River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1900-11-29
The Garment of Iron
BY GwendOlen OvertOn.
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sand and a bunch OF tumble weed,
rattIesnake and tarantula. The tar
antula scuttled off, he killed the rattle
snake. and the tumble weed and sand
he emptied out. Then he had the ar
NOR done up in a shelter tent and put
upon a pack mule. After which, the
column moved on. 1t should not have
halted at all, for il was in pursuit of
band of Indians But there were bands
of Indians every day, and the finding
of full suit of armor lying under
mesquite bush beside their trail was
rare.
Certainly Hartpole had never heard
of such a thing. And so far as he knew,
it was the only suit of armor ever dis
covered on the New Mexico plains, but
his lore on the subject was not pro
found.
When he got back to his two-com-
pany post on the banks of the ella, he
found the interest in life, which had
been lacking for him up to then, in
enlarging that knowledge. He sent
east for books and histories and trea-
tses concerning coats of mail and the
men who have worn them, and he even
went so far as TO write to the Smith
sonian institution, at the risk of having
a government commission sent out at
once to seize his treasure. And in the
interval of two months which elapsed
before he received a reply-for the
railroad was only to Kansas in those
days-he set about cleaning the armor
himself, and with his own hands join
ing it together.
He was so occupied. what with that
and the histories and the other books,
that he forgot to have ella bottom ma
laria and had no time TO worry about
the flies. Then, when the steel was
once more bright as the azure shield of
Achilles, and he had proved to his own
and to every one's satisfaction that It
must have once protected the body OF
one Of Coronado's men, and must date
from the middle of the sixteenth cen
fury, or thereabout, be hung it up in
his one-room adobe quarters, along
with the Indian trophies that were as
nothing now and the bottled reptiles
of many sorts: and the fame of il
spread through the land. An English
lord, in a pith helmet and gray linen.
who was going about the country, trav'
eled miles out of his way TO look upon
it; and a scientific party from Boston
did the same. Hartpole was beginning
to be very proud. when, one day, he had
visitor of another kind.
II was a man he had seen sometimes
hanging around the agency and the
post small, 1.-THE fellow, part Coy
otero Apache, part Mexican, possibly
very small part white. who had some
reputation as a medicine man with the
tribes. but not much as anything else.
Hartpole was sitting under his
ramada on late summer afternoon,
reading a book whose covers curled up
with the heat. when something came
between him and his light, and, looking
up, he saw the medicine man peering
in the opening. He said: "Hullo.
Ciego." and added: What do you
want, eh?"
Cfego was so called because he was
blind in one eye. He came in under
the ramada and stood so close to him
that Hartpole moved a little. The
Coyotero's cast-off uniform and red
head band were not clean.
Ciego spoke excellent Spanish, and,
as Hartpole did too. he had no trouble
about making himself understood. He
explained that he would like to see the
suit of iron Clothes which he had been
told that the lieutenant possessed.
Thetlieutenant was so pleased to think
that it had been spoken of even in the
Businesses of the Sierra Blanca and of
the Tonic Basin that he forgot how
dirty Ciego was. and straightway rose
and invited him into the one room.
The medicine-man stood looking at
the armor with an interest and evil
dent appreciation that touched Hart
pole very much. After the manner of
his kind, he said no word, but pres
emily he went nearer and felt of the
plates and chains with his finger-tips,
and put his good eye close and looked
inside. Then he turned to Hartpole.
where did you find ii ?" he asked.
The lieutenant explained at some
length.
us it very old?"
Hartpole said it was at least three
hundred and thirty odd years old, and
went into little history.
lego nONN6u his ntdtl. kuONs
he said. But that was so manifestly
absurd that Hartpole did not pay any
attention to it. at is very fine" said
Ciego. For how much will you sell
it to me?" Naturally, Hartpole only
laughed. but the Apache was in earnest
nevertheless. No" he insisted. look
ing him sharply in the face. NO, de
veras. l wish to buy il from you
We'll. don't wish TO SELL answered
the lieutenant, rather vexed at the
mere idea.
Il have $780,. said the Indian
"If you had a thousand you could
not have it,"
IT have a thousand"
Hartpole laughed again. little inn
patiently.
You do not believe me-look here"
Ciego drew a buckskin bag from he
folds of his sash. II was full of gold.
There are $500 here. In three DAYS
can bring you $500 more"
Hartpole guessed how he come by it.
and his temper rose. THAT is stolen
money" he said, angriiy; put il up.
You can't have the armor. Ukashee"
You let me have it, begged Ciego:
''I wish it very much. / will do many
things for you"
Hartpole swore this time-mean.
Spanish oaths. No" he said. you
cant have it. Go to the devil-get out. !"
Even though Ciego was only dirty
Indian, the White-Eye should have
remembered that he probably had feel
ings which could be hurt Ii is well
however. for those who have the di-
reetion of children and savages in
their hands to remember that those
simple folk have sometimes reasons for
the things they do and say, good and
sufficient unto themselves. But it
never occurred to Hartpole what this
half-blind Indians reasons might be.
They did not transpire until some
weeks later.
Yet in Ciego's tribe there was a
legend of a great white chief who had
once married one of their women. and
had ruled over them. and who had
worn a suit of shining iron. And their
tradition ran that whosoeyer should
find and wear that garment again
would be impervious to the bullets of
the White-Eye. would become the
.~~.a+est IF r,eficin e-rnen and rule not