Adventure Magazine Cover — page 69: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

68 Adventure ‘chose his route into the mountains without hesitation; and their wonder grew when he pointed to a group of enormous boulders which topped the ridge ahead of them, saying— “We will find Cochise’s people camped there today.” They rode on upward and came into the camp of the Apaches. Here and there a ragged squaw peered out of a dirty lodge at them; they saw a group of children scattering like frightened quail. There were no warriors, only one or two old men. “Where is Cochise?” General Howard asked. “He will be here within the hour,” Jef- fords answered, “‘and when he comes you will know him because you will see, riding ahead of him, the ugliest looking Apache in Arizona, carrying a lance.” And because Jeffords had exchanged no word as yet with the Indians, the two white men marveled again. The old- timer led them to the chief’s lodge, where they sat down and waited. Within the hour a group of Apaches came riding up the nearest gorge, and at their head General Howard saw one whose sinister face conformed to the description which Jeffords had given him; the warrior was carrying a lance. And behind him rode the war-chief. Cochise dismounted and entered his lodge. After the Mexican fashion he kissed Jeffords on both cheeks, embracing him warmly. Then— “What is it these men want?” he asked. Jeffords introduced General Howard and the aide, and stated the former’s motive in making this visit. Cochise sat silent for some moments. At length, pointing to General Howard— “Will he keep his word if we exchange promises?”’ he demanded. “T have advised him not to promise too much, as is the habit of many white men,” Jeffords answered, “‘and I believe he is honest.” The old war-chief fell silent again. Finally he turned to General Howard. “Some of my young men,” he said slowly, ‘are away now. ‘They are making their living. They may come back at any time. And when they come back there may be trouble. It would be better if you were not here then.” And although he was not long from the East General Howard knew enough about the Apaches and their habits to be sure in what manner those young men were making their living; what sort of trouble would probably follow their arrival in the camp. © It would be an awkward situation if he were to be in this place during a battle between the savages and his fellow soldiers. But he was not a young man and the prospects of a long ride back to the nearest military post were not alluring. He said as much. “Four of my young men will take you to a good place,’’ Cochise told him, “and after the third day they will bring you back.” On the advice of Jeffords this course of action was agreed to; and four Apaches took General Howard down into the valley as far as the point where the Sulphur Springs ranch-buildings now stand. Jeffords and the aide bided here on the heights with the Indians. And on the second day, true to Cochise’s prophecy, a band of the renegades came riding hard up the gorge. The spot where the Indians were encamped was a saddle at the summit, some hundreds of feet lower than the ad- joining ridges. Now as-the fugitive war- riors threw themselves from their latheféd ponies, announcing that two troops of cav- alry were close behind them, the aide of General Howard witnessed one of those spectacles which are easier to tell than to believe. With the announcement of this emer- gency, the camp moved. In the same time that it takes to say the foregoing sentence, it moved—men, women, children and every bit of impedimenta. It was like one of those magic transformations of which we used to read in fairy-tales when we were children. One moment the Apaches were squatting among their lodges; and in the next moment people and goods were gone; the place was bare. Every warrior and squaw and child seized what objects were nearest at hand, overlooking none, and scampered off with them. Within a few minutes of the arrival of the fugitives, the entire band was scat- tered among the boulders and pinnacles on the higher portion of the ridge; Cochise was disposing his warriors to the best advantage to repel the attack. But the cavalry made no advance beyond the cafion mouth and there was no fight. When General Howard returned at the end of the next day he saw the manner in which the war-chief had deployed his men and was GEomichbooks.co