Produced by Dianne Bean
Tales of Aztlan,
The Romance of a Hero of our Late Spanish-American War, Incidents of
Interest from the Life of a western Pioneer and Other Tales.
by
George Hartmann
A note about this book: A Maid of Yavapai, the final entry in this
book, is dedicated to SMH. This refers to Sharlot M. Hall, a famous
Arizona settler. The copy of the book that was used to make this etext
is dedicated: With my compliments and a Happy Easter, Apr 5th 1942, To
Miss Sharlot M. Hall, from The daughter of the Author, Carrie S.
Allison, Presented March 31st, 1942, Prescott, Arizona.
1908 Revised edition
Memorial
That this volume may serve to keep forever fresh the memory of a hero,
Captain William Owen O'Neill, U. S. V., is the fervent wish of The
Author.
CONTENTS
I. A FRAIL BARK, TOSSED ON LIFE'S TEMPESTUOUS SEAS
II. PERILOUS JOURNEY
III. THE MYSTERY OF THE SMOKING RUIN. STALKING A WARRIOR.
THE AMBUSH
IV. A STRANGE LAND AND STRANGER PEOPLE
V. ON THE RIO GRANDE. AN ABSTRACT OF THE AUTHOR'S GENEALOGY
OF MATERNAL LINEAGE
VI. INDIAN LORE. THE WILY NAVAJO
VII. THE FIGHT IN THE SAND HILLS. THE PHANTOM DOG
VIII. WITH THE NAVAJO TRIBE
IX. IN ARIZONA
X. AT THE SHRINE OF A "SPHINX OF AZTLAN"
AN UNCANNY STONE.
L'ENVOY.
THE BIRTH OF ARIZONA. (AN ALLEGORICAL TALE.)
A ROYAL FIASCO.
A MAID OF YAVAPAI.
CHAPTER I.
A FRAIL BARK, TOSSED ON LIFE'S TEMPESTUOUS SEAS
A native of Germany, I came to the United States soon after the Civil
War, a healthy, strong boy of fifteen years. My destination was a
village on the Rio Grande, in New Mexico, where I had relatives. I was
expected to arrive at Junction City, in the State of Kansas, on a day
of June, 1867, and proceed on my journey with a train of freight wagons
over the famous old Santa Fe trail.
Junction City was then the terminal point of a railway system which
extended its track westward across the great American plains, over the
virgin prairie, the native haunt of the buffalo and fleet-footed
antelope, the iron horse trespassing on the hunting ground of the
Arapahoe and Comanche Indian tribes. As a mercantile supply depot for
New Mexico and Colorado, Junction City was the port from whence a
numerous fleet of prairie schooners sailed, laden with the necessities
and luxuries of an advancing civilization. But not every sailor reached
his destined port, for many were they who were sent by the pirates of
the plains over unknown trails, to the shores of the great Beyond,
their scalpless bodies left on the prairie, a prey to vultures and
coyotes.
If the plans of my relatives had developed according to program, this
story would probably not have been told. Indians on the warpath
attacked the wagon train which I was presumed to have joined, a short
distance out from Junction City. They killed and scalped several
teamsters and also a young German traveler; stampeded and drove off a
number of mules and burned up several wagons. This was done while
fording the Arkansas River, near Fort Dodge. I was delayed near Kansas
City under circumstances which preclude the supposition of chance and
indicate a subtle and Inexorably fatal power at work for the
preservation of my life--a force which with the giant tread of the
earthquake devastates countries and lays cities in ruins; that awful
power which on wings of the cyclone slays the innocent babe in its
cradle and harms not the villain, or vice versa; that inscrutable
spirit which creates and lovingly shelters the sparrow over night and
then at dawn hands it to the owl to serve him for his breakfast. Safe I
was under the guidance of the same loving, paternal Providence which in
death delivereth the innocent babe from evil and temptation, shields
the little sparrow from all harm forever, and incidentally provides
thereby for the hungry owl.
