“Stop here, Lootenant, will you? They want to have a bit of a palaver with us.”
As they dismounted, Wise could see that the Comanches were tall, well-made men, very different from the Creeks and Choctaws of the Atlantic coast. All had moccasins, and three of them wore sleeveless jackets of leather; while the fourth was habited in a magnificent “buffalo” robe. Each had either the tail of a polecat or a bunch of leather snippings in lieu of it, tied to either heel; the front half of their moccasins was painted blue, the other half red. But what struck the officer most forcibly was the remarkable thickness and length of the Indians’ hair, which descended almost to their heels. Alas for human vanity; three parts of those tresses were false; their own hair and somebody else’s, together with a liberal 159 supply of horses’ tails, were all matted together with fat, and secured at the top by their feather head-dresses.
Mason approached the subject in curt, business-like fashion, rapidly translating to the rest all that the Indians said, and cutting very short the embroideries, formalities, and courtesy-titles contained in their address. It appeared that Comanche scouts had reported a march of the Apaches towards their own camp; they were several hundred strong, and were coming across country from the Rio del Norte direction.
“Last time we drove them away with great slaughter,” continued the Comanche chief; “but they are more now, and many of them have guns; they are more confident too, for our scouts learn that they have inflicted a great defeat on white men.”
“Ask him whereabouts,” said Wise hurriedly.
“In Sonora, it is understood.”
“Surely he doesn’t expect us to join him?” muttered Wise.
“No; no sich thing. He’s only come to say he’s moving his camp from the Buonaventura, so that we mustn’t rely on help from his tribe as heretofore, until they’ve met and whipped the Apaches. His tribe have always been the best o’ friends with us. Say, it’ll be a battle; not a make-believe; but bear in mind what I said; keep out’n it.”
“If these Apaches are coming from the del Norte, they’ll probably not be the same as the ones we expect.”
“Never no tellings; they’re here to-day, and goodness knows where to-morrow.”