The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-12-25
WHIMS OF INDIAN SCOUTS.
AN ARMY OFFICERS DANGEROUS
RIDE WITH APdCHES.
Alone in the Chiricnhun Mountains with n
Party of Disnffected Indian Police When
n Grizzly Bear Came Along and Supplied

u w
n Grizzly Bear Came Along and Supplied
the Test Needed TO Secure Their Respect
Indian scouts are useful. indispensable In
fact. in campaigning against certain tribes oil
the Western plains. and mountains" said an
army officer who has seen service all along the
Western frontier from Canada TO the Mexican
line and across IL. Our regular soldiers are
fine fighters. MS good as any In the world,
patient, brave. and enduring, and they have no
trouble in disposing Of Indians under any fair
odds once they can bring them to battle; but
Just here is the trouble. TO catch them. The
Indians. born and bred in the country. know
ing every foot Of it. accustomed to war
fare and to moving swiftly over wide
spaces. and hampered by no baggage
train or other impedimenta, can keen
away from n greatly superior pursuing force
OF civilized soldiors for a long time. II they de-
eide to fight they are able usually to choose
their own place and time for giving battle.
This IL especially true OF the Apaches. who
have been the most inveterately hostile and the
hardest to deal with OF all the Western tribes.
1t is in the blood OF an Apache to live by
rapine and plumber, and he is physically organ
lied and trained to that end. He can run sixty
miles n day over country open or rough. TAX
ing 1t as he finds 1t, for n week on a stretch,
finding his subsistence as he goes; can hide
mo Nby W iNAS iAihSo N'NN " aDAf '
can. and knows every trick OF lodging or fol-
lowing or getting away from an enemy.
"Of all our Indiansi the Apaches have been
employed the most as scouts for the regular
army, and without their services in this way
the Government might have failed to this day
in making the southwest Territories. New
Mexico and Arizona, safely habitable for white
settlers. In first organizing this service men
from one Apache tribe were enlisted to fight
those OF another tribe. Later. when all the
Apache tribes had been put on reservations.
the Indian scouts and police were found quite
as ready to perform their duty with their own
tribesmen as with offenders OF another tribe.
When called on to take the field against hostile
Indians they fully match them in cunning and
endurance. They know every move of the
enemy, can trail him night and day and
fight him in his own fashion when they
come up with him. Almost without exception
the Apache scouts have been loyal to the Gov
eminent and have done their duty bravely and
faithfully. But their usefulness depends greatly
upon the qualities Of the officer who leads them.
They must first and foremost respect him., and
any suspicion of timidity or lack of prompt de-
cision in his behavior iorfeits his efficient con-
troll over them. and may even be dangerous to
his safety. Nowhere is force of character,
pure and simple. more appreciated and bowed
W Nitup NAitAii INV IA StNAhh VAtA
them in friendship or war the lack of it Is fatal.
1T was about the time that Gen. Crook
wound up his famous campaigns against the
Apaches that 1 came with my new Lieutenants
commission to Camp Bowie, Arizona. Crook
had whipped the Apaches out and out. had
killed u great many. and had corralled all the
tribes in reservations except "A few warriors. a
remnant of Cochise's old band. who had re-
fused to surrender and had gone into the
Sierra Madres across the Mexican border. where
he could not reach them. The Apaches. for the
time being. had enough of fighting. and SO
things were quiet for a while. This gave me
time to pick up some Spanish and Apache
words for use with the Indian scouts before l
was called on to lead them anywhere. 1 had
the chance to go rs junior officer on a scouting
expedition or two. and so got a little the hang
of the thing before l was assigned to the con
mand Of scouts myself.
1t was in early autumn that / got my first
orders to go out with a detail Of Apachcs to
scout the Chiricahua Mountains southwark as
far as the Mexican line and return by way OF
the San Simon Plain. 1t was difficult country.
wholly new to me. as it was to most men then.
and. to make the thing worse. there had Just
been a shifting of scouts at the post. and there
was not a man In my that l knew ex-
cept Casimiro Grijalba. a Mexican. who acted
as iNlVi - vi 4 L tooh NY .
signment thankfully. made my acquisitions for
a ten days trip. and rode out of the post the
next morning into the southwest opening OF
Apache Pass. sitting very straight on my horse.
with Grijalba riding by my side and twenty
Apache scouts stringing along on foot behind.
I'VE camped that night on the San Pedro.
and the next morning took into the mountains.
The country after passing the foothills was
horribly rough. and there was only one man
in my command who owned to having been in
the mountains before. He was a half Mexican
Apache called Durango. the least to be trusted
Of any. Half my men might have fought or
hunted through and through the whole range.
and known every pass and spring and valley
in it; but that sort OF knowledge an Indian
keeps to himself. and until he knows and trusts
and leaves him. without so much as a hint
of assistance. to find his own way. l knew
too much by this, time to show a sign
an admirable and trustworthy man. l picked
out my route. good or bad. riding ahead into
sky for Indian, sign. and generally making a
grand bluff OF knowing everything about
S SysrGia ne f tRis seeS for T on th my tR men; day ye I began !
They had started ,briskly from Camp Bowie, as
at taking a trail. For the first two days, at any
time on the way. they, were ready to dart of in
they followed and headed off their victim at
every turn and usually carrying it along at
the end to help out the Government
r%ations at supper at the bivouac; Now they
had grown silent and sullen. talking together
in undert2nes at 9nr halts and taking up the
the half Mexican Apache. had the most to say
among them. and | could see that they listened
to his words. Casimiro Grijalba. who under
stood the Apache tongue and character better
than any other white man living. was quietly
attentive to what went on in camp and on trail,
saw. When | noticed u shade of anxiety ap-
bearing in MS face ! took the FIRST chance TO
/ put my questions TO him on the morning
Of the fourth day as we two rode up a
grassy valley, hemmed in by steep mountain
cliffs and dotted with pine and oak trees like a
park. l had sent a man up on, the mountain to
report any Apache fires he might see, and the
rest, OF the scouts were behind us about 200
yards down the valley, where / had ordered
them to wait until the Indian came back from
the mountain.
What is the matter with the scouts, CAST
unwilling and sulky.'
He shrugged his, shoulders and nodded.
Yes, senior he said. They get that way
But this won't do i said. The way they
feel now, l can't trust them to report any
Indian signs they find. much less to take up a
a.aa IL 0-l III IA I