5i6 The Book of Woodcraft 



troops under Gen. George Crook, who was said by Gen. 

 W. T. Sherman to be the greatest Indian fighter and 

 manager that the Army of the United States had had. 

 But, more than this, he was a man respected, admired and 

 beloved by every one who knew him — friend or foe. All 

 the wise ones felt that the solution w^as in sight when Crook 

 took command. 



Throughout the history of the matter, we find the great 

 General torn by two conflicting thoughts — first, "My 

 duty as a soldier of my country"; and, second, "These 

 Indians are in the right." In his own w^ords, "The Ameri- 

 can Indian commands respect for his rights, only so long 

 as he inspires terror with his rifle." 



With characteristic sternness, energy and fortitude he 

 began the campaign, as winter set in, just when his pred- 

 ecessors had moved into comfortable quarters. 



To realize that the mountains were full of Apaches that 

 swooped down at unexpected times, spreading fire and 

 slaughter and fearful destruction — was one thing and an 

 easy one, but to find them and strike back was a wholly 

 different matter. 



The white soldiers under Crook would have been power- 

 less, in spite of their far superior numbers, their superb 

 equipment, abundance of food and ammunition, but for 

 the fact that the Apaches themselves were divided, and the 

 white soldiers had with them a large band of these red 

 renegades, who did all the scouting, traihng and finer work 

 of following and finding the foe, as well as guarding . their 

 white allies from surprise. 



Late in December, Major Brown, with three companies 

 of the Fifth Cavalry, some forty Apache scouts, and about 

 one hundred more from the Pima nation, under their Chief, 

 Esquinosquizn or Bocon, set out to run down the band of 

 Chief Chuntz, who was terrorizing those settlers that had 



