muzzles of their -rifles; and he grinned sickly and continued to send. - -“Injuns out. Big band. Sig., Dunn. Injuns out. Big Band. Sig., Dunn. -Injuns out. Big band. Sig., Dunn.” - -Would Camp Thomas never O. K.? Would those muzzles below never belch -their balls and rip him and hurl him headlong? - -“No tiras (Don’t shoot)!” suddenly yelped one of the voices, from one -of the painted faces. - -Nah-che! And Chato (Flat-nose), too! The muzzles were lowered――the -scowling Chato’s last of all. - -“Come down, chi-kis-n,” ordered Nah-che. - -But Jimmie only shook his head, while he worked his key. - -“Come down or we shoot you down,” blared Flat-nose; and he drew a -deadly bead. - -But Thomas had broken in at last. - -“O. K. Where?” ticked Camp Thomas. - -“Ash Flats. Head east. Bronc’s and squaws.” - -“O. K. Get off wire,” answered Camp Thomas. - -“Bang!” sounded Chato’s rifle, and Jimmie’s little instrument flew -into fragments. But Jimmie cared not, now. He went sliding painfully -down; landed right in the midst of the four Indians, staggered――two of -them were afoot, waiting for him――they sprang at him, and wrenched his -revolver from its holster. They acted as though they were going to kill -him, or take him along, when Nah-che interfered. - -“No!” he ordered, while Chato scowled. But Nah-che was obeyed, because -he was a grown warrior and son of Cochise. “What were you doing, -chi-kis-n?” he demanded. - -“I talked with Camp Thomas,” answered Jimmie, defiantly. - -“What did you say?” - -“I said that the Chiricahua were running away.” - -The three other Indians murmured angrily. The two young bucks besides -Nah-che and Chato Jimmie did not know. He had not seen Nah-che and -Chato for several years, either. They had grown. Chato was ugly, -because of his flattened nose, but Nah-che was supple and handsome. - -“No matter,” said Nah-che, to his companions. “This is my brother. -He did right. He is brave. He shall not be harmed. Give him his gun -and let him alone. We are not afraid of the soldiers.” He addressed -Jimmie. “Yes, chi-kis-n, we are running away――all the Warm Springs and -Chiricahua except the Taza band. There are many of us, and we know -there are not enough soldiers in Arizona to stop us. We can whip the -Camp Thomas soldiers first, and whip the rest as they come. Geronimo is -with us, and Loco, and one hundred warriors who belong to Juh and me.” - -“Why are you running away, chi-kis-n?” asked Jimmie. “I thought you and -Juh were already run away. People said you were in Mexico.” - -“We were,” replied Nah-che. “We live in Mexico. That is the only place -for us. Nana is there, too; and Chihuahua. Now Juh and I have come up -to help Geronimo and Loco get away.” He began to talk hotly. “Why do we -all run away? That is a foolish question. We will not be moved around -so, and put in sickly places among Indians who don’t like us. We would -have stayed at our home in the Dragoon Mountains, and have been happy. -A few of us drank whiskey sold us by bad white men, and we all were -blamed. The San Carlos is not a good place. The White Mountains tell -false stories about us, the agents steal our rations from us and we go -hungry. The white traders would rather sell things to us, and cheat us. -So Juh and I ran away. Now there is talk that the white men want all -the San Carlos country, because of mines, and that the Apaches will be -taken away, many miles, to a strange land. Geronimo says he has been -told to come to Camp Thomas, for a talk――and if he goes there, he will -be put in prison again; maybe killed, like Mangas Coloradas was killed. -We would rather die on the warpath than die in prison or in a strange -land. So we all, the Chiricahua and the Warm Springs, except Taza’s -squaw-people, will live in the Mexican mountains. There we can lead -our own life. The Mexicans dare not fight us, we have plenty guns and -plenty food, the American soldiers cannot cross the line, to follow -us.” - -“Don’t you fool yourself,” retorted Jimmie. “Crook will come, and he -will go anywhere.” - -“Cluke is a good man. If he had stayed, maybe there would be peace -instead of war,” responded Nah-che. “There has been one other good man, -at San Carlos. He was the soldier-captain Chaffee. Why does the White -Father at Washington let us be cheated, like children, by dishonest -agents? Why does he listen to bad tongues, that say we must not stay -where we were promised we might stay? But good-by, chi-kis-n. Now there -is war between us. The Chiricahua are never coming back to be cheated -again. You have been chi-kis-n; but you are American and I am Apache, -so when we meet in war, look out for yourself. It will be man to man. -We are no longer boys.” - -Nah-che wheeled his pony. With a whoop, away they four tore, -flourishing their guns. - -Jimmie gazed after only for a moment. Then he was aware that all his -left shoulder and arm were red and paining. The bullet had slashed a -furrow an inch deep through the muscles of the upper arm, but the blood -was clotting and he did not pause to tie a bandage on. - -He unstrapped his climbing irons, kicked them off as he stooped to pick -up his revolver, and hobbled for his horse; mounted and raced for Camp -Thomas. - -Camp Thomas had only two reduced companies of the Sixth Cavalry. -When he got there, the two companies were drawn up in column of twos -in front of the adjutant’s office, as if ready to start out. Micky -Free was here, with a party of White Mountain and Tonto scouts. The -telegraph instrument was clicking rapidly. - -“Hello, Cheemie!” intercepted Micky, gaily, in his Spanish. “You been -fighting, what?” - -“Not much,” panted Jimmie, pulling short. “When do you start?” - -“Pretty soon, when the talking wire is done. They are telling what you -said, to the other posts. You did good work, Cheemie. The wire from San -Carlos is cut, but Tom Horn (he was a white scout and packer at San -Carlos) brought more news by horse, and Sibi has been here. Now they -are out, spying on the trail, and we will follow. It has been a big -outbreak.” - -“Were you there, Micky?” - -“No; but I heard it, and the agency Indians have signaled, and Tom Horn -was there. All the Chief Loco Warm Springs and the Geronimo Chiricahua -have gone. They number seven hundred. The trouble was this. You know -Stirling?” - -Jimmie nodded. Mr. Stirling was chief of the agency police. These were -not scouts, but Indians appointed by the agent as policemen. - -“Some days ago Stirling tried to arrest a Chiricahua who had been -making whiskey. The Chiricahua ran and Stirling missed him and hit a -squaw. That turned the Chiricahua bad, although Stirling said he was -sorry. They have been getting bad anyway, because there is talk that -all the Indians are to be moved far away, so that the Americans can dig -coal on the reservation. Last night Juh and Nah-che sent in word that -they were near, waiting to help Loco and Geronimo. This morning the -Chiricahua and Warm Springs began to pack up, and Stirling and Navajo -Bill, a policeman, charged them alone, to break them up. The Chiricahua -had been waiting for this. They shot Stirling one hundred times at -once, and a squaw cut off his head and it was kicked about like a ball. -He was a very brave man, that Stirling. Navajo Bill wasn’t hurt, but -another policeman was killed, and one Chiricahua. Now the Warm Springs -and Chiricahua are out――and I think they will keep right on going.” - -“Yes,” answered Jimmie soberly. “I met Nah-che. He came while I was -talking on the wire. He says that all the soldiers in Arizona cannot -stop them.” - -“That is true,” agreed Micky. “They have two hundred fine warriors, -and better guns than the soldiers’ guns. They nearly all have those -guns that shoot sixteen times, and lots of ammunition. The soldiers are -scattered, and before we get together, and the New Mexico soldiers get -together, Geronimo will be into Mexico. What was Nah-che doing on this -side the river? The squaws and children cannot cross, with the horses. -It is too high.” - -“I think Nah-che brought a party over to drive me away or kill me. He -had Chato with him, and two others. But he made them quit shooting at -me. We are chi-kis-n.” - -“That won’t count again,” warned Micky. “So watch out, next time. This -is war, and long war. Now you’d better get your arm fixed, Cheemie. The -Loco and Geronimo band will have to keep on, up the river, until they -can cross. They will strike south, near New Mexico, until they cross -the border. There are no soldiers, ahead in that country, to stop them; -and they wouldn’t care if there were. But we’re to meet Sibi and follow -and fight as well as we can, under the ugly long-nosed man.” - -That was Lieutenant George Gatewood, of the Sixth Cavalry, at Thomas. -He came in a hurry out of the adjutant’s office. - -“All ready,” he barked, to the junior lieutenant, his second in -command, and swung into the saddle. - -“’Ten-_shun_! Column――march! Trot!” - -The bugle sounded briskly, and away they went, in long column, the -red and white guidons flapping, Micky and his scouts galloping to the -advance. - -Jimmie proceeded to have his arm bandaged, and to talk with the -operator. Then he reported at headquarters, but he had little to tell -that was not already known. He felt, though, that he had done his duty. - -While his shoulder was healing, the troops of Arizona and New Mexico -struck the hostiles several times, down at the border, but did not turn -them. - - - - -XX - -THE GRAY FOX RETURNS - - -“Crook is coming back! General Crook is coming back!” - -That was the word at Camp Thomas, in this the early summer of 1882, a -couple of months after the Geronimo outbreak. - -The Third Cavalry already had arrived from its northern plains -campaigns, and the Sixth was being stationed over in New Mexico. But -the Sixth had done well, and the best news was that which bore the name -of Crook. He had been ordered from the Department of the Platte to the -Department of Arizona, again. - -“Now we shall see the Chiricahua grow tired,” laughed Micky Free, when -Jimmie met him. “Sibi is glad; the White Mountains are glad; everybody -will be glad, except Whoa and Geronimo. Are you going to help fight, -Cheemie, instead of riding all the time along the talking wire?” - -“You bet I am, Micky,” declared Jimmie. “Hope Tom Moore’s coming, too. -I reckon if my leg won’t let me scout I can join the pack-train.” - -General Crook wasted no time. Scarcely had he announced himself at Fort -Whipple, ere he was bound for San Carlos and Fort Apache, to straighten -out these affairs first. - -Jimmie rode over to the fort with a party from Thomas, to learn the -latest. The general was there, with Lieutenant Bourke, now a captain. -Wearing an ancient, smoked and scorched corduroy suit he had arrived on -the same “Apache,” his mule. He looked rather older than when he had -left, back in 1875. The campaigning in winter up north had been tough. -But he acted as energetic as ever. - -He held a council with the dissatisfied White Mountains. - -“I want to have all that you say here go down on paper,” he addressed. -“What goes down on paper never lies. A man’s memory may fail him, -but the paper does not forget. I want to know from you all that has -happened since I went away, to bring about this trouble between you and -the white men. I want you to tell the truth without fear, and in few -words.” - -Old Pedro had listened attentively to the general through an -ear-trumpet, for Pedro had grown quite deaf. He answered. - -“When you were here, if you said a thing we knew that it was true. We -cannot understand why you left us. The people who have come among us -talk in one way and act in another. And I remember the other officers, -too, who treated us kindly. I used to be happy; now I am all the time -thinking and crying, and I say: ‘Where is old Colonel John Green, and -Randall, and those other good men?’” - -Alchisé spoke. - -“When you left us, there were no bad Indians out. Everything was peace. -But I think that all the good men must have been taken from us and -only bad ones sent in. We did not mind having no rations, for we had -learned to take care of ourselves. Then one day we were ordered to give -up our fields and go down to the hot land of San Carlos to live. I have -tried hard to help the whites, and they have put me in the guard-house. -Where did you go? Why doesn’t Major Randall come back? Where is my -friend Randall, the captain with the big moustache that he always -pulled?” - -The general was very patient with all who wished to talk. Then he took -a pack-train and rode into the depths of the Black Canyon, where a -number of the Apaches lived because they feared arrest. - -The Apaches here, also, claimed that they had been mistreated. They had -set a spy to watch the agent at San Carlos, and had caught him selling -their rations. Then they had sent a man to tell the agent that he must -not do this, and the man had been kept in jail for six months without -any trial. They said that they had been getting only one cup of flour -every seven days. One shoulder of a little cow had to last twenty -persons for a week. - -It was another long story, and the general promised that he would help -them. - -“I think there will be peace at Fort Apache and at the San Carlos,” -Micky asserted, as he and Jimmie rode back after the council was over. -“And if the Chiricahua will stay in Mexico and kill only Mexicans, you -and I will have no fun, because the Gray Fox cannot make war in Mexico.” - -“Maybe the Chiricahua will stay there.” - -“No. After a time the young men will get tired of killing and robbing -Mexicans, which is easy. They will want to win honor by robbing the -Americans――and then, we shall see.” - -At Camp Thomas Jimmie met the general face to face while crossing the -parade-ground. He had small hopes that the general would remember him -when he saluted――but something in the general’s keen, inquiring eye -made him halt and stand expectantly. - -“Well, my man,” blurted the general. “I seem to know your face.” - -“Yes, sir. I’m Jimmie Dunn.” - -“I remember. You still limp a little, I see. What are you doing now?” - -“I’m a telegraph line-man, sir.” - -“That’s good. You had a talk with Nah-che, when he was on his way out, -last spring, didn’t you? Do you think he can be persuaded to come in -peaceably?” - -“He might if he knew you were back, sir. But he said the Chiricahua -hadn’t been treated well――they were out to stay.” - -“The Apaches have grievances. The worst of the outlaws are better than -the whites who have been robbing them.” - -The general was about to stride on, when Jimmie hastily spoke. - -“But if you go against the Chiricahua, I’d like to go too, sir.” - -“That will be a hard and maybe a long chase,” gravely said the general. -“Probably into the Mexican mountains, with picked men. You can help by -sticking to your present business. The telegraph and the railroad are -very necessary.” - -Jimmie, thinking it over afterward, almost decided likewise. His leg -bothered him, and his shoulder was still tender. Chasing Geronimo -through the Mexican mountains, with a leader who never rested, required -nerve and strength