Captured by the Navajos

on the morning after my arrival, and I hastened to attend reveille roll-call. As I descended the steps of the officers' quarters the men of the four companies composing the garrison were forming in

aged about fifteen and thirteen, dressed in a modification of the infantry uniform of the army, and wearing c

cing to sit near me, I asked hi

enry," he replied. "They hold honorary rank, and are attached to head-

happen to be

olonel had them sent here in charge of a tut

and chanced to be opposite San Miguel School in the eastern section during the pupils' recess. Half a dozen boys were engaged in throwing

ver the smaller corporal's head and jerked him off his feet. His companions laughed loudly. The older corporal instantly pulled out his knife and cut the rope. Then the two brothers st

voice from the rear, in Spanish, "are

ng countrymen. Before the Mexicans recovered from their surprise the bell of San Miguel summoned them to sc

er corporal, extending his hand to the

ffered hand, and said, "My name

ng officer at the fort. Can't yo

to; I will ask the

will try to make yo

pleasure to visit American boys who can speak

aturday

consent. Good-bye," and Manuel

quired companion at the post and at dinner in the mess-room, and

Indians. Just as I had laid aside the order after reading it, Colonel Burton entered, and, taking a seat by my fireside, announced that he had been ordered on detached service to northern Color

enry would enjoy life there very much," he said. "They have done so

sir," I replied, "but would it not be expos

our fortune to meet them, but I do not think so. If you do, then the boys must give a good account of themselves. In any engagement that involves the whole comma

pleasure on such isolated duty, si

I will see that they are properly fitted out, and will write you now and then

to a local history to learn from its pages something

do on the west, the Rio San Juan on the north, and the Rio Colorado Chiquito on the sout

ng the soil. They owned, at the time we began war upon them, sheep and ponies by t

all of the marauding tribes. They manufactured their wearing apparel, and made their own weapons, such as bows, arrows, and lances. They wove beautiful blankets, often very costly, and knit woollen stockings, and dressed in greater comfort

ssed no land or stock, for the sole purpose of capturing the flocks and herds of the Navajos. The Indians retaliated in kind, making raids upon the settlements an

ul war. Besides our regiment of regular infantry, it had two regiments of Californ

the knowledge that the American soldier was an ally of his old-time enemy, and that the Mexican was wearing the uniform of the "Gre

dren carried into captivity. Frightful cases of mutilation and torture were constantly occurring in the mountain fastnesses. Tro

o, on the Rio Pecos, where a large fort had been established.

order to march my company to Los Valles Grandes, there to relieve the California company already referred to. But the ord

n, one hundred miles due west. The regimental band escorted the company through the plaza and for a mile on our way, playing, after imm

t from the valley of the Rio Grande, which we had forded at San Ildefons

on the pine-nuts, and Frank and Henry and the soldier huntsmen sec

gon-poles and aid the severely taxed mules up the steepest places, to fill gullies and sloughs with stones and brush, to pry mired wheels up to firm ground, and repair brok

leys. The valley before us was fourteen miles long, and of a nearly uniform width of eight miles. It was almost surrounded by mountains; in fact, while there were many trails leading out of it, there was but one practicable wagon-road-that by which we ha

through the centre than at the sides. It was not unlike an oblong platter, and was absolutely treeless, except that oppos

boys, sitting on their ponies a few yards in advance

ry I've seen in New Mexico that

ly bunch-grass, cactus, and sand, and here we have fine turf and waving grass. What are those objects in that far

ed, after making out the objects through my glass. "We shal

sand-hill crane, and trout!" exclaimed

oo, I suspect," said Henry,

I like to kill a

e a bear won't hunt for me," said the younger lad. "I'

hoe shape. The ridge, in fact, proved to be of that shape when we examined it later. The row of sixteen cabins stretched across the curve, and looked out of the opening towards the eastern side of the valley. Fifty yards in front of the cabins, running across the h

south by a storehouse. Behind the cabins, at the centre of the horseshoe curve, two-thirds the way up the slope of

oy at the prospect of leaving what they considered a life of unbearable exile. Even before the customary civilities were passed, the captain asked me if my animals

the camp in addition, so that the loads would be light. He approved of my sug

no reason why the wagons and mules could not be s

immediate departure of the Californians was that

sentinel at the guard-house did not have a range of vision to the rear of more than fifty yards. He was not on the summit of the ridge by at least half that distance, and walked along the side of the guard-house n

tain, but he replied, "Pshaw! you might as well take the sen

ou seen

pt an occasional Pueblo, since

ve scouted the co

ese bundles of wolf-skins and other pelts you see going into th

alls of the store-room, a dozen quarters of venison,

y the men with meat," added the captain. "We bu

the valley where I enter

erything but bu

brook is fu

water, and must possess some mineral property distasteful to trout, for they never run up here. In San An

tend to take this

f all but a few quarters, which we

treat to us, and keep us going until w

tood looking at the surrounding m

d out of the valley, besides the

ridle-path to the Pueblo of Jemez. That descends from the valley level to the Jemez River bottom,

he west a

ere is only La Puerta, into which all the other trails from the east and s

een no Navajos or signs

ns. Parties have passed here in the

as well as curious to know of events in Santa Fé, to give me much information. When the guard of regulars relieved the volunteer guard, I placed my sentinel on a beat

ls had been hewn smooth, and the names, company, and regiment of the former occupants had been carved with knives or burned in with

cupants having followed their own ideas of what would prove comfortable. Heig

were rude bedsteads, one of which was assigned to the boys and one to myself. A door opened on the south side, and a window, the only glass one in camp, looked out upon the parade. Floors in all the cabins were of earth, raised a foot higher than the

cabins and articles of furniture. Ten head of beef cattle had been turned over to me with the other property of the camp. I had placed them in charge of a sol

. The elder said their names were José and Manuel Cordova, of Ca?oncito, that they were looking for deer, and would like permissio

and myself, tired with our work of repairing and arr

rapidly assembling with their arms, I saw the soldier-herdsman coming towards camp as fast as he could run, waving his hat and shouting. Beh