The Sunday morning news., 1891-11-08
BELEAGUERED BY APACHEs.
Story of the Overland Route To California in the
Good Old Days.
3 Y w. T H 0 M 5 O n.
Copyright 1s9l-4AI Biqnts Beserged

meal was finished without interruption,
and some of the boys were just giving
the stock half rations of corn and water,
when from out a coulee about thou
sand yards to the northeast emerged a
single plumed and armed but unpainted
Indian, who, to our great surprise, rode
straight toward us, waving in the air
dingy rag which'he no doubt considered
white.
"'Wal, I'll be blamed ef that amt
cheekl exclaimed tho captain. Wed
ort ter shoot the skunk right down the
mint he gifts in range. Hes comm ter
pretend ter talk trade. Yer see he amt
got no war paint on, an he reckons ter
git his people 'mong US on that old dodge.
SOS ter wipe us out easy without fight.
But white mems habits is Sd strong on
me that | RELY can't kill him in his
tracks, an guess we'll jest hev ter let
the mis- BILE cuss go.
meanwhile the innocent looking war
rior loped along until within fifty yards,
when he checked his pony and grunted
out lot of gibberish. Jim Burrows.
who understood most Of the dialects of
the plains, crawled under one of the
wagons, and telling couple of us to
cover him with our rifles, walked out to
meet the envoy. The conference, how
ever, had not lasted half minute be-
fore the savage wheeled his pony and
rode off at speed, while the captain re-
turned to us with comical grin on his
wrinkled visage.
"'It's jest ez l 'sposed, boys he ex-
planned, the fool galoot sez thar's band
NV thirty bucks cest thirty, seeD camped
down in the holler, an they'd like ter
trade off a pony or two fur pork an
-four an baccy an sugar. didn't say
nothin much, only jest obsarved in
kind of modest, casuwe1 way that my
names Jim Burrows, an, seein the
game war up, he didn't wait fur ter say
goodby, but moseyed off ter git his paint
on agin An now, ez the noospaper men
sez, we'll hev ter wait further devellup-
ments.'
"All the men Of our party were armed
with ordinary muzzle loading, single
barreled rifles, and there were in addi-
ton among the crowd nine heavy Colts
revolvers, at that time rather rare and
costly weapon, so that we could deliver
thirty-two shots at long range and no
less than eighty-six at closer quarters
without reloading, the navy Colt being
quite effective up to fifty or sixty yards.
'tJim's developments were not long
in coming, for about twenty minutes
after the bafied rag carrier had disap.
peared great cloud of hideously painted
braves rode slowly out of the coulee and
drew up in a body on the plain. Then
one of their number walked his pony
away in the direction of mound for
hundred yards or SO, stopped, turned
it twice around and galloped back at
top speed to his comrades. What's the
meaning of that little caper, CapT in
quired Sam Bidwell 1t means. re-
piled jim. that they're goin to pile
in soon's the two bands jines, an
tother ones ter hurry up. Jest keep
yer eye on the ridge now. Them scouts
hez bin layin low a-watchin fur signal,
an you'll see ther answer mighty suddin,
reckon. Sure enough, in couple Of
minutes we saw a big squad of mounted
warriors loom up over the crest of the
rise and ride swiftly down in direct
line for the band at the head of the cou-
lee. The united forces being then only
thousand yards away, we were able to
approximately estimate their numbers.
which most of us placed at three hun
dred, but the captain at two hundred
and sixty-a sufficiently alarming dis
parity, though the true significance of
this would depend good deal upon how
the savages were armed. If with bows
and arrows, tomahawks and knives only.
we had not so much to fear; but if with
rifles also, the coming fight might prove
long and desperate one, and the result
extremely doubtful
"The enemy seemed now to be hold
ing an earnest, though by no means har-
monious, consultation, evidently debat-
ing as to the expediency of an imme-
diate attack. Two or three times an ex-
cited group Of warriors broke off from
the main body, and, setting up the war
whoop, dashed for little way toward
us, only to turn back again when they
found their companions did not follow
Them young bucks said Captain Bur-
rows, lis red hot fur fight, an they'll
bring the hull caboodle round ter ther
way NV thinkin in no time. Thar's too
many scalps an too much plunder In this
ere outfit fur sich big crowd ter give
up till pile NV 'em's wiped out. They're
bout ten ter one now, an jests likely ez
not thar's more a-comin. But we're all
right s'long's they don't git inter the
corral, an when they do-wal, thar won't
be nobody left ter kill then, only the
two babies, an they'd likely carry them
off alive.
cat this plain intimation of what was
expected of them, rather than let their
wives fall into the hands of the brutal
Apaches, the married men turned pale,
and thrill Of shuddering horror ran
| through our ranks; but a moment later
the brave Anglo-Saxon spirit reasserted
itself. and bold, defiant cheer rang
out, stunning the astonished savages
into watchful quiet. Soon we noted a
movement ON their part which seemed
to indicate that all differences had been
arranged and definite plan Of action
agreed upon. Three warriors, appar-
emily chiefs, rode out from the crowd,
one straight ahead and the others di-
verging to the right and left, until all