both. - -The general tried to hold a conference with the Geronimo runaways. From -the border he sent a party of Apache scouts under Alchisé across, for a -few miles, but they found no traces of the Chiricahuas. - -Two Chiricahua squaws were captured while returning to San Carlos. -They said that the Geronimo band had a strong hiding-place deep in the -Sierra Madre Mountains several days’ travel below the border; were -living off the Mexicans, and knew that the American soldiers could not -come down there. - -General Crook assigned Captain Emmet Crawford of the Third Cavalry (a -broad-shouldered six-footer) to the military station at San Carlos, -obtained permission from the Indian Bureau for the White Mountains to -live upon the high, cooler lands near Fort Apache and to plant crops -there, and from headquarters at Fort Whipple issued an order that said: - - Officers and soldiers serving in this department are reminded - that one of the fundamental principles of the military - character is justice to all――Indians as well as white men――and - that a disregard of this principle is likely to bring about - hostilities, and cause the death of the very persons they are - sent here to protect. In all their dealings with the Indians, - officers must be careful not only to observe the strictest - fidelity, but to make no promises not in their power to carry - out; ... - -As long as the Chiricahuas stayed out of the United States, there -was not much more to be done. The Apaches on the reservations seemed -content again; the border was being patrolled by one hundred and fifty -Apache scouts, in the hope of catching the trail of any outlaws who -might venture up; the telegraph was kept in fine working order, and the -troops at the posts were given constant practice marches. - -This fall and winter no word came from Geronimo. But in March (which -was the year 1883) the expected news broke――and bad news it was. - -Jimmie chanced to be in the telegraph office at Thomas when the message -came. He took it off the wire as fast as the operator did. It was from -Bowie, in the south. - -“Band of hostiles crossed line raiding north through Whetstone -Mountains. Heading west for New Mexico probably. More.” - -“Where’s that adjutant?” barked the operator, tearing off his sheet. -“Things are hummin’. Gee whizz, isn’t that man ever around when he’s -needed?” - -But the adjutant of course got the message at once. - -“More” came thick and fast, from all directions. The Chiricahuas -numbered only twenty-six warriors. They were under Chato, the -Flat-nose. They had dodged the patrol, outwitted all the troops and -volunteers, the telegraph and railroad did not stop them; on a circle -of eight hundred miles, traveling at seventy-five miles a day they -swung through Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, stealing fresh -horses whenever needed, and killing miners and settlers. - -“Picked men for the pursuit,” were the orders from the general at -Whipple. This appeared to leave Jimmie, with his lame leg, out of scout -service. Well, he might do some good in his regular job, anyway. But -the last news was the worst news of all. - -Near Silver City, southwestern New Mexico, a horrible act was committed -by the Chato band. They overtook Judge H. C. McComas, driving on the -main road with his wife and little boy, Charley; they tortured and -killed the two grown-ups, and carried off Charley, aged six years. - -This made soldiers and settlers alike furious. Jimmie could stand the -strain no longer. He had been captured, once, himself. He threw aside -his line-man position and rode over to Fort Apache, to find Frank -Monach, pack-master. - -“I want a job, Frank.” - -“Thought you had one.” - -“I had, but I’ve left. I’m too lame for scout work; I can pack, though. -How about it?” - -“Well,” drawled Frank, sizing him up, “the old man’s partic’lar. The -pack outfits have got to be the kind that’ll keep agoin’. We’re due to -follow those bronc’s till we get that boy back, even if we travel clear -to the City of Mexico.” - -“I know. That’s why I’m here,” retorted Jimmie. “I can pack and sit a -mule.” - -“All right. Old Jack Long’s watchin’ you, I reckon. He took a lot o’ -stock in you. You’re hired. So get your war-bag an’ fall in.” - - - - -XXI - -TO THE STRONGHOLD OF GERONIMO - - -“Fight to a finish, or a surrender, b’gosh,” announced Frank, to-day. -“Chiricahuas can take their choice. But the old man’s goin’ after ’em. -We’ll have no murderin’ an’ boy-stealin’ in this department. Everybody, -man an’ mule, is ordered to meet him at Willcox, pronto (quick). So -this outfit’ll hit the high places in the mornin’.” - -Jimmie and the other packers at San Carlos, where they had been waiting -prepared, gave a cheer. It was now the first week in April. The killing -of Judge McComas and Mrs. McComas, and the stealing of little Charley, -had occurred on March 28. Chato had escaped into Mexico again, having -lost only one warrior, except―――― - -“Did you hear tell thar’s a Chiricahua buck been fetched in who claims -he broke from the Chato bunch ’cause he wants peace?” queried Long Jim -Cook. - -“No. Where is he?” - -“In the guard-house. They got him locked up till the old man talks with -him. His name is ‘Peaches,’ or somethin’ like that.” - -“Mebbe he brings some sort o’ word from Geronimo. You know the old man -sent one of those squaws that he captured, back down, last fall, to -tell the Geronimo band they’d better change their minds.” - -Jimmie asked Micky Free. - -“He is not a Chiricahua,” said Micky. “He is a White Mountain, but he -married two Chiricahua squaws, so he had to live with the Chiricahua. -His name is Pa-na-yo-tish-n (Coyote-saw-him). He does not like the -Chiricahua, now. They are living in the mountains five days’ travel -from Arizona. They have plenty wood, plenty water, plenty grass, -plenty meat, and kill plenty Mexican soldiers with rocks because they -must save cartridges. That is why Chato made his raid up north: to -get cartridges. Pa-na-yo-tish-n ran away. He says he does not want to -fight, and there are others who do not want to fight, but they are -afraid of Geronimo. He knows the trail to Geronimo, and will lead the -general straight. Then maybe we talk, maybe we fight. It will be a good -fight, Cheemie. Geronimo has seventy men, and fifty big boys who can -fight like men. Yes, if they have powder, and do not get starved, and -the talk is bad, we will see much fun. I think that even the packers -will better watch out sharp.” - -Micky Free always had hopes. He was a regular fire-eater. - -The cavalry from Fort Apache, and the pack-train, and about one hundred -Apache scouts from the San Carlos and the White Mountain reservations -marched across country to Willcox. Pa-na-yo-tish-n (whom the soldiers -and packers called “Peaches”) was taken along, as a prisoner, in -handcuffs. - -Willcox, the nearest station on the Southern Pacific Railroad, just -west of Railroad Pass over the Chiricahua Mountains, was overflowing. - -The Camp Thomas troops had arrived; so had those from Fort Bowie, -to the southeast. By train other troops, and horses and mules, and -ammunition and supplies of all kinds were pouring in. The general and -his staff were here. So were Charley Hopkins and “Short Jim” Cook and -others of the old-time packers; and Archie MacIntosh and Al Sieber, the -chief scouts; and Antonio Besias the interpreter; yes, and Maria Jilda. - -It was a great reunion of Crook men. - -Reports said that the United States and Mexico had arranged to -pursue Indians into each other’s territory, but the United States -troops were not to cross the boundary before May 1. In order to make -certain that this was understood, the general traveled by the Mexican -Central Railroad into the northern Mexican States and talked with the -commanding officers there. - -When he returned he talked again with “Peaches.” “Peaches” stuck to his -story, and when the general directed that the irons be removed from -him, “Peaches” said that he was willing to wear them until it was shown -that he had spoken only the truth. But the irons were taken off anyway, -because Alchisé and other scouts engaged to watch him very closely. - -On April 22 there was a parade, and inspection of the whole outfit. -That night the Apache scouts held a big war-dance which lasted until -morning. They and Micky (who had danced as hard as anybody) were still -hot and excited when the column was formed for the advance. - -The scouts, and pack-mules, and a line of rumbling army wagons, and -portions of seven companies of the Third and Sixth Cavalry, marched -from the railroad to the boundary at San Bernardino Springs in -southeastern Arizona, one hundred miles by the wagon trail. - -Stalwart Captain Emmet Crawford brought in one hundred more Apache -scouts from San Carlos. There were war-dances and medicine ceremonies -each night. Alchisé and others told the general that their medicine -was showing up very strong; the Chiricahuas would surely be found and -killed or captured. - -“That is so,” asserted Micky, who believed in the medicine. - -Six of the cavalry troops were to be left here at the border, to guard -it and the wagons with the extra supplies. - -“Adios, amigo,” bade Maria, to Jimmie. “You will have good luck. The -medicine says so, and Pa-na-yo-tish-n will lead Crook straight. But it -will be a long march, maybe two hundred miles.” - -“Aren’t you going, Maria?” - -“No. I stay, because I know all this country.” - -It did not look like a very great force, after all, which at sunrise -of May 1, this 1883, crossed the border to find Geronimo. There were -more Indians than soldiers――one hundred and ninety-three of them, White -Mountains, Tontos, Yavapais, Apache-Yumas and some of the Taza friendly -Chiricahuas. - -Captain Crawford, of the Third Cavalry, commanded them. He had as his -assistants Lieutenant George Gatewood and Lieutenant W. W. Forsythe, of -the Sixth, and Lieutenant James O. Mackay, of the Third. - -The forty cavalrymen of the Sixth (less than half a company) were -commanded by Major Adna R. Chaffee and Lieutenant Frank West. - -The general’s staff was Captain Bourke, and Lieutenant G. J. Febiger -of the Engineers. Doctor Andrews was surgeon. Archie MacIntosh and Al -Sieber were chief scouts. Micky, and old Severiano the Mexican who had -been brought up by the Apaches, and Packer Sam Bowman were interpreters. - -The pack-masters of the five pack-trains were Frank Monach, Charley -Hopkins, of Tucson, “Long Jim” Cook and “Short Jim” Cook, and George -Stanfield. - -“One blanket and forty rounds of ammunition to each man,” were the -orders. The mules carried additional ammunition and sixty days’ rations -of hard-tack, coffee and bacon. Everybody was well armed with the -Springfield forty-fives, and Colt’s revolvers; even the packers had -carbines and pistols. - -Plainly enough, the general was outward bound on business! - -“U-ga-shé (U-gah-shay)!” barked Lieutenant Gatewood, at the scouts. -And away they went, afoot, in their red head-bands and flapping shirts -and leggin-moccasins, across the boundary, with Alchisé and “Peaches” -in the lead, as guides. They all spread out in a broad front, to cover -the country. Their officers rode just behind, with Archie MacIntosh and -Sieber the Iron Man. - -The general and aides and cavalry escort followed. Then there ambled -the long files of pack-trains――Frank Monach’s first. A guard of the -cavalry closed the rear. - -The “good-by” and “good luck” cheers of the border guard died in -the distance. The march to “get” Geronimo, Nah-che and the other -Chiricahuas had actually begun. - -At first about twenty-five miles a day were covered. But the country -grew rougher and hotter. Only two or three of the Mexican villages were -inhabited; many others were deserted and in ruins, on account of the -Chiricahuas. The brush along the streams was thick, the flowers were -large and bright. High, bluish mountains loomed on right and left and -before. - -It was fine Apache country, all right――and “Peaches” was leading -straight into it, for within a few days fresh moccasin tracks might be -seen frequently. - -“To-morrow for the Sierra Madre,” said Frank Monach, in camp on the -night of May 7. “Then we’ll be hangin’ on by our toe-nails. What I’d -like to know is, whether Geronimo’ll wait for us or whether he’ll keep -a-goin’ himself.” - -The huge jumble of the Sierra Madre range frowned directly before. -It certainly appeared mighty rough. No white men had yet ventured to -penetrate far into the Sierra Madre; but the general was determined, as -Al Sieber said, “to open it up.” - -He was so anxious, that this night the march had continued until after -eleven o’clock, and camp had been made without fires, in the bottom of -a deep canyon. So dark it was that even the mules lost their places. - -The climb of the first flanks of the Sierra Madre was begun at -daylight. The trail that led out of the canyon was littered with -plunder――torn letters, Mexican dresses, scattered flour, and beef -carcasses. It was so steep that several of the mules fell off, and -landed one hundred feet below, in a canyon. But they were not hurt. - -The Chiricahua sign became more plentiful. “Peaches” said that -Geronimo’s real stronghold was still several days’ march before, -but that this was as far as the Mexican soldiers ever had got. The -Chiricahuas had ambushed them and driven them back. - -To-night everybody except the scouts was very tired. Jimmie ached from -head to foot; the job of forcing the mules on was the hardest work of -all. - -“Come, Cheemie,” invited Micky. “You come with me and you will see big -medicine made.” - -Jimmie groaned, and hobbled after Micky Free. - -What with chasing deer and turkeys and rabbits, to eat, and hunting the -Chiricahuas, the scouts had been having a great time. They had never -been too tired to dance and yarn; to-night their medicine-men were to -find the Chiricahuas for them. - -The officers messed with the packers and scouts; it was all one family. -The general and Captain Bourke had joined the Monach mess, where -Alchisé and other principal scouts ate, too. So the general and the -captain were admitted to the circle of the medicine-making. - -The chief medicine-man lay in a trance while the lesser medicine-men -squatted around him and sang. Soon he thumped his chest and spoke, -telling his dream. - -“Keet,” the Apache boy who carried the medicine things and was in -training for a medicine-man, himself, translated for the general and -Captain Bourke. - -“What did he say?” asked the captain. “The general wishes to know.” - -“He say: ‘Me can’t see ’um Chilicahua yet. Bimeby me see ’um. Me ketch -’um, me kill ’um. Me no ketch ’um, me no kill ’um. Chilicahua see me, -me no get ’um. No see me, me ketch ’um. Me see ’um little bit now. -Mebbe so six day me ketch ’um; mebbe so two day. Tomollow me send -twenty-fibe men to hunt ’um tlail. Mebbe so tomollow see ’um more. Me -ketch ’um hoss, me ketch ’um mool, me ketch ’um cow. Ketch Chilicahua -pretty soon, bimeby. Kill ’um heap, an’ ketch ’um squaw.’” - -That impressed the scouts. They were sure of success. - -The signs grew fresher