The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-05-04
THE VERY TOUGHEST OF MANKIND
An Almost Incredible Story of Apache
Endurance and Cunning.

| An Almost Incredible Story of Apache
Endurance and Cunning.
I saw Geronimo and dozen of his
| Apachee do something in Arizona In 1887
which l would never have believed posi-
bic had I not witnessed it with my own
eyes,
The Apaches are unquestionably the
| most dreaded tribe of Indians on this con-
tinent. They are tougher, more enduring
| and more uncomfortable than any other of
their race. An Apache can lope up the
| side of mountain with the Thermometer
marking 120 degs., and when he reaches
| the top he won't show drop of extra
Precipitation, nor will he breathe a whit
faster than when he started He will go
for days without morsel Of food or a drop
of water; he will live on snakes, mice and
refuse, or if the worse comes to the worse
he will shoot his horse aud eat what he
wants of him raw.
Set out to pursue band of Apache raid
ers, and if they are hard pressed they will
separate, each one for himself, SO that the
only way to keep up the pursuit is to fol
low them individually, in which case the
Apache is Sure to have the best end of the
contract. When the hunt is over the dusky
miscreants will come together at some
point twenty or thirty miles away
There were twenty five of US cavalrynen
returning from one of our fruitless pur-
suits of the terrible Geronimo. Our horses
Were worn out and SO were we. Itwas one
of the hottest days | have ever known in
that throbbing furnace of a country We
had several miles of baked alkah plain
still before reaching the fort, where we
could secure shade and water, and what
we needed most of all else-rest.
Whew! but it was hot Had not the air
been perfectly dry neither man nor beast
could have stood it. The metal work on
our guns was so heated that no one could
bear to touch it with the naked hand The
air shimmered and throbbed as it does over
newly piowed field at noontide of a sum-
mer day. North, east, south and west was
one level stretch of plain, on which not a
tree, shrub or even blade of grass grew.
Far to the westward could be seen the out.
lines of the fort, oddly distorted through
the quivering atmosphere, but in every
other direction was the naked, burning
desert.
We were strung along for distance OF
several hundred yards. In fact there was
squad of five horsemen much farther
than that to the rear. All the animals
were Flooding slowly through the sand,
which, it seemed to me, was hot enough to
roast eggs, their heads dropping, while we
were simply enduring it, grin1iy closing
our teeth, holding out to reach the post
Was there anything to be apprehended
from GeronimoS Could we old campaign.
ers be entrapped? Low, level sand on every
hand. Well, right there in the midst OF
that flaming plain, with its horrible sandy
waste in which no spear of grass could
find root, that frightful chieftain and his
Apaches ambuscaded u.s. 1t sounds in
credible, but it is the fact.
Suddenly heard rife firing at the rear. |
1t was dull, odd sound, but was close at !
hand, and as turned in the saddle saw
that the squad farthest away was engaged
in a desperate fight with party of Indians |
who were on foot, shooting, striking and !
darting hither and thither like SO many !
demons.
We instantly wheeled and hurried back
as fast as we could to the help of our COM
rades, but before we could reach them |
three saddles were emptied and GERONIMO |
and his warriors were scurrying across the |
plain at speed greater than any to which |
we could force our exhausted ponies, who |
sunk to thair fetlocks at every step We |
gave them parting volley, which wounded |
several, but they managed to limp off with
the help of the others, and all were soon
beyond danger. l don't know how far
they travelled over that burning desolation,
but it may have been many miles, for they
were capable of doing it if they chose.
Those Apaches must havediscovered oul
while we were a good way off.
knowing we were on our return to the
post, they could easily calculate where we
would pass. They then burrowed in the
sand, covering themselves entirely with
Ihe blistering particles so that only their
snakelike eyes peered forth. Thus we
passed within few rods of them without
their presence. - Minneapolis
Tribune.