Page:The Pima Indians.pdf/54

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RUSSELL]
ANNALS
49

Blackwater. A man named Thomas [whether given name or surname could not be ascertained], who had been trading at Gila Crossing, took charge of White's store after the latter left. The soldiers from the west fought the soldiers from the east at Picacho and were defeated. Then a white man known to the Pimas as Has Viakem came from the east and traded with them.

[John] Walker[1] came from the west with the California Column and learned the Pima language at the same time that Thomas learned the Maricopa.

1862–63

Gila Crossing. The men of Rso’tûk went to the mountains about Prescott in search of Apaches during the summer of 1862. As they were following a mountain trail they caught sight of a man lying on his coat asleep. From his dress they could not be sure if he were an Apache or a Pima, so two men went to waken him. "How did you sleep?" said they. On hearing this the man sprang up and they saw that he was an Apache. One struck him on the head with his club, but he jumped and would have escaped had not the other shot him. Soon afterwards two Apaches came to the village of Akûtcĭny and their trail was discovered by two Pimas who were hunting for their horses. They followed the Apaches, who ran toward the Estrellas. The elder Pima was some distance ahead of the other when the leading Apache climbed the mountain and the other turned back to fight. The two men used their bows, each endeavoring to protect himself behind a clump of bushes. Finally, as they were chasing each other around the same clump of bushes, the Apache getting the better of the conflict, having wounded the Pima in the elbow and side, the other Pima came up and killed the Apache, who was called by the Pimas Whaiemââ.

Two Maricopas dragged the body of the Apache to a hill near Gila Crossing and tied it to a post, where it remained for some time. A friend of the dead Apache led a party of six to the place where he had fallen and followed the trail of the dragged body to where it stood tied. The friend wept and went away without attempting to remove the body. As the party returned up the river they entered an isolated house in which there were two old Maricopa men. They warmed themselves at the fire, but did not molest the old men.

Salt River. Two Apaches came near the villages and were seen by a man working in the fields; he called to his friends to help him and at once set off after the enemy. When the Apache who was farthest away saw that his companion was in danger he turned back and attacked the first pursuer. The other Apache escaped, but the braver one was killed. The Pimas returned home, but the Maricopas dragged


  1. See p. 33 for list of Pima agents.
26 ETH—08——6