Joe and Slim Shorty the cook came hurrying back, with a litter contrived from two lances and a deer hide slung between.
“Got to get out o’ this place,” explained Joe. “Squaw says some other squaws went down below, jest before the fight, to the mescal pits; they’ll carry warnin’ to ’nother rancheria yonder an’ we’ll have the hull caboodle on our backs if we don’t act fast. Easy, now, while we put you in.”
Major Brown was in a hurry to climb up into the open and unite with the pack-train. The long column ascended the winding trail. There were eighteen captives—women and children, several of them wounded. Below, in front of the cave the fire burned fiercely, consuming the supplies and the many bodies heaped upon. Over seventy of the outlaws had been killed. Some were left where they had fallen, in the cave.
After this no Indian would venture inside that cave. The skeletons of the Delt-che people bleached, undisturbed for years.
XVI
THE GENERAL PLANS WELL
The campaign against the outlaw Yavapais, Tontos and Apache-Yumas was by no means over, merely on account of the cave fight. But it was over, for Jimmie.
Out went the troops and White Mountain scouts, again, this time from Camp MacDowell. Jack Long came into the hospital there, just before the start, and bade Jimmie good-by.
“You’ll be a fust-class packer yet, muchacho,” encouraged old Jack. “Yessir; ’bout one more trip an’ I’ll promote ye. You might ask the doctor to stretch yore legs a trifle, while he has you in hand. Some day you’re liable to be a reg’lar patron, but that’ll be after my day. I’ve a notion I’m due to peter out, what with these hyar up-hill, down-hill, blow hot, blow cold meanderin’s, chasin’ ’Paches with pack-mules.”
“Aren’t you feeling well, Jack?”