Books: In the Pecos Country
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Lieutenant R.H. Jayne >> In the Pecos Country
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The lad sat on the blanket directly in front of Waukko, who held him
in place by passing his arm about him. Such was his position when the
entire company headed northward, and struck into a sweeping gallop.
It was comparatively early in the evening when the start was made, and
the flight was continued without interruption through the night, the
horses scarcely ever varying from that same everlasting canter.
The novelty of his situation, and the interest which Fred felt as to
what was to be done with him in the end kept him wide awake for a
time, and he indulged in all sorts of surmises and conjectures.
Without brother or sister, and with only one parent, his father, to
whom he was deeply attached, his greatest suffering was the thought of
the sorrow that would be his father's when he should come to know the
dreadful fate of his only son.
Such were his thoughts when he had no hope of ever seeing him again;
but when he reflected that Mickey O'Rooney was still absent from the
settlement, and that Sut Simpson was likely to take up the hunt, a
strong hope arose within his breast and encouraged him to believe that
he might escape from the Apaches.
"Ah, if I only had my handsome Hurricane here!" he murmured, as he
recalled the figure of his sinewy and symmetrical steed. "Once on his
back and with a clear field before me, all the Indians in the
Southwest could n't catch me. If the hunter would only think to bring
him along, it would help a good deal, but I don't suppose he will."
Then his thoughts wandered away to his father, and the tears came to
his eyes and the sorrow lurked deep in his heart, nourished by the
thought that very likely they would never meet again, and his father's
lonely heart would be sorrowful all the rest of his life as he thought
of how his only child had been murdered by the Apaches.
The steady sinking and rising of the Indian's horse gradually became
monotonous, and, after a time, the boy's nodding head drooped, and
Waukko knew, from the pressure against his breast, that his captive
was asleep. Could he have had his way, he would have strangled the
hfe out of him as he lay thus unconscious, but he was carrying him for
Lone Wolf, the chief, and he dare not disobey him.
It is not often that the sleeper rests his head upon the bosom of his
enemy, yet such was the case in the present instance. The swaying,
rocking motion of the bed of Fred Munson not only lulled him to sleep,
but retained him in as sweet and dreamless slumber as though he were
resting upon his bed at home, where no thought of the treacherous
Indian ever entered his head.
The red-skin sat his steed like a statue. Lone Wolf had entrusted the
young captive to his charge, and he would hold him responsible for his
safe deliverance, that was all. He might have slept for twenty-four
hours, using his scarred and evil chest as a pillow, without protest
from him.
When at last Fred opened his eyes, it was several minutes before he
recalled his situation. It was just beginning to grow light, and when
he saw the figures of horses with their riders he remembered the scene
of the night before. When he turned his head and saw the horrid face
of Waukko, no doubt then remained of where he was. But he looked upon
a far different scene from that upon which he had closed his eyes.
Instead of being upon the broad, sweeping prairie, he was among the
mountains. They towered upon every hand, and the war party had halted
in a sort of canon or valley, where they seemed shut out from the
outer world.
"Where are we?" asked Fred, thinking it polite to open a conversation
with his guardian, with a view of conciliating him; but the red-skin
did not seem to be in a mood for conversation, or it may be that he
did not possess a very profound knowledge of the English tongue, for
he made no reply.
After a time, the lad ventured upon another modest remark, but
receiving no attention, he concluded it hardly worth his while to
attempt to work any further in that direction, and he gave over the
effort.
As soon as the halt was made, Lone Wolf gave a sort of address to his
warriors, which Fred believed to be a sort of harangue, intended to
incite them to deeds of greater daring than any they had as yet shown.
The red-skins became much excited, and answered his appeals with angry
shouts, grunts and gestures. No doubt, had he chosen to lead them,
they would have rushed back to a second attack upon New Boston,
without the addition of another warrior to their number. The oratory
of Lone Wolf was not very graceful, but it was very effective. He
knew how to appeal to his followers in a way that went directly to
their hearts.
