USA > Arizona > The marvellous country : or, Three years in Arizona and New Mexico, the Apaches' home > Part 11
USA > New Mexico > The marvellous country : or, Three years in Arizona and New Mexico, the Apaches' home > Part 11
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We met here an old Indian who had acted as guide to Mr. Bartlett in 1852. In conversing with him, we learned that on the Rio San Francisco, as well as on the Verde and Salinas, were found ruins quite similar in their general features to those upon the Gila; and that they are also to be found ex- tending far into the Navajoe country. Indeed, there can be no question but that this whole country was once settled with
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200 EVIDENCES OF EXTINCT CIVILIZATION.
a dense population far enough advanced in civilization to build houses four stories in height; to surround them with outworks for defence; to irrigate the land by building canals miles in length; to manufacture cotton-cloth, as well as fine earthenware, and ornaments of gold and silver. But who they were, whence they came, and whither they went, are queries yet to be solved. They have left behind them abso- lutely nothing from which we can derive any authentic information. A great many valuable relics have been found among the ruins, some of them extremely beautiful. Hand- somely-carved pipes, bottles shaped like turtles, or made to represent animals, curiously painted and colored to the life, drinking cups, ladles, and many other utensils of household ware, are among the articles found.
We very much regretted that we were unable to visit the ruins upon the Salinas, which, we were informed, were more extensive than those of the Casas Grandes; but we found that those who knew the country best, thought it unsafe to attempt a visit with less than a party of thirty, so we re- luctantly gave up the trip.
When I told the Pimos of my visit to the Apache ran- cheria, they seemed to be astounded; but when I afterwards informed them that Cochise was my guide, their astonishment subsided, as it was generally conceded by them that Cochise had quite as much influence with the Pinal and Tonto Apaches as Mangus Colorado himself; and that at no distant
201
FELIX AUBREY'S GOLDEN BULLETS.
day he was destined to become their principal war-chief, a prediction which, I regret to say, has since been fulfilled.
Many questions were asked concerning their rancheria; and from the description I was enabled to give them of it, they came to the conclusion that it was situated in the very heart of the gold-bearing region of Arizona. Indeed, it was no uncommon thing for Apaches to come into Tucson with nuggets of gold weighing from ten pennyweights to half a pound, which they would freely barter for anything that hap- pened to please their fancy, always, however, refusing to give any information as to the portion of country from whence they had obtained it.
One Felix Aubrey, who explored the country quite ex- tensively in 1849 and '50, tells many marvellous stories of the quantities of gold which he found near the head-waters of the Gila, and also of the large amount then in possession of the Indians. He received nearly fifteen hundred dollars worth of gold for some old clothing that he sold to them. He published a journal of his travels in 1853, in which he tells of Indians that used gold for bullets in kill- ing their game, whenever they were unable to obtain lead, a story which has since been corroborated by others who have attempted to penetrate into the country. In 1856, Aubrey set about organizing an expedition to visit the gold bearing portion of Central Arizona; but, before completing the undertaking, he was killed in a broil at Santa Fé.
26
202
PLENTIFULNESS OF GOLD.
Numerous attempts have been made to penetrate this wonderful region since Aubrey's visit there, but not one of them has ever been successful. The explorers have either been obliged to return after enduring almost incredible hardships, or have perished by the hands of the Apaches.
I have myself seen pieces of gold in the possession of Apaches, weighing nearly half a pound, which they made but little account of, being ready to exchange it for any trifle that struck their fancy; and without doubt, if this portion of country could be explored, gold would be found to exist in as great abundance as it did in California in '49. The entire region north of the Gila, and east of the Rio Verde, must be full of silver and gold. We know that veins of silver have been found in the vicinity of Forts Yuma and Mojave that have yielded immensely, and that protection is the only thing needed to develop them into mines of great value. There are always adventurers in any new country ready to take their "lives in their hands," if they can have some show,- at least five or ten chances in a hundred; but with the condition of affairs that have existed in Arizona for the past ten years, their chances would scarcely be one in a hundred.
