go. But a body of as fine men was selected as could well be secured in any country. They repeatedly told me they meant fight; that they intended to do the best they could, and reports from the field show that they have made good their promises. Sixteen hundred White Mountain Indians have been entirely self-sustaining for nearly three years."
The Indians at the White Mountains, according to the official
reports, were doing remarkably well.
"At this date there have been 700,000 pounds of hay and 65,000 pounds of
barley purchased by the Quartermaster. Of course, the amount of hay which
will yet be furnished by them will be regulated by the amount required,
which will be in all about 1,800,000 pounds. As near as I can judge, the total
yield of barley will be about 80,000 pounds, or about double the quantity
produced last year. If no misfortune happens the crops, the yield of corn for
this year should fully reach 3,500,000 pounds, including that retained by the
Indians for their own consumption and for seed.
"Cantelopes, watermelons, muskmelons, beans, and pumpkins are raised by them to a considerable extent, but only for their own consumption, there being no market for this class of produce.
"A few of the Indians—principally Chiricahuas—are delivering wood on the contract at the post of Fort Apache. I have no doubt that more would engage in it if it were not for the fact that the White Mountain Apaches have no wagons for hauling it."
It would take many more pages than I care to devote to the subject
to properly describe the awful consequences of the official
blunder, which in this case was certainly worse than a crime, shown
in the bickerings and jealousies between the representatives of the
War and Interior Departments, which culminated in the "Geronimo"
outbreak of May, 1885. Those of my readers who have
followed this recital need no assurances that the country was as
rough as rocks and ravines, deep cañons and mountain streams,
could make it; neither do they need to be assured that the trail
of the retreating Chiricahuas was reddened with the blood of the
innocent and unsuspecting settlers, or that the pursuit made by
the troops was energetic, untiring, and, although often baffled,
finally successful. No more arduous and faithful work was ever
done by any military commands than was performed by those of
Emmet Crawford, Lieutenant Britton Davis, Frank L. Bennett,
Lieutenant M. W. Day, Surgeon Bermingham, and Major Wirt
Davis in tracking the scattered fragments of the "Geronimo"
party over rocks and across country soaked with the heavy
rains of summer which obliterated trails as fast as made. The