CHAPTER XIII
THE ENCAMPMENT
Immediately after the harangue of Lone Wolf a general dismounting of
the warriors followed, and the mustangs, which showed admirable
training, were left to themselves. The halt had been made where there
was grass and water, to which the animals now paid their attention,
while their owners prepared for their morning meal.
There was a certain system in all this apparent confusion, and, it
being known that a halt would be made at this point, a half dozen of
the most skilful hunters of the party had scattered among the
mountains in quest of game. By the time several fires were fairly
under way, these providers began dropping in, all of them laden with
spoils of the chase, which were dressed and boiling over the different
camp-fires in an incredibly short time. The Apaches had reduced this
thing to a science, and a company of trained soldiers could not have
done the thing more expeditiously than did they.
While it was all going on, Fred Munson walked to the brook near at
hand, and taking a deep draught from the icy water, he stood somewhat
apart from the others, watching the proceedings with a strange
interest.
At first he failed to understand one thing. He knew, from what he had
seen, that at least a dozen of the Apaches had been killed, and as
many wounded, on the night before during the fight. Yet not one of
these was visible, with the exception, perhaps, of Lone Wolf, whose
scratches from Sut Simpson's bullets were of a superficial nature.
The only explanation of the absence of these parties was that they had
gone home. Under the charge of a strong escort they had taken another
route, and were probably miles away at that moment, and most likely in
their own wigwams, receiving the nursing and attention required.
"I wonder whether there is any chance of my getting away?" mused the
lad, as he looked searchingly about him. "If a fellow could only get
the start, there are plenty of places where he might hide; but there's
where the trouble is."
On the right and left of the gorge were precipitous mountains,
evidently broken by chasms, ravines, and covered with patches of wood,
their elevation being so moderate that no snow was visible upon their
tops, while the scene was wild and forbidding in the extreme.
"If I were only up there," sighed Fred, as he looked at the mountain
side, "I could crawl into some of the places, where I'm sure they
couldn't find any signs of me."
This might all be, provided the lad had an hour or two in which to
hunt his hiding place, but the whole difficulty lay in getting that
opportunity. It was not to be supposed that the Apaches were so
stupid as to give a young captive like him a chance to slip from their
hands in broad daylight. They were too shrewd for that and Fred felt
that he must wait for some better opportunity than the present.
The meat was prepared in short order, and then the Apaches fell-to
like so many wild beasts, using only their fingers and teeth. A large
quantity of food was provided, and the redskins were rapidly disposing
of it, when the lad saw that no one was likely to offer him any, and
he struck in and helped himself.
This morning halt of the war-party lasted about an hour, during which
Fred felt that there was little attention being paid him.
Considerable earnest talk was indulged in by the warriors, who were
apparently discussing some important plans with Lone Wolf, the whole
thing resolving itself into a sort of council of war. When they
leaped upon the backs of their mustangs, the decision had been made,
and preparations made for carrying it out without delay.
The whole party started up the gorge, Fred riding again with the
Apache Apollo, Waukko, while Lone Wolf kept himself at the head of the
force.
"I thought he would be mad enough to kill me," mused the boy, as he
caught sight of the notorious chief, "for the reason that I gave him
such a scare night before last. It can't be that he has forgotten it
or that he doesn't know who I am; but maybe he is going to do
something dreadful to me after he gets me home."
What the real purpose of Lone Wolf was could only be conjectured; but
there was reason to believe that he meant to hold his prisoner for a
ransom, as the aboriginal scamp was very partial to that kind of
business. By carrying the lad back among the mountains, he could hold
him against the army of the United States, utterly refusing to yield
him up until he should receive his price.
The mustangs galloped along at an easy gait, for a mile or so, when
the canon, or gorge, divided in a manner precisely like that which is
frequently observed in the highways or streets of a city. Lone Wolf
instantly turned the head of his mustang to the left, and, without
checking him in the least, continued at a sweeping gallop in that
direction, followed by all of his warriors, save three.
These were Waukko and two companions scarcely less repulsive in
appearance, who wheeled their steeds to the right. Without any
exchange of word or signal, they sped down the ravine and in less than
a minute the two parties were lost to sight of each other.
