Year: 1879

Christmas afternoon, about four o'clock as


we were coming through Il canon on our
| way to camp, a perfect cloud Of arrows
came down on us from the rocks above.
| One of the Commanches was killed and sew
cral Of us were wounded. got three ar
| rows in my left arm and one in my left
hand. You can see the mark there, land
| the Colonel showed whitish zigzag scar


on the back of his hand. "Wc got out of
that place pretty quick don't you know, for
| it was not u good place to stay. On New
Years morning about sunrise two of our
| scouts came in and said the Apachcs were
coming down the river and intended to at
| tack us. The boys had consultation and
they concluded to ambush the red devils as
| they came down in their canoes. The boys
! went down and hid in the rocks and watch
| cd. They said that as had only one arm
| that was good, had better stay up at the
| cache, SO lay down on my stomach to
| watch the fight. Presently saw lot of
black things that looked like logs come
whirling down the river, and then came a
| lot OF sharp reports, and / saw the little
white clouds of smoke rise up from the
| rocks. The Apaches were taken complete
got in the rocks, the most of them were
shot or drowned When the fight was
| about over, all of sudden felt queer.
felt just like when a man is shut up in Il
dark room and can't see, and somebody
| comes in. He may not be able to see or
hear the person, but something tells him
| there is somebody near him.. | never felt
safer in my life than l did up there, burt
still turned around to where the patti was,


and saw the face of an Apache Just com
ing above the rock jumped up and so
did he, did not have time to get out II


weapon, for could see the flash of his
tomahawk. | went ut him and then he
threw his hatchct. The dull edge hit me
on the forehead, and it spill my skull open


Scc-feel that" and the Colonel took the


writer's fingers and guided them along Il
sort or canal or open space on his forehead


"Wcll, didn't like that very much. |


fell down on my knees, ant,I saw all my


life in one second. said, Charley, you
are gone this time, sure was too near
the edge of the rock for the Apache to get


behind me, 80 l stayed where was.


was confused, but did not lose my senses.


| was good boxer, and although | could


not see very well Oh account of the blood,
still kept my hands going, aud expect


cd to feel that fellows scalping knife on my
head every second. He cut at me two
Or three times, and cut my nose and check
and eyebrow, but showed him away. |
made big effort to sec, and got my right
eye open and jumped at the Apache and
luckily knocked him down. Then I got on
top Of him as quick aS flash and grabbed
at his knife. He was too sharp for me,


and he cut my thumb open, hut ] did not
seem to feel it at all. Then he threw his
knife away and put both arms around my
neck hos I,>,r, Il; l,,,on
and tried to smother ne. | duckcd my
head so that could breathe. Both of his
hands were in Use holding my head and
that gave me my right hand free and used
it then, gentlemen, if ever | did. punch
cd him in the ribs in n way New York
prize fighter had shown me and hit him
in the same place every time. Presently


felt something give way. had broken
one of his ribs. Then every lime hit him


| could hear him gasp for breath for l was
driving that broken rib in on his lungs. In
few seconds his arma dropped down and


felt him bite me in the shoulder and try


to get nc by the throat. | was getting aw-


ful weak, but this reminded me that also
had teeth. fastened them on his wind
pipe. l don't remember any more. When


the boys came up and found mo, the


Apache was stone dead and my teeth had


met through his windppc. The boys
rugged up blanket between two mules and
took me down to Sonora rancho one hun
drcd and sixty miles off, and IT, ere was
laid up for four months. On New Years
morning my hair was long and of deep
brown, but five days after, when T got to
the rancho it was as white as it is now. |
came to my senses on the 18th Of February,


but the funny part of it was that my brain
was SO muddled that forgot English and
Spanish and could only speak German.


When the people spoke to ne in Spanish or
English, l could understand it and thought
it was German, but all my answers were in
German. Gentlemen, you can eat what
you please, but for me, l dom want any
more live Apache in mine. Good night, "
and the Colonel went to bed