5i8 The Book of Woodcraft 



There was a lull of a few minutes; each side was measur- 

 ing its own strength and that of its opponent. It was 

 apparent that any attempt to escalade without ladders 

 would result in the loss of more than half our command; 

 the great rock wall in front of the cave was not an inch 

 less than ten feet in height at its lowest point, and smooth 

 as the palm of the hand; it would be madness to attempt to 

 climb it, because the moment the assailants reached the 

 top, the lances of the invested force could push them back 

 to the ground, wounded to death. Three or four of our 

 picked shots were posted in eligible positions overlooking 

 the places where the Apaches had been seen to expose 

 themselves; this, in the hope that any recurrence of such 

 foolhardiness, would afford an opportunity for the sharp- 

 shooters to show their skill. Of the main body, one half 

 was in reserve fifty yards behind the skirmish line — to 

 call it such, where the whole business was a skirmish hne 

 — with carbines loaded and cocked, and a handful of cart- 

 ridges on the clean rocks in front, and every man on the 

 lookout to prevent the escape of a single warrior, should 

 any be fortunate enough to sneak or break through the 

 first line. The men on the first line had orders to fire as 

 rapidly as they chose, directing aim against the roof of 

 the cave, with the view to having the bullets glance down 

 among the Apache men, who had massed immediately back 

 of the rock rampart. 



This plan worked admirably, and, so far as we could 

 judge, our shots were telling upon the Apaches and irrita- 

 ting them to that degree that they no longer sought shelter, 

 but boldly faced our fire, and returned it with energy, the 

 weapons of the men being reloaded by the women, who 

 shared their dangers. A wail from a squaw and the feeble 

 cry of a little babe were proof that the missiles of death 

 were not seeking men alone. Brown ordered our fire to 



