warfare; they would not harm
a hair of his head. But if he refused they surely would come on this
time and kill him.

To which Uncle Billy Rhodes replied profanely inviting them to make
the charge.

"Because," he ended, "I'm plumb anxious to get some more of you."

And then he sat back biding their coming--with his empty revolver. But
the silence continued uninterrupted; the shadows merged to dusk;
twilight deepened to darkness. The Apaches had stolen away, and Uncle
Billy Rhodes crept forth from the willows to catch up his horse and
ride with his broken arm to Tucson, where he told the story.

Now there is no doubt what would have happened to Uncle Billy had he
been gullible enough to believe that statement of the Apaches as to
his personal safety in case of surrender. As a matter of cold fact
neither Indian nor white man had any particular reason to look for
favor or expect the truth from his enemy during this long struggle.

Just to get an idea of the relentlessness of their warfare it is worth
while noting this incident in passing--one of those incidents which
were never reported to Washington for the simple reason that
Washington could never understand them.

A band of renegade Apaches had left the reservation to go a-plundering
down in Mexico. A certain troop of cavalry was riding after them with
the usual instructions from Washington to bring them back without
bloodshed.

The captain of the troop was a seasoned Indian-fighter, and he managed
to keep the fugitives moving so fast that they got next to nothing to
eat. When you are traveling without rations along the ridges during an
Arizona summer and there is no time to stop for hunting, no time to
bake mescal roots; when you need every pony for riding and you have
eaten the last lean dog; then bellies draw in and the ribs begin to
stand out.

There were a number of squaws and children in the Apache outfit, and
by the time the chase had been going on for two weeks or so with
back-trackings, twistings and turnings, and every march a forced one,
why then the pace of the fugitives began to slacken. And the troopers
overtook them one fine day right out in the open where there was no
opportunity for stand or ambush.

According to his instructions from the men who ran our Indian
affairs in Washington, the captain of the troopers must bring these
renegades back unharmed or face the necessity of making a great many
explanations. So he drew up his men in formati