I should have changed cars at Kansas City, but being asleep at the
critical time and overlooked by the conductor, I passed on to a station
beyond the Missouri River. There the conductor aroused me and put me
off the train without ceremony. I was forced to return, and reached the
river without any mishap, as it was a beautiful moonlight night. I
crossed the long bridge with anxiety, for it was a primitive-looking
structure, built on piles, and I had to step from tie to tie, looking
continually down at the swirling waters of the great, muddy river. As I
realized the possibility of meeting a train, I crossed over it,
running. At last I reached the opposite shore. It was nearly dawn now,
and I walked to the only house in sight, a long, low building of logs
and, being very tired, I sat down on the veranda and soon fell asleep.
It was not long after sunrise that a sinister, evil-looking person,
smelling vilely of rum, woke me up roughly and asked me what I did
there. When he learned that I was traveling to New Mexico and had lost
my way, he grew very polite and invited me into the house.
We entered a spacious hall, which served as a dining-room, where eight
young ladies were busily engaged arranging tables and furniture. The
man intimated that he kept a hotel and begged the young ladies to see
to my comfort and bade me consider myself as being at home. The girls
were surprised and delighted to meet me and overwhelmed me with
questions. They expressed the greatest concern and interest when they
learned that I was about to cross the plains.
"Poor little Dutchy," said one, "how could your mother send you out all
alone into the cruel, wide world!" "Mercy, and among the Indians, too,"
said another. When I replied that my dear mother had sent me away
because she loved me truly, as she knew that I had a better chance to
prosper in the United States than in the Fatherland, they called me a
cute little chap and smothered me with their kisses.
The tallest and sweetest of these girls (her name was Rose) pulled my
ears teasingly and asked if her big, little man was not afraid of the
Indians. "Not I, madame," I replied; "for my father charged me to be
honest and loyal, brave and true, and fear not and prove myself a
worthy scion of the noble House of Von Siebeneich." "Oh, my! Oh, my!"
cried the young ladies, and "Did you ever!" and "No, I never!" and "Who
would have thought it!" Regarding me wide-eyed with astonishment, they
listened with bated breath as I explained that I was a lineal
descendant of the Knight Hartmann von Siebeneich, who achieved
everlasting fame through impersonating the Emperor Frederick
(Barbarossa) of Germany, in order to prevent his capture by the enemy.
I told how the commander of the Italian army, inspired with admiration
by the desperate valor of the loyal knight, released him and did honor
him greatly. And how this noble knight, my father's ancestor, followed
the Emperor Frederick to the Holy Land and fought the Saracens. "And,"
added I, "my father's great book of heraldry contains the legend of the
curse which fell on our house through the villainy of the Imperial
Grand Chancellor of Blazonry, who was commanded to devise and procure a
brand new heraldic escutcheon for our family.
"He blazoned our shield with the ominous motto, 'in der fix, Haben
nix,' over gules d'or on a stony field, which was sown to a harvest of
tares and oats, and embossed with a whirlwind rampant. As they were in
knightly honor bound to live up to the motto on their shield, my
ancestor were doomed to remain poor forever. At last they took service
with the free city of Hamburg, where they settled finally and became
honored citizens."
Happening to remember my mother's admonishment not to annoy people with
too much talk, I apologized to the young ladies. Smilingly, they begged
me to continue, for they seemed to enjoy my boyish prattle.
"Listen, now, girls," said Rose laughingly to her companions, "now, I
shall make him open his mother's closet and show us her choicest family
skeleton." "Oh, no, Miss Rose," I protested, "my mother has indeed a
great closet, but it is full of good things to eat and contains no
skeletons." "You little goosie-gander; you don't understand," replied
Miss Rose; "I was only joking. Of course your mother kept the door
carefully locked to keep you boys from foraging?" "No madame," said I,
"it was not necessary to lock the door." "Did she keep a guard, then?"
said Rose. "Oh, yes," I replied, "and it was very hard to pass in
without being knocked down." "Was it a man?" she asked mischievously.