and fresher, and the trail worse and worse. -But abandoned rancherias were found――and they had not been abandoned -long, either! The eager scouts fairly ran hither-thither, searching -and signaling; the cavalry-men toiled afoot, leading their horses; and -the pack-mules, urged on by Jimmie and the other packers, coughed and -slipped and sweat, and six of them rolled a thousand feet and were -dashed to pieces. - -But the general showed no token of quitting. He was after Geronimo. - -Now it was the night of May 10. In the morning Captain Crawford and his -scouts were going ahead, by themselves. Alchisé had insisted that this -was the only way to do. He complained to the general that the soldiers -and the pack-trains were too slow, to catch the Chiricahuas. - -Frank Monach came into camp from a reconnoiter with a few of the -soldiers and the huskier packers. Jimmie could not go. His leg was -rather bad. - -“B’gosh, we found where a passel o’ Mexicans had been wiped out with -rocks an’ arrows an’ lances,” announced Frank. “Over yonder in the -foothills. They must have come in from the other side.” - -This night the scouts were very busy, making medicine and mending -moccasins and preparing meat and bread. - -“Medicine man say ‘Kill ’um heap Chilicahua, three day from tomollow,’” -declared young “Keet,” proud of his English words. - -Early in the morning one hundred and fifty of the scouts, with Captain -Crawford and Lieutenant Gatewood and Lieutenant Mackay, Archie -MacIntosh, Al Sieber, and Micky and Severiano and Sam Bowman, hastened -ahead. - -They were to fight and to surround, and try to hold the Chiricahuas -until the soldiers arrived. The dismounted cavalry and the pack-trains -followed at best speed, again into the heart of the high country. - - - - -XXII - -WAR OR PEACE? - - -During the next few days Captain Crawford sent back several notes, to -say that by the signs he was likely to strike the Chiricahuas at any -moment. The pursuit was closing in. Maybe the medicine-men were right. -They had prophesied “Three days from to-morrow,” which would be May 14. - -But May 14 passed without especial event. Then, at one o’clock noon of -May 15, in a little box canyon there was sudden excitement among the -cavalry ahead of the Monach pack-train. Jimmie, first in line at one -side behind the “bell,” saw the Indian runner dart down the slope, into -the trail, and hand a note to the general. - -The general read it. Lieutenant Febiger hastened back to Major Chaffee, -and instantly the trumpet pealed “Mount!” Into their saddles vaulted -the troopers. Down to the pack-trains galloped Lieutenant West. - -“Close up your outfits!” he shouted. “Be prepared for action. -Crawford’s scouts have struck the hostiles.” - -“Hooray!” That was good news. Afterwards it was learned that the -foremost scouts had discovered some Chiricahuas in a canyon, had fired -upon two men and a woman, and had frightened the rest away. The runner -had brought the note six miles across the mountains in less than an -hour. - -“Listen to that!” yelped Martin, the cook, from the “bell.” - -Distant rifle-shots sounded faintly. It was a battle! Captain -Crawford’s scouts and the Chiricahuas were fighting! - -The reports welled faster. Every ear was keen set. Major Chaffee’s -cavalry had quickened pace, each trooper erect in his saddle; the -pack-mules were being forced more compactly, ready for corralling -should the cavalry leave; the general, in the advance with his aides, -clearly was impatient for the country to open out and the battle-field -be sighted. - -“Bet they got away, dog-gone it!” yelled back Cook Martin. For -presently the firing dwindled to spatters, and ceased. Shucks! - -“Anyhow, the old man’ll keep agoin’,” voiced the packer behind Jimmie. -“There’s a nice moon for huntin’ Injuns, an’ we can live on what those -bronc’s are throwin’ away!” - -So it was plod, plod, up and down, and down and up. The troopers -dismounted, to lead their horses. - -Toward dusk a great smoke was to be seen several miles away, on a high -mountain-side. The pack-train guessed that a Chiricahua rancheria was -being cleaned up. - -The horizon over there flared into red, and while supper was being -eaten, in camp under a glorious full moon, here came Captain Crawford -and his scouts at last, both afoot and ahorse. They brought also -forty-seven horses loaded with plunder, and five prisoners――two boys, -two girls, and a woman. - -Alchisé acted rather disgusted, but Micky Free was joyful. - -“Hello, Cheemie,” he greeted, as he and others of the scouts squatted -near the camp-fires, to eat again. “We had good fun. It was Chato’s and -Bonito’s rancherias. Alchisé and Sibi are mad because we shot too soon, -and the Chiricahua ran off. We killed nine and captured those five. We -didn’t catch any more. The country was very rough, and they hid. But we -set the rancherias on fire. There were thirty houses. And to-morrow we -get more Chiricahua.” - -“Wasn’t the little white boy there, Micky?” - -“Yes, he was there, the squaw says. His name Carlos (Charles); six -years old. He was with some old squaws and they ran off with him. But -she says she can find them in two days. Loco and Chihuahua want to come -back to the reservation; maybe Geronimo and Chato and Nah-che; Whoa -still thinks bad.” - -“Where is Geronimo?” asked Frank Monach, in Spanish. - -“Nearly all the Chiricahua men are down in the south, hunting Mexicans. -They will be surprised when they know the Cluke men have found where -they live, and that Pa-na-yo-tish-n had led us so straight. We now are -inside and they are outside. Inju!” - -Everybody was much disappointed that little Charley McComas had -disappeared. If some of the younger scouts had not shot first without -orders the rancherias might have been surrounded and Charley rescued. - -However, the captured squaw seemed to be certain that she could find -the older squaws who had him. Early in the morning she was sent away, -with one of the boy prisoners and two days’ rations. She promised she -would tell the Chiricahuas it was no use to fight. - -This was a cold, rainy day, which made the waiting disagreeable. -At night ice formed. In the morning a smoke signal was seen. The -general ordered that it be answered. “Peaches” guided to a better -camping-place, where there were grass and running water. - -Another smoke signal was sent up, but only a few squaws and children -came in. The squaws said that some other squaws had Charley McComas. -One of the women was the sister of Chief Chihuahua (or Bonito). She -stated that all the Chihuahua band would surrender as soon as her -brother could get them together. - -“The idee of the gen’ral is, not to do any more fightin’, if he can -help it, till that white kid is fetched along,” explained Martin, the -cook for the Monach pack-train and officers’ mess. “That’s what Cap’n -Bourke says. You see, the leetle fellow’s with the Chihuahua band.” - -The next day Chihuahua (Bonito) himself came boldly in, to say that he -would surrender his people as soon as he could get word to them all. -They were tired of fighting and hiding. - -“That is good,” answered the general. “I have soldiers and scouts -enough to fight the Chiricahuas as long as they wish to fight. Those I -do not kill or capture I will drive into the Mexican soldiers who are -coming up from the south.” - -“I speak only for my own band,” answered Chihuahua. “They will make -peace, but I do not know what Geronimo and Whoa will do. If you will -let me take two of my young men and go out again, I can hurry my people -in faster.” - -“They must bring the white boy.” - -“I will tell them so,” said Chihuahua. - -Chihuahua did good work, for the Chiricahuas kept gathering until there -were one hundred and twenty-one in camp. But they had not brought -Charley McComas, and none of the Geronimo men had turned up. - -Then, at eight o’clock in the morning, a tremendous outburst of shouts -and screeches sounded from some high cliffs above the camp. More -Apaches were jumping about among the rocks there, as if much astonished. - -“Geronimo!” exclaimed Micky, running. - -The camp sprang to arms. - -“What is the matter?” were yelling the Chiricahuas above, to the -Chiricahuas below. - -“The white war-captain has us. We fight no more,” called the -Chiricahuas who had surrendered. “It is no use. Our own people fight -against us.” - -Two old squaws clambered half-way down. - -“Ask the white war-captain if we will be hurt?” they screamed. - -The general sent out Micky and Scout To-klani (Plenty Water) and one of -the Chihuahua Chiricahuas. To-klani’s sisters belonged to the Chihuahua -band, and the Chiricahuas all knew him. - -“The white war-captain says that he does not care whether you surrender -or not,” announced To-klani. “Chihuahua has surrendered. We are only -waiting till the rest of his people and the little white boy come in. -If you come you will not be harmed, but if you do not come you will be -killed.” - -This set the Chiricahuas on the cliff to thinking. Evidently now that -they had found their best camping-place occupied, and so many of the -other Chiricahuas surrendered, they did not know quite what to do. -As Frank Monach remarked: “That’s a heap joke. Expect we look mighty -comfortable, at our little love-feast.” - -Within about an hour, the Apaches came down. It was Geronimo, all -right――he, and Nah-che, and Chato, and thirty-three warriors. They all -carried the latest model repeating rifles, and the best nickle-plated -revolvers, and they stared about very uneasily. - -They began to ask questions of the scouts; Nah-che sighted Jimmie, and -sidled over to him. - -“Chi-kis-n,” he said. - -“Chi-kis-n,” replied Jimmie. - -“The last time I saw you I talked straight,” proceeded Nah-che. “Now I -ask you to talk straight, for we are men. I want to know how you came -in here, with so many soldiers and Apaches and mules, while we were out -hunting the Mexicans. What does Cluke intend to do?” - -“We came in easily, because the White Mountain who was one of Chato’s -men showed us the road. But the Gray Fox would have brought us anyway. -The American soldiers can hunt Apaches in Mexico, and the Mexican -soldiers can hunt Apaches in the United States. That is arranged. -If Geronimo will not surrender, let him try to fight. The other -Chiricahuas are going back to the reservation. Geronimo will not last -long. His own people are against him, and he cannot hide any more in -Mexico.” - -“That sounds bad,” uttered Nah-che; and he walked away very downcast. - -The general was saying the same thing, and other things, to Geronimo. - -“You should have had more sense than to leave because of a few -troubles,” he scolded severely. “There is always some trouble in a big -camp of Indians. I want to know what those troubles were, so that I may -correct them. I shall not talk long with you; you must make up your -mind for peace or war. You can see for yourself that I am not afraid of -you. I have come in here, where you thought I could not come, and I am -not even taking your arms from you. You are free to stay or go. If you -decide to stay and march with the other Chiricahua to the San Carlos, -you will not be harmed. - -“You have done things for which you ought to be arrested; but if you -will promise to behave yourself and work, I will see to it that you are -placed wherever you choose, on the reservation. I will make soldiers -of your own men, to keep peace in your camp. The ugly long-nosed man -(who was Lieutenant Gatewood) shall select them, and he will be your -officer. He will see to it that you get whatever you are entitled to -get. - -“But if you do not go back with me, then it will be war. I will cover -all this country with soldiers and scouts, and the Mexicans and the -Americans and the scouts will hunt you down without stopping. Now I -have spoken. I ask you to leave me and to think this over, and talk -with your men. Then you must tell me what you have decided, for I do -not want there to be any misunderstanding.” - -The council broke up. Geronimo appeared rather downcast, too. The rest -of the day he and his people kept by themselves. Even Nah-che did not -come over again. It was an anxious period, for the Geronimo band were -able to put up a hard fight still, and the camp was full of Chiricahuas. - -“What do you think Geronimo will do, Micky?” asked Jimmie. - -“He is a smart man, and likes to talk,” answered Micky. “He is a -war-captain. But when he sees that he is talking alone, he will quit. -Cluke’s words stung him, for no chief likes to be talked at like -that. I looked for a fight right away, and so did Sibi. There was no -fight――it would have been a good fight, though, with so many Chiricahua -all around us. Now I think that if Geronimo is still here, in the -morning, it means peace.” - -Everybody――soldiers, scouts and packers――slept with one eye and one ear -open, this night. But in the morning Geronimo asked the general for -another talk. It seemed as though the decision had been made. - -“I have thought deeply, and have talked with my people,” said Geronimo. -“We were not well treated at San Carlos, but if you will be good to -us we will do as you tell us to do. The white man does not see as the -Apache sees, and yet you have made me feel that I have done wrong. I -will go with you to the San Carlos. But first I ask you to order me to -send out for the rest of my people. They are much scattered, and they -have many ponies and cattle which belong to them; but if they see only -signals they will think them to be signals set by your scouts, to fool -them. And if I go away and leave them, then the Mexicans will kill -them.” - -“You must try to find the white boy,” reminded the general. - -“I will do exactly as you say,” replied Geronimo. - -“Is it peace, chi-kis-n?” inquired Jimmie, of Nah-che. - -“It is peace,” answered Nah-che; but he did not smile. - -“Hooray!” cheered Long Jim Cook. “That was a tall bluff on the -gen’ral’s part, I reckon; but it worked. For a while we were in a bad -box, with the camp runnin’ over with Chiricahua, an’ thirty or forty -fightin’ bronc’s up on those cliffs, ready to rake us. I wouldn’t trust -all these scouts, in a pinch, either. They’ve got too many kin, in the -hostiles.” - -“D’you suppose Geronimo has somethin’ up his sleeve, still?” proposed -Martin the cook, to Frank Monach. “He acts awful agreeable.” - - - - -XXIII - -GERONIMO PLAYS SMART - - -“To-morrow we go home,” declared Micky Free, to Jimmie and Nah-che. -They three had been messing together, as old friends. - -It was the afternoon of May 23. Two days had passed since Geronimo -had decided upon peace. He had kept his word, for the Chiricahuas had -continued to come in――crippled old Nana himself had arrived this very -morning――all the chiefs and captains were here except Juh, and Juh, or -Whoa, need not be expected. He and his band of one man and two squaws -had gone farther south. - -Even Ka-e-ten-na (The Looking-glass), who was a young war-captain -of the Mexican Chiricahuas, part of Whoa’s people, had come in. Now -rations were being issued by Lieutenant Gatewood to two hundred and -fifty extra persons, including a dozen