Wild Life in the Far West: Being the Personal Adventures of a Border Mountain Man. Captain James Hobbs
unfor- tunate carrier, and both were fearfully gashed by tomahawks.
Speyers ordered Spiebuck and a party of our Indian companions to go forward, and proceed cautiously, for fear of a surprise by the Indians. We picked up the dead men and placed them in a wagon, and gathered up the mails, which were scattered over the ground, taking them along with us. I didn't feel sleepy any more that night. We arrived at the Rio Grande the next morning, where we found a splendid camping- ground, and concluded to stop over one day, as there was plenty of grass, with wood and water. Here we buried the two mail-carriers.
The Shawnees went out for game, and succeeded in killing four deer. They reported that they saw fresh tracks of Indians, and advised us to be careful. We were so apprehensive of an attack, that we took extra pains to secure our stock, and made a Mexican boy sleep among the mules, holding the bell-mare. This was a grayish spotted mare, that all the herd would follow. That night, after changing the guard, the camp was alarmed by the report of a gun, and by this Mexican running in with his mare. We inquired of him who fired the gun, and one of the guard, a Dutchman named Charlie Mayer, said he discharged his piece at an Indian who was skulking out beyond the mules, and said he, "Follow me, boys, and I'll show you the Injuns." A party went with him, and, discovering an object that, in the darkness, resembled an Indian, they fired into it; but, as it did not move, they went up to it, and discovered that it was only a black stump, and they returned to camp badly sold. Mr. Speyers, noticing the stump, the next
ATTEMPTED SURPRISE. 73
morning, with two bullet-holes in it, said it was good target-practice for night- work.
Next day we proceeded to a place called Dona Anna, where Mr. Speyers reported to the authorities the deaths of the two mail-carriers, and delivered their mail, or what there was left of it. He decided to rest there that day, and bought feed for his stock of the Mexicans. I had the ill-luck that day to break the main-spring of my rifle, and, as I was to have charge of the guard that night, Mr. Speyers gave me a double- barreled shot-gun, which I put in order and loaded with fifteen buck-shot to each barrel. Our animals were turned into a field that had no fence on one side, next the river, for it was a bluff bank, four or five feet high. The Mexicans told us to beware of certain Indians who were lurking about, stealing horses, &c, while they pretended to be friendly. My guard came on duty at midnight, and, after placing them at favor- able points to protect the mules, I took my station on the river-bank, near a cottonwood-tree.
Soon after I had thus taken my position, I saw a mule looking across the river as though some object attracted his attention. Turning my eyes in that direc- tion, and looking sharply, I noticed a shadow approach- ing the river from the other side, which I soon made out to be an Indian, advancing silently into the water. The mule, becoming more alarmed at this, snorted.
"What's that?" whispered Amos Hambright, one of my guard, a few steps distant from me.
"Keep still," I answered in a low tone, moving toward him, and keeping the cottonwood-tree between me and the Indian.
I cocked my gun, and got down behind the tree, as I knew the fellow would come up the bluff by the path,
74 SHOOTING A RAIDER.
which would cause him to pass within a few feet of the tree. When lie had got half- way across the river, he was alarmed by the mule snorting a second time, and paused for some minutes, but finally came over and began crawling up the bank toward me. When he had got within two or three lengths of my gun, there was another snort from several mules in the vicinity, and the Indian stooped down, with his back toward me and his face near the ground, to listen. I thereupon poured into the small of his back fifteen buck-shot, which killed him instantly. At the noise of my gun, 1 heard a clatter of hoofs on the opposite bank of the river, and a "What's the matter?" from Hambright, who came running up.
"Matter enough," I answered; "I 've just killed an Injun, and there are plenty more on the other side."
The mules stampeded, and the Mexican bell-boy, who had foolishly tied the bell-mare to his leg, and laid down for a nap, was dragged some distance over the field, with the frightened animals trampling on him. Not hearing from him, we went in search, and found the poor fellow insensible, with his face mashed and his ribs broken in. He was untied and taken to a wagon, where he remained some time before coming to, and he was on the sick-list for a good while after. The bell-mare was led into our corral, which was formed near the road on the outside of the fence, by ranging the wagons in a circle, with the wheels tied together by ropes, and an opening at one side like a horse-shoe. The mules all followed the mare into the corral.
"Who fired that gun?" inquired Mr. Speyers.
"I did," was my reply.
"Did you shoot another black stump? " was his
next question.
SPIEBUCK'S PEACE. 75
"No," I said; "I didn't shoot a black stump, but I shot a mighty black Indian."
"I would rather see him than to hear tell of him," said he.
Several of us took a mule down to where the Indian lay, and, tying a rope around his neck, we fastened it to the pommel of the saddle, and dragged the man into camp.
"Mr. Speyers, here 's your stump," I said, with a laugh.
"Not much stump about that fellow," said he, gazing at him in surprise.
"Will you have him scalped, or take him as he is?" I asked.
"He will do as he is," said Speyers.
The Indian was scalped, however, and dragged off and thrown into a hollow. The mules were let out of the corral again to feed in the field, as soon as we saw there was no more danger; while I reloaded my gun, and went back to my station, seeing no more thieving Indians that night.
At breakfast, next morning, Mr. Speyers told me he thought he should raise his price for the scalps of such Indians as that, and this one was worth about one hundred and fifty dollars. He was the biggest Apache I ever saw, measuring full six feet four inches; but usually the Indians of that tribe are rather under size.
That afternoon, while we were moving down the Rio Grande, nearly one hundred Apaches appeared on the other side of the river, and made signs and called to us in Spanish, that they were friendly, and wanted to make peace with us. Spiebuck shot one of them, at the same time calling out, that was the peace he had for them. They then dispersed, and we saw no more
76 PASO DEL NORTE.
Indians for some time. The third day after this, we arrived at the Mexican town of Paso del Norte, a place of some eight thousand inhabitants. The cross- ing of the river here is dangerous, as its bed abounds in quicksands. We had to double teams to each wagon, and cross one at a time, keeping in motion; for? if allowed to stop, the wagon and mules sink immediately. Notwithstanding our precautions, one of our heaviest loaded wagons halted in the middle of the river, and at once sank, till all the goods were wet, and we had to pack the load ashore on our men's backs, before the wagon could be drawn out.
We remained at Paso del Norte six days, recruiting our mules and drying our goods. We spent the time very pleasantly, among other pleasures attending sev- eral fandangoes. The place is handsomely built up. Fruits and grain are abundant, and the land is rich and well-watered by irrigation. At this point, the river becomes the boundary between New Mexico and Chihuahua.
The seventh day after our arrival, we renewed our journey down the right bank of the river, and made about fifteen miles, when we camped. Spiebuck said, as we were pretty well out of danger now from the Apaches, he would go out and get a deer. Some half an hour later, we heard several shots in the direction he had gone, and ten of us mounted and started off to see what was the matter, and, after traveling a short distance, we saw about twenty Apaches, armed with guns, bows, and arrows, fighting with Spiebuck, who was nowhere to be seen. The Indians ran when they discovered us, and we, fearing they had killed Spie- buck, commenced a search for him, finding him in a