CHAPTER XIX
THE FIGHT
The discovery of the Indian trail, and the unmistakable evidence thatthe marks had been left by a band of Yaquis, was the most encouragingnews the boy ranchers and their friends had received since starting outto rescue Rosemary and Floyd. It was a fortunate meeting with the U.S.Troopers.
"Only for that," observed Bud, as he rode along with his cousins, "we'dhave been way off. We were headed just in the opposite direction whenwe took to cover thinking the Yaquis were coming after us."
"Yes, and the longer we traveled the farther off we'd be," agreed Nort."It's lucky all around."
"It'll be luckier when we come up to this band of Greasers and takeRosemary and Floyd away," declared Dick.
"Just think!" exulted Nort. "We'll soon be taking part in a realIndian fight! I didn't think there could be such a thing outside of anovel."
"Are these Yaquis real Indians?" asked Dick. "They don't impress methat way. Seems more like fighting some low down colored men."
"I wouldn't insult a decent negro by comparing him to an Indian of thepresent Yaquis tribe," laughed Bud. "They aren't at all alike. Butthe Yaquis are real Indians of one of the Mexican races--a race thatwas once among the best. Of course, even then, they weren't like ourAmerican Indians."
"I guess I'm looking for tomahawks and scalping knives and listeningfor warwhoops!" admitted Dick. "I have an Indian stone pipe home, witha long flat stem, made of a piece of oak, with designs burned in it.Around one end are wound some red and blue beads, and the stem has someold faded ribbons tied to it. Have the Yaquis anything like that?" heasked Bud.
"Not that I know of. The present generation smoke cigarettes when theycan get 'em, something no self-respecting American Indian would dreamof. Maybe the Yaquis have some such ceremony as smoking the peacepipe, but I don't know about it. I never saw any of their stone pipes.I know the kind you mean, Dick. The pipe part is hollowed out with asmall hole--hardly holds enough tobacco for a good smoke, I'd say,though I never tried it."
"That's the kind," Dick said. "Well, to my mind, these Yaquis aren'thalf so--so--well, you know what I mean," he concluded, at loss for theright word.
"Picturesque," suggested his brother.
"That's it! They aren't at all the kind of Indians you'd like to readabout."
"Rex Beach doesn't think much of 'em," commented Bud. "I read in oneof his books where he says the Yaquis are a playful people, and theydearly love to hold up Southern Pacific trains. It's one of theirfavorite sports and pastimes."
"Do you really think they do?" asked Dick. "If they're train robbersthey have more gumption than I thought."
"Well, I don't know," admitted Bud. "Rex Beach writes good stuff, andhas some corking movies out, but maybe he was joking when he spoke ofthe Yaquis. Anyhow we know what they've done to our friends, and it'sup to us to pay 'em back!"
"You said a hollow-toothful that time, kid!" declared Rolling Stone, ashe cantered up ahead to take part in a consultation, caused when a new"sign" was discovered.
The discovery of new marks in the soil--marks left by the passing alongof some Indians--was deemed of enough importance to call a halt, whilethose most familiar in the interpretation of such mystic evidences,made certain what they indicated.
In this discussion the boy ranchers could have no part for they werenot at all versed in the meaning of what was quite plain to RollingStone, some of the trooper scouts and a few of the cowboys.
"We'll eat as long as we had to stop," decided Captain Marshall, whenit was made known to him that some of the scouts wanted to scurry aboutin a circle, and ascertain if there were any more evidences that wouldhelp solve many vital questions.
The troopers had come out well rationed--much better so, in fact thanhad our friends, and the soldiers extended an invitation to theircomrade in arms to partake of "grub," an invitation that was quicklyaccepted. For the American soldier is the best fed of any in the world.
In the midst of the meal word was sent back to have Buck Tooth, the oldIndian in the service of Bud, to come out to where the trooper scoutsand cowboys were having a consultation.
"Buck Tooth can tell 'em what's what," declared Bud. "He claims to bea Yaqui, though since these imps have pulled off this stunt I thinkI'll get Buck Tooth to change his tribe. But he can read Indian signall right."
This was evidently so for, a little later, exultant shouts on the partof the trooper scouts and the cowboys announced that something new hadbeen found. And it was Buck Tooth's discovery as the boy rancherslearned soon.
The old Indian had carefully studied the trail, and then, going off toone side, had hunted about until he found what he was in evident searchof--another trail, leading in the opposite direction from that ourfriends had been following.
"Yaquis come 'long here--go up to mountain, then come back 'gin, sameway like, then go like so," and Buck Tooth held out his arm stiffly,extending two fingers of his hand wide apart like a fork.