Mexicans――forlorn women and -children whom the Chiricahuas had brought with them. But, alas―――― - -“Don’t we wait for Charley McComas?” demanded Jimmie. - -“The white boy?” And Micky shook his red head. “No. It is too late. He -is lost. If we wait longer, there will be no food. Too many people eat.” - -“Doesn’t Chato know where he is?” - -“Chato says not,” answered Nah-che. “He was left with the women. We -have asked the women. They say that on the first day, when Chato’s -rancheria was attacked, the little white boy ran into the bushes. -Nobody has seen him again. He did not come out. Then there were rains -that washed his trail. It was eight days ago, and we think he is dead.” - -The general had questioned the Chiricahuas closely. They all stuck -to the one story, and seemed to be speaking the truth. Six-year-old -Charley probably had been so frightened that he had run until exhausted -and lost in the dense brush. No trace of him was ever discovered. - -When the general finally issued the order that camp should be broken in -the morning, and the start made for San Carlos, Geronimo was smiling -and ready. He asked only that the first marches be slow, so that the -Chiricahuas who were still out might catch up. There seemed to be no -end of those Chiricahuas who were still “out.” - -“We expect you to protect us from the Mexican soldiers,” said Geronimo. -“My old men and women who are coming cannot fight.” - -“I will protect you,” promised the general. - -This appeared to make Geronimo happy and satisfied. - -However, in the morning a sudden delay occurred. The pack-trains were -loaded and waiting, the cavalry had formed, all the Chiricahuas were -herded together, the scouts were on the flanks, but the general had -sent for Geronimo――was talking earnestly to him. - -Presently Archie MacIntosh came trotting back, ahorse, as if with an -eye to seeing that everything was closed up. - -“What’s the trouble ahead, Archie?” hailed Frank. - -Archie grinned from his sun-burned face, and paused. - -“Just been discovered we’re about a hundred bucks shy. They disappeared -between sunset and sunrise. Looks as though that old rascal of a -Geronimo had put one over on us.” - -“Hi! I said he had somethin’ up his sleeve,” chuckled Long Jim Cook. -“Where they gone? After plunder, I bet you!” - -“Of course,” declared Archie. “And the general’s raising Cain. He says -to Geronimo: ‘Those bucks of yours are riding south to steal horses and -cattle from the Mexicans.’ And Geronimo, he just smiles and says: ‘Oh, -they wouldn’t rob anybody. They’re looking for some of our own horses -and cattle that we’ve left.’ And the general says: ‘I won’t allow you -to take any stolen stock across the border. I’d be court-martialed for -it.’ And Geronimo says: ‘Don’t bother with that. All those Mexicans -are good for, is to grow horses and cattle for the Apaches. We will -ride on slowly. But if there is any trouble with the Mexicans, you have -promised to protect us. Besides, it will be several days before my men -come to join us.’ So the general, he’s regularly up a stump.” - -And that was true. For the time being the wily Geronimo had outwitted -him. Without doubt most of the able-bodied warriors had ridden away for -the purpose of making one last raid, and returning to the reservation, -rich! - -The march north was begun. The procession stretched for more than a -mile――the old men and old women, the wounded, and the little children -riding upon ponies, the women afoot packing great bundles, and many -carrying cottonwood boughs to shield their heads from the fierce sun. - -Soon the Chiricahuas numbered three hundred, the majority women and old -men and children. The herd of horses and cattle steadily grew. Near the -border a dozen warriors caught up, at night; they brought fifty horses. -But at the camp across the border the warriors, driving herds of stock, -joined in streams, and the general found that he had three hundred and -sixty-three Chiricahuas and over one thousand horses and mules and cows -bearing Mexican brands! - -“Every one of those must be turned back into Mexico,” he ordered. - -“No,” replied Geronimo. “They belong to us. We bring them, so that we -can go to farming, as you ask us to do. Who cares what a lot of howling -Mexicans say?” - -Mexicans, lawyers and angry ranchers claiming horses and cows were -threatening to sue the United States, and General Crook, for helping to -steal Mexican stock. But many of the brands had been changed over, and -there were disputes without end, the Mexicans and the Chiricahuas both -claiming all the cattle. - -So the only way out of the muddle was, to drive the stock to San -Carlos, and sell it, and send the money to the United States treasury. -Then the Mexicans who could prove their claims should be paid. - -This did not please Geronimo. - -“The Chiricahua will not understand, and they will not forget,” said -Maria Jilda, who was at the border camp. “You will chase Geronimo and -Nah-che again, Jeemie.” - -“Well, I shorely hope not,” quoth Frank Monach. “Hope we get a chance -to rest up, anyhow. The general and Sieber look about tuckered.” - -And that was so. After five hundred miles of travel through the -roughest of mountain country, in heat and cold and dry and wet, even -General Crook seemed to be worn out. - -He kept his word with the Chiricahuas. Geronimo and the other chiefs -were permitted to choose their own lands, and settled with their -people, five hundred and twelve in number, south of Fort Apache. It was -a fine country, too, on the head-waters of Turkey Creek. - -The general obtained orders from Washington that all the Chiricahuas -should be placed under his control. This was thought by Arizona to be -a very good plan, because the Chiricahuas, like the other Apaches, had -much faith in “Cluke.” - -As the governor said, in an annual message to the legislature: “The -Indians know General Crook and his methods, and respect both.” - -Jimmie stuck at Fort Bowie. He had been appointed pack-master, there, -and this was quite a job for a boy scarcely twenty-one years old. But -he felt as though he had grown up in the service; and old Jack Long -had started him off well. - -Captain Crawford was in military charge of the San Carlos reservation. -Micky Free was over there, too, as a sergeant of the Indian police. -Lieutenant Gatewood was stationed in the Chiricahua camp at Turkey -Creek, just as the general had promised. Maria Jilda took up a ranch; -he said that he was tired of scouting and interpreting. Al Sieber, as -chief of scouts, divided his time between San Carlos and Fort Apache; -and where Archie MacIntosh went, Jimmie did not know. - -But there was no opportunity for being lonesome at Fort Bowie. -Pack-train duties kept a fellow hopping, if he tried to have a crack -outfit――and the only outfits tolerated by the quarter-master’s -department under General Crook were crack ones. Supplies had to be -packed in from the railroad, fifteen miles, and there were scoutings -and practice marches. - -For the remainder of 1883 everything seemed to be quiet. Reports stated -that Geronimo and all the Chiricahuas were farming and doing famously, -and that the White Mountains, on the other side of Fort Apache, were -getting rich by selling their barley and hay to the post and to the -towns. - -Then, as the months of 1884 rolled by, troubles appeared on the -surface. The military and the Indian Bureau employes did not agree. The -military officers, like Captain Crawford and Lieutenant Gatewood, had -charge of the Chiricahua prisoners, but the Indian agent had charge of -the other Indians. The military was obliged to keep order at San Carlos -and the Fort Apache reservation, both, but the Indian agent had the -authority to direct the farming. The Chiricahuas had been encouraged by -General Crook to mingle with the peaceful White Mountains, and all the -Indians preferred the soldiers to the civilians. - -The White Mountains and Chiricahuas complained that they were not -getting their rightful amount of meat from the agent. The man sent out -to see, reported that they were getting everything. - -Captain Crawford did not agree with the report. The Indian Bureau asked -that he be removed. He demanded a court-martial. The court-martial -found that he was honest and correct; and that the Apaches, instead -of getting one thousand cows, had been assigned only six hundred -poor ones, with the promise that the rest should be delivered “when -required.” - -But Captain Crawford was powerless in the matter, and the Apaches could -not understand why there should be two fathers over them. - -In May young chief Ka-e-ten-na went “bad.” He was the Mexican Apache -chief who had surrendered; now he made ready to run away, with a band -of other restless Chiricahuas, into Mexico again. - -General Crook was at West Point, to address the graduating class there. -However, Ka-e-ten-na was arrested by his own people, and was tried -the same as a white man, and sentenced to be “shut up till he learned -sense.” He was sent to the United States military prison on Alcatraz -Island, in San Francisco Bay, for a year; and this proved a very -good plan, the same as the cases of Santos and Pedro and old Miguel; -because after he had seen how powerful the Americans were and what a -great city they had, he was cured of wishing to live wild. - -“He is only one, though,” said Micky Free, this fall, while at Bowie on -a scouting trip with Tom Horn who was Al Sieber’s right-hand man. “Sibi -thinks that all the Chiricahua would better be sent to prison. So does -Tom. They have had a talk with Geronimo, and the only way to do is to -send all the Chiricahua out of Arizona, quick.” - - - - -XXIV - -PACK-MASTER JIMMIE MEETS A SURPRISE - - -“Will there be trouble again, Micky?” - -“Of course,” laughed Micky scornfully. “Everybody in Arizona knows -that. You see it yourself, Cheemie. You read the talking papers. The -talking papers of Mexico say that the Chiricahua from Arizona are -sneaking down there and stealing cattle. That is true. Even Gatewood is -getting afraid. He is losing Chiricahua all the time; they go somewhere -and his counts are always different. I think he will move to Fort -Apache. It is only twelve miles, and he will be safer. - -“The Geronimo Chiricahua see that the San Carlos Apaches and the White -Mountains are unhappy, with two fathers bossing them. So they trade -their goods for whiskey and guns. Sibi went to Geronimo and asked him -what he was planning to do. Geronimo said: ‘It is no use to lie to -you, Sibi. You read my thoughts. The truth is this: When my men came -up with Cluke from Mexico they expected to go back every little while, -to get horses and cows. There is no harm in stealing cattle from those -Mexicans. Besides, Cluke took away the cattle that we first brought up. -If my men are not allowed to do that, they would rather live in Mexico -and act as they please. It is only my talk that holds them, and some -day they won’t listen.’ - -“To hear Geronimo pretend peace talk would make a mule laugh,” -concluded Micky. “Now because Cluke is in Washington we have come down -here with Tom Horn, and Sibi who has a lame leg is coming in a wagon. -They will talk with Bourke. Sibi says to capture all the Chiricahua and -send them far away. That will end war. But I guess it won’t be done.” - -Captain Bourke――who had been promoted to major――was at Bowie, waiting -for the general to return from Washington. The general had gone to -Washington in the hopes of getting more authority to deal with the -Apaches. - -He did not succeed. All this fall and winter of 1884 the War Department -and the Interior Department could not agree upon the control of the -reservations. - -The officers at San Carlos staked out an irrigating ditch for the -Apaches to dig, and the agent declined to permit the digging. The -Indians believed nobody. Captain Crawford asked to be transferred to -his regiment, the Third Cavalry, and Captain F. E. Pierce, of the First -Infantry, was assigned to the military charge of San Carlos. He had -lost an eye in the Civil War. - -In February of 1885 Major-General John Pope, who commanded the Military -Division of the Pacific, from San Francisco announced, to Washington: - - If General Crook’s authority over the Indians at San Carlos be - curtailed or modified in any way, there are certain to follow - very serious results, if not a renewal of Indian wars and - depredations in Arizona. - -Consequently, with matters at sixes and sevens, the outlook at Fort -Bowie was very gloomy. - -In the middle of May Jimmie rode down toward the border, to see how -some of the pack-mules in pasture upon a ranch were getting along. -There was likely to be need of them soon, for the Indians certainly -were going to break out. - -It was an all-day ride. The pasture was in some bottoms among the -hills, where there was good water and grass; so he cooked his own -supper and prepared to sleep out, beneath the stars. - -He was just about to turn in, under his blanket, when he heard Chiquito -snort. Chiquito was his horse, picketed out to graze. The snort might -mean mountain lion, Mexican leopard, wolf, deer, or――――! - -“What is it, Chiquito?” - -Chiquito’s head was up, his ears pricked, he was staring into the -south. He knew a heap, Chiquito did. - -Jimmie gazed, too, in the same direction. And there, far to the -southwest, across the Mexican line, he saw a red gleam on a high hill. -A signal fire, sure: Indian signal! - -Jimmie scrambled to his feet and stood peering intent. Presently the -gleam was broken――and then repeated. Indians down there were signalling -for other Indians to answer. That was plain. Even Chiquito had known. -He was Indian wise. - -Jimmie swept the dark horizon again and again, to catch the answer, but -none appeared. His view from the camp was not very good; but he must -find out what was going on; accordingly he snatched up his blanket and -ran through the brush to the crest of the slope above him. - -Here he found the right spot, and squatted, with his blanket wrapped -around him, to wait. He did not dare to build a fire, lest it be seen. - -This was a long, cold wait. - -The fire in the southwest flared regularly at intervals of about an -hour. “Answer,” it kept saying. “Answer.” Jimmie eyed the north as well -as the south――and at midnight the expected happened. The signal in the -south had been answered, for it suddenly broke into a message. - -There were one long flash and several shorter ones. Then, quickly -following, two flashes, and an interval, and two more. - -As anybody ought to know, this spelled: “All right. We will wait two -days.” - -The fire died. That was the end. Jimmie jumped to a conclusion. There -had been only the one fire in the south; so the answer had come from -the north, and he had somehow missed it. But the Indians in Mexico had -signalled to some Indians in Arizona, and were to wait two days! - -The Chiricahuas had arranged to run away! Probably they already were -out, making for Mexico, to join runaways already there. Whew! Great -Scott! - -Well, all that he could do was to wait until daylight, and then make -for Bowie. And the sooner