What this meant was a mystery as baffling as the other, but Fred
concluded that Lone Wolf had gone in quest of some other party of his
warriors, and had sent Waukko and his two companions as an escort to
conduct him to some place where he would be beyond all danger of
rescue. The shrewd Apache chief, in doing this, only acted with
ordinary discretion.
He knew Sut Simpson through and through, and had not a particle of
doubt that the hunter was already on their track, and that he would
use every exertion to recover the lad. Hence the most important thing
to do was to get forward without any loss of time. He had a full
night's start of the scout, who could only press his pursuit by
daylight, when the trail was visible, and there was no reason why the
three men who had the lad in charge should allow the fleetest-footed
mustang to catch up with them.
Fred, as may be supposed, was gratified to find his companions so
suddenly and greatly reduced in number, for it seemed to him at once
that his chances of escape were increased tenfold. It simplified
matters. It did not occur to him that three vigilant Indians were as
effective as three hundred, and that in a certain sense his prospect
of deliverance was diminished rather than increased. He was a boy and
as hopeful as his years.
The day remained sunshiny and pleasant, and the easy canter of the
mustangs caused just enough breeze to make the riding delightful.
Fred felt an unconquerable aversion to the Apache Waukko, whose
horrible face and appearance caused him more than once to half suspect
that he was a ghoul or demon. He again made an attempt to open
communication with him, but he uttered a sort of grunt that Fred took
as a command for silence, and he resolved that he would die before he
would repeat the attempt.
The gorge continued its winding course among the mountains, some of
the turns being at very sharp angles. The width of the ravine varied
from fifty to five hundred feet, the walls on either side showing
about the same difference of altitude. At times they were
perpendicular, and then again sloped at such a moderate angle that a
horse could have galloped up them without difficulty.
The mountainous nature of the country rather increased than
diminished, and, looking right and left, in front and rear, the jagged
peaks were forever visible, the distances varying, but the number
greater and greater. At times it seemed as if the ravine were about
to terminate suddenly against the solid wall of the mountain, but, as
they rode forward, the open way was there, albeit the angle was sharp,
and the little party suffered no interruption of progress until near
the close of the day.
The noon halt which Fred expected was not made.
He was hungry and supposed that the Apaches were; but, if so, they
manifestly considered it of more importance to get forward than to
satisfy that hunger. Once or twice they permitted their horses to
drink from the water when it was reached, but these momentary halts
were all that were made.
It was near the middle of the afternoon, when Waukko, who was the
leader of the little group, suddenly showed great excitement, which
speedily communicated itself to his companions. All three of these
scamps were sullen and reticent, frequently riding for hours at a time
without exchanging a word, so that this excitement meant something.
The three halted simultaneously, and talked loudly and excitedly, so
that Fred suspected that some cause for a quarrel had abruptly sprung
upon them.
"I wonder if they're wrangling about _me_?" was the thought that came
to the lad, who immediately recalled the fate of Miss MacCrea during
the Revolution, when the two Indians conducting her to Fort Edward
settled a quarrel over her by sinking a tomahawk in her brain.
If the present excitement could be quelled only by such a remedy, he
preferred that it should go on. Otherwise, if there was a prospect of
their settling it by falling upon each other, he was in hope of seeing
it intensified. It looked as if a deadly fight were impending, when
he was tossed to the ground, and the three Apaches instantly dropped
to the earth and faced each other.
CHAPTER XIV
THE STRANGE CAMP
The Apaches, however, were not quarreling. They were engaged in a
dispute, or rather argument, which concerned them all, and about which
it was all-important that no blunder should be made.
Fred Munson, the instant he found himself upon the ground, moved
timidly back, so as to be out of the way when the expected clash of
arms would come, and he watched the three men with an intensity of
interest which can scarcely be imagined. He now noticed, for the
first time, that as the disputants talked, they all three pointed and
looked, at intervals, up the mountain, showing that the all-absorbing
topic was located there.
Following the direction indicated, the boy noticed the smoke of a
camp-fire rising from the side of the mountain, about a quarter of a
mile in advance. It could be seen plainly and distinctly, although
the fire itself from which the smoke came was imperceptible. It was
evident, therefore, that the discovery of this camp-fire had produced
the excitement among the Apaches.
