Jimmie gladly rode straight to him.
“Buenos dias, Maria (Good day, Maria).”
“Buenos dias, amigo (friend),” responded Maria, and they shook hands heartily.
“I heard you had escaped from the Apaches. What are you doing here?”
“I have come out from Camp Bowie with these officers,” answered Maria. “I work for the fort now. I am a scout and interpreter. We are going to talk with Cochise, at the Dragoon Springs.”
“What, amigo!”
“Yes,” nodded Maria. “General Howard, the great man with the one arm, is there, with Cochise, waiting. He has come from Washington again, and has found Cochise. He has been in the Cochise camp for six days. They have made peace. There will be a Chiricahua reservation, and now General Howard has sent for the comandante at Bowie, so that the comandante and Cochise shall know each other, and there will be no mistake.”
Maria spoke in Spanish except when an Apache word seemed handier. Jimmie understood. It was a great convenience to speak in two languages, at once. As for Jimmie, he knew three languages.
“Would you like to go?” asked Maria. “You come with me, and we will see Cochise, and Geronimo and Nah-che and all of them.”