Page:The Indian History of the Modoc War.djvu/139



cate-them too easy, but he said: "We must have meat. We will try our bows and arrows." Long Jim's father had a coon skin quiver full of arrows and two fine sinew backed bows. With the bows and arrows fine big bucks and does were brought into camp every day, also grouse.

I will now lead the kind reader back to the Modoc gov- ernment scouts. General Davis said : "Scarface, come here. You are a pretty good fellow, I think. I believe I can trust you and the other boys. I don't think you would run off w r ith the horses and guns if I sent you four out to capture Captain Jack and his little handful, would you?"

This talk took place at Fairchild's Ranch, California, some time in May, 1873. Scarface said: "Ho, me no run 'way; me soldier now, same kind white soldier, only me and him odder mans," pointing to Bogus Charley, Hooker Jim and Shaknasty Jim. "D m more better than you white sol- diers, you bet we am. Davis, you know what I say; him sure I tell you good."

"Well, boys," says General Jeff C. Davis, "I want Capt. Jack and Schonchin, can you get them?" "You bet we get him all right, sometime. What for we no get him Black Jim, Curley Haired Doctor on heap all him perst, eh ! May so him come here kill you some time soon. What you think?"

General Davis: "Oh, I'm not afraid of Black Jim. He won't come here to kill me. I got soldiers here. You see he won't come."

"Canby him say that same kind talk," spoke Bogus Charley, "Injun kill him all same. Injun not afraid of soldiers when he get mad. No, no. Injuns always say, 'If I commence to fight any kind of people I will fight, fight if there is ten against one. I shall not run as long as I have any chance to get my man.' That is the way we all talk and that is the way we all look upon war. Die fighting is our rule. But in this fight with you soldiers, we thought it would be better to quit al- though we are not afraid of you, we just quit; we feel bad about our families and our old folks. I, for one, do not want to lead them around any longer. That is the reason I and these men give up our rifles to you."