Gold was discovered on the Gila only the year before our visit there, and in less than a month Gila City was born, with a population of a thousand persons. It didn't pay, though. Water was scarce, and the dirt to be washed had
.
203
JIMMY LOSES FAITH IN THE KING.
to be carried down to the river, which in a few weeks dried up, and so did the diggings. One after another of the miners departed, the traders shut up their stores, the saloon-keepers drank their own whiskey, the Jews closed out their stock of goods for another exodus, the gamblers starved over their monte-tables; and so the bubble burst, and the city which came up like a mushroom was deserted, and all that was left to mark the spot where "pay dirt" had been found, was mud chimneys and rubbish.
About one o'clock the horn was heard, announcing the arrival of the San Francisco stage, and in an hour we were seated behind five mules, on our return to Tucson, where we arrived about noon of the next day. We found our animals all right, and only Jimmy was wanting to enable us to start at once on our return to La Mesilla. Colonel Robinson dispatched a Mexican to notify him of our arrival, and before night Jimmy was with us, quite as delighted to see us as we by any possibility could be to see him. We ques- tioned him concerning his stay with "the king," but found him unusually reticent, and evidently not inclined to say much on the subject.
That night, however, while leaning over the mud wall of Colonel Robinson's corral, enjoying the light of an Arizona moon, Jimmy confidentially informed Dr. Parker and myself that "the king was an ould humbug; that he didn't know how to trate a gintlemin at all, at all, and had trated him
204
NED MC GOWAN AND PHIL HERBERT.
like a peon; that he was a nasty baste, goin' round the house naked as he was borned. No king ivir did that in ould Ireland," said Jimmy; "and if the old haythin hadn't so many of thim sneakin' Injuns round, I should have bin jist timpted to have given him a touch of a raeal ould Irish shillalah."
Poor Jimmy! He had learned that a little brief author- ity will make itself felt wherever it can, and that Jimmy alone was a far different person in the eyes of old José than the Jimmy who accompanied Dr. Parker and myself on our visit to the old mission of San Xavier del Bac.
After debating the matter with Dr. Parker, we finally decided to spend the next day at Tucson, accepting the hospitality of Colonel Robinson, who very kindly offered to show us around the town, and introduce us to some of the celebrities of the city. During the day we met Phil Herbert, formerly a member of Congress from California, the man who, during his term of service, killed one of the waiters at Willard's Hotel, in Washington. He appeared genial and companionable, but those best acquainted with him said he was atoning for his "mistake of a life-time," by that bitter remorse which always follows in the wake of an action like that committed by Herbert. In any event, he was doing his utmost to drown the memory of the deed in the dissipation offered in a life on the Arizona frontier.
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205
A DEAD COLONEL.
and Phil were firm friends and boon companions. After Ned had subsisted for months on roots and berries in the Californian mountains, enduring every hardship, and suc- cessfully evading the clutches of the Vigilance Committee, he finally managed to escape into Arizona, a place where the statutes never trouble, and the wicked are at rest. It was said, that though Ned had killed at least a dozen men in his life, he never killed one save in behalf of some friend's quarrel.
Here, too, was Lieutenant-Colonel Johnson, Kinney's lieutenant in his celebrated Nicaragua expedition, a few. years before. He had sought an asylum in Arizona, where he was living, apparently happy and comfortable.
We also met Ex-Governor Gandera, the last governor of Sonora. He was an exile from home, anxiously waiting for the newly-appointed governor to send him a permit to return to his family.
But why particularize? Many there were, all distin- guished for something,-all characters of some kind. One might write a book concerning them, but who would care to read it?
Within an hour after we left Colonel Johnson, a report reached us that he had been killed by our friend, Colonel Robinson, and so it proved.
As we stood beside the body, which, but an hour before, we had seen so full of life and activity, we could but feel
206
STATE OF TUCSON SOCIETY.
that we had tarried at Tucson quite as long as we cared to, and were nothing loath to take our leave. We made no in- quiries into the cause of the difficulty. The verdict of the people was, that Colonel Robinson was justified, and no further notice was taken of the affair. We had learned the lesson never to see nor hear in Arizona, and it had more than once served us a good turn.
