Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-08-18
Why HE WAS CALLED CHIEF.


! them; broad shoulders and narrow hips;
quiet, smooth way of moving, which i'm
pressed you with sense of strength an
almost careless manner, as of one who had
the most absolute confidence in himself
such was Jack Harding as he stood on the
porch of his house and. with his three
year-old boy on his shoulder, looked out
over the broad fields which were yellow
with the golden grain.
"Maria-come here, little one, and take
your young one. Want to go to mamma,
Chief?'
"No; want t. go ride"
"Waal, your majesty, you can't go now.
When come home you'll have ride"
'Giye him to me, jack" said soft
hearted Mrs. Harding, as she came out of
the door. A glance at her would show
that she was Spanish, with her black hair
and eyes and brilliant brunette complex
ion. There was scar on one cheek, which
| attracted your attention, but, for all that,
she was very beautiful woman.
"All right, one. Now, Chief, away you
co." and with a swing of his arm Jack
threw the boy into the air, caught him
again, kissed him, and gave him to his
mother. Then kissing his wife he led the
| way down to where his horses were stand
ing by the hitching-bar.
"Be sure you're back in time for dinner,
Jack" said Mrs. Harding, with her pretty
Spanish accent. ''Kiss your hand to papa,
Chief"
Jack blew kiss back ITO divide between
them," he said, and he rode off toward the
| irrigating ditch which, with the fertile
| land, was rapidly making his fortune
"Why do you call that boy 'Chiet?" /
asked
Jack laughed and then looked grave.
"lt's quite a story" he said When /
was young fellow-not that am so very
| old now-l was, as you know, a scout with
| General Kautz in Arizona. That is, was
| with Crook first, but when he took com
mand of the Department of the Missouri |
stayed with Kautz. The Apaches were off
and on, good and bad, and they gave us
plenty to do. The worst of them were
the Chiricows, who had their headquarters
in the Chiricow mountains, which, take
it, are about the worst place to fight in
and about the meanest country on the
|
thing as bad, and / know most of the bor-
der. The Chiricows raided into Mexico a
good deal and they had plenty of Mexican
women and children amongst 'em.
"The General wanted to find out some
thing about 'em, for they had Just come
back from raid, and he ordered me to
see what | could find out. You know /
talk Apache about as well as do English.
| packed up some medicine paint and
started had plenty of Apache blankets
and leggins and moccasins and SIGH, and
so / reckoned could make up pretty well.
l worked my way to the mountains and
cached-that is, hid-my saddle and
clothes. stained myself up, and went on.
"At last | saw the lodges, after ter
rible hard ride, and made my way toward
'em. OF course was seen, for made no
attempt to hide myself, and soon half
| dozen men came out to meet me- / told
'em my name was Black Thunder and that
| had come from the Tonic Apaches to
see their chief Old Victoria was with
them then. OF course there was a council
fire and long talk. / said the Tontos-
you know Tonic Apache means Apache
Liar, don't you? Curious name to give
themselves, amt it?
81 told them the Tontos wanted to make
a great league with the Huallapais. the
Mojayes and the Comanches, and then all
go on the war-path and clean the whites
out. Wa'al the idea suited 'em frst-rate;
| could see that. They wanted to know
why I'd come alone and / said | was
travelling to all the tribes to ask 'em to
send representatives to big council.
They swallowed this pretty slick and
went to stay in the chiefs house.
First thing l saw there was the pretti-
est girl I'd ever seen in my life. She was
working along with the other squaws and
as watched her l couldn't think how an
lnjun could be so pretty. She was dressed
like the others. 1t amt Iniun manners to
ask questions, but | tell you l kept
mighty sharp lookout, and l heard Victo-
rio call her Lan-i-tomis, which means
little red flower that grows in that coun-
try. She talked 1njun, too; that is, when
she talked at all, for, like all squaws, she
hasn't much to say when men were round
l stayed there about a week, and during
that time the Injuns and | were talking all
the time about the raid. Some time l got
some chances to talk to the girl, and you
bet | made the most of 'ea1. / found out
that she had been captured in Mexico
when she was about five years old and had
been adopted. She was then about 10, and
she told me she was to marry the Mountain
Goat-a big Injun with the ugliest face |
ever saw. Naturally i hated him at once.
| found out she was afraid of him and
hated him, and so it somehow came about
that she and / found out we cared consid-
cradle for each other, and, in fact we've
been doing so ever sincen
"Then she is" said
eyes, she's Maria, and by my wav of
thinking she's about as pretty as You find
EN- now; bat then she'd be pretty in nv
eyes if she was old as the hills. WAL,
things went on about so, and first thing
knew that ar Mountain Goat was spying
round after me morn'n | liked. You see
my paint was pretty good, but it would
wear off, and so had TO keep putting it on
all the time. Now, properly speaking,
ought to have got cut of there some time
before, cause I'd learned all / could; but
there was Maria, and / didn't rightly
see how / was to get her out with me- As
to leavin' her behind, that didn't suit me
or her. 1t was while was pulling away
on this that, one day, was seized by half
n dozen of them redskins, with that ar
-hosbtftii NiOdb Tic w nat u We
s'pose they did? You'd never guess in
week"
Tortured you" suggested.
Tortured me Not much. They did
what was just as bad, they washed and
scrubbed me. You needn't laugh. Don't
you see, turned white under it, WAL.
they took me to the council lodge, and all
the warriors gathered around. Then that
Goat made speech, and said he'd seen
me putting something on my skin, and
he'd suspicioned l was white. Now he'd
proved it, and he wanted to know what
they were going to do. Injuns is curious
critters. You never can tell what they
will do or think. In this they were all
very much surprised, and seemed to think
heap more of me than they had before.
OF course, they kept me guarded but gave
me plenty TO eat. From the time | was
taken | missed Maria, and | wondered
what had become of her. Two days after
! had been found out l was brought before
the council and old Victorio made
speech. He told me that the Iniuns
thought considerable of me, and they
lowed | was man worth having; so they
would adopt me into the tribe. If would