"Why, yes; mamma kept a strong, old Limburger right behind the door," I
said.
When the girls had ceased laughing, Rose said, "What did your mother
tell you when you left for America?" "My mother," I answered, "implored
me with tearful eyes to ever remember how my father's
great-great-grandmother Brunhilde (who was exceedingly beautiful) was
enticed into the depths of a dark forest by a wily, old German King.
Indiscreetly and unsuspectingly she followed him. There clandestinely
did he favor her graciously by adding a bar sinister to our knightly
escutcheon and a strain of the blood royal to our family. This happened
long, long ago in the dark ages or some other dark place--it may have
been the Schwarzwald--and it was the curse of the stony field that did
it.
"'Oh, my son,' mother urged me, 'we count on you to restore the
unaccountably long-lost prestige of our ancient family. In America,
behind the counters of your uncle's counting-rooms, you shall acquire
great wealth, and his Majesty the Kaiser will be pleased to re-invest
you with the coronet of a count. Then, as a noble count will you be of
some account in the exclusive circle of the four hundred of the great
city of New York. Beautiful heiresses will crave the favor of your
acquaintance, and if wise, you will lead the most desirable one on the
market, the lovely Miss Billiona Roque-a-Fellaire to the altar. His
Majesty the Kaiser will then graciously change the "no-account" words
on our family's escutcheon to the joyful motto, "Mit Geld," and lift
the blighting curse from our noble house.'"
Next I related how surprised I was when I saw the great city of New
York. However, I expected to see a large city of many houses, ever so
high and some higher yet, and therefore I was not so very much
surprised, after all. But in Illinois I first saw the wonderful forest.
Oh, the virgin forest! Never had I seen such grand, beautiful trees,
oak and hickory, ash and sycamore, maple, elm, and many more giant
trees, unknown to me, and peopled by a multitude of wild birds of the
brightest plumage. There were birds and squirrels everywhere! I
actually saw a sky-blue bird with a topknot, and another of a bright
scarlet color, and gorgeous woodpeckers who were too busy hammering to
look at me even. Oh, but they did not sing like the birds in Germany!
All were very grave and sad. They seemed to know, as everybody else
did, that I was a stranger in their land, for they gave me all sorts of
useful Information and advice, with many nods of their little heads.
"Peep, peep!" counseled the bluebird. "Thank you," I replied, "seeing
is believing." "Whip-poor-will, whip-poor-will," cried a large, spotted
bird. "That," thought I, "is a prize fighter." "Cheat, cheat!" urged a
pious-looking cardinal, who evidently mistook me for a gambler.
"Don't," roared a bullfrog, who was seated on a log and winked his eye
at me. "There is an honest man," I thought. "Shake, good sir." In
consternation and surprise, I instantly released his hand. "HOW is it
possible to be both honest and slippery at the same time! This must be
a Yankee-man," thought I. I saw real moss, green and velvety as the
richest carpet, and I drank of singing, bubbling waters. Many kinds of
berries and nuts, hard to crack, grew in the wild glens of the forest.
I gathered flowers, larger and more beautiful than any I had ever seen,
but they lacked the perfume of German flowers; only the roses were the
same.
Many children did I see, but they had not the rosy cheeks of German
children. And I met the strongest of all beasts on earth and tracked
him to his native lair; and there, in the sacred groves of the Illini,
I worried him sorely, and as David did unto Goliath, so did I unto him;
and sundown come, I slew him. And for three-score days and ten the
smoke of battle scented the balmy air.
The young ladles laughed heartily and said that never before had they
been so delightfully entertained, and they gave me sweets and nice
things to eat, and said they hoped I might stay with them forever and a
day. We exchanged confidences, and they warned me to beware of the
landlord, who had been known to rob people. They advised me to secrete
my money, if perchance I had any. I thanked them kindly, replying that
I had only one dollar in my purse. This was true, but I did not tell
them that I had sewed a large sum in banknotes and some German silver
into my kite's tail when I set out on my journey to the West.