In a conversation that night with Colonel Douglas, who resided on a beautiful ranche a few miles below Tucson, we learned that more than thirty persons had been killed there within the past year ; and the colonel added, as an excuse for this wholesale slaughter, that "some of the fellers killed was awful provokin'!"
In addition to the other excitements of the day, we were told that a woman who had been carried off by the Apaches some time before had been retaken and brought into town in a starving condition. Of course we went to see her, and a most pitiable object she was. The sight of her emaciated form, and staring, hungry eyes, was enough to make any one who saw her, swear vengeance on the whole Apache race. I visited her again a few hours later, and much to my surprise she recognized me; and I found upon inquiry, that she was one of old Pennington's daughters, whose story I have related in a former chapter.
Notwithstanding the unpleasant scenes of the day, we passed a very pleasant evening, in company with Colonel
207
WE START FOR DRAGOON SPRINGS.
Douglas and Captain Ewell, he who had rescued Mrs. Paige, and brought her into Tucson. 'Twas not until long after midnight that the doctor and myself sought our blankets, quite satisfied that we had seen enough of Tucson, and thor- oughly resolved to make an early start in the morning.
As we were preparing to leave town the next day, an orderly from Captain Ewell appeared, with that gentle- man's compliments, and saying that the captain had deter- mined upon going East as far as the Dragoon Springs, a station of the Overland Mail Company, situated upon our direct route, and, if agreeable, he should be happy to act as our escort. We joyfully accepted the proposition, and five o'clock found us on the road, our number having been augmented by thirty-two dragoons, which with our train, consisting of six wagons, made quite an imposing and for- midable appearance.
Our journey was not without incident worthy of note. There was always something to relieve the monotony in the mountain scenery, which was as grand and beautiful as the most enthusiastic admirer could desire. The huge rough and jagged peaks that towered around us were toned and softened by the purple haze that enshrouded them into per- fect models of architectural beauty. Ilere an apparently impregnable fortress, standing high in the air, with its frowning battlements, grand in their massive strength, would suddenly and almost imperceptibly assume the shape
208
INDIANS AHEAD.
of a beautiful castle, or perchance a graceful Turkish mosque, with its towers and minarets, its domes and arches, so per- fect that we could but gaze in wonder at the transforma- tion, so enchanting, yet so instantaneous. Close by, barren hills of gravel and sandstone, serrated by floods, and worn by storms into perfect honeycombs, were to be seen; while here and there a magnificent Cereus Grandes, the sentinel of the desert, reared its head twenty, thirty, and even forty feet in the air, covered with beautifully variegated blossoms, and looking like some graceful shaft erected by nature herself, and decked with 'beautiful wreaths, that she might add a charm to the sterility of the soil, or perhaps the bright scarlet blossoms of a prickly-pear would be seen peeping out from behind the gray green of the mesquit, the whole, like the mountains, overhung by the rich purple tints of an Arizona atmosphere, relieved only by the clear blue smoke lazily ascending from the Indian camp-fires on the mountain- sides around us. Altogether, it was a picture both beau- tiful and pleasant to contemplate; and 'twas with no small degree of vexation that we heard one of the scouts inform Captain Ewell that he had sighted a party of Indians some distance ahead of us, notwithstanding we had all been wishing for an encounter with them, that we might see the "brave boys in blue," who were with us, astonish them with their new Spencer carbines.
Captain Ewell at once gave the order to start in pursuit,
209
A FRUITLESS CHASE.
and soon twenty-five gallant fellows were thundering along the hard, gravelly soil, with an earnestness that bespoke short work with the Apaches, if once overtaken.
We soon came to a slight elevation, where we could plainly see the Indians a long distance ahead, driving before
CAPTAIN EWELL'S PURSUIT OF THE APACHES.
them a small quantity of stock that they had doubtless captured from some poor ranchero, while as yet, far behind, our boys were fast lessening the distance between them.
