News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1914-11-04
THE YAQUlS'
REVENGE
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1914, by Associated Lit
erary Press.
By M. QUAD

lean soldiery to help drive the Yaqufs
back to their hiding place in the noun
tains. 1t was case Of self preserva-
ton with us. When the Yaqui was on
raid he made no difference between
the property or scalp of an American
and Mexican. He owned the land
before Cortez appeared. The process
of wedding him out is still going on.
And 50 when the news came in that
the Yaquis had taken the warpath and
killed or driven off the men ut the Sol
talto mine above us we turned out with
the 800 soldiers sent up to meet the
war party ana drive it back
For three days we fought the Yaquis
before we got them on the retreat. 1t
was not enough, however. that we had
saved the big mines and 500 almost de
fenseleSS people. Orders came to the
colonel TO Sush on after the retreating
Indians and hold them up if possible
and exterminate them. We went with
them to see the thing through and be-
cause they had need of our rifles
and of Our sharpshooting Once among
the mountains the soldiers could no
longer move in a body There was
constant fighting, but the Indians We're
continually forced back. BY and by
they had reached the women and chill
dren and their stronghold, and the
Mexican colonel rubbed his hands and
laughed and said:
I'VE have got them penned up at
last and not one shah escape. 1t is
the best show we have had for half
century to exterminate them"
The stronghold of the Indians was a
series of riffs and caves in the face of
the mountain. There was but one
path leading to it, That wound over a
number of ridges and then dipped
down into basin which had circum-
nePs plan was to advance the whole
force into this basin when night fell.
and. taking cover behind the powders
lying thickly beneath the caves, we
should be ready at daylight to begin
the work of determination. While a
portion of the troopers kept up fire to
prevent the Yaquis from leaving their
caves another portion would collect
fuel and smoke them to death. We
were not averse to dealing the Indians
a hard blow and one to be remember.
ed. but we did not go in for the eX-
termination of a thousand souls at
once. more than half of whom were
women and children.
Gentlemen. you are not under my |
said the colonel as he rub |
bed his hands and smiled, land you |
will therefore decide for yourselves. |
When darkness comes my command |
will march down into the basin. For |
fifteen years | have been hunting the |
Yaquis. For fifteen years | have been
hoping for just this chance"
They could not charge us with cow
ardice, but when our decision not to
support them in a massacre was made
known there were smiles and express
sions of contempt.
An hour after dark the soldiers left
rs and went marching in single file
down into the basin. l do not believe
the first man had yet descended into
The basin when we suddenly caught
sight of signal fire to the right.
The Yaquis were not to be surprised.
During the next hour the whole side of
he mountain showed signals at inter
# three hours, during which not light
vas to be seen. AT midnight from the
enter of the mountain a signal fire
blaZed out 1t did not last
more than minute and was follow
d by noise none of us could make
ut. 1t was like the roaring of gale
d narrow gorge of the mountains,
nd we had been listening to it for per-
laps ten minutes when from the dark
asin beneath us arose such a cry as
ew men ever heard.
'In the name of God, what can ii
'e" asked each man of his comrade,
ut no one could answer. Down there
i the midnight blackness some terri
lie tragedy was being enacted, but we
lust wait for daylight to solve ii. The
pairing, rushing sound came to us aft
r the scream died away. but more
)ftly than at first. From that hour
II dawn came there was no signaling.
0 noise, nothing to prove that there
as life in the mountains beyond our |
tile band. The peaks of the noun
Inns stood out first. Then we follow
| the dawn down till our eyes rested
! the caves. In front of them were
nndreds of people. but they were
anding quiet and pecring down into
e basin. In another minute daylight
Id crept down there. and we looked
I'd cried aloud in horror The bottom
the basin. as we saw it the evening
& before, had been covered with
rubs and grass. 1t was a basin still,
It the bottom was hidden under ten.
'enty, thirty feet of water. There
as no outlet, and we could see the
aters rushing and swirling round
Id round as if to find one. And
rne on the rush were the bodies of
e dead-of the 231 men who had left
a few hours before. Not one had J
capped. High up on their side of the
ountain the Yaquis had damned a
ring or rivulet and stored up the wa
q for inst Srch an p,narppnov Ar