The free press., 1896-07-09


probably would have been useless in
any case, for Indians eyes are like
hawks for seeing. Through my
glasses l saw the Indians stop and
little knot of them gathered about the
leader. l could see him raise his
field glasses to his eyes aud bring them
to bear on us-the Apaches, you
know, learned the trick of using field
glasses years ago, before Victories
war, and they carry as good ones as
the officers of yhe troops sent out
against them have. They held a short
council, while / looked on in suspense,
and it ended by all of them turning
for us. putting their horses to lopc.
1--WE were scared lot of fellows
about that time, and 1 don't mind
saying now that | was as badly fright
ened as any. But rs leader of the
party must keep my head and show
no fear Some of the men were for
breaking to the foothills and trying
to reach Gold Hill through the cactus
thathedges them.
Don't think of it, boys l said.
1T would be just the Indians game to
get us where they can come upon lis
under cover. We must keep to the
open plain. Have you all got your
carbines and ammunition Now, all
hands come Oh for Lordsburg.'
eve left our camp outfit as it stood
and started Mt slow run out on the
plain. OF course, we didn't expect to
get far before the Indians overhauled
us, but Lordsburg was the quarter
from which help was most likely to
come to us, and we wanted to be
working that way all we could. The
Indians came fast after us, and when
they were not more than mile and
half away 1 called halt. Give 'em
n volley,' 1 said, and we all faced about
aud blazed away. Our carbines could
not send ball half way to them, but
the Indians stopped to see what would
happen, and we got a minutes breath
ing spell. Then they started for us
again and we ran on. Twice again
we stopped aud fired at the Indians.
The third time we had gained a little
rise of ground, and here saw was the
place to make our last stand. There
was stretch of plain we had come
over covered with the last years grass
that would show white behind the In
dams when they got near, and SO help
our aim in shooting.
"When we stopped this time the
Indians were half II mile away, COM
ing all together at n great pace. AS
we faced them they scattered out in
line quarter of a mile long, and came
on without slackening speed, each In
dian darting his horse to left and
right to confuse our aim. SO far they
had saved their ammunition, but now
they began to fire and ycll-nnd the
Yelling OF band of Apaches is a
mighty unpleasant sound when there
are only seven OF you, and more than
forty of them are charging down to
wipe you out.
"We fired fast, and an Indian
swayed in his saddle and dropped.
Whose shot did it none of us knew, or
could tell what became of him, for be-
fore he reached the ground dozen
of his companions had closed in
around him, and when they scattered
we could see nothing of the one that
had been struck. Whether he had
been able to mount again or was
strapped up behind another Indian
we were too much engaged to search
out.
1.-The purpose of the Indians was
plainly to surround and confuse us
while shooting us to pieces. Already
at 400 yards away they had spread
out in a half circle about u.s. Their
chief, Geronimo, directed all their
movements by signs. They were well
armed, many of them having repeat
ing rifles, and the bullets whistled
fast about us as their line closed in.
The sun had just gone down, and they
seemed bent on finishing us before
darkness fell. Two lucky shots
dropped two OF their ponies almost to-
gether, and caused the Indians to
hold back little. Then Juan Garcia,
a Mexican of our party, gave cry,
and his carbine dropped from his
hand. A bullet had struck his arm