THE APACHES HAVE COME
Just as the sun was rising that morning, an altogether used-up horse
came staggering into the awaking camp of the Apache war-party. On the
horse was a warrior who had been sent out, with others, on scouting duty
the previous day, and he now seemed nearly as fatigued as did the animal
he rode. He had strength for a whoop whose meaning startled all who
heard it, and in a minute more it was understood by most of them that
the horse had been so badly tired out by one arrow, and the brave by
another; but they did not know of whom they were speaking when they
gruffly remarked,
"Two Arrows. Ugh! Nez Perce."
The baffled scout was unable to testify to the presence of white men,
although he could aver that he had retreated from several busy rifles.
He had deemed it his duty to ride back with his news and for another
horse. It would be a good while before he could do much walking, and the
horse which had carried him in must be abandoned, whether it should live
or die.
There was nothing to dispirit such a company in the prospect of more
plunder, many ponies and scalps, and an easy victory over a hunting
party trespassing upon their acknowledged range. They did but eat
breakfast more rapidly and push forward at once. The idea was yet strong
upon them that they were pursued, but not one of their rearward scouts
had come in, and a sense of false security had begun to creep over all
but the very grayest heads among them. Even of these not one dreamed how
dangerously near was the steady advance of Captain Grover and his
blue-coats.
It is an old proverb of sea-fighting that "a stern chase is a long
chase," and it is nearly as true on land, but the cavalry had pushed
along with steady persistency, in a thoroughly business-like and
scientific economy of time and horses. They were therefore in pretty
good condition, men and animals. As Captain Grover remarked so it had
been:
"I know about how fast the redskins can travel. They stole a whole grist
of slow stock and that measures their gait."
However swift might be their best, the Apaches had gone no farther any
day than the slowest half-dozen of their plunder. Captain Grover was
therefore almost justified in a firm conviction he expressed that
morning:
"Now for it, boys. We shall be among 'em before sunset."
On pushed the cavalry with enthusiasm, but at the same hour the Apaches
were also pressing forward with increasing eagerness. They were no
longer in one body. All their drove of stolen quadrupeds and their own
superfluous ponies made up a sort of rear-guard, driven and cared for by
about a dozen of the less distinguished braves, with orders to make as
good speed as possible. The remainder of the force, full of whooping and
yelling and a great hunger for glory and ponies, rode forward to find
the Nez Perces. It could not be hard to do that, with so clear an idea
as to the locality of at least several of them, but there was a surprise
ready.
They had hardly ridden an hour when the foremost warriors made the air
ring with whoops of wrath, and in a moment more the word "pale-face" was
passing from rider to rider. They had found the victim of Sile's
marksmanship, and the fact that he had not been scalped put away the
idea that he had fallen before a Nez Perce. The trail of the two horses
leading away to the left was plainly marked and could be followed, and
there was no reason for special caution in so open a country. Still, the
onward movement from that point was made in a more compact body and in
something like silence. The trail before them led in the precise
direction indicated by the brave shot by Sile, and the presence of both
Nez Perces and pale-faces in that valley was of itself a sort of enigma.
Word was left for the rear-guard to halt at the spot where the body lay
until rejoined by the main force.
The garrison at the notch was ignorant of all this, but while the
house-builders toiled at their wall with undiminished energy Long Bear
sent out several of his best braves to scout around as far as might seem
safe, and there was no danger of any surprise. There was one effect of
all this even now to be seen in the sides of that stone wall. Windows
had formed a part of the original plan, of course, but not nearly so
many shot-holes.
"You see," said Jonas to Yellow Pine, "if any hostiles should ever make
out to git inside the notch, this 'ere'd be the best kind of fort. Them
holes are all big enough to poke a muzzle through."
"We'll have a stockade, some day," said Pine; "and we'll put another
down at the gap, reg'lar fort fashion, with a gate and loop-holes."
Just then a whoop rang out from the braves at the gap and was followed
by a chorus of them.
"I'd call it!" said Pine. "Knock off work, boys. Time's come."
