The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1900-11-30
Observation-Disclosures
! 7HE GARMENT Or iron. !
- S
S00SS0S@aN0&SA0&02lS lS0Sg6S&52N6S20SS.


did not transpire until some weeks
later.
Yet In Ciego's tribe there was le-
gend of great white chief who had
once married one of their women, and
had ruled over them, and who had
worn suit of shining iron. And their
tradition ran that whosoever should
find and wear that garment again
would be impervious to the bullets Of
the White-Eye, would become the
greatest Of medlclne-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 that family to which Clego
belonged 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 had reached
him, he had levied heavy fees for his
incantations for some months, and,
adding these to the gold he had ex-
changed for Mexican dollars, collected
from many raids, he took himself down
to the camp Of the soldiers to obtain
fairly and by purchase that which was
his very own. But fairness and the
offers of purchase had failed.
Ciego looked the White-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 quar-
ters and from the post
Hartpole told of 1t at the mess that
night, and forgot all about 1t after that.
But Ciego did not-as Hartpole ought
to have foreseen. ~
One night an Indian, his body naked
as 1t was born, a poisoned knife In his
hand, stole across the sandy parade
ground when the moon was under the
clouds Of coming storm, and slipped,
as silently as none but savage can,
under the ramada of Hartpole's quar-
ters, and thence through the open door.
The indian had missed nothing when
he had been In that one small room a
month before. He knew where every
thing in It was, from the chrome In
blue frame on the wall to the cot In the
corner, across from the fireplace. de
hid himself behind the piece Of calico
that curtalned off the nook where Hart
poles clothes hung, and waited until
the moon showed for a moment through
a break In the clouds, and. he could see
the figure on the cot beneath the mos
quito-net. When the room was dark
again, he slid out; and the blade Of the
knife In his hand went straight through
the heart Of the man asleep. Then he
took the rattling armor from Its nails
and wrapped 1t in the calico curtain,
and fed through the night as silently
and swiftly as only an Apache can.
Now 1t happened that Hartpole had
gone to another post 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 1t
was into the luckless soldiers heart
that the knife was driven, and the next
day telegram apprsed 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
war-path, and, having cut the reserva-
ton, were killing right and left. They
xtyap Iad hu a p1adtotno
"Clego" and the scouts reported that
he was dressed In garment of white
Iron which no White Eyes bullet could
peirce. They also reported that the
Chlrlcahuas and the Pah-Utes and the
Sierra Blaneas were Joining him. 1t
promised to be an Interesting time for
the territories.
Hartpole began to have dim idea of
why the medicine-man 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, IL at all. 1t was serious already;
but there was one thing In favor to get
away. Their fanatical faith In their
medicine-man led them to seek battle
rather than to shun 1t. And twice,
having done 80, they beat off the
troops, because there were, as usual
too few. But the third time they were
caught In pocket Of the Mogallons,
and there were no less than six troops
against them. Hartpole's 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 a
shallow cave high up on a hillside, and
there was no getting them out. A
mountain howltzer might have done 1t.
but there was none with the command.
All day the troops fired volleys into so
much of the mouth of the cave as show
ed between the plpe trunks and the
walls of rock They knew that the
slaughter within must have been pretty
severe, but there were no signs OF sur
render, nevertheless. The hostlles
might hold out until the last one was
dead; they certainly would until their
medieine-man should fall. The medi-
clne-man could be seen from time to
time, cleaning figure moving clumsl-
ly among the trees and underbrush.
And for all that II went so slowly and
was so bright, no bullet seemed ever to
hit 1t 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 1t were
without ammunition and at bay, the
gllstenlng form came clamberlng dellb-
erately to the top of high rock,
whooping and yelling, calling the rem
nant of Its followers on. 1t stood so,
for moment, the red sun rays striking |
through the pine branches on the dent |