With Crawford in Mexico [pp. 78-83]

1886.] H/iti Crazeford ini Mexico. 81
We kept traveling south until we reached we should have a fight in three days, and
the Tesero Babi Creek, where General Crook some one would be killed; but if Captain
camped in i883 before going into the Sierra Crawford would kill a white cow and let
Madre; and then the Indians pointed out them eat it, we should catch the Chiricahuas.
to us the dim outlines of a mountain far to The singular part of it was, that the next day
the southwest, where they said the hostiles a part of his story came true.
were to rendezvous. The Indians called it After a long, hot march of nearly forty
the "Klee," or " Horse" mountain, but we miles, a great deal of which was on foot, havafterwards learned the Mexicans called it the ing crossed the Batipito River and gone into
Sierra de Teres. camp at the foot of the Sierra de Teres, word
Our march from here led over the rough- was brought in that one of the scouts had
est country I have ever seen; although the been killed, and another wounded, by MexMexicans called the trail the Camino real, icans, while lagging behind the column. This
and it was used as a highway between towns, created the greatest excitement among the
it was all but impracticable for animals. We scouts, and many of us feared that if they atwalked, and led our half starved horses, for tempted reprisals on the Mexicans, as they
since leaving the eastern slope of the Sierra threatened, we should have a poor chance
Madre, grass was but scarce and poor, and with our little command ever to get out of
they had nothing else to live on. Mexico. We shortly after received a letter
Down into interminable canons, thousands from the Presidente of Huasavas, a small
of feet, under a broiling sun, we toiled, only town on the river south of us. He inclosed a
to find, when we got to the bottom, we had letter from an American, explaining the cirto climb up another place on the other side, cumstances. The Americans had come over
just as bad. The cantions seemed to be the a hill suddenly, and seeing the scouts, thought
bottoms of immense craters in some places, they were hostiles, and fired upon them. This
and had it been cool enough to have ap- was explained to the Indians, and apparentpreciated the beauties of nature, I do not ly they were satisfied, but they neither lagged
doubt we should have admired the grand nor straggled after that.
views that often burst upon us; but it was The letter from the Presidente of Huasatoo hot for anything except a rest,.and we vas also contained the information that the
could not take a rest then. hostiles had left the Sierra de Teres, where
The Indians had been making "medicine," we were then camped, and had been seen
and singing their "medicine" songs every near the village of Oputa, north of us. They
night since we started. After they had had had evidently gone to these mountains, as
supper, and had all smoked their cigarettes, Chatto said they would. We sent out and
they would start in to sing a monotonous buried the dead scout, and brought in the
chn, in whc al joied an the wol woude one an th nex monn state