The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1914-09-03
CHAPTER xI.

reached town. Over at the station a
special engine was wheeling and blow.
Ing after its heavy run and. from the
train OF commandeered ore cars be-
hind. a swarm OF soldiers we're 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
tezuma,"
Why, that doesn't make any differ.
ence to u.s." 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 IL you boys hadn't come
in | 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 II
they think you have any money"
We'll, We haven't" put In Bud; but
we've got mine-and we're going to
keep 1t, too"
"Aw. Bernardo Bravo hasn't got any
men!" scoifed 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 little beef
why. Don Juan. Bud and lived
right next to a trail all last year and
IL we'd listened to one-tenth OF the
revoltoso stories we heard we wouldn't
have taken out an ounce of gold I'm
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
perfunctory line.
II 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, IL was the fire OF Next
can guns, ana 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 fiji his
ranks, Madero fell upon the Yaquis.
Trained warriors for generations. Of
a 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, II he could but win them to his
side.
So Madero had approached Chief
Bule. whom Diaz had taken under a 3
nag OF truce, and soon the agreement
was made. In return for faithful serv- =
ce, Mexico would give back to the Il
Indians the one thing they had been q
lighting a hunrded and sixty years to v
attain. their land along the Rio Ysqui; ii
md there they should be permitted to e
i've in peace as their ancestors had a
lone before them.
And SO, with a thousand or more OF =,
lis men, the crafty old war chief had !,
AIKEN service In the federal army. n
hough his mind. poisoned perhaps by n
he treachery he had suffered. was not :,
,ntirely free from guile. "
1T is the desire OF the Yaquis." he
lad said. when rebuked for serving y,
rnder the hated flag OF Mexico. TO kill :,
dexicans. And" he added grimly. the :,
ederals at this time seem best able N
o give us guns for that purpose" a
But II had been a year now since |.
3ule had passed his word and. though h
hey had battled valiantly. their land n
lad not been given back to them. The A
Wild Yaquis. the irreconcilables who
Ieyer came down from the hills, had n
one on the warpath again. but Bule 4,
nd his men still served. NJ
Only In two things did they disobey =,
heir otficers-they would not stack NJ
heir arms. and they would not retreat n
nile there were still more Mexicans M