69. Deer Hunting in the Mescalero Country

They started from Tierra Amarilla and placed their camp at Cebolla. From there they moved camp to Cangillon and from there to El Rito. Next they went to Cuchilla. From there they moved to Española. From there they moved to Santa Fe, camping on the hill east of the town. Then they moved to TseLkaihî?âye. From there they went east to a Mexican town. Then they camped at Anton Chiso. Next they stopped at Alamo Gordo. From there they moved to Bosque. From there they

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moved to DzeLk'ane daLkîdjîye, "mulberry trees scattered". From there they moved to Naudajehi. From there they moved to Rio Bonito where the soldiers were living. They camped right among the houses of the soldiers remaining four days. From there they removed to Carrizo where the sawmill stood. The Mescalero were camped there and we camped among them. They were drinking tiswin.

After a while a number of us started after deer together. One Mexican who had married a Mescalero, Carilla, by name, was with us. We camped right by the soldiers. They nearly caught us. Some were in front of us, among them Carilla. During the night he rode back to us and we moved camp before day, although it was raining. Two men rode up behind us telling us to hurry up. We came to a gap at the end of a mountain about daylight. A large number of people camped there. We came to a lake called Pato. Early in the morning we moved from there separating into two bodies and camped at a place where there was no water. "You look for water," he told us. We searched for water in vain. Three of us found a little water standing right in the plain. We returned to the camp to find that they had moved away from us. We followed behind them until evening. They had camped at the edge of the water by Turkey Mountain.

"To-morrow we will hunt," he said. Early the next morning before daylight, Luna and I went together a considerable distance before it became daylight. We found deer running through the timber. We separated, one going on either side, and lost sight of each other. One deer ran toward me and then ran off to a distance.

I went where trees were standing and climbed up where I could see in all directions. The deer were moving about but there was nothing that could be used for cover. Being unable to get close, with the sight at the highest notch, I shot and missed. The deer ran east and I followed them. When I got near to them as they were going slowly up the mountain I shot without having moved the sight. I did not hit them. The deer ran up the steep place to the top. Then I remembered the sight and moved it back. Close by me I heard the discharge of a gun. I sat down on top of the hill and was smoking when I looked over there and saw a deer running straight toward me. I was sitting behind some trees. When it was close to me I shot. It ran off this way and I ran after it. I found blood and over there it was lying dead. I butchered it and put the meat on a tree thinking, "I will come after it to-morrow." I went home to the camp. When I came past the arroyo there was a band of deer jumping over each other. Coming up to the edge of the rock, I shot, killing seven. I butchered them and left them right there on the ground. I ran back to the camp, got a horse, and rode back. Having tied them on the horse, I brought them home.

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The others also brought back meat from different directions. Luna had killed five; three antelope, two deer. Another man killed one, another two, and another three. This way they brought back meat.

They started out in another direction. I killed two bucks. From there we brought back a large amount of meat. From there we moved camp to the lakes and went out hunting in different directions. Some brought back antelope and some brought back deer. We dried much meat and packed it in parfleches. Coming back with it we camped at Rio Bonito.