The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1899-01-14


Apache fires ne might see, and the rest of
the scouts were behind US about 200
yards down the valley, where had or
dered them to walt until the Indian came
back froEl the mountain. -
=" What is the matter with the scouts,
casindro?' | asked. :, They seem to have
grown unwilling and sulky.'
"He shrugged his shoulders and nodded.
Yes. senor,' he said. They get that
way sometimes. 1t is their nature
- But this won't do said. The way
they feel now, I can't trust them to re-
port any Indian signs they find, much fess
to take w. trail and follow it. And how
much could J. depend on them If we fell in
with the hostiles" They would leave us
in the lurch, If they did not join them
outright
HE nodded again. 1T is bad, very bad.
he said sravely. 1t is the talk Of Duran
go that makes the other Indians hearts
Dad re thinks himself medicine man
ana he tells them that it means i'll luck If
they follow you against their own peo-
ple-that you are young and know moth
Ing OF war and that your heart will quake
when danger comes
1T would have been a great comfort
Just then to have my half company of reg
uiars at my call. But here was in the
heart OF the Chiricahuas alone except for
Grijalba, among twenty Apaches on the
verge Of rutiny. Things looked sQually
and l could see no ending Of them that
was not bad. 1 felt that Grjalba's advice
would be valuable just then.
"'Well, what is to be done? I said. T
can see no way but to shoot Durango, and
the quicker the better. It will make
things no worse and will bring matters
to a head
"'You may have to do it, or I, if you
give me the order. But wait until have
talked with the scouts. All, here comes
Durango now to tell US that the scout re-
ports no Apache fires from the noun
tains. There will be no signs of the hos
tiles found, depend upon it, senior, until
the mems hearts have changed
The half-breed was coming and taking
his time about it. We waited, and when
he got up with US he told, as Grijalba had
said, that the scout had come back and
had seen no fires from the mountain top.
" 'Casimiro, go back and bring the
scouts up, I ordered. Durango will stay
with me- / wanted to give the inter-
prefer a chance to talk to the scouts with
the half-breed away.
"Grljalba hesitated, and gave me look
that meant BE on your guard then rode
back to the scouts. I motioned to the
half-breed to go ahead of me, and we
Went slowly up the valley, knowing that
Grijalba, with tho scouts, could easily
overtake US. Durango went none too
willingly. feeling guilty toward me, per-
haps, and not knowing what I had found
out or meant to do. It would not have
helped his feelings to have known that
I was watching for the first hint of
treachery or disobedience. which would
have been my pretext for shooting him
out Of hand.
"A grizzly bear brought an end to this
interesting station quite different from
what anybody concerned had intended.
AS we came opposite little blind canon,
mere recess in the cliffs that shut in
there will no
roar of grizzly disturbed in his mid
day nap by our passing. There was no
way for him to climb out Of the canon,
and, thinking himself cornered, he showed
fight at once, and came for us, grizzly
fashion; his hair bristled up, making him
look as big as two bears. I could not
pay much attention to the bear for some
seconds, for at the sound of the roar
my horse wheeled and ran from under me
so quickly that I found myself sitting
on the ground without quite knowing
how I got there. The jar with which I
came to the earth made me see stars,
and when the fire stopped dancing in
my eyes so that I could see the bear
was just coming out of the canon and
Durango was running for tree. I might
perhaps have got to q tree in time, but
the scouts, who were now coming up the
valley, could see everything that went
on, and, as things We're then, it was
as bad as the grizzly could do for me
to show the white feather before them
MY carb!ne, with eight cartridges in
the magazine and one in the barrel, was
in my hand when I was thrown. IT those.
nine shots failed to stop the bear before
he covered the hundred yards that lay be-
tween uS-Well, 1t was safe to bank that
I wouldn't care for bears or Apaches or
anything else any more. dropped on to
one knee, using the other as a rest for
my elbow as I fired, and pumped bullets
q ma rx ~
easy to hit in spite Of his bigness, and my
first three shots missed him. The fourth
shot struck his right shoulder and he
turned to bite at the wound, giving me a
fair mark for the next bullet behind the
left shoulder. 1t struck where I sent 1t,
but he came on without Wincing, as fast
as before. My other four shots all land
ed, one of them in the head, knocking the
bear down, but he got UP and came on,
wabbling a little and bleeding from both
nostrils,s but as determined as ever. With
the bear not ten PAGES away T drew my
revolver and gave him every one Of the
six shots, lodging to one side and firing
the last one into his ear as he lurched
over the place where I had been and fell
in a. heap, gasping out his last breaths.
"Casimiro Grijalba got first to the spot,
with the scouts close behind him, and
the little Mexican's eyes were dancing.
He did not stop by the bear, but rode to
the tree where the half breed was just
climbing down, and began to make fun
of him in the Apache tongue, for run
ming away from the bear.
"'You are a coyote he said. Half
breds, you understand, are called coyotes
by the Mexicans. You are not true
Apache, and I am ashamed of the Mex
lean blood In you. Go back to the reser-
walton and carry water with the women
You are not fit company for me-
IAN Indian taxed with an act OF
0,s1f a34l ~ 1>1~ 90 ~
fore his fellows has not the spirit to show
resentments. Durango STOOD sullen and
downcast under Grijabas words and the
other Apaches jeered and laughed at
him.
"Now is your time Grijalb& said to
me in English. not turning his head Dis
arm him and send him away
II walked over to Durango. His r1ne
was lying on the ground where ne mad
dropped it VIXEN he climbed the tree. lou
are coward, not fit to serve in my COM
mand,' said to him, Grijalba translating
my words into Apache as spoke. Take
off your cartridge belt The half breed
| unbuckled his belt and the Interpreter
took it. held up my watch. I will give
you two minutes, remember, shall turn
| loose I said, and cooked my carbine
which, just remembered, had not a car
fridge in it, while my revolver was like
! wise empty. It was just as we'll, for the
scouts, all loyal again now that there was
business to do and had asserted myself,
were cooking their rifles waiting for
orders to fire, with their eyes glancing
| from mine to Durango who was running
| like a greyhound for the nearest timber.
II made the two minutes last until the
half-breed had got beyond rifle shot, for
did not want any shooting done. The
scouts were disappointed at missing their
chance to fire at Durango, but we all
went back to the bear, which was big