the better, because he was right in the track -of runaways. - -He went down to his camp, and got a half night’s sleep. In the morning -he did not wait to gather his mules; he saddled Chiquito at daylight -and struck out by the shortest way. - -The country all seemed peaceful. Who might have foretold that he would -bump right into the hostiles? But that is precisely what happened. He -was loping up a shallow draw fringed by rocks and stunted pines――had -been riding two hours――when as he rounded a shoulder, on a sudden here -there came at headlong gallop a dozen steers. - -He wheeled Chiquito to one side, quick; barely had time to get out of -their way――didn’t have time to get out of the way of the three young -bucks chasing them full tilt; and before he could spur Chiquito up the -flank of the draw, for cover, he was a “goner.” - -With a yell and with guns leveled the three bronc’s had charged him; a -bullet sang by his ear; and he raised his hand for a talk. They arrived -instantly, reined short, around him. He didn’t know them, and they -appeared not to know him. - -“Chi-kis-n,” he attempted. But they only scowled and talked among -themselves in Apache. - -“Shall we kill him here?” - -“That is best.” - -“Stick him with your lance.” - -“You talk foolish,” retorted Jimmie boldly, in good Apache. “There’s no -sense in killing me. You’ll only get in trouble by it. Take me to your -chief.” - -“Who are you, that speaks Apache?” - -“Never you mind who I am,” retorted Jimmie. “You take me to your chief. -If he says kill me, all right. But you’d better wait till he does say -so. You’re only warriors.” - -“Where are the rest of your party, white man?” - -“I’m alone.” - -“What is your business?” - -“I herd mules.” - -“Where are you going?” - -“To Fort Bowie.” - -“We ought to kill him. He will tell on us if we let him go,” said one, -aside. - -“No. We’ll have to take him back,” said the oldest boy. “There is -plenty of time to kill him later.” - -They snatched his rifle and revolver from the holsters, and on either -side and behind jostling him along, drove him up the draw. For the next -five minutes Jimmie figured that his chances were about one in one -hundred. - -They rounded the turn; and here, in a little hollow, was a group of -twelve or fifteen men and women kneeling over two cow carcasses, and -butchering them. Several of the figures looked to see who was coming. -One of them was Nah-che. Jimmie’s heart beat less rapidly. His chances -were increased. - -However, Nah-che, standing erect, was not at all pleased to see him. - -“Why are you in here?” demanded Nah-che. - -“I came down from Bowie to look at some mules. Now I was going back to -Bowie.” - -“Did you know that some of us are off the reservation?” - -“Yes. I saw a signal fire last night, in Mexico, and I read what it -said.” - -“What did it say?” - -“It said that they would wait two days.” - -“That is right,” replied Nah-che. “I am sorry we met you, chi-kis-n, -because now you will be killed.” - -“That may be so. But why do you kill me, chi-kis-n?” challenged Jimmie. -“I have done you no harm.” - -“No; we fought against each other, but that was understood. If you will -promise me not to say a word about us at Fort Bowie I will let you go.” - -“You know very well that I would not be a man if I gave any such -promise,” retorted Jimmie. “I shall not lie to you.” - -“If white men never lied to us, then everything would be all right,” -said Nah-che. “They do lie to us, so you must die. I am sorry, but――――” - -“No! No!” One of the squaws had rushed up. She was Nah-da-ste! “This is -the Boy-who-sleeps. I remember him well. He has slept in my lodge and -eaten my food. I won’t have him killed. You had better let him go. He -cannot harm us.” - -“No. Fort Bowie is a long way off,” reminded Jimmie. “Besides, if you -are off the reservation, that is known by this time.” - -“Maybe not. We cut the talking wire,” answered Nah-che. “But it is true -that Fort Bowie is a long way off. Anyway,” he added, “I don’t want to -kill you, and I cannot argue with women. You can go, chi-kis-n. By the -time you tell what you know, we shall be far in the other direction. So -go as fast as you please, but keep going straight, for you might not -find a chi-kis-n among other Chiricahua.” - -“Good,” grunted Jimmie, as his rifle and revolver were passed to him. -“I ask one word. Tell me why you are leaving the Fort Apache country. I -wish the truth.” - -“Everybody but Cluke is our enemy. We are lied about. Even Chato tell -lies on us, and gives us a bad name, because he hates Geronimo. If we -stay we will be locked up. That is what is said. Now go, for I will -talk no more.” - -Jimmie took the hint, and spurred away. He knew better than even to -look back. - - - - -XXV - -ON THE JOB WITH CAPTAIN CRAWFORD - - -One hundred and twenty Chiricahuas under Geronimo, Chihuahua, old Nana -and Nah-che were the ones who had run away. Chato had persuaded the -three hundred other Chiricahuas to stay. He did not approve of Geronimo -and Nah-che, or of further war. - -The outbreak had occurred on the night of May 17. The Chiricahuas had -left in parties of twenty or so, to meet again across the border. -Lieutenant Britton Davis, of the Third Cavalry, had been in charge at -the reservation. As soon as he had discovered the loss, he had tried -to telegraph General Crook; but the “talking wires” had been damaged. -Before the message got through, the Chiricahuas were beyond the -railroad, with a clear field ahead. - -Nah-che had spoken truly when he said to Jimmie that they ran away -because they feared being locked up. They knew that they were -watched. And in defiance of the general’s complaints that liquor was -manufactured upon the reservation, they had obtained a quantity of it -and drunk it――which of course made them liable to punishment. - -The general came over to the reservation too late; but flying columns -had been sent out at once, from Apache and Thomas and Grant and Bowie. -Two hundred scouts from all the reservation bands were enlisted for six -months. Chato himself volunteered. - -The columns dispatched were mainly for the purpose of keeping the -Chiricahuas away from the border until it might be patrolled, and the -principal band located by either the American or the Mexican troops. - -Meanwhile as a crack pack-master Jimmie was decidedly busy at Fort -Bowie. Bowie had waxed to a bustling supply depot, and was likely to be -headquarters field base. - -Tom Moore, who had been up north in the Department of the Platte, was -sent for by the general to be chief packer again in the Department of -Arizona. He brought down from Cheyenne, Wyoming, the best of the Platte -pack-mules, and was given a great welcome at Bowie by Jimmie and the -other “old-timers.” - -The country was being scoured for good mules. These had to be broken, -some of them, and distributed. Troops were pouring in, until the -general had at his disposal forty companies of infantry and the same of -cavalry. - -He was planning surely. He directed that heliograph stations, for -the purpose of telegraphing by mirrored sun-flashes, be established -upon hill-tops all along on both sides of the border. Then he went to -Washington, to get a better agreement with Mexico regarding a joint -campaign against the Apaches. - -There was a brief period of quiet, except for hard work that kept -Jimmie, as well as others, on the move. The final break came about the -middle of October. - -Jimmie saw the heliostat flashes which spread the news. He was riding -back to Bowie from a long trip down to a supply camp at the border. -Chancing to turn his head, when only a little way out from the camp, -he caught the flash of a message from a station in the south. - -The regulation Morse dots and dashes (long and short flashes) were used -by the stations. Now he paused, to read. The station was at least ten -miles distant. The air was very clear, and his eyes were good eyes. - -What was that? No practice message, this, or ordinary routine. The -first word――even the first three letters――stiffened him intent. - - “H-o-s-t-i-l-e b-a-n-d h-e-a-d-g (heading) n-o-r-t-h f-o-r - D-r-a-g-o-o-n c-o-u-n-t-r-y. Q-u-i-c-k.” Signed. - -Hah! “Wake up, Chiquito! Gwan with you!” The message read like -business, and stirring business. Evidently the Chiricahuas were getting -bold. But it did not seem possible that with all these troops, and the -railroad, and the telegraph, and the helio stations, and the armed and -watchful settlers, a raid could amount to much. - -The helio stations were twenty or twenty-five miles apart. A message -had been sent from Nacori, in the mountains of northern Mexico, two -hundred miles to Fort Bowie, in an hour. But so fast moved this band -of raiders, and so cleverly they chose their trail, that by the time -Jimmie arrived at Bowie they not only had crossed the line but had -disappeared somewhere in Arizona! - -Already the troops were in motion, trying to close in and head the -raiders off. It was reported that there were eleven warriors. They -were not even sighted again, until, suddenly, they struck the White -Mountain reservation itself――surprised a camp of the White Mountains, -killed twelve and carried away six women and children. - -That, then, had been the object of the raid: to take revenge upon the -reservation Apaches for sending scouts against the Chiricahuas! - -The White Mountains succeeded in killing one raider, during the fight. -He was Hal-zay, Nah-che’s half-brother. They cut off his head, for a -trophy. But the ten others completed their bold circuit, and in spite -of soldiers, settlers, telegraph, heliostat and railroad escaped back -into Mexico. - -“I never would have believed it!” declared Chief Packer Tom Moore, to -Jimmie at Bowie. “It beats the Dutch! The general’s got every waterhole -covered, and every pass watched. Anyhow, now there’s a fresh trail, for -back-tracking on, where they came up by the shortest way. Crawford and -Cap’n Davis are going right down after the bacon, to stay till they get -Geronimo or his scalp. I’ve picked you for assistant chief packer with -one of ’em. Which do you say? Chances are even. You’re the boss.” - -“Guess I’ll throw in with Crawford, Tom, if you put it up to me,” -promptly said Jimmie. Assistant chief packer! Wow! - -Captain Crawford and Captain Wirt Davis were both good men, but as Tom -Horn, acting chief of scouts, had remarked: “Crawford’s my style of -fighter: the go-get-’em kind with a wolf jaw!” - -“You’d better be makin’ up your best trains, then,” counseled Tom, -to Jimmie. “Three, I reckon. Crawford won’t wait on sore backs or -sore feet; and he’d rather bust every man and every mule and go on by -himself, than let Davis outdo him.” - -When Captain Crawford arrived with his column at Bowie, from Fort -Apache, on November 15, Jimmie the assistant chief packer was ready for -him. The Captain Wirt Davis column was to be composed of cavalry and -scouts both; but Captain Crawford was taking only scouts. - -These were one hundred Chiricahuas, White Mountains and Warm Springs, -from the Fort Apache reservation; but mainly Chiricahuas, with Chato -as their chief, and Ka-e-ten-na the traveler included. Micky Free was -going with the San Carlos scouts and Captain Davis. Captain Crawford -had selected so many Chiricahuas because his goal was the Sierra Madre -Range again, and the Chiricahuas knew all that country well. - -The scouts formed two companies, under command of First Lieutenant -Marion P. Maus, of the First Infantry, and a gallant young “shave -tail,” Second Lieutenant William Ewen Shipp, of the Tenth Cavalry, only -two years out of West Point. - -Another “shave tail,” Second Lieutenant Sam Faison, of the First -Infantry, who had graduated in the same class with Lieutenant Shipp, -was the adjutant, quarter-master and commissary, all three. Dr. T. B. -Davis was the surgeon, Concepcion was the interpreter. Al Sieber, the -old war-horse, was retained to look after the reservations, but Tom -Horn was to be chief of scouts and had proved first-class. - -Altogether, it was an honor to be in pack service with such an -expedition, especially as Captain Crawford had volunteered for the -Sierra Madre trip because it was the more dangerous of the two. - -Lieutenant-General Phil Sheridan, commander of the United States Army, -had come out to Bowie from Washington, to see the columns off. He and -General Crook inspected the whole outfit, in a parade at the fort. - -“Well,” reported Chief of Scouts Horn, after a conference in General -Crook’s quarters, “this is the idea: The general says we’re to go down -into Mexico and stay six months, if necessary, and when we strike a -trail we’re to follow it as long as it shows a single moccasin track or -pony track. Savvy? When we’ve killed all the bucks who don’t surrender, -and corralled all the women and children, we can come up home with our -batch. Then he’ll tell ’em what’ll happen next.” - -The march veered west through the Dragoon Mountains, in the hope of -striking the up trail and following it down. But heavy rains had washed -out the signs, so the course was continued straight south, for the -Sierra Madre country again. The Chiricahuas were bound to be there, if -at any place. - -Throughout the month of December the pack-train job was the same tough -job as that when General Crook led on, in 1883: up hill, down hill, -sliding, scrambling, falling, barking shins and bruising hoofs and -feet, amidst terrific canyons, thorny brush, sharp rocks, towering -cliffs, sun and rain, heat and cold. Tom Horn scouted far ahead with -a few picked scouts; the captain and his lieutenants and the plucky -doctor, and old Concepcion, rode keenly with the eager main body; -and Jimmie, assistant chief packer in place of Tom Moore, hustled his -toiling pack-trains of fifty mules each, so as to bring them into camp -on time every evening. - -Now it was the first week in January. There was only one pack-train. -Captain Crawford had ordered that the two others be sent back to the -border, two hundred miles, with Lieutenant Faison, the commissary and -quarter-master, for supplies. So Jimmie had detached the trains of -“Chileno John” and Sam Wisser. He had stayed. - -Chief Scout Horn had been gone two weeks; but he kept runners out with -news from him. He had discovered fresh sign: Indian and cattle trails; -cattle carcasses; and a recent camp. Ka-e-ten-na and Chato had just -come in. They brought word for Captain Crawford to push on, and join -the advance. Tom would be waiting――he knew that the Chiricahuas were -yonder before him. - -The captain sent for Jimmie. - -“We must reduce our packs again,” he said, “for a forced march. You -will pack four of your strongest mules with twelve days’ rations for -eighty men. The personal outfit will be cut down to one blanket for -each man. Take the shoes off the mules, to avoid noise. The rest of the -outfit will be left here, under guard of those men who are unable to -travel. Which of your packers have you in mind, to go on?” - -“Jimmie Dunn, captain,” smiled Jimmie. - -“It’s afoot, you know――and probably night marches. Will your leg stand -it?” - -“Will we strike the