Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-09-06
CHAPTER VI.

70
has been explained, in a general north
westerly direction, by crooked road,
from the new post of Fort Retribution,
around the base Of the Socorro, past
Ration Springs eight miles out) to the
fords of the Sandy, which lay some five
miles north of the upper entrance to
Apache canyon. It was about ten
miles nearly due west from the flag
staff at the new post to Signal Butte.
Apache canyon, from gate to gate, was
rift of nearly eleven miles, and the
east by south. So. here was rude
scalene triangle with ten-mile base,
sixteen-mile adjacent side and a
twenty-three-mile hypothenuse, crook
ed as corkscrew, as the troopers said,
and this little triangle, solidly filled
with mountains, was the field of opera
tons of Maj. Thornton's command in
this its first campaign against Arizona
Indians. The Sandy took sudden
turn to the southwest as it passed the
old post and flowed away in that gen
eral direction to it's confluence with the
ella, and the old roundabout wagon
route from Retribution to Prescott
went down the Sandy, around the
southern end Of the mountain range
and then away northwestward up the
valley of Willow creek. The only short
cut through the Socorro clump was by
the old Tonic trail from Signal
Butte at the south to Ration Springs to
the noptheast-and this, said Sergeant
Kelly, was not the route by which the
raiders retired on the approach of
Turner's troop, but was the route by
which they descended into the valley.
If SO they must have come over from.
Ration Springs and Fosters men should
not be far behind them-only Foster
hadn't a soul with him who had ever
been through there or could trail by
night. He had to wait for day, and
possibly for orders. There were game
trails all through the rocky, pine
covered heights, but these would only
confuse the uninitiated.
If, as Kelly declared, the Indians had
dared to drive their captured stock
straight through the canyon to lure the
troops after them, while a larger party
lurl1ed in ambush on the overhanging
cliffs, it meant that they had scouts
watching Foster and ready tolead him
astray, while others far to the north.
keeping wary eye ON the movements OF
Col. Pelham's troops at Sandy, dis
patched swift runners or communicated
by smoke or flame signals that only
Indian eye could read.
"They feel secure for this day, sir, "
said Kelly to the anxious and perplexed
field officer, whose command was row
so widely scattered, ''or they wouldn't
wait to jump the lieutenant"
Had they Jumped" the lieutenant?
That was the absorbing question. The
firing had died away almost as sudden
ly as it began. The sounds came from
the general direction of the canyon
not that of the trail to the springs. It
could not, therefore, be clash between
Fosters troop and the Apaches. 1t
must have been Cranes men, to whose
support whole platoon had been dis
patched; but if what Kelly said was
true, they were little better off than so
many rats in trap. All this the major
was rapidly considering while Turner
rallied his men down stream and came
trotting up to the cienega. Then, led
by Kelly afoot and in single file, the
little party began the tortuous ascent
to the heights. In ten minutes they
were again in saddle and trotting
through bold and beautiful range.
To their left lay the deep chasm Of
Apache canyon and off to the eastward
could be seen the dark rift through
which ran the trail to Ration Springs.
A guard of ten men, together with
Downey and his fellow ranchmen, re-
NAMED about the post, SO that
at this moment, say eight o'clock of a
hot June morning, Maj. Thornton's
force was distributed at five or six diff
ferent points at both the southern
angles and along the outer edge of this
rough triangle. Verify, the Apaches
seemed to know how to play the
newcomers.
eff poor Rafferty, hadn't been headed
off and killed" said the major to Capt.
Turner who, now that there was greater
room, rode up alongside, 1--WE should
have known Fosters discoveries and
movements. AS it is, we are complete
ly in the dark. I'm not so anxious about
Crane now, for he has evidently got
through the lower part Of the canyon
all right, and hasn't had time to reach
the northern end, but hope he's SAFE
out of the bad place in the middle y
And just at this moment the old SER
geant, riding dozen yards ahead, and
coming to sharp turn around rocky
point, refined suddenly in, signaling
halt. With much CHATTER and sputter OF
hoofs the rear of the column seemed to
double up on the leaders before the
rapid trot could be checked, and then
with heaving tanks the horses huddled
in a bunch. There was an opening in the
hills to the right and game trail led
down around the very point where
Kelly ha6 halted and was now off his
horse studying the ground.
II thought SO, sir" said he, pointing
eagerly to certain prints in the rock
dust along the trail. Then. bending