Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-12-05
THE BoWLDER WAS ALIVE.

An Apache Stratagem That Nearly Cost
Government Courier His Life.
''Talking of Indians and their strata
gems, said D. A. Marston, lately of the
United States cavalry, "they are past
masters in the arts of skulking and de-
ceiving. An Apache will lie behind
soapweed on the open prairie, and you
may ride past 200 or 300 yards away
and never have an idea that there is a
redskin within so miles of you unless
he decides to risk shot at you. As you
pass the soapweed he works his body
around so as to keep it always in line
with the plant and you. Even on the
open prairie, with no more shelter than
that afforded by some little inequality
of surface, he will sift dust over his
body, flatten himself out face down.
ward, against the ground, and lying as
motionless as stone will escape the
observation of any except sharp and
practiced eyes. Sometimes in group Of
cactus or Spanish bayonet, his buckskin
garments blending with the hues of the
plants, his face and neck concealed by
the head of Spanish bayonet, he will
stand like a post, indistinguishable to
the inexperienced eye, even at close
quarters, from the grotesque plants
about him.
"a queer experience Of this kind oc-
CURED to me in my service in Arizona
during General Crooks last campaign
against the Apaches. Tom Merriam of
my troop and myself were detailed to
carry dispatches from Camp Bowie to
Camp Grant, up on the Rio Benito. 1t
was dangerous service at that time,
and we had to keep sharp lookout and
be ready to fight or run at a moments
notice, for there was no knowing at
what point on the route the Apaohes
might not be lying in wait to jump us
as we came along.
''We were on our return to Camp
Bowie and had just crossed the wooded
canyon where the cold spring is and
were coming out upon the open prairie
that stretches down to the San Pedro
river, when through the branches of
low tree I saw what took to be an In
dian on the plain, about half mile
ahead. But on squirting my horse for
ward so as to get a better look nothing
was to be seen save the bare prairie,
with no sign of man or beast upon its
expense.
"As we rode along spoke of the
matter to Tom, who laughed at what he
called my scare, which he said caused
me to see imaginary Indians. We came
or,rOcifn 1nxxy hoxrvllnr tho
prairie 900 PAGES or so from the trail.
Il don't remember ever to have seen
that rock before, said Tom, who had
been over the route several times. How
in the devil did it get there? I'll ride
over and take look at itP And he
refined his horse and rode toward the
object. followed him, few yards be-
hind.
''His horse had scarcely taken doz-
en- steps when the seeming gray rock
moved slightly upward, and there came
from its lower edge flash and report
with the scream of a big caliber ball
that tapped Toms coat with its wind
and caused his horse to plunge so sud-
denly that Tom, one of the best riders
in the troop, not being on the lookoUs
for such happening, was thrown. At
the same instant an Apache leaped from
beneath the gray blanket that had serv-
ed him to masquerade as bowlder and
ran like deer for the canyon, leaping
to left and right as he went to avoid the
shots that Tom and I sent after him
from our repeating carbines.
''We knocked up the dust about his
feet and made him do some tall dodging
to the whistling of our bullets, but that
was all, for we didn't hit him. To have
chased him would have been folly, first,
because we were bearing dispatches in
haste and needed the last ounce of re-
serve force in our horses, and, secondly,
because with the start he had we should
not have overhauled him in his run for
the canyon, into which we could not
have followed him. So we took the trail
again and rode our way with another
wrinkle added to our experience of In
dian triokery and cussedness. New
York Sun.