Arizona silver belt., 1890-03-15

| ordered companies to. render me all the assistance in their power Tn case should meet with serious trouble Our way was enlivened by ihe reports that from two hundred and fifty to four hundred renegades were Tn the mountains in the vicinity of 0jo Cal. iente waiting to give us warm re- ception, but we kept straight on as swiftly and silently as we were able to go. With my police l marched cautiously 10 within ten miles of the agency, then left all but 9 in hd- ing, and rode boldly in. Major Wade was 10 meet us there, but was de- layed, perhaps by accident, perhaps by design, for the military were very jealous of the civil authorities.
 RAGGED.
 "At the agency l learned that Ge- fonimo, with about seventy men and a number of squaWs and boys, were camped about three miles away. thought i would fool him, so after dark l got the remainder of my police to sneak up and hide themselves Tn the commissary building, which was fortunately empty. They were under command of Captain Buford, a brave and faithful fellow. Soon after day light l sent word to Geronimo to come mp as l wanted to have talk with him, He came, with all his beautiful following, warriors. squaws and all, the former in their war paint and armed to the teeth. They had shot guns. butcher knives, spears, bow and arrows, and everything in the shape of weapons that the larder afforded.
 "Gernuimo and his followers came up az close as they could to me, for 1t IS an unwritten law with the Indians that If they can only get close enough to white man they can frighten him by sheer uglinesS, and l don't know but what they aye right. 1 said that 1 had come long way to speak with him, and that If he was careful what he said no one would get hurt. He was little chagrined ttat l should get ahead of him in this left handed compliment, but retained 1t with the best grace possible.
 Then l gave the wink to my chief of police and ny reserve force began to hie out enc by one, each five paees behind his predecessor, and on the run to extend skirmish line which sur rounded ths renegades en one side. while deep ehasm held them in on the other.
 At first tue renegades did not mind it, but when fifteen or twenty had ap- peared and they were still coming, some of the Indians began 10 get ner- yous and walk of. 1 told Buford to stop them. He threw up hls gun toward one of the retreating figures and commanded it to stop. Suddenly there was an awful yell thought that Buford must be stabbed, but when l looked saw that an old squaw had suddenly pinioned him around the arms, drawing his gun down and making t useless. instlnctlyely turned around 10 see wbat Geronimo was doing, and when l looked back again Bpford's mighty right hand had launched ont and the sauaw was roll in the grass twenty feet away.
 OBEY OF DIE,
 When he ralsed his gun again there were dozen others raised at the same time, and this time his voice meant obey or die. Each of my police men body guard had his man picked out, and one shot would have been followed by many. l believe that the old squaw prevented 8 bloody battle, for by this time my sklrmish line had grown portsntions, and the renegades
 
 saw that they we're in our power. | then said we could talk better without our arms, and after throwing away my hunting knife l gently removed his gun from hls hands and also those of his immediate supporters. He did not like this, but submitted.
 Whatever Geronimos feeling were he gave no sign of them, but with great dignity told me he had come back and lie would hear what I had to say. Knowing the Indian apprecia- ton of irony gave him some. l talked about the way he had come back the year before and sand that of course ] appreciated the fact that when he wanted to go north he should naturally go aoutk. This raised a laugh among my body guard, but he dld not like it a bit.
 "'However,' said l, we are friends now, as you can see, or sbonld not have come so far to see you, and fear ing that you will stray away again l have made special provisions not 10 let you. So you can get up and go to the guard house.