“I mistrusted that,” cried Sam. “What is his reservation?”
I repeated Tangua’s words to him, and he was so angry that he instantly started off to see the chief. I resumed the clothing and weapons I had laid down, and thought over the situation. Evidently the Kiowas had been confident that Lightning Knife would kill me, and they were furious over the result of our encounter. They could not fall upon us, since it was a life-and-death fight, and the survivor was promised security; but they would find some excuse for a quarrel; of that we might be sure.
The chief was occupied attending to the body of the dead warrior, and Sam found him in no mood to lend an ear to his protests. He strode back to me in high dudgeon, and said: “The fellow absolutely refuses to keep his word. He means to starve the prisoners to death, and he calls that not killing them. But we’ll keep our eyes open, and get a shot at him.”
“Provided we don’t get a shot that is a boomerang,” I remarked.
“I think myself we’d better be ready to protect ourselves, for our life may be in danger any moment. Lord help us, the moment’s come!” he cried. “The Apaches have arrived, and there’ll be a lovely row. Get ready for the fight, gentlemen.”
Over beyond, where the prisoners and their guards were, rose that instant the shrill H-i-i-i-i-i-h, the war-cry of the Apaches. Contrary to all expectation, Intschu-Tschuna and Winnetou had already come back with their warriors, and had attacked the camp of the Kiowas. Those who were near us paused in amazement, and then the chief shouted: “The foe among our brothers! Quick, quick, and help them.”
He would have rushed back, but Sam Hawkins cried: “You can’t go; don’t you see we are surrounded? Do you suppose the Apache chiefs are such fools as only to attack your guards and not know where you are?”
He spoke rapidly; but before he had quite finished, the awful, soul-piercing cry arose around us. We were standing, as already said, on an open prairie, and had been so occupied that the Apaches had crawled behind the bush which had served us in our attack on Tangua, and had surrounded us without our knowledge, and now sprang upon us from all sides in overpowering numbers. The Kiowas shot at them with some effect, but not enough to reckon.
“Don’t kill an Apache; not one!” I shouted to our three scouts, for already the deadly battle raged around us.
The head engineer and the three surveyors defended themselves, and were cut down. While my eyes were riveted on this awful sight I did not see anything that went on around me. We were attacked by a considerable band, and separated from one another. Although we cried out to the Apaches that we were their friends, it had no effect: they flew at us with tomahawks, and we perforce had to defend ourselves, however loath to do so. With our guns wielded as clubs we struck down so many that we won a little breathing-time for ourselves, during which I looked about me. Sam, Parker, and Stone ran towards the bushes where the fight was still hot, and, after making sure that the surveyors were beyond help, I followed. I had scarcely reached the bush when Intschu-Tschuna himself came up. He and Winnetou had been with that band of Apaches which had captured the camp and freed their kinsmen. This achieved, both chiefs had run to the assistance of the main body which we had encountered, Intschu-Tschuna considerably in advance of his son.