"I see what he means!" exclaimed Snake Purdee. "They doubled on theirtrack for part of the way back, and then branched off from the trail,thinking to fool us. But they didn't."
"It looks that way," agreed Lieutenant Snow. "This trail Buck Toothdiscovered is much the fresher. We ought to follow that."
And this they did, after a hasty meal.
Once more they were after the Yaquis, and late that night one of thescouts in the lead car riding back at full speed with the news:
"They're right ahead of us!"
"Wow!" yelled Bud.
"Hurray!" shouted Dick.
"Get ready for the fight!" cried Nort.
"Wait a minute now, boys!" advised Snake. "You may have a proper partin the fracas, but remember we're with the United States troops, andunder the leadership of Captain Marshall. We must do as he says."
"Oh, I guess the Captain will give the boys a chance," said LieutenantSnow with a smile, as he gave an order to the buglar.
The stragglers rode in, the troops were quickly formed for immediateaction, and other scouts were sent out to report on the location anddisposition of the Yaquis, which were about three miles in advance, thefirst scout said.
"Did you see anything of Rosemary or Floyd?" asked Bud anxiously.
"No. I wasn't close enough for that. But the beggars are legging itfor all they're worth!"
"Then let's get after them!" cried the Captain. "We don't want them toget away!"
The pace had not been fast, so the horses were comparatively fresh, andthey were now urged into a trot, while skirmishers were sent on aheadto receive the first reports of the advanced scouts.
Suddenly, as the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, some ofthe scouts came riding back, pointing down into a small, rocky valley,while the foremost yelled:
"They're making a stand down there!"
"Come on!" cried Captain Marshall, and, a few minutes later the fightagainst the Yaquis began.
CHAPTER XX
THE WHITE FLAG
The boy ranchers--at least two of them,--were much disappointed at themanner in which this fight against the Yaquis started. And I think Ineed not say that the two I mean were Dick and Nort. Bud, while he hadnever before taken part in a fight against Indians, did not expect somuch of the romantically picturesque and so was not so disappointed.
But like most healthy lads Nort and Dick, in their early days, had readmany books about the west, stories of adventures among the cowboys,miners and Indians--especially the latter. And all the stories had todo with the dashing manner in which the redmen fought, when they foughtin the open. Of course, when they had the chance, the Indianspreferred to sneak up on their victims and take them unawares. It waseasier than standing up against gunfire.
But when the Indians had fought there was a dash and spirit about theirattack that made the blood run faster in the veins. The redmen wouldbegin circling about the band they were to attack, riding their poniesfaster and faster as they approached, lean
ing over on the far side, tobring the animal's body between themselves and the hail of bullets.Then the doughty Indian, hanging to his saddle blanket by onemoccasined foot would fire from under his pony's neck, dashing away intime to escape the white man's bullet.
That was warfare to make any real lad wish to toss aside his schoolbooks and hike for the great WEST!
And it was by anticipating such scenes as this that Nort and Dick weredisappointed. But, in a way they had been prepared for it by seeingwhat manner of Indians the Yaquis were. No warpaint, no featheredheaddresses, no necklaces of bears' claws, and of course no bows andarrows.
It must be admitted that the stories on which Nort and Dick had fedtheir imaginations were true enough about the time they were written.But the romantic Indians died off, or were confined on reservations,and those who occasionally sneaked over the border from Mexico, to makeraids by which they gathered in cattle, ponies and weapons, were not ofthis class.
"It's like making an attack on a bunch of Greasers!" declared Nort, insome disgust, as the fight opened.
But just then a bullet sang uncomfortably close to his head, and as heducked down--too late of course had the shot been true--Bud laughed andsaid:
"Don't lose sight of the fact that they can shoot!"
Indeed the Yaquis, thus forced to make a stand and fight, were notgoing to give up easily. The soldiers, the outfit from Diamond X andthe boy ranchers were to have no easy time of it.
It was inspiring to witness the manner in which the troopers went aboutthe business of rounding up the renegade Yaquis. At the firstintimation that there was to be serious fighting, when the band hadgotten close enough for effective work, the horses were sent back to beout of danger from the bullets. The animals belonging to Bud, Nort,Dick and their friends were taken in charge by some of the troopers.For it was vitally necessary that means of retreat or of advance bepreserved. And of course there was no thought of retreat on the partof our friends.
Buck Tooth, the old Indian, slid from his pony with a sigh of relief.He did not care for riding. He liked an automobile, but he was too fatto sit in comfort on a rangy cow pony.
"Keep head down!" he advised Nort, as he saw the lad apparently duck abullet.
"Guess that's good advice," admitted the lad with a sharp intaking ofhis breath.
"Do same like soldiers," went on Buck Tooth.
