Apache Indians -- Fiction; Historical fiction; Western stories
Bent double, running swiftly, keeping the bush he had quit always
between himself and the enemy, the Black Bear scurried for new cover,
and reached it. They had not seen him—yet. But still they were coming
toward him. Again he raced for a new place of concealment, but this time
he scarce believed himself that the Mexicans would be so blind as not to
discover him, nor were they.
Their sudden shouts shattered the quiet of the noonday; a _carabina_
barked and a bullet ricocheted from a great boulder just as Shoz-Dijiji
leaped to shelter behind it.
Shoz-Dijiji whipped out his Colt and fired twice above the top of his
rocky breastwork. A horse fell and the three Mexicans scattered for
shelter—not because they were cowards, but because they were versed in
the guerrilla warfare of their savage foe.
As they scattered, Shoz-Dijiji raced for new shelter, nearer the
mountains that were his goal, and again he was fired upon. One of the
soldiers was exposed as Shoz-Dijiji turned toward them. Ah, if he had
his rifle! But he had no rifle and so he fired with his six-shooter, and
though he missed he made all three withdraw behind rocks and bushes, and
again he moved quickly to a new location.
For an hour this running fight continued until the Black Bear succeeded
in attaining a hilltop so thickly strewn with boulders that he could lie
in comparative safety and hold his fortress. If he could but hold it
until darkness had come there would be no further need for apprehension;
but when he saw one of the soldiers creeping warily back toward the two
remaining horses that they had left where the fight commenced he guessed
that new trouble lay in store for him, and so he concentrated his fire
upon this man.
The other Mexicans, however, had no mind to see their fellow slain and
their plan frustrated, so they, in turn, concentrated their fire upon
Shoz-Dijiji. Bullets flew thick and fast, pattering upon boulders,
plowing into soft earth, ricocheting, whistling, screaming, and the
soldier won safely out of range of Shoz-Dijiji’s Colt, reached the
horses, mounted one of them, and galloped off toward Casas Grandes.
The Apache glanced at the sun, quickly computed the distance to Casas
Grandes and the remaining hours of daylight and reached the conclusion
that reinforcements would arrive long before dark. His ammunition was
running low. Three miles away the mountains offered him sanctuary. It
was better to run for them now with only two _carabinas_ firing at him
than to wait until there were perhaps fifty. He emptied his six-shooter
rapidly at the cover behind which the enemy lay; then he reloaded and
fired twice again, after which he rose quickly and, bending low, ran for
the mountains, zigzagging, dodging, twisting. Bullets whinged past him;
bullets spattered him with dirt and gravel; there were bullets
everywhere but where Shoz-Dijiji was.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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