Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1914-07-30
THE YAOUls'
REVENGE
By M. QLAD
BY M. Quad
Copyright. 1914. by Associated Lit
erary Press

back to their hiding place in the mutI:l
talnS. Ii was q case of self preserva
ton with us. When the Yaqui was on
a raid he made no difference between
the property or scalp of an American
and Il Mexican. He owned the laEd
before Cortez appeared. The pro,.r;,
of wedding him out is still going on.
And so when the news came in thai
the faquis had taken the warputh art
killed or driven off the men ut the Sol
talto mine above us we turned out will
the BOO soldiers sent up to meet IT,,
war party and drive it back
For three days we fought the Ynuui
before we got them on the retreat
was not enough, however, that we hat
saved the big mines and 500 almost de
fenseless people. Orders came to tn,
colonel to push on after the retreatin,
Indians aud 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 nc
longer move in a body. There was
constant fighting, but the Indians were
continually forced back BY and by
they had reached the women and chill
dren and their stronghold. and the
Mexican colonel rubbed his hands anG
laughed and said:
I'VE have got them penned up nj
last. and not one shall escape. 1t Is
the best show we have had for half
century to exterminate them"
The stronghold of the Indians was
series of riffs and caves in the face OF
the mountain. There was but one
path leading to it. That wound over q
number of ridges and then dipped
down into Il basin which had a circum
ference of about half Il mile. The colo
nel's 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 exterminatio While
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
hard blow and one to be remember.
ed. but we did not go in for the ex-
once. more than half of whom were
women and children.
Gentlemen. you are not under my
command" 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 tc
support them in massacre was made
known there were smiles and expires
sions of contempt.
An hour after dark the soldiers left
us and went marching in single file
down into the basin. | do not believe
the first man had yet descended into
the basin when we suddenly caught
sight of Il signal fire to the right.
The Yaquis were not to be surprised
During the next hour the whole side OF
the mountain showed signals at inter
walls, and then there WAS an interval
of three hours. during which not light
was to he seen AT midnight from the
center of the mountain signal fire
c,,I - In,
more than minute and was follow
ed by Il noise none of us could make
out. 1t was like the roaring of a gale
In Il narrow gorge of the mountains
and we had been listening to it for per
haps ten minutes when from the dark
basin beneath us arose such Il cry as
few men ever heard.
I'm the name Of God. what can 1t
be?" asked each man of his comrade
but no one could answer Down there
in the midnight blackness some terri
Bile tragedy was being enacted. but we
must wait for daylight to solve it. The
roaring. rushing sound came to us aft
er the scream died away. but more
softly than at first From that hour
till dawn came there was no signaling
no noise. nothing to prove that there
was life in the mountains beyond our
little band. The peaks of the noun
tains stood out first. Then we follow
ed the dawn down till our eyes rested
on the caves. In front of them were
hundreds of people. but they We're
standing quiet and pecring down into
the basin. In another minute daylight
had crept down there. and we looked
and cried aloud in horror The bottom
of the basin. as we saw it the evening
ing before, had been covered with
scrubs and grass. 1t was basin still.
but the bottom was hidden under ten.
twenty. thirty feet of water. There
was no outlet. and we could see the
waters rushing and swirling round
and round as If to find one. And
borne on the rush were the bodies of
the dead-of the 231 men who had left
us few hours before. Not one had
escaped. High up on their side of the
mountain the Yaquis had damned
ri ,,,In n c,tN