by J. T. Edson
On arriving, the vaqueros had examined Velasquez and, while one remained with him, the other three had started to follow the tracks he and the girl had made. Seeing this, she had made her way to the clearing. Collecting her other two horses, she had moved them some distance away. Leaving them and the roan in concealment, after reloading her Winchester Model of 1866 carbine from the supply of ammunition in her belongings, she had returned on foot to find out what the trio would do when they saw the other results of her ambush. Although the Mexicans had approached through the woodland on foot and in a very wary fashion, perhaps because they were more concerned with what they found in the clearing, they did not detect her in her hiding place.
Until she appreciated the implications, what had happened next came as a surprise to Should-Be-A-Boy!
Instead of loading the bodies on to the horses which had been collected in passing, the trio had stripped off their weapon belts and clothing. Then they had been buried in a shallow grave dug by the machetes two of the living Mexicans were carrying. While this was being carried out and the excavation covered by the turf which was removed, obviously to make it less noticeable, the other vaquero had gathered a couple of saplings. They had been of the size and kind used to make a travois and the watching girl had guessed this was the purpose to which they would be put. Then the trio had loaded the belongings taken from the corpses on to the horses. However, they did not leave immediately.
‘Comanches!’ the man who had gathered the saplings had called in his own language. When receiving instructions from his patron he had been told that, although the half-breed girl who was taking an opportunity to get away from the reservation had said she did not understand Spanish, most members of the Nemenuh possessed some knowledge of that language. ‘Can you hear and understand me?’
‘We hear and understand,’ Should-Be-A-Boy had replied in the same tongue, pleased to be offered an opportunity to prevent her involvement from being suspected. Continuing to keep a gruffly masculine timbre to her voice, she had hoped her pretence at not knowing the language would prevent them suspecting the truth. She had also employed the close to ventriloquial skill she had acquired since meeting Chief Long Walker and Chaqueta-Tigre to lessen the chances of betraying her position, she had asked, ‘What do you want?’
‘Are you satisfied with what you’ve done?’ the Mexican had inquired.
‘We are,’ the girl had declared truthfully. ‘Tell your leader we will give him and his spotted buffalo no trouble now we have taken our revenge upon those we wanted.’
Apparently convinced by the assurance, the three Mexicans had ridden away on the horses. Returning to and using another of her relay, wanting a fresher mount than the roan in case fast moving should be required, the girl had followed them from a distance with her relay. Rejoining their companion, having retrieved their horses in passing, they had constructed a travois with the poles and a couple of the dead men’s serapes. Putting her living victim on to it, they had set off in the direction from which they had made their appearance. When they reached the herd, they had talked with its leader and the injured man was placed in one of the wagons.
Taking the precaution of keeping after the herd until noon the following day, accepting the discomfort caused by a heavy fall of rain throughout the night, Should-Be-A-Boy had satisfied herself that nobody was turning back with the idea of avenging her victims. Because the time allocated to her was running out and she wanted to report her success to the rest of the band, before anybody else was sent to take on the mission, she had not continued the observations for longer. She had made her way back to the village feeling certain that, for reasons of his own, the man with whom she had spoken was willing to forget what had happened to the quartet.
Annie’s assumptions were correct with regard to Caraballeda. Accepting they and their companions had met a fate he would have meted out in similar circumstances, he had considered the death and serious injury inflicted upon his nephews a small price to pay for the safety of his herd and illicit cargo.
Unfortunately, the matter was not allowed to pass unnoticed as the haciendero and the Pahuraix would have preferred!
Three days after the incident, a party of white men from Claxton, seat of Gareth County and the town nearest to the reservation, had arrived in the woodland to hunt for raccoon. After they had made camp in the clearing, which struck them as ideal for the purpose, one of their hounds had started digging into the shallow grave. Before its owner could call it off, it had uncovered enough of a body to cause a further examination to be made. Discovering there were three naked corpses, death having been caused by bullets, they had gone home immediately and reported their find to Sheriff Home Tomlinson.
Hearing of the discovery and having connected it with the response of the Pahuraix to the return of Should-Be-A-Boy after several days of unexplained absence, Agent Dillingham had suspected she had taken revenge upon the men responsible for Loves Dancing’s rape and death. He had also been aware of the danger to his charges, no matter how justified the killings undoubtedly were, if his suppositions were correct. There were white people always on the lookout for anything which could turn public sympathy against the Indians living on reservations, especially those like the Waterhorse band who occupied land suitable for ranching or other development.
One such faction were very vocal in Claxton. Although the investigations of the county sheriff had been to no avail, the rain having washed away any traces which could have served as a clue, they had started to make pointed comments about the shooting having happened so near the reservation. In fact, although nobody had been accused of the killings, they had brought to bear pressure for a Grand Jury to be convened and conduct an inquiry with the intention of establishing who was responsible. xli
Even before he learned of the moves being made in the county seat, seeking to counter any threat which might arise from the killings, Dillingham had telegraphed for Colonel Goodnight to come to his assistance. Responding with alacrity, having already been on his way with a herd of cattle to fulfill a contract for supplying the reservation with beef, Chaqueta-Tigre had been quick to act when told what was happening and of the suspicions harbored by the Agent. Equally alert to the danger and soon having become better informed, as a result of his being accepted as a blood brother of the Tanima, he had used his influence to ensure the scales of justice would be tilted on the side of the morally right.