The chase was a most exciting one, especially after we saw the Indians abandon their stock and strike for the
27
210
THE RETURN.
mountains as fast as their plucky little ponies could carry them. We soon lost sight of them, though Captain Ewell and his boys continued the chase, not stopping even to collect the stock that now stood quietly on the plain.
We rode slowly along towards our camping-place, which we reached about five o'clock in the evening, right glad of the shelter afforded us by the rough stone walls and thatched roof of the mail company's corral, which had been kindly . offered us by the agent. J
It was not until nearly ten o'clock that we heard the bugle, announcing the return of the captain and his party. They had followed the Indians until they had reached the mountains, but had there lost track of them; and although they had thoroughly searched the cañon, no trace of them could be found. They brought in the stock, consisting of thirteen mules and nine oxen. The cattle were very lame and foot-sore, showing that they had been driven a long distance, probably from Sonora or Chihuahua, and were headed for the Apache country, a portion of which I have described in a former chapter.
Captain Ewell was much chagrined at his failure in find- ing the Indians, and said he,-
"I don't care for the Indians, but I'm going to find where the d-d cusses went to," assuring us that he should remain there another day, for the purpose of exploring the canon, in which they had so mysteriously disappeared.
211
ON THE WAR-PATH AGAIN.
Dr. Parker and myself at once volunteered to accompany him, although we were well convinced that the search would be a fruitless one; still, we were quite anxious to see what the result of a day's explorations might bring forth.
Although we retired that night with the prospect of an adventure before us, we did not wake till the bugle sounded in the morning. We started early, our party consisting of twenty-four men, including Dr. Parker and myself. Our route lay for about six miles over a beautiful undulating prairie, rising gradually towards the mountains. The ground was covered with green grass and beautiful flowers, interspersed occasionally with small cedars, whose dark green contrasted splendidly with the lighter foliage of the spreading oaks, which dotted the landscape around us. Now and then a huge boulder would be seen, its dark-red brown presenting a curious contrast to its surroundings.
The whole scene was a charming one, as compared to the barren country over which we had so recently travelled,- one which we could but admire and gratefully acknowledge. We soon reached the mouth of the canon in which the Indians had so mysteriously disappeared the day before. The stillness of death prevailed; not a sound could be heard save the tramp of our horses' fect, or the occasional ring of a trooper's sabre as it rattled in its scabbard. Massive rocks, hundreds of fect high, piled one upon another, towered far above and on all sides of us, while
212
HOW WE FOUND THEM.
occasionally a small cedar or scrub oak was to be seen, firmly rooted in some gray cleft upon their sides. The ground over which we were travelling had once been the bed of a mountain stream, and our course was much im- peded by the large quantities of stones and small boulders, that had been worn smooth and round by the action of the waters. On we went, endeavoring to follow the course of the Mexican guide, who was now some distance in advance, the soldiers, with their clumsy cavalry horse's, finding it hard work to make much headway over the stones.
At this point we were approaching a very narrow part of the cañon, where the stream had formerly passed between two perpendicular walls from one to two hundred feet in height, and scarcely thirty in width.
As we drew near to it, so smooth were its sides, and so narrow the passage, it scarcely seemed possible that it was anything but a huge fissure in the rock, notwithstanding the guide assured us that the passage through it was feasible.
The cold, gray rocks, towering high above our heads, entirely bare of foliage, were covered with a dark brown moss, that gave to the surroundings a most gloomy and sombre aspect, in addition to which, the masses of sharp- cornered rock, round boulders, and smoothly-washed stones that covered the ground before and around us, seemed to offer an almost impassable barrier to the passage of this most forbidding little cañon.
213
WHAT WE MET.
The uncertain and suspicious aspect of the defile through which we were thus obliged to pass, caused Captain Ewell , to halt before entering it. While he dispatched two scouts to examine the passage for signs indicating the presence of Indians, he ordered his men to prepare to proceed with the utmost care, keeping a sharp lookout for lurking savages.
