TO CALIFORNIA FOR HORSES.--MY BEAUTIFUL MARE, BLACK BESS.--WE GET
SIXTY-SIX SCALPS AND SEVENTY-EIGHT HORSES.--A CLEAN SWEEP.
It was about the first of January when Gen. Crook ordered Lieut.
Jackson and I to go to California to buy fifty head of cavalry
horses. With an escort of twelve men we headed for Los Angeles,
expecting to be able to procure the horses there, which we did,
and were back at Yuma in a little more than a month preparing to
give Apaches more of our warm social attention. In this campaign
Lieut. Jackson was to take the lead with two companies of cavalry
and one of infantry, and take the same route as the season before.
Gen. Crook was to follow in a month, taking no wagons, but a pack-
train of one hundred animals. Only Mexicans were employed this
time as packers, and the captain of our train was named Angel, but
he didn't look it.
It was arranged between Gen. Crook and I that I was to have twelve
scouts and select them myself. The General sent a sergeant with me
to take the names of the men I wished to secure, and then he gave
me permission to go into the corrall and select two horses for
each of my men, taking anything that did not belong to a
commissioned officer. In the afternoon of the same day Lieut.
Jackson came to me and said: "Captain, I have a present for you if
you will accept it. I want to give you Black Bess."
This was the beautiful mare that he rode the year before and of
which I spoke previously.
It was a very acceptable present indeed, and I was surprised to
learn that he would part with her, but he walked down to the
stable and turned her over to me. He had never ridden her when
going into a fight except the time of which I made mention when
out on the scouting tour. He said to me: "She is too fine an
animal for me, and if you will train her a little she will be a
perfect companion to you."
This black mare proved to be the most intelligent animal that I
had ever owned in my life, and there was nothing she seemed to
dislike so much as the sight or even the scent of an Indian. Often
when out scouting I have got off of her and let her feed at the
end of a picket rope while I would lie down and sleep, and the
moment she would see or scent anything strange she would come to
where I was lying and paw until I would raise up and look in the
direction of whatever object she had seen or heard, and in less
than three months she was the pet of the entire command. She would
follow me like a dog anywhere I would go.
We pulled out for the mountains, and went something like one
hundred and fifty miles from Fort Yuma before making a halt for a
permanent camp-this being the fore part of February, 1866-and as
soon as we were fairly settled we began active work.
We had only been there a few days when George Jones came in and
reported having seen the trail of a band of Indians coming from
the direction of Black canyon. George, myself and four other
scouts started out immediately to take the trail, which was ten
miles south of our quarters. We camped on their trail that night
on account of the country being too rough to travel after night,
but the next morning we were off early and followed the trail all
day. Just before sundown we halted on a high ridge, when I took a
look through my glasses over the country. About twelve miles away
I saw an Apache camp. The course they had traveled that day
brought them about as near our quarters as where we had struck
their trail, and from this I came to the conclusion that they were
either looking for the command or were expecting an attack.
Now the country between us and the Indians was very rough, but I
told the boys that we must get there that night, and as quickly as
possible.
I could see the country between the Indians and headquarters, and
they were not more than fifteen miles from there, although we were
about twelve miles away, and about the same distance from the
Indians.
Knowing that Lieut. Jackson would be anxious to hear from me, I
sent one man back to camp to report to him, with instructions as
to the course to move, also for him to throw up a rocket every
mile or so, that I might know where to send my next messenger to
meet him. Myself and the other four scouts started for the Indian
camp, and it took two hours and a half the best we could do to
reach it.
When we were within a quarter of a mile of them, that being as
near as we thought it safe to ride, we dismounted, and leaving two
men in charge of our horses, the other three of us started to
crawl down to their camp, at least near enough to find out about
their number.
They had not lain down for the night nor had they any guards out
with their horses, but were sitting around the camp-fire smoking
and apparently enjoying themselves.
No doubt if we could have understood their language they were then
laying plans to capture the first emigrant train that might come
that way. The moon was shining brightly, and we had a splendid
chance to have stampeded their stock, but I did not think it best
from the fact that it would put them on their guard, which would
be to the detriment of the cavalry when they should arrive. We
decided not to disturb them until the cavalry came up, knowing
that the command would lose no time in getting there, and that it
would be before daylight if it was possible.
We counted the horses of the Indians as best we could by
moonlight, and made out eighty head of them. We could not make out
just the number of Indians, but estimated them at seventy-five,
After ascertaining as near as we could the lay of the ground and
the general situation, we returned to our horses, and all started
in the direction that we expected the command to come from. After
we had ridden about a half mile I stopped, and George Jones
started on with the other scouts to meet the command. After riding
five miles they met Lieut. Jackson coming with two companies of
cavalry and the entire scout force; and long before I expected
them Black Bess told me by her actions that they were coming.
