St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1882-12-09

:
the erection of a corral He saw
horseman coming up the CANYON, but
thought the rider one of his herders and
turned again to his work Suddenly
piercing scream, and then loud cries
| fell upon his ears and he fastened to-
ward the ranch house. AS he entered
the hall by a rear door his eyes fell on
picture that caused his heart to leap
with Joy. In the middle of the hall was
| his wife on her knees and holding in her
arms the lost Willy. The joy-crazed
mother was smothering the little fellow
with kisses. The other children were
clustered around and Apache George
! stood in the doorway, leaning on his
rifle. 1t was an hour before the people
at Lone Cottonwood ranch sobered
down sufficiently to hear the scouts
story. He told it modestly and Iacon-
ically. | have heard him relate it
dozen times, and give nearly his own
words. 1t was of little interest up to
the time OF the fight in Sierra Diablo.
He followed the trail leading out OF the
cane-brake until it was lost in the broad
road made by Victorio's warriors. He
! joined his company and was with them
! down to the night of the Sierra Diablo
fight.
AZ reckon / did my share of the fight
ing,'' he said: The Indians made but
/ little resistance. [ took after a buck
and a squaw who had a papoose in her
arms. My first shot brought down the
buck. / fired at the squaw, but the shot
was bad one. 1t struck her hands and
wounded the papoose in the feet. She
dropped the child and ran into little
motto of timber. The papoose was
screaming at the top of his voice He
was little bit Of fellow, and for an
Indian, pretty. He had on bright cal
leo dress, and was about two years old,
1 reckon. When / got close to him I
/ pulled out my six-shooter to kill him.
/ He looked at me sort of ptiful as |
Z, pulled down and my heart failed me. /
put back my pistol and picked him up.
/ His feet were bleeding, and l wrapped
'em up in my handkerchief. Then /
took after the squaw She had hidden
herself under a ledge OF rock. | sat
down the papoose and pulled her out.
4 / was just about to draw my knife
across her yellow throat when the
papoose began TO below. She jumped
up and ran toward it. The little devil
held out its arms and she caught it up,
and began to cry and kiss and hug it.
That touched me right here, and the
scout laid his hand on his heart. 81
speak Apache tolerable well, and told
her that she and the kid shouldn't be
harmed--that they were prisoners. She
seemed grateful, that is il an Indian can
be grateful. and / took her hack to
where the outfit rendezvoused. The
boys made fun of me for being SO ten
der hearted, but didn't mind that I
i wouldn't have killed that squaw and
/ papoose for a million dollars. She knew
that her buck hal been killed, and that
night after we made camp she asked
me for knife to cut off her hair. The
Indian women do that as sign of wild
| owhool. | chopped off her hair, and
said something about the papoose being
pretty. She kissed the kid and replied:
Yes, and you are good. Moneta is
4 glad. Moneta was her name, reckon.
.Moneta will remember. When | go
back to my people will tell them the
/ White Wizard is good, and the young
men will not try to kill him. The
Mescaleros call me the White Wizard.
.sWell, what she said set me to think
ing, and began to talk to her. Finally
1 / asked her ii she would like to go back
1 to her people.
..Yes, she said. mana is my father.
i He will be head chief now. Victorio is
dead. Rain Cloud will be big chief, too
4 She coddled up the kid, and judged
from that that his name was kahn
4 Cloud.
II told her then that the rangers
Mnuld carry her back to Fort Davis, and
1 Would not let her go back to her people;
4 but that I could get the head chief
i (meaning the Captain) to let her 60 ba K
4 if she would tell me whau her people did
with little boy whom they stole from
camp in the canyon of the Lone Cotton
/ wood.
90 will tell you,' she said. Before
we went to the Great River (meaning
Rio Grande1 some of my people went
/ back to the reservation. They We're sick
or old. Some were women. They car
i ried the white boy. saw him. He had
i blue eyes and cried. felt sorry for
him. Yes, know. The wife OF Bitter
Water had him. Her husband was killed.
He was with Victorio. II you will talk
s. TO Tue great cnleI gOou ZOE lie, ! w IL
], help you get back the white boy. Take
me back to my people. My father will
give me the white boy, and will give
a him to you. I know the agent and the
great chief of the soldiers at Fort Sill.
/ will stay at the fort and they shall
watch me that don't rim away. When
y Igive you the white boy can 60 back
to my people. What you say?
Il told the Captain what she said,
and he gave me permission to take her
back. / waited until the moon came
up that night and then woke her up
and told her what he said She was
| minhtu y. clad and halned me saddle the