Being on good terms with the rancher and having no liking for the faction who were trying to blame the Pahuraix, but nevertheless being aware they were a political force to be reckoned with locally who could make the performance of his normal duties difficult, the sheriff had been eager to seek his advice. He had pointed out that—as the corpses were obviously Hispanic—there was a possibility the people involved did not reside in Texas, much less Gareth County which had no Chicano population. Furthermore, the suspected participation of the Pahuraix made it a Federal rather than a local issue.
By letting it be known that he was throwing all the considerable influence he and his friends could command behind the citizens who did not share the viewpoint of the anti-Indian faction, Goodnight had helped to ensure the investigation for the benefit of the Grand Jury was taken out of the hands of the sheriff’s office. What was more, Judge Mannen Blaze had been selected by the State Attorney General to officiate and he belonged to the most powerful group of Chaqueta-Tigre’s supporters. Having been acting upon a rumor from a generally reliable source that there was something illegal about a trail herd from Mexico which had passed through the area, United States Deputy Marshal Solomon Wisdom ‘Solly’ Cole had been in the vicinity. Learning of his presence and knowing he possessed the necessary jurisdictional qualifications to take on the chore—including the right to conduct inquiries on the Pahuraix reservation, which the sheriff did not—the Judge had telegraphed his superiors and he was ordered to put himself at the disposal of the Jury.
‘I’ll give young Solly Cole his due,’ Goodnight declared. �
��He did the best he could to learn what happened. But the rain had washed away all the signs. So he could do nothing more than testify that the bodies had been stripped clean and their horses were gone, but they hadn’t been scalped and there wasn’t anything else to suggest it was Indian work. He also told how he’d questioned the leaders of the Pahuraix and they’d all sworn the Sun Oath that no man of the band had done the killing. There were a couple of the jurors tried to claim that them saying so didn’t mean it was the truth, but the Judge pointed out no Comanche would go against such a thing so sacred to their beliefs by lying and he was supported in it by those two Army scouts who he’d had come along as expert witnesses where Indians were concerned. xlii Then, Cole said he was satisfied none of the braves from the reservation knew anything about it and was going to look into a possibility of somebody who might know the answers. As there wasn’t any more witnesses to give evidence, the Judge sent the jury off to consider what they’d been told. They were out for a fair spell and came back with a verdict of, “Murder By A Person, Or Persons, Unknown”, but that they didn’t think any of the Pahuraix were involved and recommended the investigation be continued to find whoever did it. So it’s over, unless Solly Cole can find the fellers he’s after and prove they did it, or learn something from them to let him know who did.’ xliii
‘Thank heavens for that verdict!’ the reservation agent breathed, realizing the danger to his charges had been averted. While he only suspected the truth behind the oath sworn by the council of elders, knowing of Annie’s unconventional background and upbringing, he turned his eyes to her and went on, ‘There’s good cause for a celebration in the village tonight.’
‘That there is, seeing I reckon the truth will never be known,’ Goodnight seconded. He was in agreement with the supposition expressed to him by Cole at the conclusion of the Grand Jury that the Mexicans could have a good reason for not reporting the death of the three men to the authorities and might even disclaim all knowledge of it when questioned. Also directing his gaze to the girl, he went on, ‘And, if I may supply the gifts, I would like there to be a Give-Away dance to honor a warrior of the Nemenuh whose name is “Is-A-Man”!’ xliv
Appendix
Throughout the years we have been writing, we have frequently received letters from readers asking for various Western terms to be explained in greater detail and for clarification of certain assertions we make. While we do not object to receiving such correspondence and always reply, we find it saves much time-consuming repetition to include those most often requested in each new title. We ask all our ‘old hands’, who have seen most of the inclusions many times, to remember there are always ‘new chums’ coming along who have not and to bear with us.
The following are the meanings of the Comanche words most frequently encountered in this volume:
Nemenuh: The People’, the Comanche nation.
Pairaivo: senior, or favorite, wife.
Ona: baby.
Tuinep’: a boy up to adolescence.
Tuivitsi: a young, unmarried, generally inexperienced warrior.
Tehnap: seasoned and fully trained warrior.
Tsukup’: old man.
Naravuh: familiar, or joking, term for an old man.
Tuepet: girl up to adolescence.
Naivi: adolescent girl.
Hevi: a grown woman.
Pu’ste: old woman.
Pahuraix: Water Horse band.
Pehnane: Wasp, Quick Stinger, Raider, band.
Kweharehnuh: Antelope, Sunshades On Their Back, band.
Yamparikuh: Yap-Eater band.
Dertsanayehka: Wanderers Who Make Bad Camps band.
Tanima: Liver Eater band.
Mutsane: Undercut Bank band.
Wawai: Wormy band.
