The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-06-06
FOR OUR LIVES.

with lew exceptions, the GuldeS ana
scouts Of Arizona are brave and upright,
though rough; men whom you could no
more hire or persuade, to do mean or
cowardly act, than you could induce
them to sell their favorite horse or rifle.
This strange country, with its rocky
ranges, deserts, and scores of canons and
passes, is to them a well learned lesson :;
they are familiar with every trail know
the location of the springs, or water no. les,
can tell you where the best grass is to be
found. and in case of an Apache raid are
indispensable.
During my SO ourn in the Territory a
few years ago, l had occasion to employ
one of the scouts Dave White by name,
on several occasions, aud found him an
invaluable companion. He could explain
every curling wreath of smoke on the
horizon; he could tell how long a trail
had been made and By whom, he knew
every Indian haunt, and woe to the red
skin on whom he drew q bead cold
Skiro," as he had named his rifle, was
never known to miss its mark, and
"Adelante," his horse, was as fleet
as the wind when her master gave the
word ego"
fall of 1871, Dave and myself started to
ride from the rancho at Apache Pass 10
the overland mail station. on the San
Cimon, distance Of twenty-five or thirty
miles.
Threading our way slowly down the
vast canon Of the Pass through the noun
tains where huge rocks, hundreds of feet
high, lowered above us on either hand
their jutting, moss grown sides filling the
gorge with a strange, somber gloom
could not dispel from my mind a certain
sense of danger. Ugly stories and ru-
mors of Indian attacks were then com
mon. So strong an impression had
they made upon me that finally sa d
"Dave, l believe we are going to have
trouble before we get through to-day"
"Trcublcm replied Dave. g Ia! ha
ha. as though we weren't always havin'
trouble! Yer haint scared, be We, doc
tori"
He laughed so loudly that the rocks
above us caught the sound, and echoed
a dozen startlingly distinct ha. ha! has
The effect was so uncanny that | could
scarcely believe but that band of saw
ages were mockingly repeating our rash
notes of levity. Again | asked Dave il
we might not do we'll to postpone thi,
trip till the following week. The scou'
refined in his horse, and squaring himself
In his saddle, looked me full in the face
CHOW look ahere, doctor" he said
"ef yer Altered, we'll turn back; eff not
we'll reach the San Cimon, unless ole
Skiro and Adelante fail me!'
| could only protest that / was no
afraid, but cautious, at which suggestion
Dave merely vouchsafed "hmm o
incredulity, and spurred his horse into
brisk canter
After two or three miles of riding, w
left the rocky Businesses Of the pass, ant
thence proceeded for six or eight mile
further across the plain, where scarcely
mound or a bush breaks the dead leve
as far as the eye can see My fear q
danger was gone or forgotten, while
was listening to one of Dawes stories O
advcnturc-when suddenly he turned hi
head. and looking over his shoulder, eN
claimed, "Thunderm in voice thu
sent every drop of blood surglng back
my heart
We'll | knew what such an eXcami
ton from his lips meant; and the sigl
which met my eyes, as | glanced benin
me was not an assuring one. Scarcely
mile away, and coming ut full speed
were eight or nine ApacheSl
They had probably followed US throug
the Pass.
saw Dave look anxiously at my hors
1t was large, powerful animal, possesse
of endurance, but not not much speed.