Note (return) — Chapter XVI

Two soldiers of Captain Sykes's company25 were wounded, and one of them afterwards died. The other man was severely injured, but eventually recovered. The Indians, on being routed, were pursued through a deep cañon for about four miles. A few who had been previously wounded were overtaken and slain. Night now came on; therefore, the men had to give up the chase, and on returning to their own encampment they found their friends had located it on the same ground which the Indians had occupied when they were first discovered. The next morning the surviving wounded man, with an escort, was sent back to the nearest military post, so that he could receive proper attention. The pursuit at an early hour was then resumed, by the soldiers' taking the fresh trail of the Indians. Away went both parties through valleys, cañons, and over snow clad mountains, until, in the end, the Americans saw that it was impossible to overtake the red men, who began to break up into squads of two and three and scatter in every direction. During the latter days of the chase, the routes which the Indians traveled were the worst they could select; their object being, entirely to use up the animals of their pursuers, who were thus vigorously driving them from one haunt to another. Very often, at night, the soldiers would find themselves bivouacked but a short distance from the place which they had left on the previous morning; and this happened, when not once during the whole day, had they missed the trail or ceased travelling; but the fact was, that the enemy were so familiar with the country that they made these crooked trails with impunity. Finally, the Indians saw that in this trial of muscles and nerves they gained nothing, and could not thus shake off their pursuers, but that it was necessary for them to try other expedients; therefore, they separated, to meet again at some preconcerted rendezvous. On this occasion, as so often heretofore, the Apaches did not belie the character formed of them by some of our most experienced military men, and of which we have before spoken: viz., that they have no equals for endurance, and such a thing as overtaking them when once put to flight is almost out of the category of the white man's feats.