El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-23

Paso people are familiar. 1t will we'll
repay careful reading.
lUontinued from Saturday.
And now that the reader has Lieu
tenant McDonald's well-told tale of an
Apache ambuscade, [ will take up my
narrative again. In few words Lieu
tenant Mcdonald told me what had
happened, and moving my cavalry we'll
up among the foothills, but just out
side of rife-range Of the enemy, the
order was given to dismount and pre-
cupied by the hOstiles was capital
one, found them strongly entrench-
ed on the left side of Horse Shoe
CANYON, and also in the middle of it,
where there was an outlying mass OF
rugged rocks about four hundred feet
in height, q smaller ledge of rocks
about thirty feet in height connecting
the two places. I formed two 1anking
parties OF two troops each, left one
directly on their front with the other.
Major Writ Davis opened the attack,
and in about an hour, by hard work
and good climbing, we compelled them
to abandon their position and fall
back. They then took up q second
strong position, which we again flank
ed them out Of, and gradually drove
them back into the canyon and up
among the high peaks of the range,
some of them firing at us from points
eight, twelve, and even sixteen hum
dred feet above US. l never saw a
much more rugged place, nor one bet
ter adapted to the means OF defence.
We had forced them far up the canyon,
and regarded the affair about over,
as we could no longer reach them.
The air was suffocatingly hot in the
canyon, and we were weary and very
thirsty. On one side of the canyon,
near its head. was small spring OF
water trickling into q little pool in the
rocks. and no sooner was it discerned
| bv our skirmishers than it was sur
rounded by men with canteens, while
others drank from the brim of their
campaign hats, and again others threw
mselves fat on their faces and
Tapped up the water, while others
scoOped up the precious fluid in their
hands. Like flash out of clea- sky
came the cracx of five or six rifles, and
bullets seemed to strike everywhere
way that thirsty crowd broke for cover
was astonishing. In ten seconds every
man was covered by q rock, and thirty
men were scanning the high cliffs on
/ the opposite side of the canyon with
| the keenest possible interest. A puff
of smoke far up the eide and a second
| volley was sent at Us, but ere its sound
| came echoinR back thirty bullets from
as many csrbines clipped the very
edge of the protecting ledge that par
TALLY covered the Indians, and it must
have hurt them, for it was the last vol
ley fred by the hostiles. In this &C
tion I first saw the good effects of our
(then new system of rifle practice
Our men were far better shots thar
the Indians, and kept them. down and
under cover almost constantly. Oul
loss in this affair was slight. To the
best of my recollection, one non-com
missioned officer, TWO privates, and
four scouts killed, aud one commits
wounded. My men we're very tired
especially from climbing through the
crags. The Apaches abandoned thirty
pOnies'and mules; .those we did not neec
for the use of our scouts we killed.
| Indian ponies that cannot be driver
along with the command that capture,
them are killed, to prevent their being
rounded up by Indian scouts, who
sooner or later, are always sent back OF
the trail with that object in view.
| 1t ives about five O'Clock in the after
1 had come to the conclusion that these
Indians had come up from Mexico tt
help the hostiles down, determined Il
60 to Richmond, on the ella River
where 1 had ordered Lieutenant Hal
and his Indian scouts to meet me. ex
pectipg to find the hostiles there.
was moved to do this from the fact tina
Lieutenant Mcdonald had followed
these Indians north ON the trail
Major Davis thought was wrong, and
that the Indians we had been fighting
we're part of the hostile Apaches; bu
as we had not at any time caught 6
glimpse of Loco's women and children
thought otherwise After-event!
proved Major Davis in the right, t,
the extent that the raiding party wa
in the fight, but it had been joined
here Dy rein We stopped
for Two hours, taking much needed
rest and after the horses we're groom