Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1890-10-23
A NEW MEXICO DAVID

| doubt very much ii Lucario Mon
iowa had ever heard of that wonderful
l. Int long ago between the shepherd
ripling David aud Goliah of Gath.
Certainly he had never read OF those
tnings, for book would have been the
rost incompreheusible of mysteries to
] ucaro. But in the great an | Won
trrful volume of Out-of-Doors he
was IN apt scholar for in that he had
| Lad the most learned of school-masters
his Mexican father and his Indian ac-
quaintanccs.
He could 90 out into the travelled
road and read from the struggling
! ieroglyplics of the dust how long it
had been since the last party passed;
whether they were Mexicans or Indi-
ans. men or women. travelling fast or
slowly. by night or by day. He could
hot read it so well ~ an Indian. but
| e was famous trailer none the
less. In all outdoor sports. too, that
we're known tho aud there, he was an
| tvnert.
With bow and arrows, Lucario won
many Il pony and gay blanket i'll
,alchcs with the Navajos and Utcs.
iih the riatG he was equally skillful
trd more than once had lassoed ante
lope in the prairies along the Aqua
| Lzul.
Abovc all. he could throw the knife.
Il Was the favorte W Iapon OF his race,
{ n one in the deadly use of which
~ have never been excelle'. Ever
| zee his hoyhood Lucario had prac-
.pd throwing his knife. and now
| / um forty feet away he could drive it
mi, cring two inches deep into foot
T. rrie Of wood. With the arm hanging
: fall length. he placed the knife point
rvaItl in the open palm. Then he
owed his arm suddenly forward, with
/ sort Of Scooping motion, and of flew
tae gIiltering missile.
All this LucariO was at home in, but
| II YOU bad shown him book, with
use funny little black things chasing
, ,rh other across the white paper,
: % sorry to say he would have been
| lite lost.
Liicario WAS Il shepherd, aud tended
,Hc of the tlocks of Don Refugio when
;ar Indians were sufficiently quiet to
i.iai;i of any Sallying forth from the
i,te walled town. Though known
! Tor his athletic accomplishments, he
WAS neither tall nor very muscular,
| bat ;,u ordinary lad of seventeen, who
j-ht weigh one hundred aud twenty
pounds, but makino up in witness.
sHi.l and agility he lacked in
brute strength. traight jet hair
| Ten below his slIouIu.rs; his face-just
saowing n faint, dark furze--was thin,
| - with Il vivid red shining through
go olive skin. and his black eyes were
..r.cr and wonderfully bright
1t was in lSiO-eight years before
~ Mexico became part of the United
| .&tns. OF our race, who arrogate to
themselves tlj.tiuctively the name
| ".NmcrirarS." there were hardly any
The province-perhaps dozen in
al. BIT OF the descendants of the
orly Spanish pioneers who became
| americans long before any English
| >DAL,.in- did. there were many thou
.tu,ls. But they were heavily out
Nrmbercd by the Indians, of whom
ere were many powerful, hostile
| Il hes.
TIE PurhloS. race of quiet farmers
| Who dweit in as good houses as the
...rNicans themselves had made their
! last protest, more than a century be-
IRE. against the occupancy Of the
| .rIniSh. and were now excellent neigh
"'r~. But the Apachrs. the Navajos,
ltc Ules, the Piutes, the UncOmpahgres
| and the COnIanches had never been
| CONQUERED. and were necessarily war
ring upon the settlers. Lucario's faith
er. motDcr, grandfather, great-grand-
| father, tive uncles. two older brothers,
| aud know not how many more dis
! tant relatives. had all been killed by
the Indians, and his was by no means
an unparalleled case of bereavement.
This year the Ules had been doing
their cruelcst work in Western New
Mexico. They had surprised several
| haH.ets and massacred all in them,
had cut OF many shepherds. stolen
many thousand sheep. and made uu-
successful but disastrous assaults upon
Ceboleta aud other small fortified
towns. 1t had become unhearabie, and
! tine chief men throughout New Mexico
/ had met and subscribed money to send
| out against the Indians thousand
| volunteers under the command of the
brave Manuel Chavrs. Lucario's only
| surviving uncle-his fathers eldest
| brother-was second in commands; and
LucarIO, to ais great delight, was al
lowed to join the expedition.
The force marched far north, ans
two days later encaniped in the plain
| below the giant range of Jemez, having
sighted a large force OF Utes in the
timber ahead. The New Mcxicans
who were outnumbered four to one.
entrenched themselves as best they
might, to await the attack. The :;
came skimming about the campo
Eeet horses. with haunting gestu
taking good care to keep beyom4 Al,
range OF the fintlocks.
One gigantic savage. mounted upor
! large and snow-white mustang, made
himself particularly conspicuous. Ill
! was plainly chief. His 6uckskin sui
of soft black was beautifully fringe,l
and Respondent with silver buttons
He was fully seven feet tall. and i'm
mensely broad across the shoulders
His horsemanship was wonderful. and
! the brave New Mexicans who could ap
preciate the good points oteyen an Ell
envy. were lost in admiration.
''Ah. what mani they cried, rs h,
swept past them like the wind. nos
vaulting TO his feet in the saddle, nov
altogether disappearing on the farthe
side Of his horse. aud shooting arrow
at them from under the horses nee
with astonishing force and accuracy
and now leapiug rom saddle to groun
and back from ground to saddle. a
without break in his mad gallop.
WHO dares come out into the plat
and fight me alone?" he cried, sutaeI
ly wheeling his horse and riding broa'
side past them, not more than q hui
dred yards away. IF you have an
great warrior. let him come. II XII
him. you shall 20 back to your home
/ - l.. LII