hostiles, captain?” - -“Sure.” - -“That’s all my leg needs, to lengthen it out, then,” laughed Jimmie. - -He felt that he was as fit as Captain Crawford. The captain looked -badly. So did the doctor; and old Concepcion the interpreter was about -done. - -The scouts seemed unusually solemn, as if the report by Chato and -Ka-e-ten-na had much impressed them. They proceeded to make medicine. -In the light of a small fire old No-wa-ze-ta the medicine man unrolled -the strip of sacred buckskin that he carried; one by one the scouts -kneeled before him; he mumbled over them and held the sacred buckskin -to their lips. After that they held a council. - -“Some of the soldiers chiefs at Bowie say maybe your Chiricahua will -not fight,” said Jimmie, sitting beside Chato, in a blanket, and -watching. “They say maybe you will pretend to fight, but all the time -you will be sending word to Geronimo to keep away.” - -“That is not true,” declared Chato. “We will fight. We are ready.” - -About midnight camp was broken. Through the cold and the darkness Chato -and Ka-e-ten-na guided. Each officer and man was in moccasins and -packed his own blanket. Jimmie drove the four mules. - -About noon the signs mentioned by Tom Horn were found: a trail, and the -bodies of butchered cattle. That evening Ka-e-ten-na pointed ahead. - -“Espinosa del Diablo,” he said. “Maybe we cross. Very bad country.” - -Espinosa del Diablo was Spanish for Devil’s Backbone――a high mass of -jagged ridges. - -Early in the morning two more of Tom Horn’s scouts came in. The light -of Indian camp-fires had been sighted, reflected in the sky, and Chief -Scout Horn urged the captain to hurry. - -The command made a short march, rested until late afternoon, and -started on again, to march by night. The country steadily grew worse, -with deep, dark canyons, steep rocky hills, heavy brush, and a river -which was constantly being forded. Moccasins were soaked and soon cut -to bits. - -From now on, the camps were not ordered until midnight. Only small -fires of dry wood were permitted; and under one thin blanket apiece -nobody was able to sleep, before the sun rose. In fact, it was as -miserable a time as Jimmie ever had experienced. - -More messages arrived from Tom Horn. He had located the Chiricahuas――had -smelled the mescal steam, had seen the fires. “Hurry!” he bade. He had -only two scouts with him. - -Captain Crawford lengthened the marches, to all night and half-day -stretches. Some of the Apache scouts, tough as they were, began to -straggle and limp. Doctor Davis and old Concepcion could barely hobble. - -At sunset of January 9, “Dutchy,” another of the Horn scouts, appeared. -Dutchy said that the Chiricahua camp was but twelve miles away. He -and Tom and the other scout had reconnoitered it――had witnessed the -Chiricahuas moving about, herding their horses. They did not suspect -that any enemies were near. - -Tom and the other scout had no blankets, and nothing to eat but a -little meat――the three of them had had nothing else for ten days; now -he, Dutchy, was to bring the captain on at once, while the two watched -the Chiricahua camp. - -Hurrah! The news put vim into the command. The end of the marches was -at hand. Evidently Geronimo had no idea he could be found away in here. - -Captain Crawford issued rapid orders. - -“Twenty minutes’ halt. No fires. Let the men eat bread and raw bacon. -Examine arms carefully. Pack-mules to remain here, with the packer, -Doctor Davis and the interpreter. All available men to be ready for a -night march, and attack at daylight.” - -That was hard luck for Jimmie――but Doctor Davis and Concepcion were -completely exhausted, and somebody had to stay with the mules, to move -them on in a jiffy when sent for. - -In precisely twenty minutes the command set out, guided by Dutchy. It -had been the first halt in six hours! As in the twilight they clambered -up a rocky, narrow trail, Jimmie saw that Lieutenant Maus was helping -Captain Crawford. Even at that, the captain was obliged to pause, once -or twice, and lean upon his carbine. He used his carbine as a staff. - -“His indomitable will is all that keeps the captain going,” remarked -Doctor Davis. - -“Muy hombre (Much man),” groaned old Concepcion. - -The darkness closed in quickly. It was a bitter cold night. Concepcion -and the mules moaned, the doctor’s teeth chattered, and wrapped in his -single blanket Jimmie shivered. The brush stirred with the stealthy -tread of prowling animals, a leopard shrieked, at intervals, and the -still air stung. - -With the first grayness Jimmie was up, to unlimber, and listen. The -attack upon the Chiricahua camp was due. The moments dragged. The -doctor and Concepcion seemed to have dropped asleep at last, but they, -also, shivered in their uneasy slumber. This was the coldest period of -the night――just at dawn. - - - - -XXVI - -FOES OR FRIENDS? - - -Gradually the shadows upon the rocks and timber paled; and then, -suddenly――hark! - -Rifle-shots! A spatter――a volley――more and faster, rolling and -echoing among the crags! The attack had been made. Throwing aside -their blankets, up sprang the doctor and Concepcion, bewildered and -staggering, but awake. - -“Fighting!” exclaimed the doctor. “They’ve struck the hostiles! Good!” - -“Much shooting, much shooting,” stammered old Concepcion. - -For fifteen minutes the rapid firing continued. It lessened, to -dropping, scattered shots, and in about an hour ceased altogether. The -sun rose. - -“What’ll we do now?” demanded the doctor, of Jimmie. “Crawford’s licked -them, don’t you think?” - -“Sounded like it, doctor. But we’d better be watching sharp. Some of -the bronc’s are liable to come this way.” - -There was another period of anxious waiting. They took turns doing -look-out duty from a high rock. With Concepcion’s aid, Jimmie packed -the mules. About ten o’clock he could stand the suspense no longer. - -“If we moved on we probably would meet the word from the captain, and -get there all the sooner with the packs, doctor,” he proposed. - -“All right. But Concepcion and I can’t move fast.” - -They toiled on, following the trail. At noon they met Dutchy. - -“The soldier-captain says to come, with mules and medicine-man and -Concepcion.” - -“Did you whip the Chiricahua?” queried Jimmie. - -“Yes. We ran them like turkeys. Capture everything――many horses. -Chiricahua get away, but they send word they will talk to-morrow.” - -The doctor, who had been outstepped by Jimmie and the mules, limped -eagerly in, with poor old Concepcion in his wake. - -“What’s the news? Have they got Geronimo?” - -“Not yet; but they captured the camp. We’re to come on at once, doctor.” - -“How far? Any of our men hurt?” - -Jimmie asked Dutchy. - -“Ten miles. Only Chiricahua hurt.” - -“I’ve got to rest,” panted the doctor. “Go ahead with your mules. We’ll -follow. Any danger?” - -“No danger,” said Dutchy, answering Jimmie. “Chiricahua hide till -to-morrow.” - -Dutchy plainly was in a great hurry to get back――probably to share in -the plunder. Jimmie left the doctor and Concepcion to come as best they -could, and again hustled his mules to keep up with Dutchy. But that -proved impossible. The trail was a corker! How in the world Captain -Crawford and men ever had traveled it in the darkness was a wonder. - -Dutchy disappeared. Only the trail remained, as guide. It dipped -into canyons, and wound over rocks and steep ridges. Jimmie wheezed -and puffed and sweat. He was empty from chin to knees, his legs were -leaden, he ached in every muscle. His mules repeatedly halted, and -stood heaving and straddled. But he pushed on. The captain had sent for -the packs, and orders were orders. - -The sun set. He had been half a day covering these few miles! A damp -fog was descending, cloaking the mountains. If he missed the trail――――! -No! Good! He saw camp-fire light, glowing on the low clouds. At last, -in the gathering dark, he labored into the camp, to report. - -Everybody there was asleep, utterly worn out. Jimmie peered about, and -wakened Chato and got a small chunk of pony meat from him; unpacked his -mules and went to sleep himself, in defiance of the cold rain that was -falling. He had done his stint. The doctor and Concepcion hardly could -arrive before morning. - -It seemed to him that he scarcely had closed his throbbing eyes ere -he was aroused by excited cries and loud shouts. But he had slept, -for dawn was here――a wet, foggy dawn. Amidst the fog the scouts were -yelling shrilly; upon every side men were jumping up, grabbing guns, -and staring into the mist before. - -“Look out! Somebody comes! Many come!” were shouting the scouts. - -Tom Horn was up; so was Lieutenant Maus, and Lieutenant Shipp. From -where he lay exhausted, by his fire, Captain Crawford directed the -defense. - -“Be careful! They may be some of Captain Davis’s men,” he warned. -“Don’t fire on them till you see who it is.” - -“Wait for me to tell you, before you begin shooting,” repeated Tom -Horn, to the scouts. - -He started to climb higher, for a better view. Lieutenant Maus and -Lieutenant Shipp were running to right and left, to take command of -their companies. Down below, beyond a little basin, forms were dimly -visible. They acted like soldiers. - -On a sudden there was a resounding crash――the red flare of a volley -lighted the fog, and a storm of bullets pelted the camp. Jimmie, -wriggling for cover, leveled his gun, for the scouts were replying. - -“Follow me, valientes (braves),” clearly called a voice, in good -Spanish, from the basin in front; and a line of figures moved swiftly -forward. - -“Wait! Wait! Cease that firing! Stop your scouts, Horn!” shouted -Captain Crawford, on his feet. “It’s a mistake. Those are Mexicans!” - -And so they were. - -Captain Crawford leaped upon a rock, to wave a white handkerchief, in -signal, and call. - -“No tiras! Amigos, amigos! Americanos! (Don’t fire! Friends, friends! -Americans!),” chimed in Lieutenant Maus, who spoke Spanish. - -He ran down, into the open. The captain followed him. Under the lifting -mist they met four of the Mexicans. One was a strapping big officer, -evidently the commander; another was a slender young lieutenant; the -two others were officers, also. The line of men behind them had -halted, and stood uneasily. They looked like a wild lot, too. - -Chief of Scouts Horn advanced. Lieutenant Maus talked earnestly with -the big officer, and interpreted to Captain Crawford. Tom Horn joined -them, to assist. - -On either side of Jimmie the scouts were poking their heads above the -rocks, and cramming fresh cartridges into their Springfields. The -carbine breech-locks snapped briskly. - -“Mexicanos!” hissed Chato, with avid face. “Kill them all.” - -“You and I will kill that big man, first,” answered Ka-e-ten-na. - -“See!” bade Dutchy. - -A file of other Mexican soldiers were sneaking through a ravine, to -flank the camp. - -Lieutenant Maus had seen; he pointed, and protested to the big officer. - -“Watch those Mexicans, Shipp!” shouted the captain. - -“No tiras, no tiras!” again appealed Lieutenant Maus, this time to the -scouts. - -“No tiras!” boomed the big officer, as if in much alarm. - -“Bang!” From the Mexicans at the rear sounded a single shot. Instantly -the group in the basin scattered, each man for his own place. The -Mexican line came on at a trot, firing, loading and firing. Tom Horn -was left for a moment alone, as the captain and the lieutenant scurried -for the rocks. - -“The captain, is killed!” shrieked Chato, at him. “Come back!” He and -Ka-e-ten-na fired together, and the big Mexican officer, running, threw -up his arm, and hurling his rifle far, plunged headlong. - -“Give it to ’em,” yelled Tom, running also. - -“Whang-g-g-g!” Everybody shot. The slender Mexican lieutenant fell -riddled. He had been hit thirteen times! The two other Mexicans were -behind a tree; the scouts’ bullets cut the tree almost down and the -twain crumpled in a heap. The whole Mexican line melted into sprawled -figures, some lax and motionless, some squirming for safety. - -Lieutenant Maus arrived, panting. - -“Head off those fellows on the right,” he rasped, to Lieutenant Shipp. -Away darted stripling Shipp, to prevent the flank attack. - -“Crawford’s dead――shot in the brain!” gasped the lieutenant to Jimmie. -“He’s yonder, behind a rock. Horn’s shot in the arm. Those are Mexican -irregulars. What are they up to? But they began it.” - -The scouts were still firing rapidly on every moving form. The Mexicans -were now hard to see. - -“Give me orders to send out my men into the trees and rocks and we will -kill every Mexican!” shouted Chato, to Tom Horn. - -“Don’t waste bullets,” cautioned Tom, in Apache. “Be careful. We are -many miles from more.” - -“We will use the Mexicans’ guns,” retorted Chato. - -“Give me the dead captain’s gun and belt and I will help you kill -Mexicans,” spoke a new voice. “Make me your prisoner and tell me to -fight.” - -It was old Nana the Chiricahua chief. He had somehow tottered in, from -the rear――he was ninety years of age and lame from a broken hip. - -“I fight the Americans no more,” he cackled. “But I will fight the -Mexicans any time. And so will all my people.” - -He nodded backward; they looked, and there were many more of the -Chiricahua hostiles, at a short distance, peering and waiting. Geronimo -mounted upon a boulder and yelled across. - -“If you are fighting the Mexicans, tell us what to do.” - -That was an odd situation. If the Chiricahuas had attacked the camp -from the one side and the Mexicans from the other――――! - -The Mexicans called, where they were concealed. - -“Send somebody to talk with us.” - -Lieutenant Maus and Tom Horn advanced again. Four of the Mexicans met -them half-way. One of the Mexicans was crying. His brother was the -slender young lieutenant who had been riddled. - -Lieutenant Maus returned and talked with Lieutenant Shipp. The -Mexicans claimed that they had made a mistake. They had lost all their -officers――among them Major Corredor, who was the big man, and, they -declared, “the bravest man that ever lived.” They asked permission to -remove their dead. - -Lieutenant Maus accompanied each body into the Mexican lines. The -Mexicans seemed to be afraid of the scouts. - -Now noon was at hand, but instead of withdrawing, the Mexicans had -taken a strong position that threatened the camp. Many of them were -Tarahumari Indians, a Mexican tribe hostile to all Americans and -Apaches. - -The camp was short of food and ammunition. Several of the scouts had -been wounded, one of them severely. Tom Horn’s arm hung useless. -Captain Crawford lay underneath a blanket, with a bandanna handkerchief -spread over his face. A piece of his forehead and a portion of his -brain had been shot out, but he still breathed. - -Jimmie at last reported his arrival to Lieutenant Shipp. - -“Yes, I’ve seen you,” answered the lieutenant. “You did well, but,” -he frankly added, “we’re all in a bad fix. If there’s war between the -United States and Mexico, our pack-trains are likely to be captured; -and while we’re fighting our way north, carrying Captain Crawford, -there’ll be nothing to prevent the scouts from joining