The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-07-29
THE CAVES BY THE SPRING.

l was at ASH Peak. IN Arizona some
years go and there | saw two caves
They are down the canon (canyon).
about quarter of mile from the
spring, and the southmost one has still
a little wall of rock standing at the en-
trance. Npowing the Apaches had
devastated that country for genera
tions, wondered who had made their
last desperate stand.
Not long after l was at Fort San
Carlos, 90 the White Mountain Indian
reservation and there became ac-
quainted with an old Indian He was
goodnatured old devil, and Capt
Tottle, chief OF the Indian police, told
me he had been one Of old Geronimo S
men but was now real good, Finding
him in a loquacious mood one day. due
to gifts OF tobacco, / thought to ask
him If he knew who built the little
wal! of rock at the front of the little
cave near Ash Spring, He looked At
me, his dim eyes lighting with the
memory Of those happy, bloody days so
long gone BY, and after little, said
That was long, long time age. )"
After thinking moment he continued,
~ will tell you, and sitting down
beside my FIRE he tod me the follow
ing story:
1t was many SHOWS ago. he said,
soon after the soldiers came and gave
us no rest by dav nor by night until we
quit the var path, that my young men
and 1 went up The river, We went by
the. way of The valley, but did not
modest Pueblo Vijoe (Old Town, be-
cause the walls OF their houses were
very thick and they had many guns,
but IN the morning they mourned their
horses With iron on their feet, their
fat cows and the birds that white men
keep.
We travelled until we came to the
spring under the strange peak, where
the Evil spirit has touched the land
with his finger and buraed it. We
were resting there, hiding in the rocks.
and little while before the sun went
TO sleep in the west we saw a man and
woman ride into the canon from below.
The woman had pretty face and hair
the color OF the corn silk when it was
ripe And the man was a soldier chief
and had clothes the color OF the sky.
The man detected our presence just
before they got to the spring aud
speaking to his companion, they
whirled their horses and dashed Gown
the canon, hoping to escape by the way
they had come, but my young men
were swift of foot and cut them off, and
finding the way closed they left their
horses and took refuge in the little
cave. you have asked me about: and
then he threw up the little wall Of
rock. and from behind it he spoke to
US fast and often with his little hand
gun and some of my young men never
went back home,
But after awhile he did not speak so
fast nor so often and then the little
gun was still, and we crept closer and
closer, from bush to rock and rock to
bush until we were almost to them
ana then we heard the little gun again,
once! twice. and then all was still.
When we drew near aud looked over
the wall they were both lying on the
floor of the cave 5 head upon her
breast.
1T is not the custom of my people, >
he continued, 'to modest the self-slaip
nor do we often take the trouble tc
bury our dead enemies, but we took
the woman with the pretty face and
the young soldier chief and made then
grave on top the hin, over the cave
and we put a big pile OF stone over i,
so that our brothers, the wolves. could
not modest them. He was wise
young man to take the maiden with
him over the dark river before my
young men got to them
The Apach in speaking Of the vol
always alludes to him as his blood
brother. Now, | am pretty we'll ac
quainted with both tribes and think
the wolf has an action for Islander
against the Indian.
was at Ash Spring again, thinl
it was the following year, and l wen
to the hill above the cave to see if tht
old Indian had told me the truth abou
burying the Inflated couple. and there
| found the remains of grave. dug
/, into it and found silver crucifx, some
beads and buttons and lock of long
yellow hair. | replaced the mound o
stone and in it set little cross o
cedar boughs and came away, leaving
the lovers sleeping quietly.
/ PAT AND THE LION CUBS.
was camped with a party, ''once OF
time" as story writer's say, at tn
! head waters of the San Francisco river
| We we're out looking for cliff dwellings