Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1914-09-05
CHAPTER XII.

The plaza at Fortuna, ordinarily so
peaceful and sleepy, was alive with
hurrying men when Bud and Phil
reached town. Over at the station a
special engine was wheeling and blow
ing after its heavy run and, from the
train of Communicated ore cars be
hind, a swarm of soldiers were leaping
to the ground. On the porch OF the
hotel Don Juan de Dios Brachamonte
was making violent signals with his
hands, and as they rode up he hurried
out to meet them.
My gracious, boys" he cried. its a
good thing you came into town. Ber-
nardO Bravo has come over the noun
tains and he's marching to take Moe
tezumai"
why, that doesn't make any differ
ence to us!" answered Phil. "Mocte-
yuma is eighty miles from here-and
look at all the soldiers. How many
men has Bernardo got?"
We'll, that do not know" respond
ed Don Juan; some say more and
some less, but if you boys hadn't come
in l would have sent a man to fetch
you. Just as soon as a revolution be-
gins the back country becomes unsafe
for Americans. Some of these low
characters are likely to murder you If
they think you have any money"
We'll, we haven't" put in Bud; 'but
we've got a mine-and we're going to
keep it, too"
'Aw, Bernardo Bravo hasn't got any
men!" scoffed Phil; Il bet this is a
false alarm. He got whipped out Of
his boots over in chihuahua last fall.
and he's been up in the Sierra Madres
ever since. Probably come down to
steal a little beef.
Why, Don Juan, Bud and | lived
right next to a trail all last year and
if we'd listened to one-tenth of the
revoltoso stories we heard we wouldn't
have taken out an ounce of gold. Pm
going to get my announcement papers
tomorrow, and I'll bet you we work
that mine all summer and never know
the difference. These rebels won't
hurt you any, anyhow"
NO! Only beg little grub" added
Bud scornfully. Come on, Phil; let's
go over and look at the soldiers-it's
that bunch of Yaquis we saw up at
Aqua Negra."
They tied their horses to the rack
and, leaving the solicitous Don Juan to
sputter, hurried over to the yard. From
the heavy metal ore cars, each a roll
ing fortress in itself, the last of the
active Yaquis were helping out their
women and pet dogs, while the rest,
talking and laughing in high spirits,
were strung out along the track in a
perfunctory line.
If the few officers in command had
ever attempted to teach them military
discipline, the result was not appar-
ent in the line they formed; but any
man who looked at their swarthy
faces, the hawklike profiles, and deep
set, steady eyes, would know that they
were fighters.
After all, a straight line on parade
has very little to do with actual war
fare and these men had proved their
worth under fire.
To be sure, it was the fire of Next
can guns, and perhaps that was why
the officers were so quiet and unassert-
i've; for every one of these big. up
standing Indians had been captured in
the Yaqui wars and deported to the
henequen fields of Yucatan to die in
the miasma and heat.
But they had come from a hardy
breed and the whirligig of fortune was
flying fast-Madero defeated Porfirio
DiaZ; fresh revolutions broke out
against the victor and, looking about
in desperation for soldiers to fill his
ranks. Madero fell upon the Yaquis.
Trained warriors for generations, of
race so fierce that the ancient Az
tees had been turned aside by them in
their empire-founding migration, they
were the very men to whip back the
rebels, if he could but win them to his
side.
So Madero had approached Chief
Bule, whom DiaZ had taken under a
flag of truce, and soon the agreement
was made In return for faithful serv-
ice. Mexico would give back to the
Indians the one thing they had been
fighting hunrded and sixty years to
attain, their land along the Rio Yaqui;
and there they should be permitted to
live in peace as their ancestors had
done before them.
And so, with a thousand or more of
his men, the crafty old war chief had
taken service in the federal army,
though his mind, poisoned perhaps by
the treachery he had suffered, was not
entirely free from guile.
CTO BE CONTINUITY