Not quite, but a brave had ridden swiftly in with notice of the approach
of the Apaches, and all the other scouts were fast following his good
example. The first whoop had been given by the Big Tongue from behind
the largest rocks of the barrier, but he was soon calmly walking up and
down outside, as if waiting for the whole Apache nation, and also ready
to be admired by somebody. One-eye was also beyond the barrier, for some
reason, but he came in at the call of Two Arrows. There was no danger
but what the Big Tongue would come in without any calling.
Na-tee-kah and Ha-ha-pah-no had done very little that morning but recite
to their Nez Perce friends and relatives the wonders of their visit in
the pale-face camp, and exhibit their rich store of ornaments and other
presents. They had also combed and brushed each other's hair in a way
that excited no little envy. They were yet busy at it when the voice of
the Big Tongue was first heard at the barrier, and every squaw knew what
it signified.
"Two Arrows," exclaimed Na-tee-kah, "has rifle now; kill heap."
"Big Tongue great brave," said Ha-ha-pah-no. "Shoot mouth; 'Pache heap
die."
The horses, mules, and ponies of both Nez Perces and miners were all
driven by the squaws away up the notch, under some trees, to be as
secure as might be from stray bullets, if any should be fired. The
squaws themselves were generally very willing to be as safe as were the
animals; but Na-tee-kah's dusky cheeks were almost red with excitement.
In spite of all prohibition, she broke away from under the trees and
darted off towards the rocks on the side of the notch opposite the mine.
It was only a minute before Ha-ha-pah-no followed her, with no idea of
bringing her back, whatever she said to the rest on starting.
"See fight. Squaw shoot, too, sometime. Na-tee-kah heap brave."
Na-tee-kah did not utter a sound until she had gained a spot behind a
huge bowlder, from which she could peer out and down, and see what was
going on at the barrier and beyond it. She felt well paid for her
trouble. The braves of the Nez Perces were all there or behind the rocky
fragments on either side, and mingled with them here and there were the
red shirts and slouched hats of the miners. The Big Tongue was no longer
parading over the slope in front of the gap. He had even cut short an
uncommonly fine whoop in his retreat to a place as safe as that occupied
by Na-tee-kah or Ha-ha-pah-no.
There were excellent reasons for such a retreat, for several scores of
Apaches were now riding back and forth, just out of good rifle-range, as
if they were a little in doubt as to what they had better do next. Not
an Apache among them had an idea how many might be the rifles among
those rocks, but all were sure that they were there. It was just as
Jonas had said, and Yellow Pine. It required an immense amount of
courage to ride up to hidden sharpshooters, and the Apaches were
disposed to whoop a good deal before they tried the experiment. Their
head chief had commanded that there should be no random firing, and now
he was disposed to try what could be done with a "talk." One solitary
brave rode forward a distance in advance of his comrades, dismounted,
laid down his rifle and lance, took off his pistol-belt ostentatiously,
held up his hands wide open to declare himself unarmed, reached out his
right hand with the palm up to say that he was peaceful, and then walked
slowly forward.
"Wants to get near enough to see what he can see," said Yellow Pine.
"Snake trick. I'll go out and meet him, jedge."
"No, Pine, I don't want you to run any risk."
"Risk? Not a bit of it. I say, Jonas, I'll let him come into good fair
range. Keep him covered. If he tries any bad game I'll just drop flat."
"That's what he'll do next thing," said Jonas, as he rested his rifle
over the log in front of him, and it seemed as if every other miner at
once followed his example.
"Go ahead then, Pine," said the judge; "see what he wants."
"For that matter, jedge," said Pine, "I'd as lief as not try a
hand-to-hand fight with any redskin in that lot."
He left his weapons behind him as ostentatiously as the Apache had done,
handing them back over the barrier after stepping out, and walked
forward rapidly, so that he did not let his conference turn into too
close an "examination."
[Illustration: HIS RIGHT HAND WITH THE PALM UP TO SHOW THAT HE WAS
PEACEFUL]
The keen eyes of the warrior were searching every cranny of the rocks as
well as they could, when Yellow Pine drew near and held out his hand.
"How?" said Pine.
"How? Where Nez Perce?"
Pine answered by a sweep of his hand towards the notch, and added,
"'Pache chief want pony? want scalp? Go other place. Too much heap
shoot; kill 'em all."