Shoz-Dijiji fought beside his fierce
sire.
It was then that two companies ofMexican troops
entered the town and attacked them.
Behind a rock that barely covered his prone figure
from theeyes of the enemy, lay Shoz-Dijiji.
The woodchopper surveyed the Indians
casually.
Into this he ledhis troop, still in column of
fours.
With a moan ofhopelessness he dropped his head to
the ground and commencedto pray.
However the broken leg would have proved fatal
werehelp not forthcoming. Their water was gone, their dead and wounded laybeneath
the pitiless sun on the fire-swept slope. Takingadvantage of trees and rocks the
Apaches advanced againstthe enemys line.
Four times from the valley below a coyote yelped
and thereveries of Shoz-Dijiji were broken. Shoz-Dijiji fought beside his fierce
sire.
As Shoz-Dijiji kept the signal fire he thought upon
theevents of the day and he was puzzled.
The infantry deployed and advanced after a
briefreconnaissance by the grizzled captain.
But one day the chopping ceasedshortly after it had
commenced and there followed a longsilence. Several children played about, sometimes
listening tothe talk of their elders.
I dont believe theres an Apache within fortymiles
of us, outside our own scouts. A volley of rifle fire brought a sudden end to
theconversation.
He thought now of theMexican woodchopper as a
brother.
It was the proximity of the weapon that saved the
son of thewar chief from death. He suddenly became awarethat they were calling his
name aloud; they were acclaiminghim. To the last man the enemy lay dead upon
thefield, dead or mortally wounded. The next day, repeated the girl and rubbed her
soft cheekagainst his shoulder caressingly.
He placed more fuel upon thefire and withdrew to a
little distance, followed by theother warriors.
There was water there and game and the
hatedsoldiers of the pindah lickoyee could not follow. Theyll be two of us in Hell
then, replied Cheetim.
Tothe right of the trail was a shallow
gully.
Another shotand one of the fleeing men toppled from
his saddle.
Intwos and threes they fell beneath the withering
fire of thehostiles. Shoz-Dijiji was several miles away hunting with bowand
arrows.
Lookingdown he saw the five burros, but at first he
saw nowoodchopper. Upon distant look-outs sentinels scanned the country for thefirst
sign of an approaching enemy.