Page:Life among the Apaches.djvu/327

 while their respect was enforced through their dread of my troopers. Nevertheless, when I was ordered home from Fort Sumner, they all mounted their horses and rode with us for two hours, and appeared quite sorry at our departure. This would seem to express some sense of gratitude, and so I imagined it, until subsequent intelligence disclosed the fact that they were never more elated.

From the time of their last conflict with the Navajoes, in which ninety of the latter were slain outright, within fifteen miles of the Reservation, where their dead bodies were seen by the other Navajoes under our charge, the two people had never lived comfortably together. Their camps were located four miles apart, but little feuds and disputes were constantly arising which occupied much of my time to arrange. At length the matter became unbearable to the Apaches, who were outnumbered nine to one, and they applied to Gen. Carleton to be placed on a separate Reservation. This was refused, and they resolved to leave by the first good opportunity. The only bar to this was the presence of my company, of which they entertained a most salutary dread, although constantly receiving little presents and kind treatment from all the men. The Apaches had frequently witnessed their target practice with carbine and pistol, in both of which arms they had acquired wonderful perfection, and they were also struck with the easy and bold riding of my troopers. Gian-nah-tah, being angry one day, told Capt. Updegraff, who had denied them a favor he had no right to grant—"You think we care for you and your men; not a bit of it, we are only restrained by those Californians." When they saw those Californians depart, they were actually delighted, and in less than two months afterward, the great body of them decamped to parts unknown.