56. A Fight With the Enemy on the Arkansas River

The Apache and Ute were camping together near Cimarron. After they had held the bear dance, they moved away to the Canadian River and continued camping at "small hills", "saddle-washed-away", Carriso, "Cimarron dry", and "five peaks" until they came to a plain where there were many ponds of water. From here, they moved toward the east to the plain where many buffalo had been killed. They could not tell who had killed them. They next moved to a place on the Arkansas River called "white sands." From this camp they rode eastward looking in vain

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for buffalo. They found only bulls going about by themselves, one of which they killed and brought back with them.

About half the hand turned back west from this point While the others went on eastward. Another buffalo bull was found by itself and killed. East of the Arkansas River they found the track of a mule and a horse led behind, evidences of the enemy They moved their camp back toward the west to a mountain called, Tseintcincyihi.

Three men turned back to hunt deer. The enemy who had been following, discovered these hunters and riding up, took away their horses. One man hid himself successfully, another escaped through the thick brush, and the third was followed by the enemy. On this side, where a small arroyo passing through a little flat enters the larger arroyo, the enemy began shooting at him. An arrow which the Apache was holding in his hand was hit in the middle. The Apache, having dismounted, waited close by in the arroyo. He shot one of the enemy who came up close to him causing him to fall from his horse. The others, coming to the same place continued the fight, shooting the Apache in the back. He pulled out the arrow but the small flint arrow-head remained in his body. He shot again and another enemy fell from his horse. The enemy were now afraid and withdrew. The Apache went into the brush. One of the men came to the Apache camp and brought them word of what had happened. That evening, several of them rode to the place on horseback. Having spent the night in the thick brush close to the enemy, they came early the next morning to the place where the two men were still staying. They found that the stones on which the blood had dropped where the enemy had been shot from his horse, had been all turned over and the bloody grass had been pulled up and thrown into the brush.

On the top of a small hill near by, a platform had been built on which the body had been placed together with all of his personal belongings. The Apache rode close by this place. They found where the enemy had been encamped in large numbers near the creek and had killed sheep and eaten them. The enemy had gone to the mountains on the other side of the river. The Apache turned about and started toward home.

Some of the Apache, two men, two women, and three children; seven in all, had started on in advance. They noticed some people traveling behind them and sent one of the men back to see if they were their own people. When he had ridden close enough to them he saw they were not his people. When he turned to ride away the enemy rode after him, calling to him to wait. Then he stopped his horse, took off his clothes, put on his war-bonnet and shouted to them, "Now." A chief of the enemy rode toward him. The two men, drawing their knives, and stopping their horses close

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together, tried to pull each other from their horses. Each stabbed the other with a knife and both were killed.

The enemy then rode up and surrounded the remaining Apache. The man kept shooting at the enemy. Although the arrows fell all about none of them hit him nor was he wounded by the bullets. After a while, he was shot in the sole of his foot. He killed many of the enemy. The enemy killed two white horses near one of which the wounded man was lying. He took off the bridle and then put it down again on top of the horse. While standing there he was killed. They were all killed except one small child whose body was not found. The enemy had taken it captive. The arms and legs of two of the children had been cut off.

When the remainder of the Apache came back to Cimarron they inquired for their relatives. Finding they had not returned, a party of eight went out on horseback and found their bodies where they had been killed. They gathered up and brought home four large bundles of arrows some of which they distributed among the Ute. The Ute said that even when several had been engaged in the fight they had never found so many arrows. ¹

Footnotes

247:1 When asked how the information was obtained concerning this encounter Casa Maria explained that a Mescalero Indian who was with the enemy at the time, afterward told of the occurrence on a ration day. The Ute immediately killed him.