THE GENERAL GIVES HIS VIEWS. 303 



mode of further communications arranged, and then to 

 liberate and send him Jback to his tribe with some small 

 presents as earnests of sincerity. We found but one objection 

 to this plan it would not work. 



To move a body of troops in the Indian country with such 

 precautions as would enable it to elude the observations of 

 spies, and for the Indians' first knowledge of soldiers being 

 out to be the finding their camp surprised, would be so 

 exactly following the usual programme of a hostile expedi- 

 tion, that a flight or fight would be inevitable ; while should 

 the troops travel openly, the Indians, on getting the first 

 intimation of their being in the field, would in all probability 

 temporarily retreat into Mexico, whither they could not be 

 followed. 



We therefore suggested that if it met with our chiefs 

 approval, and he would give us authority to exercise our own 

 discretion as to our proceedings in the affair, we two would 

 pick out two or three men on whom we could thoroughly 

 rely, and with them as our entire force undertake the expedi- 

 tion without escort. We would start out in hunters' costume, 

 and steal our way through the country, trusting to our Indian 

 craft to get speech with some of the Apache- Yumayas, if 

 possible with their chief, Pah-Squal, to whom we were 

 known, he having parleyed with us on a prior expedition ; 

 and would trust to our caution and luck to avoid being 

 attacked when travelling or surprised in camp. We would 

 take ten days' rations with us, orders on the rancheros in the 

 district for further supplies, and keep the mountains until 

 we succeeded or turned our toes up. 



This proposition struck the general as being " eminently 



