The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1900-11-14

garment again would be- impervious t.
the bullets of the White Eye. would be
come the greatest of medicine men, and
rule not only over his own people but
over all the Apache tribes and those OF
the plains of the North. And the very
founder of the family to which Ciego be
longed was reputed to have been the
white chief in the coat of iron.
The Coyoteros believed these things
and so did the medicine man. SO when
the news of the armor suit mad reached
him, he had levied heavy fees for his in
carnations for some months, and, adding
these to the gold he had exchanged fer
Mexican dollars, collected from many
raids. he took himself down to the camp
chase that which was his very own. Blt
fairness and the offers Of purchase had
failed.
Ciego looked the White-E Eye officer over
from his scalp to his toes, and up again.
and then with no sound save just one
grunt, went out from the quarters and
from the post
Hartpole told of it at the mess that
night. and forgot all about it after thar.
But Ciego did not-as Hartpole ought to
have foreseen.
One night an Indian, his body naked as
1t was born. poisoned knife ill his hand,
stole across the sandy parade-ground
luC IlIOOh was uuucI tue ClOuuS Vi al
coming storm, and slipped, as silently rs
none but savage can, under the ramada
through the open door. The Indian had
missed nothing when he had been in that
one small room month before. He
knew where everything in it was. from
the chrome in blue frame ON the wal,
to the cot in the corner, across from the
fireplace. He hid himself behind the
piece of calico that curtained off the
nook where Hartpole clothes hung, and
waited until the moon showed for mo-
ment through break in the clouds, and
ne could see the figure on the cot beneath
dark again. he slid out; and the blade OF
the knife in his hand went straight
through the heart of the man asleep.
linen he took the rattlng armor from It's
nails and wrapped it in the calico curtain,
and fled through the night, as silently
and swiftly as only an Apache can
NOW It happened that Hartpole had
gone to another post a good many miles
TO the east that very day, and; he had
left his striker to sleep in his quarters
and keep guard over his things So it
was into the luckless soldiers heart that
the knife was driven, and the next day a
telegram apprised Hartpole that his
striker was murdered and his suit Of mail
was gone.
The day after that all the department
knew that the Coyoteros were on the
warpath, and. having cut the reserva-
ton, were killing right and left. They
were led by medicine-man called ''Cie-
CO., and the scouts reported that he was
dressed IN garment of white iron which
no White-Eye's bullet could pierce They
also reported that the Chiricahuas and
the Pah-Utes and the Sierra Blancas
were joining him. 1t promised to be an
interesting time for the territories.
Hartpole began to have a dim idea of
why the medicineman had wanted his
Spanish mail. now. He was ordered out,
of course. Most of the department was.
Trouble of the sort that this promised to
be had to be checked at once, if at ALL
1t was serious already; but there was
one thing in favor of the troops. which
was that the hostiles showed no desire
to get away. Their fanatical faith in
their medicine-man led them to seek bat
tie rather than to shun it, And twice.
having done so, they beat off the troops,
But the third time they were caught in
a pocket of the AIogalions. and there
were no less than six troops against
them. Hartpoles was of the number
The Indians fought from dawn of the
first day until twilight of the second. in
the open at first, then from behind shell
ter, then at last they retreated to shall
low cave high up on hillside, and there
was no getting them out. mountain
howitzer might have done it, but there
was none with the command. All day
the troops fired volleys into so much of
the mouth of the cave as showed be-
tween the pine trunks and the walls of
rock, They. knew that the slaughter
within must have been pretty severe. but
there were no signs of surrender, never
theless. The hosties might hold out UNI
til the last one was dead: they certainly
would until their medcine-man should
fall. The meGicine-man could be seen
from time to time, a cleaning figure,
moving clumsily among the trees and un-
derbrush. And for al that it went so
slowly, and was so bright, no bullet
seemed ever to hit it. Even the white
men began TO consider it with awe.
AT sunset Of the second day. when the
sounds from the cave had all but ceased
and the Indians within it were without
ammunition and at bay the glstening
form came clambering deliberately to the
top of high rock, whooping and yelling,
calling the remnant OF its followers on
1t stood so, for moment, the red SUI,
rays striking through the pine branches
on the dented steel. weird sight il. the