In a short time the scouts returned, and reported no signs of Indians; and the order was given to advance cautiously. The scouts now started in the lead, followed by Captain Ewell at the head of his men. I had lingered behind with Dr. Parker and Jimmy, for the purpose of listening to a geological dissertation from the doctor upon a specimen of rock that he had discovered, which he pronounced to be the out-croppings of a very valuable lode of silver ore, when suddenly the most terrific yells filled the air, accompanied by sounds resembling the discharge of heavy artillery, above which the clear, clarion tones of Captain Ewell could be heard shouting to his men.
Springing upon our horses, we hastily started for the entrance to the defile, but before reaching it were met by two or three of the men, whose terrified manner and fright- ened faces plainly showed that they were endeavoring to escape as fast as the rough nature of the ground would permit them. We hurriedly questioned them, and from their incoherent answers gleaned the following informa- tion :-
214
HOW THE APACHES ATTACKED US.
They were proceeding cautiously through the pass; the stillness of death reigned around them; not a living crea- ture was to be seen, save occasionally a chameleon, or great ground lizard, as, disturbed in its solitude by the tramp of horses' feet, or the sharp ring of their iron-clad hoofs upon the rocky way, it wound its noisome track over the stones beneath them, when suddenly, from far above them, the Apache war-whoop sounded in their ears. Looking up, they saw a dozen or more great pieces of rock descending from the heights above, evidently designed to crush them. Hastily turning their horses' heads, they urged them as fast as pos- sible towards the mouth of the cañon.
Leaving our horses in charge of these men, we started for the cañon on foot. Upon entering it, a scene of dire confu- sion presented itself. Occasionally a piece of rock would be precipitated from the very top of the high wall, and strik- ing the opposite side of the canon, would rebound again and again, until it finally fell with a tremendous crash to the earth, causing the soldiers to huddle together at the foot of the wall, unmindful of their horses, or aught else save protection for themselves.
Captain Ewell, with perhaps a dozen of his men, had been separated from the remainder of his party by a mass of rock thrown from above, which, lying piled up at the bottom of the pass, completely blocked its passage. He seemed to be endeavoring to rally that portion of his command with
215
JIMMY BECOMES VALIANT.
him, in an attempt to scale the almost perpendicular walls, upon the top of which were the Apaches, whose demoniacal yells resounded through the narrow defile, rendering confu- sion worse confounded. Several of the men were endeavor- ing to release two of their companions, who with their horses had been struck to the earth by the terrible missiles hurled from above.
As yet not an Indian had been seen. The doctor caught a glimpse of a head peering over the edge of rock far above us, and raising his rifle, fired without even pausing to take aim. Down came the naked body of an Apache, his bow still tightly grasped in his hand. As he tumbled over and over, rebounding from against the steep walls, he struck the ground but a short distance in advance of us. Jimmy, rushing forward, commenced kicking the body in the most valiant manner, exclaiming at the same time, "There, ye dhirty, naked divil, git behind another rock, will yez, and thry to kill honest min that's passin' thro' th' counthry a sight-sain'; take that, will yez?" and he bestowed kick after kick upon the mangled body, after which he grasped the bow, and wrenching it from the grip of death with which it was held, again joined us, completely exhausted by his frantic efforts for revenge. For months afterwards this bow proved to be Jimmy's best card; for he related the story of his "capturin' it from an Apache, shure, wid these
216
DEATH.
two hands, miself," many times, always forgetting to state, however, that the Apache was a dead one.
For a few moments we stood and watched the captain and his men toiling up the steep ascent, and then went forward to assist in extricating the poor fellows, whose lives had been so suddenly and unexpectedly crushed out. After working for a couple of hours, we succeeded in recovering the mangled and lifeless bodies from under the mass of rock; then slowly and with tender care we placed them upon a litter made of their comrades' rifles, on which they were borne to the mouth of the Pass, and there laid upon the green grass, to await the arrival of the rest of the command, who, with their captain, were scouring the rocks in the vain hope of overtaking and punishing the lurking foe who had attacked them in such a cowardly manner.
After many and repeated attempts, the men succeeded in removing a sufficient portion of the rocks that blocked the passage of the cañon, to enable them to get out their horses from behind the mass; and some hours later, Captain Ewell and his men returned from their fruitless pursuit, quite worn out with fatigue.
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