the other -Chiricahuas and all together making off to do as they please. Where’s -the doctor? Lieutenant Maus has been asking for him.” - -Doctor Davis and Concepcion came in, agog to know what had occurred. -They had heard the firing, again, and had hidden until it had stopped. - -The doctor attended to the captain, and reported that he could not live -long. The other wounded were patched up. The Mexicans needed a doctor, -and he went over to them, as was his duty. - -He was gone some time. On his return he said that the Mexicans had many -killed and wounded, but that he had been badly treated, with scowls -and insulting language. - -Some of the Geronimo Chiricahuas were in sight, waiting. The officers -did not think it advisable to hold a council with them until the -Mexicans had been disposed of. Only old Nana was still tottering about, -cackling among the scouts. He was harmless. - -“Give us the orders, and we will clean the earth of those Mexicans,” -implored Chato and Ka-e-ten-na, of Tom Horn. “Then we will all have -plenty of pinole (which was meal) and bullets.” - -Another cold, rainy night settled down early. Lieutenant Maus directed -that camp be broken at daylight, for the march north. Captain Crawford -should be moved at once, and the pack-train that had been left must be -protected. After that, the Chiricahuas who did not surrender would be -hunted again. - -In the morning, while a litter of reeds from the river was being made, -for carrying the captain, old Concepcion, who had been rounding up some -ponies, called that the Mexicans had him and demanded a talk with the -commanding officer. - -Lieutenant Maus again met a squad. They led him aside, behind some -rocks, as if to get shelter from the rain――and presently a Mexican -brought a note from him. The note stated that he, too, was a prisoner, -until he could show papers to prove that he had permission to “invade” -Mexico. The Mexicans insisted also upon a supply of food, and mules for -their wounded. - -Lieutenant Shipp and Chief Scout Horn conferred together. The Mexican -messenger was told to get four or five men and return for the mules -and rations. Lieutenant Shipp slipped around with his company of -scouts, to a position where he might pour a deadly fire into the -Mexican lines. When the five Mexicans returned to the camp, for the -mules and rations, they were suddenly ringed about with carbine muzzles. - -“Now,” spoke Chief Scout Horn, “you call to your comrades. Tell them -that if our lieutenant is not released immediately, you will all be -killed!” - -“Hi!” cackled old Nana. “That is good. Yes, you will be killed. But we -will not kill you quick. We will shoot you in many places, first.” - -Carbine hammers clicked. Young Lieutenant Shipp’s scouts were crouched -and aiming, ready. All the scouts were yelling, while the five -Mexicans, calling piteously, pleaded that the lieutenant be released. - -That, as Tom Horn said, “ended the row.” Here came the lieutenant, -angry but safe. The five prisoners were allowed to scuttle back. - -“They’re an ugly lot,” announced the lieutenant. “They have over thirty -dead and a dozen wounded. Concepcion is still held. I’ve agreed to let -them have six mules in exchange, so they can pull out.” - -The mules were Mexican mules, but the lieutenant required a receipt for -them, and the Mexican government paid the value of them to the United -States. - -The Mexicans finally withdrew. Scouts were sent out, on their trail, to -watch them to a safe distance. The next morning, January 13, camp was -broken. - -Captain Crawford was living, but unconscious. Four of the scouts -carried him in the litter. The trail was too rough and narrow for -any other method. The Geronimo Chiricahuas had disappeared, but they -stayed near. This evening Geronimo sent an old squaw into the new camp. -He requested the talk that had been agreed upon for the day when the -Mexicans had interrupted. - -In the morning Lieutenant Maus took Tom Horn, Ka-e-ten-na, Dutchy, and -two or three other scouts, and, all unarmed, met Geronimo in council. - -“Why did you come down in here, where I thought white men could not -come?” demanded Geronimo, direct. - -“I came down to capture or destroy you and your band,” answered the -weary Lieutenant Maus, just as direct. - -“I see you speak the truth,” replied Geronimo. He shook hands, sent a -long talk, of various complaints, to “Cluke,” and engaged to meet the -general at the border when the March moon was full. - -“Do you think he will do it, Chato?” queried Jimmie. - -“Yes. Ka-e-ten-na has told him what a big people the Americans are. -Besides, Geronimo is sending in old Nana, and some women. Chihuahua -wants to come in. Juh has been killed by the Mexicans. Pretty soon -Geronimo will have no one left.” - -Nana arrived, again, and Geronimo’s wife, and one of Nah-che’s wives, -and another Chiricahua, and several children. Lieutenant Maus divided -his few rations with the Geronimo band, and proceeded. Matters looked -better. - -But that was a long, sorrowful march, carrying Captain Crawford through -the three hundred miles of mountains and rain. He lived, unconscious, -for five days――he had an “indomitable will,” as had said Doctor Davis. -Without having spoken a word he died on January 17. Of course there was -no thought of leaving him behind, in the wilds, so his body was still -carried on, in the litter. - -He was buried at the little Mexican town of Nacori, near the border, -until he might be reburied in the United States. The mayor of the town -promised to have the grave guarded. - -The news of the expedition was telegraphed by helio to Bowie. Scout -runners already had been dispatched ahead. - -Almost the first person encountered by Jimmie, when he rode stiffly -into Bowie, on the third of February, was Micky the Red-head, as lively -as ever, after his own long trip with the Captain Davis column. - -“Where is Geronimo, Cheemie?” hailed Micky. - -“He will come.” - -“Well, if he doesn’t, we will go get him,” asserted Micky. “We will -bring him back little by little. You look as though you had been a long -way, Cheemie.” - -“More than a thousand miles,” laughed Jimmie. And he felt it. - -“That’s enough for _you_,” declared Chief Packer Tom Moore, when Jimmie -reported. “You stick around, now, and take things easy.” - -The post was still talking of Captain Crawford’s one march of eighteen -hours with only the twenty minutes’ halt; and of his tragic death, at -the end, when he had won his goal. - -Lieutenant Maus, with Lieutenant Faison and Lieutenant Shipp, Tom Horn -and the scouts, was ordered back below the border, to camp until the -Chiricahuas signalled for the talk. - -Jimmie was laid up with his leg, for several weeks. And at Bowie the -general waited impatiently for the news from the lieutenant’s camp. - - - - -XXVII - -THE WORST ENEMY OF ALL - - -The last week of March had opened. The moon was near the full. Tom -Moore, walking briskly, caught Jimmie bossing the repairs on some -aparejos, out at the Bowie mule sheds. - -“Word’s come,” rapped Tom. “I’m to take a pack-train down to Maus -to-morrow, and the general will follow.” - -“Is Geronimo there, Tom?” - -“I don’t know; but he’s promised to be there in four days. Anyhow, -we’re to pack a lot of rations; and looks like we’re to feed some -Injuns and fetch ’em back. Do you want to go ’long and see the finish?” - -“Sure thing, Tom.” - -“Bueno! I thought you would, but I can use somebody else if you’re not -fit. All right, then. We’ll pull out at eight o’clock.” - -The Lieutenant Maus command had been camped one hundred miles south of -Bowie, or ten miles below the border. But Geronimo had refused to meet -the general there, and had appointed the Cañon de los Embudos (Funnels -Canyon), twelve miles below the border and twenty miles west, where the -country was rougher. - -Alchisé, Ka-e-ten-na, and Tony Besias and another official interpreter -went with the pack outfit. There were two old Chiricahua squaws, also, -from the bunch who had been taken prisoners at the Geronimo rancheria -last January. They, and Alchisé and Ka-e-ten-na were counted upon to -spread “good talk” among the Chiricahuas. Mayor Strauss, of Tucson, -who had been at Bowie discussing affairs with the general, joined by -special permission. - -The general overhauled the pack-train on the second day out. He and -his staff, including Major Bourke and Captain C. S. Roberts, of the -Judge-Advocate Department, were in an ambulance. Captain Roberts had -brought his ten-year-old son, Charley, who was seeing army life in the -Southwest; and there was an escort of scouts, with the inevitable Micky -as scout sergeant. - -Before the Lieutenant Maus camp was reached, the company had grown -larger. Two photographers named Fly and Chase had joined; and a -Mexican, José Maria Yaskes, who had lived with the Chiricahuas; and -several ranchers and cow-boys. - -“All want to see Geronimo――but I guess the Gray Fox wants to see him -worst of anybody,” laughed Micky. - -On the morning of March 25 Alchisé and Ka-e-ten-na sent up a smoke -signal, to tell the camp and Geronimo that the general was near. -Lieutenant Shipp, Chato and two others rode out to guide the detachment -in. - -The Maus camp was well located, upon a mesa commanding water and grass, -in the canyon. Geronimo’s camp was just as strongly located, a half -mile away――on the top of a lava cone surrounded by bristly gulches. - -The packers already in camp thought that there would be no trouble. -Geronimo had been over every day, to ask when the general was expected -for the talk; Chihuahua had sent word that he was prepared to surrender -at any time, and do exactly as the general told him to do. - -“Chihuahua will leave Geronimo; Nana has left Geronimo; soon he will -have nobody,” Chato repeated. “Geronimo and Chihuahua are living -separate now. Nana is too old to run any more.” - -After the general had lunched, there was sudden exclaiming and -pointing. A large party of Chiricahuas were descending from their cone. - -“Geronimo!” - -“Here comes the old rascal!” - -The Chiricahuas rode on, up the canyon, and Chief of Scouts Horn met -them. He returned, and reported. - -“Geronimo says he will talk with the general.” - -Still, Geronimo did not enter the camp. He halted a short distance -out, amid some white-barked sycamores and shaggy cottonwoods, near the -river. The general and officers advanced, to hold the talk, and a crowd -followed, eager to hear. - -There were the general, Lieutenant Maus, Lieutenant Shipp and -Lieutenant Faison; Surgeon Davis (who had recovered from his hard -trip); Captain Roberts and young Charley Roberts; Major Bourke; Chief -Packer Tom Moore, ex-Assistant Jimmie, Pack-masters H. W. Daly and -Harvey Carlisle, Packers Shaw and Foster; Mayor Strauss, of Tucson; -Photographers Fly and Chase; Tony Besias, old Concepcion, José Maria -Yaskes, and other interpreters; Chief Scout Tom Horn, Sergeant Micky -Free, Alchisé, Ka-e-ten-na, Chato, and others of the scout companies; -and even a little boy named Howell who had traveled along from a ranch -thirty miles away. - -Chihuahua was here, smiling and good-natured. So was Nah-che――not -smiling, but on the contrary looking grim and anxious. Jimmie saw -Porico, or White Horse, Geronimo’s brother. No squaws had come over, -and only a few of the warriors sat together; the majority were -scattered, well armed, wearing two cartridge-belts, and prepared to -fight and flee, if an attempt were made to seize them. - -Everybody except the general, Chihuahua and Micky appeared to be rather -on edge. And no wonder. After all these months of worry and work, -growing old chasing Geronimo on the heart-breaking trails, was this the -end at last? Jimmie suddenly felt old, himself. How far had he trailed -the fighting Apaches? Two thousand miles, at least! - -“Ka-e-ten-na says the Chiricahua will shoot if we try to hold -Geronimo,” whispered Micky. “They made Maus promise that the Gray Fox -would bring no soldiers down. That is bad.” - -“But the scouts will fight.” - -“Yes, they will fight,” nodded Micky. - -Geronimo was speaking, as he sat twisting a strand of buckskin in his -nervous hands. - -“Everybody on the reservation was unfriendly to me. Chato and Micky -Free stirred up trouble against me; they lied about me to the -soldier-captain Davis, and he spread the lies. The papers told bad -stories on me. They said that I ought to be arrested and hung up. I -don’t want any more of that talk. Why don’t you speak to me and look -with a pleasant face? What is the matter, that you don’t smile on me? -Why did you give orders to have me put in prison? I had tried to do -right. Remember that I sent you word I would come from a long distance -to speak with you here, and you see me now. If I thought bad or had -done bad, I would not have come.” - -[Illustration: “WHY DON’T YOU SPEAK TO ME AND LOOK WITH A PLEASANT -FACE?”] - -General Crook made no bones about answering. - -“I gave no orders to have you arrested. If you left the reservation -because you were afraid, why did you sneak all over the country killing -innocent people and stealing horses? Your story is all bosh. You sent -up your people to kill Chato and Lieutenant Davis. Everything that you -did on the reservation is known. There is no use in your trying to -talk nonsense. I am no child. You promised me in the Sierra Madre that -the peace should last, and you have lied. How do I know but that you -are lying now, when you say you want peace? Have I ever lied to you? -You must make up your mind either to surrender or to stay out on the -warpath. If you stay out, I will keep after you and kill every one of -you if it takes fifty years. I have said all I have to say. You had -better think, to-night, and let me know in the morning.” - -The perspiration had burst out upon Geronimo’s face and hands. He would -have said more, but the general arose, as signal that the talk was at -an end. Only the two photographers were happy; they had taken a number -of excellent pictures. - -This evening and night the two camps remained apart. In the Maus -camp there was a great deal of discussion. Nobody might yet foresee -what the Chiricahuas under Geronimo would do. - -“A thousand troops couldn’t get those bronc’s, where they’re located,” -asserted Tom Moore. “They’d scatter like quail and be off into Mexico, -at first sign of trouble. Anyhow, Maus agreed not to attack ’em, and -while the general mightn’t have made any such agreement himself, he’s -bound to stick by it.” - -“You and I will go over in the morning, Cheemie,” said Micky. “We will -see for ourselves.” - -So they did. Major Bourke, Mayor Strauss, of Tucson, Pack-master -Carlisle and others likewise went. It was indeed a strong position, -well up among broken lava, with every jacal or hut defended by a cactus -fence. A number of jagged rifts had to be crossed, and there were -ravines leading away. - -No army officer, Major Bourke alleged, could have chosen a better -situation or made more of it. - -Geronimo and his warriors were in council, and could not be approached. -None of the Chiricahuas would talk; even Nah-da-ste declined to speak -to Jimmie, but