Arizona miner., 1867-12-28
Letter from Camp Miller.
CAMp MILLER, (7 route to RenoD AT,
 December 2d, 1867.


 EprroR ARIZONA MINER: Having seen an article in your paper which left our command ant in the hands of the Apachcs, l write to ! inform your readers that he has returned in ] sound condition The Tontos treated him | honorably, in their style. Oi course, he made a few presents, in the shape of blankets to l "B Big Rump' The rest of the "Rumps" were rough at first, but finally smoothed down. They gave him lodging for the night, and sent him in on the day following, furnish ing him with a respectable escort of their braves. The ladies of the tribe behaved very kindly and amiably, after their fashion; so much so, that their sex may be proud of them. By the way, they do not want female suffrage as they consider that they are suf- fering enough already. They remarked that they were badly in want of white stockings and muslin.
 The chief came in on the 20th ult., accom- panied by some seventy of his tribe, mostly men, well armed.
 On the 2jth, the Paymaster arrived at the Camp, quite unexpectedly. but very welcome; and SD were his greenbacks The boys were soon engaged poke(r)ing them around; there being no dew" in these parts, the ''poker' will be hot for some time. in the fore part of the night. the Camp was treated to some vocal music, sounding from the cherry lips of that joyial gentleman, the Paymastor's Clerk. (May the mice never cut his strains , The Apaches relieved him by giving Us some of their mountain airs, which were prolonged
 by their neighbors, the wolves the latter keeping good time The "reds" patronized
 aud showed their appreciation of the whites
 songs, by trying 10 initiate them, and giving
 a fearful yell between times imagining,
 suppose, that they were behind a herd of some horses they had " in their eye" These
 sons of noble thieves" seem as much at home
 in this Camp as if they had mortgage on us; and it Is no wonder, as they have the
 soldiers to wait on them, carry them water,
 make their cDfiec build shades for them, etc. They " live high" and are well potted by the officers some of them so rank, that they often
 eat smoke, and sometimes sleep in their tent
 This is what some of the boys call ciylizing
 Indians @ la mode. If they don't continue Co live on us, they must be "Tontos" indeed.
 This making a soldier wait on these insolent
 murderers before be waits on himself, and = sometimes after long days work on the
 road, when he requires tO make bread or something he really needs, Gas we only get
 the afternoon of the day on which We mount :, guard, and sometimes not that. to attend to
 washing, cleaning, etc, is making the soldier look small in his own eyes and in the eyes of
 the destroyers. The lower the private soldier D. is made to appear, the officer also must de-
 scend, in proportion, in the estimation of the
 "warlike Indian" Perhaps some people
 think differently. but this is what the boys say |. Dignity shown in dealing with Indians is not , thrown away, but man may lose 1t before ? meeting the "noble reds and has to do the
 best he can without it. Such work as this :, makes soldiers down on the reds" When i this command left the Verde. they had an - enemy in their front the programme is now
 changed: the enemy are in our midst, in the shape of some seventy red rascals, with hands, a perhaps, still warm with the blood of our I comrades and conntrymen. They have made no treaty yet. There is not eYen an interpre- Y ter here, to find out if they accept the terms - of the order concerning them. Yet these e Apaches, renowned for their treachery, ,n
 and well armed, are allowed to sleep all night - in the midst of our camp of eighty five sol i, diers, who sleep in their shelter tents, at the - mercy of these never-to-be-trusted sayagcs. P. The boys call it taking ratilesnake into n your bed; if it does not bite, 1t it is not n your fault. The usual number of men mount t guard. The posts are on the outside of the l camp, (with the exception of ono to keep the |. dogs away from the Apaches, and the enemy b. inside The boys say that the millennium has |, come in Arizona. Some of the wags here f say they never saw Indians preserved on
 coffee; however, it is being tried here, and the ., result so far is promising The boys cook it
 for them; the Indians eat the sugar first, and a then say the coffee would be improved by f sweetening it. They are great smokers, and 2 there being some philanthropic ones in good " circumstances, the weed is supplied them.
 Blankets have become scarce since the mil t lennium took place. and roast beef plentiful. a The Indians have not brought their young n ones or squaws into camp. Their movements q are suspicious. Any one properly acquainted - with the Indian character might make some. r, thing out of them; but they will not make -s. II g