Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-06-06
FOR OUR LIVES.

With few exceptions, the guides and
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 rife.
This strange country, with its rocky
ranges, deserts, and scores of canons and
passes, is to them a wcll-learned lesson
they are familiar with every trail, know
the location of the springs or water-hoes,
can tell you where the best grass is to be
found, and in case OF an Apache raid are
indispensable.
During my sojourn in the Territory q
few years ago. | had occasion to employ
one of the scouts, Dave White by name,
on several occasions, and found him an
invaluable companion. He could explain
every curling wreath of smoke on the
horizon; he could tell how long trai
had been made and by whom, be knew
every Indian haunt, and woe to the red
skin on whom he drew a bead "Old
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"
One beautiful autumn morning, in the
fall of 1871, Dave and myself started tc
ride from the rancho at Apache Pass tc
the overland mail station, on the Sar
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 filing the
gorge with strange, somber gloom
could not dispel from my mind 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 sad
"Dave, believe we are going to have
trouble before we get through to-day
"Trouble!" replied Dave. "Ha! ha
hal as though we weren't always havin
trouble! Yer haint scared, be ye, doc
tor2n
He laughed so loudly that the rocks
above us caught the sound, and echoed
dozen startlingly distinct ha! hal has
The effect was so uncanny that / coult
scarcely believe but that band of saw
ages were mockingly repeating our rasl
notes of levity. Again asked Dave il
we might not do well to postpone thi
trip till the following week, The scou
reined in his horse, and squaring himsel
N his saddle, looked me full in the face
"Now look ahere, DOCTOR" he said
"ef yer afeared, We'll turn back; ef not
we'll reach the San Cimon, unless ole
Skiro and Adelante fail mel"
| could only protest that / was no
afraid, but cautious, at which suggestion
Dave merely vouchsafed "h'ml" o
incredulity, and spurred his horse into
brisk canter.
After two or three miles of riding, W,
left the rocky fastnesses of the pass, anC
thence proceeded for six or eight mile
further across the plain, where scarcely
mound or bush breaks the dead leve
as far as the eye can see. My fear o
danger was gone or forgotten, while
was listening to one of Dawes stories o
adventure-when suddenly he turned hi
head, and looking over his shoulder, ex
claimed, "Thunder!" in voice tina
sent every drop Of blood surging back t.
my heart
Well knew what such an exclama
ton from his lips meant; and the sigh
which met my eyes, as l glanced behin'
me was not an assuring one. Scarcely
mile away, and coming at full speed
were eight or nine Apaches
They had probably followed US througl
the Pass.
saw Dave look anxiously at my horse
1t was a large, powerful animal, possesses
Sf endurance, but not not much speed.