"We come in peace," he said. "Our chief is wounded, and we bring him to your medicine man."
A sweat of fear bathed the captain's face, but a gasp of relief escaped his lips. There was hope. This was no war party.
The captain dismounted, gave his horse's reins to a private, and walked beside Geronimo and the two men carrying Mangus Coloradus' litter. Men, women, and children shrank against houses or scurried away as the procession made its way to the doctor's house.
The Mimbrenos carried him over mountains and across deserts
"They come in peace. Their chief is wounded and they wish only to bring him to our doctor," the captain explained to whoever remained near enough to hear.
Those who heard passed the word to others. Then all the people of Janos hurried to the church. Often they had wished that Mangus Coloradus might die. Now they prayed for his life, for they feared that, if he died, the angered Apaches would kill everybody in Janos.