And, as I have said, the example of the troopers was one to befollowed. This was not the first time they had been in Indian fights,and against more worthy foes of the redman type. Each trooper pickedout such natural shelter as was available, and then began looking overor around it for a sight of some human target at which to aim.
This sort of warfare would be carried on until there was a chance torush the Yaquis, when the horses could be brought up for this purpose,or the charge made on foot. The Indians, exercising as great care fortheir steeds as had the white men, had also sent the ponies to the rear.
The place of the fight was about the middle of a small valley, closedin at either end by broken hills of rock, while rocks and greatboulders were scattered over the floor of the vale, thus affordingnatural shelter for both sides. The rising ground at the rear of eachparty prevented the chance of a rapid retreat, and it was evident thatthe fight would go to a "finish."
Just how large the party of Yaquis was could not be told, but CaptainMarshall believed he had more men than were rallied to the support ofPaz, the notorious leader of the Mexicans.
"But I haven't seen Rosemary or Floyd," remarked Nort, as he wormedhimself into a hollow place behind a rock, not far from Dick and Bud.
"Well, they are probably back in the rear. That's where they generallykeep their captives," explained Dick. "If they see the fight goingagainst them they'll send word back and some party will scoot out withour friends."
"Then we'll have the chasing to do all over again," ruefully observedNort.
"Oh, I guess Captain Marshall knows a trick or two," commented Bud."Look, he's sending some of his men out now to try and get in the rearof the Yaquis."
Dick and Nort turned to see a detachment of the troopers making theirway on hands and knees out among the rocks. Their object was what Budhad stated--to get in the rear of the Indians and not only attack themfrom that vantage point but also to prevent a retreat with thecaptives, in case Rosemary and Floyd were at that point.
And now the fight began in earnest.
With each party in a position advantageous to it the first few minutesof attack and defense were marked only by firing that accomplishednothing.
That is to say there was an exchange of bullets, most of whichspattered against the rooks, sending up sprays of vicious lead orshowers of pulverized stone, but inflicting no dangerous wounds. Oneof the troopers was temporarily blinded by some of this stone dustgetting into his eyes when a bullet struck the rock just over his head,and several others, including Lieutenant Snow, were "creased" bybullets when they exposed an arm or leg. But these were only triflesin the day's adventure.
If the Yaquis were not as romantic, tricky and brave as the old Apachesor Sioux, they were no quitters, and they seemed to be well directed.For after the first scattered firing on their part, they began afusillade which increased in intensity.
"They aren't saving ammunition," commented Snake, as he drew a quicksight on an exposed head, and had the satisfaction of seeing it dropback out of sight in a manner that told of a hit.
"I guess they know it's a case of shoot or be shot," remarked Yellin'Kid, his tones low, for a wonder.
It must be stated that the troopers and those with them fought under abetter system, and were better trained, to say nothing of being betterindividual marksmen. For this reason the casualties on the side of theYaquis soon began to mount up. Occasional yells, and the spasmodicleaping up of some "warrior" as he was hit after a careless exposure oflimb or body, told that the renegades were paying toll.
On the other hand more than one trooper was hit, two being killed notfar from Bud and his cousins.
Nor did our heroes escape. For Nort received a nasty, but notdangerous wound in the left leg, while Dick, incautiously looking frombehind his rock, to see the effect of one of his shots, felt a bulletclip the lobe of his right ear, bringing pain and plenty of blood.
At first Bud and Nort thought Dick had been killed, for he fell backwith a groan and his neck was stained a bright red, his ear bleedingfreely. But after the momentary shock the lad raised himself--stillkeeping back of his rock, and cried:
"I'm all right. That ear always was too long!"
"Good stuff, kid!" cried one of the troopers. "Here, wind some of thison," and he tossed over a roll of antiseptic bandage.
Minor hurts were thus quickly bound up, and Bud, having received apainful wound in the right hand, had to retire from the fight. He didnot actually go to the rear, however, but remained with Nort and Dick,handing them cartridges to reload their weapons.
"Gosh! This is rotten!" bewailed Bud, looking at his bandaged hand.It was dismay not at the nature of the wound, but because he could nolonger "pepper" the Yaquis.
And the Indians were being attacked with a vengeance and were being"peppered" to such good advantage that some of them rose up and startedto run to the rear. This was the last running they did, however, forthe unerring rifles of the troopers picked them off.
And then the strategy of Captain Marshall had its effect. For suddenlythe troopers he had sent to attack the rear of the Yaquis opened up afire and this, being augmented by shots from the main body, soon threwthe Indians into such confusion that the end was only a question ofminutes.
And it came suddenly. For just as Captain Marshall was preparing toorder a charge, Snake gave a yell and shouted:
"The white flag! They're quitting!"