And why should such be the case?
The fact of it was, that the three Apaches were upon territory which
could by no means be considered the exclusive tramping-ground of their
tribe. Immediately to the eastward roamed the Kiowas and Comanches,
and it was no more than natural that their warriors should come into
occasional collision, especially when none of them were disposed to
recognize any of the presumed rights of the other.
The dispute, therefore, was regarding the campfire, which had suddenly
appeared to plague them. Did it belong to their friends or enemies ?
Lone Wolf, in sending his three warriors homeward with the captive,
dispatched them by a round-about method through the mountains, for the
reason that it would be more difficult to trail them. The advantage
which they had gained in the start, he was confident, placed it out of
the power of Sut Simpson, or any of his friends, to do them injury.
But here, while carrying out the directions of their chief, they found
themselves confronted by an unexpected danger.
If the Kiowas or Comanches, as the case might be, discerned the little
company, they would not fail to observe that they had a prize in their
possession, and they very probably would show a disposition to
interfere. The wrangle was as to whether it was best to go directly
ahead upon the route they were pursuing, trusting not only to the
possibility that the strangers there were friends, but to the prospect
of their getting by without detection, or whether they should go to
the trouble of a flank movement.
Waukko was inclined to go directly ahead, while the others were
opposed, and, as is frequently the case with such people, the dispute
was excited and hot for awhile; but the hideous Apache triumphed by
virtue of his official position. Lone Wolf had placed the lad in his
charge, and he was bent upon managing the business in his own fashion.
It was agreed, therefore, that they should continue on up the ravine,
as this offered so much the better chance for their mustangs to make
good progress. Waukko took the lead, his horse walking at a steady
gait, while he scrutinized the camp-fire as closely and searchingly as
if his life depended on the result.
The flame seemed to have been started directly behind a mass of rocks,
large and compact enough to shelter a dozen men, if they wished to
conceal themselves. The smoke showed that it was burning so
vigorously that fuel must have been placed upon it but a short time
before. It would seem that, if set going by hostile hands, the owners
were short-sighted in thus exposing their location; but the mischief
of such a thing is that the smoke of a camp-fire in an Indian country
may have one or more of a dozen dangerous meanings.
In the West and Southwest the Indians have a system of telegraphy,
conducted entirely by means of signal fires from mountain top to
mountain top. Treaties signed in Washington in one day have been
known hundreds of miles away at night, by the redskins chiefly
concerned, who had no means of gaining the news except by some system
of telegraphy, understood only by themselves. The most cunning and
effective war movements, where the success depends upon the
cooperation of widely separated parties, have been managed and
conducted by the smoke curling upward from hills and mountain peaks.
Still further, a camp-fire is frequently used as a way of confusing an
approaching enemy, for by what means could the latter judge whether
the parties who had kindled it were in the immediate neighborhood?
Was there not, in this instance, one stealthy Kiowa carefully keeping
up the blaze, while his companions had stolen around and across the
chasm, where they were ambushed and awaiting the coming of their
victims? Were not the sly dogs successful in hiding their positions
by the very means which would generally be supposed to betray it ?
At any rate, Waukko was not yet abreast of the dangerous point when he
again checked his mustang, and the three Apaches consulted in a low
voice and with every appearance of suppressed excitement. There was
something in the wind which made all three feel anything but
comfortable.
The consultation was brief and decisive. Waukko and one of his
warriors dismounted, leaving Fred and his guardian upon the remaining
horse. Waukko moved off to the right, as though he meant to
reconnoiter the camp-fire, while the other savage stole off to the
left. Very evidently there was something which needed looking
after,and it may have been that Waukko was in quest of information for
his leader, Lone Wolf.
Be that as it may, before Fred Munson fairly suspected it he found
himself alone with another mounted Apache, both the others having
vanished as effectually as if the ground had opened and swallowed them
up.
"Now is my chance, if I could only get an opening," was the truthful
conclusion of the lad, whose heart suddenly beat with an awakened
hope. "If I can manage to get this old fellow off, or if I could
steal a little march on him, so as to gain a chance, I could escape.