hid her face. - -Young Charley Roberts was the only visitor who could attract attention. -The little girls followed him around, giggling, and passing compliments -upon him. It reminded Jimmie of the time, long ago, when he had been -giggled at in a Chiricahua camp. - -Nothing happened this day. Matters looked bad. In the morning Alchisé -and Ka-e-ten-na came into camp. They had been spending their time in -the Geronimo camp, to spread peace talk. Ka-e-ten-na was to tell the -Chiricahuas of the sights that he had seen in San Francisco. - -They brought word from Chihuahua that whether Geronimo decided to -surrender, or not, he himself would appear with all his band at noon, -and do as “Cluke” said to do. - -At noon Chihuahua appeared. Geronimo and Nah-che and old Nana were with -him. Geronimo’s face was blackened, as sign of mourning. The general -talked with them, again, at the same place as before. - -“I am glad to see you, Cluke,” said Chihuahua. “I am now in your hands. -You may do as you please with me. I am going over to stay with you in -your camp.” - -“What have you decided?” asked the general, of Geronimo. - -“My people are afraid to go with you, for fear they will be punished. -They do not want to be punished. We will go with you if we are allowed -to live as before.” - -“That is all nonsense,” retorted the general. “I do not trust you any -more. If you go with me, you must understand that you all will be put -in the guard-house until Washington tells me what to do with you.” - -“How long will we be kept prisoners?” - -“You will be sent away, like Ka-e-ten-na was. That cured Ka-e-ten-na -and made him good. It will make you good, because it will change your -hearts. You say that lies are told about you on the reservation. If you -are sent away, there will be no lies.” - -“How long will we be sent away?” - -“Maybe one year, maybe two years. You may take your families with you. -Only Nana shall stay; he is too old to make trouble.” - -Geronimo shifted uneasily, and gazed appealingly around. - -“I will talk no more,” stated the general. “To-morrow morning I shall -go back to Fort Bowie. If you decide to stay away, you will not be safe -anywhere in Mexico. You cannot hide from me. This you already know.” - -“We will march to Fort Bowie, and there you may send us away, as -you say,” spoke Geronimo desperately. “But we must march freely, by -ourselves. I cannot make my men give up their guns, until they are in -the fort where you will protect them. There are bad people along the -way who would kill us. Your young soldier-captains might not be able -to control their scouts, and the scouts would kill us. I want you to -promise that we shall not be made prisoners until we arrive at Fort -Bowie. Otherwise, I cannot persuade my men, and there will be war.” - -The general eyed him fixedly. - -“It is agreed,” he said. - -Geronimo was much relieved, and shook hands with him. - -“Geronimo speaks the truth,” declared Ka-e-ten-na, that evening. “If -the general had not agreed, there would have been war. The Chiricahua -were ready to fight and run away. But they would rather be put in -prison a little while, and see such things as I have seen.” - -Orders were given to be prepared to move in the morning. The general -was going on ahead, to Bowie, and get instructions from General -Sheridan at Washington; Lieutenant Maus was to follow, with the -Chiricahuas. - -That night there seemed to be a wild time in the Geronimo camp, half -a mile distant. Gun shots could be heard, and shrill whoops. During -breakfast in the morning there were many rumors. Jimmie got the truth -from Micky. - -“Much whiskey in the Chiricahua camp,” said Micky, with shrug of -shoulders. “Ranch man send it in, and sell at one dollar a gallon. -Geronimo drunk, many others drunk.” - -The general, when he rode by, looked worried. But he had to reach the -telegraph at Fort Bowie as quickly as possible. It was understood that -he had ordered Lieutenant Maus to destroy all the whiskey that could be -found, and to hasten on with the Chiricahuas. - -So the camp was broken, and moved on the back trail, with directions -to halt at ten miles, and wait. The lieutenant stayed behind with -Concepcion the interpreter, to wait for the Geronimo camp to move. - -In the afternoon he arrived at the halting place. The Chiricahuas were -following, but Geronimo had told him not to hang around or he might be -killed by some of the drunken warriors. - -Chihuahua sent for Chief of Scouts Horn, and asked that he and all his -band be put under guard. - -“I don’t like that, Cheemie,” uttered Micky. “When Chihuahua does such -a thing, he sees ahead. He is afraid of what will happen if his people -get the whiskey, too.” - -Geronimo made camp again about half a mile away, as before, and in a -strong position. Everybody was ordered to keep away from it, so as to -avoid trouble; but the lieutenant took Ka-e-ten-na and rode over. - -When they returned, Ka-e-ten-na reported that Geronimo was still drunk, -and he and another chief were riding around on one mule; and that -Nah-che had shot his wife. - -Now the ranch which had supplied the whiskey was near. Lieutenant Shipp -took a detail over, to search the ranch and destroy the liquor. - -Tom Moore, the old frontiersman, swore vigorously. - -“It’s sure a dog-gone shame that for a few dirty dollars any man will -throw the whole country open again to an Injun war. For that’s what it -means, if those Chiricahuas lose their heads. When whiskey gets in, the -brains go out.” - -Concepcion said that the whiskey seller had been filling the -Chiricahuas with lies also: he had told them that they were to be -killed as soon as they reached Bowie. He did this, so that they would -stay out and he might sell them more whiskey. - -However, the night quieted the Chiricahuas in their camp. The -lieutenant sent over, once, to investigate. The warriors were said to -be sleeping. - -But in the morning, which was March 29, while Jimmie was pulling -on his boots before breakfast, he saw the lieutenant dash away, -with Ka-e-ten-na, in the direction of Geronimo’s camp. In about an -hour they returned. The lieutenant stopped here where Tom Moore was -overseeing the unpacking of the pack-trains, for the day’s march. He -looked oddly haggard, but spoke with a hard, quick accent. - -“Geronimo, Nah-che and twenty men and thirteen women are gone. I’ll -require a pack-train and several of your best men, to follow them with. -You can report to Shipp. Faison will go on to Bowie.” - -Tom’s jaw dropped, and for a moment he acted as if too full for -utterance. This, then, was the outcome of all those other bitter -pursuits――poor Captain Crawford’s death――the general’s painstaking -methods! - -“That dog-gone liquor!” he growled. - -Jimmie sprang forward, and saluted the lieutenant. - -“I’d like to go with the packs, sir.” - -“You would? Why? You’ve been once, and you know what it means?” - -“Well, I’d like to try again, sir. I won’t get enough till Geronimo -gets enough.” - -The lieutenant’s face lighted up. - -“If that’s your spirit, there’s no man I’d rather have with me. So you -and Moore settle it between you.” - -And he galloped on. - -“Gosh, but this will break the general all up,” muttered Tom. “All -right,” he added. “You get your outfit together and go along with Maus.” - -Chihuahua, Nana, and sixty or seventy others of the Chiricahuas -still remained. Lieutenant Faison was to take them on, up to Bowie. -Lieutenant Maus and Lieutenant Shipp, with a company of the scouts and -Jimmie’s pack-train, set out in the opposite direction. - -But it was no use. Geronimo had been thoroughly frightened by the -stories told him. Now his party traveled afoot, over country where -horses and mules could not travel. In three days the trails had split -and had become impossible, and the scouts had to give up. - -So the command turned back. When they arrived at Bowie on April 3, this -1886, they learned that General Crook was no longer the commander in -Arizona! - - - - -XXVIII - -THE END OF THE TRAIL - - -That was a stunning blow to the Crook men. The general had been -relieved of his command on April 2, at his own request. - -As far as might be learned by the rank and file, and the pack service, -the President had not approved of the terms upon which Geronimo had -surrendered; but by this time Geronimo had fled again. Then the -dispatches from General Sheridan, commanding the Army, to General -Crook, had somewhat questioned the wisdom of the general’s methods -in depending upon the scouts, and suggested that he now make no more -campaigns for a while, but try to protect the border with his troops. - -The general had replied that he still believed his methods were the -best, under the conditions; that he had been using the troops, to -protect the border; and that it had been impossible to hold Geronimo as -a prisoner and not break the promise given him. - -To attack Geronimo in camp had likewise been impossible of success. - -“It may be, however, that I am too much wedded to my own views in this -matter,” the general was said to have added, “and as I have spent -nearly eight years of the hardest work of my life in this department, I -respectfully request that I may now be relieved from its command.” - -The Apache medicine-men at Fort Bowie made more medicine, and insisted -that if Ka-e-ten-na and other runners were sent after Geronimo, as soon -as the whiskey left him he would keep his word and come in peaceably. - -This was not done, because Brigadier General Nelson A. Miles, of the -Fifth Infantry, commanding at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, had been -directed to take command of the Department of Arizona. This of course -meant new methods, and a shake-up all ’round. - -Not knowing exactly what was ahead, Jimmie left the pack service and -became a railroad telegraph operator. - -At any rate, General Crook had not failed. Eighty of the Chiricahuas, -including Chihuahua and Nana, had been brought in. Only Geronimo and -Nah-che and their twenty men and boys and thirteen women, were out. And -the Mangas squad of six men, who had not been with Geronimo for almost -a year. - -General Miles arrived at Fort Bowie on April 12. He immediately -organized things for a campaign with the regular troops. The War -Department did not favor trusting in the scouts as fighters――especially -in the scouts from the White Mountain and Chiricahua friendlies. - -The General Crook scouts had been discharged, and so were many of the -interpreters. Tom Horn left. Yes, there was a decided shake-up. - -But the new general seemed to be a good man, all right, and the Arizona -newspapers put much faith in him. He extended the heliograph service, -until a perfect network of stations had been established; and he -injected fresh vim into the officers. - -Suspecting that they were to get no terms at all, now, and to show -that they despised the soldiers, Geronimo and Nah-che went thoroughly -bad. Perhaps General Crook’s methods might have been better; perhaps -not; but toward the last of April Geronimo and Nah-che led their few -warriors straight up past Tucson itself; the troops had not been able -to protect the border, and Nah-che penetrated clear to Fort Apache. - -They lost only one man. He was a deserter, and volunteered to follow -them, as “Peaches” had. The troops did heroic work. Lieutenant Lloyd -Brett, of the Second Cavalry, marched twenty-six hours without a halt; -his troopers were forced to drink their own blood, to quench thirst. - -Captain Henry W. Lawton, of the Fourth Cavalry, and Captain Leonard -Wood, assistant surgeon in the army, were selected to push the pursuit -through Mexico, with a picked command of the Eighth Infantry and Fourth -and Tenth Cavalry. Surgeon Wood was instructed to see if the men could -not outdo even the Apaches. - -Tom Horn went in charge of some Tonto and Yuma trailers. The Lawton and -Wood column made terrific marches; altogether, fourteen hundred miles. -On July 13, three hundred miles into Mexico they surprised the Geronimo -and Nah-che camp, as Captain Crawford had surprised it, the January -before. - -Nah-che had been wounded; he and Geronimo and their band barely -escaped. They sent word to a Mexican woman (the wife of the interpreter -José Maria Yaskes) that they desired to surrender. - -It was a Crook man, after all――Lieutenant George Gatewood――who -performed the bravest act; and a General Crook method that clinched the -surrender. From Fort Apache the lieutenant, under orders by General -Miles, traveled down with only Kah-yee-ta, the deserter, and Martinez, -another Chiricahua, to find the hostile camp and talk with Geronimo. -This was done. Lieutenant Gatewood’s life hung by a hair; but his talk -had effect, for in the morning Geronimo, Nah-che, and their warriors -surrendered to Captain Lawton. - -Lieutenant Gatewood had been instructed to offer them no terms -whatsoever, except that their lives would be spared; the captain -offered the same terms. - -Geronimo agreed to march along with the column, just as before. He and -his men were still very suspicious, but he sent Porico up to General -Miles as a pledge of good faith. - -The general met him at the border, on September 3. Geronimo did -not know that while he had been out, all the Chiricahuas upon the -reservation――Chato, Ka-e-ten-na, and all――had been moved, and were -started for Florida. - -“This,” as Tom Moore explained to Jimmie, “took the sap out of him. -He had no base of trouble, any more. Nah-che hadn’t come in with him, -but he sent out after him, and the whole band――what there was left -of them――were packed aboard the cars on September 8, and now they’re -on their way, too. Let’s see――this is 1886. How long have you known -Geronimo, anyhow?” - -“Sixteen years,” said Jimmie. - -“Well, you’ll never see him again.” - -And Jimmie never did. - -He never saw General Crook again, either. The general had resumed -command of the Department of the Platte; and as major-general was -assigned to the command of the Division of the Missouri, with -headquarters in Chicago. - -But he was not forgotten in Arizona. The Indians at the San Carlos and -the Fort Apache reservations continued to hold him in their hearts. -Jimmie happened to be at Fort Apache, on business, when in the spring -of 1890 the news of the general’s death was received. - -The old men and women, and all the White Mountain scouts, “sat down -in a great circle, let down their hair, bent their heads forward upon -their bosoms, and wept and wailed like children.” And in the far north -the Sioux also lamented the passing of their conqueror but friend, the -Gray Fox. - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes: - - ――Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_). - - ――Obvious printer’s, punctuation and spelling inaccuracies were - silently corrected. - - ――Archaic and variable spelling has been preserved. - - ――Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GENERAL CROOK AND THE FIGHTING -APACHES *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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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