illed and made prisoners the
people who inhabited them, and became so formidable that for a length
of time everything was at their mercy. They lost no opportunity in
showing their power and in possessing themselves of the finest herds
of horses, mules, cattle and sheep within their reach.

This Chief Blanco is a man who stands in his moccasins about five feet
nine inches. He is rather thickset but, to use an Indian phrase, he
is straight as an arrow. The chief attraction about this Indian is his
head, which is finely developed. His lustrous black eye is filled with
animation and shows an active brain, which, unfortunately, is turned
to bad account. His forehead is lofty, yet it is symmetrically
chiselled, and every feature about his face is as regular as if it
had been carved for sculptured perfection. Blanco is a man who, in any
sphere of life, would have become most certainly distinguished;
and, under the influence of education, he might have risen even
to greatness. In his present unreclaimed state, he shows to a
disadvantage.

It is within my province fully to attest to the earnestness, the
savageness and the brutality with which these Indians commenced this
contest. I was then stationed in their country and came very near
being one of their first victims. The circumstances of this narrow
escape happened as follows. For a considerable length of time the
post to which I was then attached, was kept in a constant state of
excitement by receiving authentic accounts, daily, of murders
and robberies committed by the Indians. While these events were
transpiring, the officers and soldiers were anxious to take the field
in order that they might punish the perpetrators of the crimes; but,
as the force of the Indians was, numerically speaking, very strong,
therefore it required, in order to insure success, a well organized
command to match them and checkmate their plans at once. It required
time and much labor for the officers in charge of the military
district to arrange and complete their plans. Every man who left our
post ran the risk of losing his life; for, the enemy kept an eye on
the road which led away from it to the principal towns of New Mexico,
as often there was rich booty, for them to obtain, passing over it.
Notwithstanding this critical state of affairs, express duty had to be
performed, and it required brave men for the task. There were present,
however, those who stood ready to volunteer to execute all expre