Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-06
CHAPTER I.
Apaches.

fire and tell lies. They talked about the
ocean which was bigger than all the plains,
and 1 began to feel worried because I'd
never seen what the world was like beyond
the far edge of the grass. Life was fall
until could get to that ocean to smell
and see for myself. After that l would be
able to tell lies about 1t when 1 got back
home again to the cOw-camps. When l was
old enough to grow little small fur on
my upper lip loaded my pack pony, sad
died my horse, and hit the trail, butting
along day after day toward the sunset, ex-
pecting every time 1 climbed a ridge Of
hills to see the end of the yellow grass and
the whole Pacific ocean shining beyond,
with big ships riding herd like cowboys
around the grazing whales
One morning, somewheres near the edge
of Arizona l noticed my horse throw his
ears to a small sound away in the silence to
the left. 1t seemed to be the voice of a
rifle. and maybe some hunter was missing
deer in the distance, so I pointed that
way to inquire. After mile or SO l heard
the rifle speaking again. and three guns
answered suffering quick and excited.
That sounded mighty like a disagreement,
L concluded I ought to be cautious and
roll my tail at once for foreign parts 1
went on slow, approaching a small hill.
Again rifle-shOt rang out from just be-
yond the hill, and two shots answered.
Misunderstanding guns. At the same time
the wind blew fresh from the hill, with a
whiff of powder, and something else which
made my horses shy. Heap bad smell!'
they suuffed. Just look at THAR" they
s.gnaled with their ears. "Ugh!' they
snorted.
Get up" said I; and charged the slope
of the hill.
Ma 81 -
I'd treat them worse than tiger Then I
went on afoot with my rifle, crept up to
the brow of the hill and looked over
through a clump of cactus.
At the foot of the hill, two hundred feet
below me, there was standing water - a
muddy pool perhaps half an acre wide
and just beyond that on the plain burned
out camp fire beside a couple of canvas-cov-
cred wagons. 1t looked as if the white men
there had just been pulling out of camp,
with their teams all harnesSed for the trail
Tor the horses lay, some dead, some wound
ed' mixed up in struggling heap. AS l
watched. a ritie-shot rang out from the
wagons, aimed al the hillside. but when
locked right down l could see nothing but
loose rocks scattered below the slope. AZ
ter l watched a moment a brown rock
moved; | caught the shine of an Indians
hide the CLEAN of a gun-barrel. Close by
was another Indian painted for war, and
beyond him a third lying dead. So | count
ed from rock to rock until l made out six
teen of the worst kind of Indians-A paches
all edgtng away from cover to cover to the
left, while out of the wagons two rifles
talked whenever they saw something to hit.
One rifle was slow and cool, the other
scared and panicky, bur neither was get
ting much meat.
For time l reckoned sizing up the whole
proposition. While the Apaches down be-
low attacked the wagons, their sentry up
here on the hill had forgotten to keep a
lookout, being too much interested. He'd
never turned until he heard my horses clat-
f..Yif,t I1nr l,l "a
a warning TO his crowd and bolted. One
Indian had tried to climb the hill against
me and been killed from the wagons, so
now the rest were scared of being shot from
above before they could reach their ponies.
They were sneaking off to the left in search
of them. Off a hundred yards to the left
was the sentry, a boy with a bow and ar
rows. running for all he was worth across
the plain. A hundred yards beyond him.
down a hollow. was a mounted Indian com
ing up with a bunch of ponies. If the main
they could surround the hill, charge, and
gather in my scalp. l did not want them
TO take so much trouble with me.
OF course, my first move was to UP and
bolt along the ridge to the left until l
gained the shoulder of the hill. There 1
took cover, and said, abide with me. and
keep me cool, If You please!" while l
sighted, took steady bead, and let fly at
the mounted Indian. At my third shot he
came down flop on his ponys neck, and that
was my first meat. The bunch of ponies
smelt his blood and stampeded promiscuous.
The Apaches, being left afoot, couldn't at
tack me none. If they tried to stampede
they would be shot from the wagons, while
l lowered above their line of retreat con-
siderably; and if they stayed L could add
up their scalps like sum In arithmetic.
They were plumb surprised at me, and
some discouraged, for they knew they were
going to have disagreeable times. Their
chief rose up to howl, and a shot from the
wagons lifted him clean off his feet 1t
was getting very awkward for those poor
barbarians, and one of them hoisted q rag
on his gun by way of surrender.
Surrender? This Indian play was robbery
and murder and not the honest game or
war. The man who happens imprudent into
his own bear trap is not going to get much
SolaCe by claiming to be a warrior and put
ting up white flags. The game was bear
traps, and those Apaches had got to play
bear traps now, whether they liked 1t or
not There We're only two white folks left
liz the wagons, and one on the hill, SO what
use had we for dozen prisoners who would
lie low till we gave them a chance, then
murder us prompt. The man who reared
up with the peace flag got shot from the
wagons which gave him peace eternal.
Then I closed down with my rifle, taking
the Indians by turns as they tried to boit'
lille the quiet gun in the wagon camp ar
rested fugitives and the scary marksman
splashed lead at the hill most generous.
Out of sixteen Apaches two and the boy
got away intact, three damaged, and the
rest We're gathered to their fathers.
emn, running my paw slow over my head
to make sure l still had my scalp; then col
lected my two ponies and rode around to
the camp. There L ranged up with yell,
| lifting my hand to make the sign of peace,
and a man came limping out from the
wagons. He carried his rife, and led a
! yearling son by the paw.
The man was tall. clean built, and OF
| good stock for certain, but his clothes were
| in the lo-and-behold style-a pane Of glass
| on the off eye, stand-up collar. spotty neck
| tie. boiled shirt, riding breeches with pulled
| sleeves most amazing, and the legs of his
! boots stiff like brace of stove pipes. His
! near leg was all bloody and tied up with a
| tourniquet bandage AS to his boy Jim,
| that was just the quaintest thing in the
| way of pups I ever saw loose on the stock
| range. He was knee-high to dawg. but
| trailed his gun like man, and looked as
| wide awake as little fox. I wondered IL
| l could tame him for pet.
How dye do?" squeaked the pup, as I
| stepped down from the saddle
] allowed l was feeling good.
I'm sure said the man, that we're
! obliged to you and your friends on the hill
| In fact, very much obliged.