The Lieutenant formed his men in a triangle on the ridge, his
object being to pocket the Indians; in other words, to bunch them
up or prevent them from scattering. While he was forming his men
and giving instructions, I told my men where the horses were and
that we must get to them about the time the cavalry made the
attack on the Indians. I told them that no doubt the horses would
have ropes on them and the first one that I come to I would take
him and lead the way. "And when you hear the first shot, all raise
the yell, for by doing that we will be able to make the stampede,
and if nothing goes wrong we will keep the stock going until we
reach headquarters." When I got to the horses about the first one
I stumbled onto was a white one, with a long hair rope on; I
caught him and led the way, and he made a good leader for the
others to follow.
We got to the horses a few moments before the soldiers got to the
Indian camp, and at the first shot we all raised the yell, and as
I led the white pony away all followed, and we did not halt until
we were five or six miles off. Here we came to a small stream that
meandered through a little valley. There we stopped awhile to let
our horses drink and rest, and while there we counted our horses
and found that we had seventy-eight.
We reached camp about six o'clock the next morning, but the
soldiers did not get in until noon. When the fight was over the
Lieutenant put out a strong picket guard and remained there until
morning in order to catch the Apaches that might be secreted in
the sage-brush.
When daylight came he succeed in jumping up eleven, which he
considered ample pay for staying there a few hours. In this fight
sixty-six Indians were killed, besides we got all their horses,
blankets, ropes and such other articles as they had.
We did but little in the way of scouting for the next few days.
Lieut. Jackson said that we had made a good beginning and we did
not want to do much before Gen. Crook came. "For," said he, "we
will have all the fighting we want when the General gets here."
The morning of the third day after the fight we started out with
the entire scout force in squads of four, there being three
squads, with the understanding that we were to keep in from one to
three miles of each other, and all to camp together at night.
We took along with us four days' rations, but a scout is expected
to live on four days' rations for eight days if it becomes
necessary, for when he starts he never knows just where he is
going or when he will return.
It was in the afternoon of the third day that I ran on to an
Indian trail that appeared from the number of horse-tracks to be
about twenty in the band. We could tell that they had passed there
that day, so we followed the trail; and it was not long until the
other two pulled in towards me, and we were soon near enough that
I could signal to them, or they to me, and shortly we all met on
the trail.
We had not followed long before we came in sight of the Indians
riding leisurely along, and we then set it down that they were a
band of Apaches on their way to the Oscuro Mountains for a hunt.
They went into camp early that night on account of water, and
after supper they amused themselves by running foot-races. I was
tempted several times before dark to make a charge on them, but
knowing that we could accomplish our end better by waiting until
after dark, we held back until they had all turned in for the
night. They did not lie down until about nine o'clock, and by this
time the boys were all getting anxious for a fight. We waited
about an hour after they had all lain down and then we started to
crawl down to their camp. We agreed to use our knives and sabres,
George Jones and I each having a big knife, all the rest having
sabres.
Our idea for this was to prevent any of our own party from being
shot accidently; but each man had his pistol in his left had with
instructions not to use it except in case of emergency. We crawled
into the camp undiscovered as the Indians had no dogs along to
give the alarm.
Previous to this I had told the boys that I could crawl all over
an Indian and not wake him up, and I came near demonstrating it
that night. They were apparently asleep and badly scattered, two
in a place.
I had told the boys not to strike until they saw that I was just
in the act of striking; that when they saw me raise up for each
man to spring to his feet and get his Indian the first lick if
possible, and not to let up as long as they could see one kick.
It being bright moonlight we could see each other very plainly,
and we crawled right in among them, there being no order whatever
in their camp. When I came to where there were two lying with
their backs together, I made up my mind that that was too good a
chance for me to let pass; so I looked around to see if the boys
had their men selected, and seeing that they had, and that they
were all watching me and the Indians also, I raised to my feet,
and placing my right foot between the two Indians, I aimed to
sever the first one's head from his body, which I came near doing,
for he only just quivered after I struck him. At that they all
began the work of blood and death.
The second one I attacked I had to deal the second blow, as I also
did the third one. Up to this time I had not heard a word from any
one of my companions, but there had been a continual ringing of
sabres all around me. Just as I had done up my last Indian George
sprang to my side and said: "Cap, we have got every one of them."
We counted them and found that we had killed twenty-two, and after
examining their blankets and other "traps," we knew that we had
got them all.
They had killed a fine buck deer during the day and had only
cooked enough of it for their supper, so we had plenty of fresh
meat, for a while, at least; so while George and some of the other
scouts went for our horses, which were about a quarter of a mile
from camp, the remainder of us built a fire and began roasting
venison. This was the first fresh meat we had on the trip.
The morning following we gathered up the horses and found we had
twenty-two, and we started two of the men to headquarters with
them, and also sent a message to Lieut. Jackson to the effect that
we were going in east of Black canyon to see what kind of a
country it was. We were out seven days longer, making ten days in
all, but we did not make any new discovery.
When we returned to headquarters I learned that Lieut. Jackson had
received a dispatch from Gen. Crook, to the effect that he would
soon be on with more supplies and men.
The Lieutenant advised me to work close to quarters, as the
General was likely to be on any day, and said it was hard to tell
what he would want to do when there.