Morris tribune., 1896-02-12
ON THE PLAINS.


During our overland journey to Cali
fornia in 1850 we were attacked at day
break one morning by a strong band of
Apaches. After lively slkirmish we
beat the marauders off, but three of our
men received arrow wounds, and a fine
boy of II, named Frank, the son of our
guide, Joe Martin, was captured and
borne away by the savages in spite of
our utmost exertions.
The scrimmage occurred in central
Arizona, not more than a mile from
the foothills of San Francisco noun
tains, whose Businesses were gained by
the retreating Indians before we could
saddle up and give effective chase.
Notwithstanding his almost frantic
grief, the bereaved father was forced to
admit that to follow the enemy into the
mountain defles would be an act of
wanton folly, certain to result in the
slaughter of the whole pursuing force.
We must, he agreed, bide our time and
endeavor, by assumed carelessness, to
provoke another attack in some position
where we might interrupt the flight of
our willy foes and thus rescue the captive.
When asked if the bloodthirsty
Apaches would not probably torture
their prisoner to death at once, Joe,
profoundly versed in Indian ways, re-
piled: I think not The boy IS so young
that they'll likely want to adopt him
into the tribe, and meantime they
won't hurt him. He's sharp enough to
pretend to humor them, and I've great
hopes that, if our plans fail, he'll
manage to escape somehow. But, oh,
wouldn't / like to be just for one min
ute within reach of that red brute-I'd
know him anywhere-that lassoed and
dragged poor Frank off I"
The guide was tremendously pow
erful fellow, in the prime of life, and
as he spoke his dark gray eyes flashed
with an ominous light, which the .fierc-
est warrior of the plains might we'll
have quailed under.
Our party consisted of 80 men, all
armed with muzzle loading rifles and
Colts revolyers, the latter quite new
weapon then Hence we did not fear to
meet in fair fight any number of these
far west Indians, very few of whom at
that early day possessed firearms. Our
only real danger lay in falling into an
ambuscade, and that we took every pre-
caution to avoid.
After our fruitless pursuit of the hos
tiles, Joe proposed that we should con-
tinue our route along the mountains
base until we reached a certain pass he
knew of, one we must necessarily
traverse in order to escape so mile
detour.
THE redskins are sure to be waiting
for US there, boys, he said. "They can
get to it without showing themselves at
all. They'll think that we suppose them
to be far away and will walk right into
the trap. If we were green enough to
do that, not one of US would come out
alive. If this heavy wind keeps up we'll
show the numbering hounds trick or
two and get chance at them on the
open plain. When we get through with
it, reckon this band won't go on the
warpath again in hurry
In about three hours we came oppo-
site the mouth of the pass, the bottom
of which was, as Joe had hoped, over
grown by stunted bushes and long,
coarse grass, now dry as finder, while
its sides were composed-for two miles
up, Joe said-of vertical rock
Now, boys ordered the guide,
don corral the wagons as usual, but
leave them around, kind of carelesslike,
800 yards or so out on the plain. Let
the horses Craze while we get dinner.
Then we'll likely have some fun, for
the winds exactly right y
why, Joe, - observed one Of the
party, 81 don't believe there's
blessed Indian in that gulch. They'd be
sure to scoet off in some other direction
after the licking we gave them.
Maybe so, dryly rejoined the vet
eran. 'But all the same wouldn t try
to lead you fellows through now for all
the gold in California. know the red
cusses too we'll. !"
When our meal was finished and all
were anxious to learn Joes plans, he
abruptly said: Men, want a volun
teer for what may be mighty risky
plOC0 u UuSIu0SS. VINO OlSES!
"I," and 81, and II. promptly re-
sponded dozen or more of us.
The old Indian fighter smiled grimly
as he said: "You give me lots of good
stuff to choose from, boys, but 1 think
Tom Graydon better go. He's the fastest
runner among us, and that may count
before he gets through f"
"All right, Joe. Let's have your or
ders, . cheerily replied Tom, a wiry,
active fellow barely out of his teens, but
swift Of foot as deer and wonderful
rife shot.
''It's this way, Tom The winds
blowing hurricane down the pass
the bottom s covered with dry grass and
dead bushes, and the walls, for two
miles, as I've said, are perpendicular.
Every living thing that can't fly now in
that pass must, if driven from above,
come right through, for a goat couldn't
climb the rocks
Now, want you to go on foot over
the mountain till you come to the trail
made by the reds while riding to the
ou1ch It's sure not to be much more