Namae’enuh: ‘One who has incestuous intercourse’, a deadly insult derived from the alleged practice of the Wawai band.
A’he: ‘I claim it!’. The declaration made by a Comanche warrior in a fight, when delivering a fatal blow or—regarded as more praiseworthy—touching a living enemy with an empty hand, to announce he had ‘counted coup’.
‘Lance carrier’. Because the war lance had such a high and special ‘medicine’ significance, when a Comanche warrior elected to carry one, he was expected to be the first into battle and the last to leave the field no matter how adversely the fighting might be going for his band. However, providing he had discharged this responsibility honorably—and survived—he could decide to stop being a ‘lance carrier’ whenever he wished without detriment to his reputation.
‘Hackamore’: an Americanized corruption of the Spanish word, ‘jaquima’, meaning ‘headstall’. Very popular with Indians in particular, it was an ordinary halter, except for having reins instead of a leading rope. It had a headpiece something like a conventional bridle, a brow band about three inches wide which could be slid down the cheeks to cover the horse’s eyes, but no throat latch. Instead of a bit, a ‘bosak’—a leather, rawhide, or metal ring around the head immediately above the mouth—was used as a means of control and guidance.
Although the military sometimes claimed it was easier to kill a sailor than a soldier, perhaps tongue in cheek, the weight factor of the respective weapons had been responsible for the decision by the United States’ Navy to adopt a revolver with a caliber of .36 while the Army employed the heavier .44. The weapon would be carried upon the person of a seaman and not—handguns having been originally and primarily developed for single-handed use by cavalry—on the person or saddle of a soldier who would be doing much of his travelling and fighting from the back of a horse. Therefore, .44 became known as the ‘Army’ and .36 as the ‘Navy’ caliber.
‘Clip’ point: where the last few inches of the otherwise unsharpened ‘back’ of the blade—when laid in a horizontal position with the ‘edge’ down and the handle to the left of the viewer—joins and becomes an extension of the main cutting surface in a concave arc. This is the characteristic which many authorities claim identifies a ‘bowie knife’.
What happened to the knife possessed by the alleged designer of such a weapon, James Bowie—many claim this was actually his older brother, Rezin Pleasant—after his death during the final attack upon the besieged Alamo Mission at San Antonio de Bexar, Texas, on March 6 1836, is told in: GET URREA and THE QUEST FOR BOWIE’S BLADE.
A ‘spear’ point, which is less utilitarian than a ‘clip’, is formed by the two sharpened ‘edges’ of the blade coming together in symmetrical curves. It was generally used for purely fighting knives such as the ‘Arkansas toothpick’ or assassin’s weapons.
We consider at best specious—at worst, a snobbish attempt to ‘put down’ the myth and legends of the Old West—the frequently repeated assertion that the gunfighters of that era could not ‘hit a barn door at twenty yards’. While willing to concede that the average person then, as now, would not have much skill in using a handgun, knowing his life would depend upon it, the professional pistolero on either side of the law expended time, money and effort to acquire proficiency. Furthermore, such a man did not carry a revolver to indulge in shooting at anything except at close range. He employed it as a readily accessible weapon which would incapacitate an enemy, preferably with the first shot, at close quarters, hence the preference for a cartridge of heavy caliber.
With the exception of .22 caliber handguns intended for casual pleasure shooting, those specially designed for Olympic style ‘pistol’ matches, the Remington XP100—one of which makes an appearance in: Case Two, ‘A Voice From The Past’, THE LAWMEN OF ROCKABYE COUNTY—designed for ‘varmint’ hunting at long distances, or medium to heavy caliber automatic pistols ‘accurized’ and in the hands of a proficient exponent of modern ‘combat’ shooting, a handgun is a short range defensive and not an offensive weapon. Any Old West gunfighter, or peace officer in the Prohibition era and present times expecting to have to shoot at distances beyond about twenty feet would take the precaution of arming himself with a shotgun or a rifle.
‘Up to the Green River’: to kill, generally with a knife. First produced on the Green River, at Greenfield, Massachusetts, in 1834, a very popular type of general purpose knife had the inscription, V. Russell & Co. Green River Works on the blade just below the hilt. Therefore any edged weapon thrust into an enemy ‘up to the Green River’ would prove fatal whether it bore the inscription or not.
‘Right as the Indian side of a horse’: absolutely correct. Derived from the habit of Indians mounting from the right, or ‘off’ and not the left, or ‘near’ side as was done by people of European descent and Mexicans.
Americans in general used the word, ‘cinch’, derived from the Spanish, ’cincha’ to describe the short band made from coarsely woven horse hair, canvas, or cordage and terminated at each end with a metal ring which—together with the latigo—is used to fasten the saddle on the back of a horse. However, because of the word’s connections with Mexico, Texans tended to employ the term, ‘girth’, usually pronouncing it as ‘girt’. As cowhands from the Lone Star State fastened the end of the lariat to the saddle horn, even when roping half wild longhorn cattle or free-ranging mustangs, instead of relying upon a ‘dally’ which could be slipped free almost instantaneously in an emergency, their rigs had double girths.
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