Anyhow, I'm going to try it," he added, and his boyish heart was fired
with a renewed determination to make a desperate leap for liberty.
One Apache, however, if he attended to his business, could guard him
as effectually as a dozen, and it all depended upon the disposition
this warrior should manifest. Just now his great and all absorbing
interest was in the efforts of his comrades to detect the meaning of
the signal fire.
Fred sat behind him upon the horse, and he stealthily looked to the
right and left, in the hope of detecting some place which offered an
opportunity for concealment, for he felt that there would be but the
single chance offered him. If he should fail in that, the savages
would guard him too closely to permit a second effort.
The ravine at this place was about a hundred feet in width. The sides
sloped abruptly downward, growing nearly perpendicular further ahead,
so that the Apaches, if caught in any trap at all, would be caught in
the worst possible manner. Hence the extreme caution they displayed
before committing themselves.
There were rocks and stones on the right and left, and here and there
some stunted vegetation. A few minutes start would give any one a
chance to hide, but just there was the whole difficulty. How was the
start to be obtained? It seemed, at this juncture, as if the fates
were unusually propitious. Everything conspired to invite the attempt
which the boy was so anxious to make.
Waukko and his companion had not been gone more than ten minutes when
one of them signaled to the Indian left behind. It came in the shape
of a soft low whistle, which could easily be mistaken for the call of
a bird. The horseman started and turned his head sidewise to listen
the instant it fell upon his ear, and this caused Fred to notice it.
The Indian held his head a moment in the attitude of deep attention,
and then he replied in precisely the same manner without turning his
head. A full minute passed. Then a second call was heard, emitted in
precisely the same manner as before. This was the one which did the
business.
The trained ear of the veteran scout could have detected no difference
that had been made, but there was, for all that, and a very wide one,
so far as meaning was concerned. The red-skin had no sooner caught it
than he dismounted and moved carefully forward, his mustang quietly
following him, bearing the lad upon his back.
The warrior glanced backward only once, to satisfy himself that his
steed was there, and understood what was required of it. In the
meantime, the heart of Fred was throbbing painfully with hope. He
felt as if Providence was interfering directly in his behalf.
"Now is my time," he added, a moment later.
CHAPTER XV
A LEAP FOR LIBERTY
It seemed that nothing could be more favorable for the attempt to
escape. There was Fred seated upon the back of a mustang. His copper
colored captors were some distance away at the side of the ravine,
while the only Indian in sight was a dozen feet ahead with his back
toward him. True, there was the risk of being shot, but he felt that
he did not deserve safety unless he was willing to run that or any
risk.
There was a loose rein hanging on the neck of the mustang. Fred
gently pulled it and the beast stopped. He was walking so quietly
that his hoofs made scarcely any sound in falling upon the flinty
surface, and the Indian, from some cause or other, failed to notice
the cessation of sound until the distance between them had about
doubled.
At that instant, the redskin turned his head as quick as lightning.
Fred, who had been washing for that identical movement, whirled the
steed about and started him back in the ravine at full gallop, the
brute responding gallantly to the sudden demand made upon him.
The fugitive was expecting a shot from the rifle in the hand of the
Apache, and he threw himself forward upon the horse, so as to make the
target as difficult to hit as possible. But the Indian did not fire,
not only on account of the risk to his favorite mustang, but because
it would have been certain to disarrange the reconnoissance upon which
Waukko and his companions were engaged.
But the red-skin did not stand in stupid helplessness. A glance told
him everything, and, running with extraordinary swiftness to the
nearest mustang, he vaulted upon his back and started in pursuit,
putting his animal upon the jump from the first. The few seconds'
unavoidable delay gave the young fugitive something like a hundred
yards start, an advantage which he used every effort to increase, and
which, for a brief spell, he succeeded in doing.
Fred's object was to avoid a regular chase, for he dreaded that in
such case the superior knowledge of the country possessed by the
Indian would enable him to outwit him at every turn. Night was close
at hand, and, if he could dodge the red-skin until darkness, the lad
was confident of escaping him altogether.
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