Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-03-13
HUNTING
APACHES
BY DWIGHT

Indian fighting is a thing of the past
low, but we must remember that it
was only about a generation ago that
General Custer and his men were sur
rounded and mastered by redskins.
There is an old ordnance sergeant at
one Of the Atlantic coast forts who
was a youngster in the ranks of the
regular army in those days and pass
ed a good many years or the plains,
where Indian fighting was the order
IF the day. He tells yarns about his
experiences, some of them bloodcurd-
ling, some simply amazing. Here is
Dne of the latter class:
The Apaches were the worst var
minis one had to deal with, and we
we're more afraid of them than any
Dther savages. They were more
treacherous. more merciless and prac-
iced more deceptive methods than
any other tribe with which | had the
honor to exchange shots. When we
were hunting them we were more sure
that they weren't hunting US. Any
man going to a spring for water. drop
ping out of the ranks to cool off or in
any wise going off by himself was
liable to be taken in. and so noise
lessly that the rest of the command
wouldn't know anything about it un-
til he was missed and some one would
be sent back to find him dead and
scalped.
One time when we were after a
party of Apaches, not knowing when
they would turn on US in the middle
Of the night. or, more likely, just be-
fore dawn. we made preparations that
would let us know of their coming.
Our commander had taken the precau-
ton to bring along some barbed wire
fencing. and after getting into camp,
before turning in under our blankets,
we fenced ourselves in. OF course we
didn't expect to keep off the red devils
with a wire fence. especially when we
weren't helping the latter with lead.
All we hoped for was a few moments
delay, long enough. you know. to grab
our rifles and get on our feet.
We bivouacked one evening on a
hillside SO situated that we couldn't
very well be taken on the flank. and
instead of running the wire around us
we stretched it before us, so that any
force coming up the hill must pass
over it. Though the moon was in the
third quarter, the night, being cloudy.
was quite dark. The Apaches were SO
sly that in order to get a warning Of
their coming we hung all the tin plates,
tin cans-anything. in fact, that would
rattle-on the wire.
l was listening then for all / was
worth for the slightest sound that
would indicate the presence of an en-
envy.
l had to take it out in listening,
for ! couldn't see anything unless it
was above the sky line. The moon
passed thin space in the clouds just
as ] heard a tinkle away down at the
other end of the fence. Peering in
that direction | saw something white.
| didn't wish to make a guy of myself
by firing at nothing. and | didn't wish
to take any chances with Apaches
uOOut. 1 uCdlo ahOlACl GuhlC anu Sd w
the white thing move. 1t seemed to
be on the outer side of the fence. but
In another moment it was on the in
side. l had brought my rifle to my
shoulder at the first sound, and. seeing
that whatever it vas had got in be-
hind the fence. | let drive.
/ could hear a prolonged rattle of
accouterments rs the line of sleeping
men arose. and their rifles sounded
like a modern machine gun. The field
officers went h%urrying about. and the
company officers formed their men.
In a few moments they were all stand
ing In line ready for another volley.
but the second yolley was never fired.
The clouds broke away from before
the moon so that we could see what
was going on before us. and we found
there was nothing going on. NO sign
of an Apache appeared.
The order was given to break ranks.
and within ten minutes the men we're
down on the ground again. most OF
them snoring loudly enough to keep a
sentry from hearing any more tinkling