The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1897-01-01

But what fightl Down in the depths
of the gorge. sheltering themselves as
best they could from occasional bullet
and frequent bowlder hurled from up
the heights, some forty blue uniformed
troopers were falling slowly back be-
fore the ceaseless onslaught of a foe
they could neither see nor reach. just
as Kelly had feared, Lieut.. Crane had
been lured into trap, and the sup
porting platoon, reaching him, could
only share his predicament. just how
far up the canyon he had succeeded in
following the trail was now a matter
of little consequence. Crane and his
men were making the best of their way
out, bringing their wounded with them.
1t was the first lesson, a bitter one, and
one that would have been far more
tragic but for the coming of their bet
ter led comrades along the upper trail.
Long before Turner and Kelly could
''sight" single Apache, the Apaches
had caught sight of them. Darting from
rock to rock, Sinking from tree to tree,
away sped the 1.-THE, sinewy fellows out
of rife range. Only few long dis
tance or random shots were exchanged
between Turner and the invisible scat
tering foe, and Cranes fellows, sending
up stentorian cheers from the stream
bed below, drowned for the moment
the roar of the waters. Throwing out
some keen shots as skirmishers to pre-
vent the temperance of the Indians,
Thornton and his troop leader signaled
Crane to fall back to point where
the Sandy flowed in smooth tran
Iuil reach for a hundred yards
or so, and there, one side climbing
down the heights, the other climbing
dp, the officers were able to compare
notes. The first question was as to
Cranes losses. Several horses killed,
three abandoned and two men wounded.
But said he, they've cleaned out
some Mexican outfit mile up stream.
We almost caught them at it." And
30, leaving the wounded with the guard
and attendants to make the best of
their way back to the old post, the two
commands again pushed on up stream,
Crane on the lower and Thornton fol-
owing the upper trail, both parties in
single file. Turner kept the front well
covered by few skirmishers. Half
IN hours march brought them around
a wooded point, and there deep down
in the gorge, just at the spot where
Sanchez camped that luckless night
two years before, under the burning
blue of the midsummer skies, lay the
wreck of another outfit" Flood and
fury had scattered the possessions of
the former party broadcast down the
canyon. Fire and fame and Tonto
bullet or barb had huddled those of the
second into blackened, hideous heap.
Crane had followed, in very truth, the
trail of the raiders at Kelly's ranch,
but the murderers of the luckless Bust
amente were his own countrymen-th
robbers of Kelly's corral were Manuel
Cardoza and the genial Muncey Here
were the stiffening carcasses of the old
sergeant's pets; here the half dozen
pack mules. packs and all; here the
mutilated remains of the poor devils
whom Cardoza had abandoned, for up
the canyon went the shod hoof tracks
of American horses. Overtaken by
Apaches, two well mounted leaders had
left their humble followers to fight it
out as best they could, and who could
be the cowardly pair but Muncey and
Cardoza?
Distinguishing the smoldering fires,
gathering up such contents of the sad
die bags and apparejoes as were un-
damaged by the flames, Cranes party,
watched by Thornton's from the oppo-
site heights, slowly remounted and set
forth on their return. "If Foster comes
through the mountains with his troop
tell him we'll join him at the old post
in few hours" sang out the major
from across the stream. We've got to
come back for something to eat soon,
as we scout to the north side, and if
this be specimen of Apache business,
added Thornton to himself, as he slow
ly remounted, 'it's too complica ted
campaigning for me-"
And SO by noon that sultry and long
remembered day, after burying the
murdered Mexicans under cairns of
stones, Crane and his wearied men
were jogging back within hail of Signal
Butte, while Maj. Thornton, with
Turner and some twenty hungry troop
ers, pushed northward, determined to
scout the Socorro to the Prescott road.
Turner still kept his skirmishers ahead.
There was no telling where the In
dians might open on them from rock
or precipice or tree. Kelly, raging in
his heart to think that he had lost his
mules and he-dsman through such
scoundrels as Muncey and Cardoza, at.
tached himself closely to Turner,
with whose judgment and fore
sight he was now greatly impressed. II
was extremely hot and the water in
the canteens utterly undrinkable. The
horses. too. were suffering, but it was
impossible to get them down the steep
to the dashing stream, 80 even when
after an hours weary marching over
the upland trail they came in sight Of
the broad valley of the Sandy above
the range, Thornton decided to go or
down to the lowlands and water before
starting on his return. 1t was high
noon, hot noon, . scorching noon, and
the mems eyelids were blistePed by the
fierce rays of an unclouded sun. They
were hungry, too, for not one had haC
bite or sup since coffee at dawn, but
they bit at their plug tobacco anG
logged silently on, and up to the mo
ment OF their catching sight again Of
the old trail that wound beside the
Sandy not an Indian had been seen Oh