I complimented these charming girls on their good fortune to be in the
service of so generous a gentleman as their landlord seemed to be; for
I saw that they wore very fine dresses and had many jewels. "Why, you
little greenie," said Miss Rose, "he does not pay us high wages." "Oh,
I see, how romantic! how nice!" exclaimed I. "You do as the ladies in
the good old time of chivalry, when knights donned their colors and
sallied forth to battle with lions and tigers. You crave largesse, and
the gentlemen favor you with money and jewels." Then the youngest girl
laughed and said, "Oh, you pore, innicent bairn, and how do yez ken all
this? and how did yez know that Misther Payterson kapes a tiger at all,
at all, begorra!" Another young lady said, "Dutchy, I reckon yore daddy
is a right smart cunning old fox!" "Madame," replied I, indignantly,
"my father is no fox, but a minister of the Gospel." "Oh, this bye is
the son of a praste," screamed the loveliest girl in all Missouri.
"Indade, I misthrusted the little scamp. Och! oh and where is me
brooch? I thought all the time the little divvil was afther something.
Thieves! Murther!" Confusion in pandemonium now reigned supreme. For
one precious moment the air seemed full of long-legged stockings and
delicate hands and purses. Luckily, the brooch was found and peace
restored at once. And Rose said, "Oh, girls, how could you!" and she
begged my pardon and said they did not mean it. And then I made myself
very useful and agreeable to these lovely maids, lacing their shoes and
dusting their chamber, and right gallantly did I serve them until
evening.
After supper reappeared my evil genius in the person of the landlord,
who took me out to the woodshed. "Dutchy, I have decided to adopt you
as my only son; have you ever bucked a wood saw?" said he, and a
sardonic leer distorted his evil features. After I recovered
sufficiently from the shock, I answered indignantly, "Sir, know ye not
that I have pledged my service to the vestal virgins of yon temple?"
"Ha! Ha!" laughed the villain, "get busy now, son, and if by morning
this wood has not been cut, you will go minus your breakfast."
Thereupon he locked me in.
Caught as a rat in a trap, I had no alternative but to comply with this
man's outrageous demands. Despairingly I plied that abominable
instrument of torture, the national bucksaw of America. This is the
only American institution I could never accustom myself to. I have
endured bucking bronchos in New Mexico, I have bucked the tiger in
Arizona, but to buck a wood-saw--perish the thought! Sore and weary, I
lay down in a corner of the shed on some hay and fell asleep. I dreamed
that I heard screams of women, mingled with song and laughter, and
through it all the noise of music and dancing. Then the dream changed
into a horrible nightmare in the shape of a big sawhorse which kicked
at me and threatened me with hard labor.
Toward morning, when the door was opened and a drunken ruffian entered,
I awoke from my troubled slumbers. "Hi, Dutchy, and have yez any tin?"
he threatened. "Kind sir," I replied, "when I departed for the West I
left all my wealth behind me." Verily, now I was proving myself the
worthy scion of valiant men, who had laid aside hauberk, sword, and
lance, taken up the Bible and stole, and thenceforth fought only with
the weapon of Samson, the strong!
"And so yez are, by special appointment, chamberlain to the gurruls by
day, and ivver sawing wood at nighttime! Bedad! I'll shpile the thrick
for Misther Payterson, the thaving baste, and take this little
greenhorn out of his clutches and sind him about his business." With
these words, he opened the door for me and I escaped.
Farewell, lovely maids of Kansas and Missouri! If mayhap this writing
comes to you, oh, let us meet again; my heart yearns to greet you and
your granddaughters. For surely, though it seems to me as yesterday,
the blossoms of forty summers have fallen in our path and whitened our
hair.