Wild Life in the Far West: Being the Personal Adventures of a Border Mountain Man. Captain James Hobbs
was at the head of the Shawnees of our party, and they numbered about seventy, and of the Americans there were nearly a hundred in the city who regarded me as their leader, now, as Kit Carson was absent at Bent's Fort.
Take the party all together they were a fearful set to behold. But the Shawnee trappers and guards har- monized very well with our teamsters and hunters, as a general thing, especially when any danger was feared, or an expedition planned against the savages. Then all hands were united as one common brotherhood.; and we would fight certain tribes of Indians for the fun of the thing, and for common humanity, even if we were not offered a reward for every scalp.
Mr. Kirker asked us, when we were mostly assembled together, whether we wanted to go out on an expedi- tion to fight the Apaches.
Spiebuck, speaking for his band, said if the govern- ment of Chihuahua would give him fifty dollars for each scalp, he would go along with us, and risk but what he could clear his expenses. This proposition was accepted, the rest of us consenting to the arrange- ment, with the proviso that we were to have all the animals we should capture.
We at once commenced organizing our company in the "Bull Pen," or place for bull fighting. Here we stored our arms, ammunition, and accoutrements for our mules until our company was fully organized and
STARTING FOR APACHES. 83
equipped for service, which did not take long, as we were all anxious to be on the road.
We got a job, sooner than we expected, which prom- ised to be a good thing. There was a rich Mexican in Chihuahua who sent his pack train of sixty or eighty mules every year to the Mexican coast for goods. On its return this year, 1842, every man accompanying the train, excepting one, was killed within ten miles of Chihuahua, by the Apaches, and the mules and goods taken away by them. The single person who escaped came into the city and reported the facts of the mas- sacre and robbery, when the proprietor of the pack train came directly to us and promised that he would give us half of all the mules and goods we could recapture from the Indians.
That night we packed our provisions, mounted, and started off. We requested Mr. Pores, the owner of the train, to send the escaped Mexican to show us where the murders were committed. Spiebuck said all he wanted was to get on the track and he would soon fix the Indians. In the morning we arrived at the place of massacre, and found nine dead bodies horribly mutilated, and scalped. We were cooking breakfast when men, sent by the Mexican authorities at the re- quest of Mr. Pores, arrived to take the dead bodies into the city. After a hasty breakfast, we took the tracks of the Indians, with Spiebuck leading our party, and after going four miles found a dead mule. Tin's mule was loaded with sugar, and had given out and been lanced and left by the Apaches. We took off the pack saddle and the sugar, putting it on an extra mule of our own.
That night we reached the Indian camping ground of the first night, finding rice, coffee, and sugar scattered
84 ATTACK ON APACHE THIEVES.
about. We stopped there for rest and feed, and, start- ing early, proceeded ten miles further the next morning, where we found several more mules which had given out and been left to perish with their valuable loads strapped to their backs, the Indians having no means of saving the freight. We secured this property, leav- ing a guard to watch it, and pushing ahead with all the speed we could muster out of our tired animals, we overtook the rascals the third day, and Spiebuck, who was in advance, bade us stop, so that he could reconnoitre and find out the force of the enemy.
When he returned he reported that the Indians were all drunk. They had traveled as they supposed be- yond danger, and having found a quantity of liquor in their capture, were enjoying a good spree. There were forty- three of them, some dead drunk and some asleep, so we concluded that from their tipsy condition they would be an easy prey.
We opened out, dividing into two squads, so as to attack from opposite sides, and reached them before they noticed our approach. They were so completely taken by surprise that but few guns were discharged, the most of them being killed with knives and toma- hawks. The Shawnees immediately scalped the whole lot, and Spiebuck took charge of the ghastly trophies, giving them a little dressing of salt, to preserve them till we saw the governor again and got the money for them. We recovered sixty mules belonging to Mr. Pores, and captured besides forty-three Apache horses and mustangs. We camped on the spot that night, as some of our numerous company of Americans and Indians were about as fond of liquor as the Indians we had killed; and finding some choice wines and liquors in some of the mule packs, they soon were in no con-
AN APACHE VILLAGE. 85
dition for traveling, and it was difficult to find enough sober men for a guard for the animals.
As we were within two days' march of the principal village of the Apaches, we decided to secrete our goods, which were mostly of a valuable character, and leave behind us such animals as we should not need, with a guard over all, and with about one hundred and fifty men all told, push on and destroy the village, securing what scalps we could. Nearly every man was armed with a rifle and pair of six shooters, and we were confident of the result. We were guided by Kirker and a Mexican half-breed, who had lived among the Apaches when Kirker was their chief, who were in advance with Spiebuck.
After two days' travel we approached the main In- dian camp, and Spiebuck bade us halt our train while he went forward to take a look at their position and learn their strength. He returned saying they were over a thousand in number, counting the women and children, but did not fear the result. However, he made Kirker go forward and reconnoitre with him, and they both returned confident that the odds were in our favor. We moved our stock into a low ravine about a mile and a half from the village, and left six men to watch them. The balance of us went up on the top of a hill, where we could look down into the village with- out being discovered.
The view was splendid. The sun was just setting. Their lodges were thickly spread out in a pine grove close to a lovely lake some six or eight miles across. The sheet of water, so beautifully smooth, resembled a mirror among the hills, and there was scarcely a sound to break the stillness that reigned throughout their camp. Presently, a little after sunset, we discov-
86 PLAN OF ATTACK.
ered a war party of seventy or eighty Apaches return- ing to the village, from the direction of Sonora; and as they came around the edge of the lake, we saw that they had scalps, and made up our minds that if we let them alone till daybreak we should do better; for, no doubt they had made a capture of liquor, and would have a drunken war dance that night, which proved to be the result. Spiebuck suggested the delay, and his advice was always respected by Kirker and the rest of us.
We lunched on some provisions we had brought, and then all laid down to get a little sleep till the guard should call us, at three o'clock in the morning. Then we jumped up, and, forming into two parties, made preparations for the attack.
The day was just breaking; and Spiebuck, who had been down looking at the enemy from a short distance, said they were nearly all overcome with liquor, and most of them asleep. Three or four, however, were staggering around a camp fire, and it was important that we proceed very cautiously. Kirker led one of our parties around on one side of their camp, while Spiebuck and myself led the other and posted it on the opposite side of the camp. Kirker had a whistle, which he was to blow when all was ready, and then we were to rush in with yells, shoot all we could at the first discharge, and then finish up with our knives and tomahawks.
There was a huge negro in our company, named Andy, who had loaded his musket with buckshot. I placed him not far from me, and close to one of the outside lodges, giving him orders not to fire until he heard Kirker's whistle.
Soon, an Indian came out of the lodge near Andy,
THE ATTACK. 87
and he blazed away, without waiting for orders. He must have put a handful of buckshot in his gun, for the savage was fairly riddled. The negro was lucked over backwards by the gun, and the barrel flirted out of the stock. Upon this alarm, both parties