AN ANCIENT. 315 



for it as a fact, there is nothing more trying than to spend a 

 few hours in apparently total carelessness and abandon, but 

 really in partial expectation of being made the objects of a 

 sudden murderous attack at close quarters by a numerically 

 overwhelming force standing round you, and that, too, in a 

 place from which, under such circumstances, escape would be 

 miraculous, and where succour and reinforcement are out of 

 the question. 



It was late in the afternoon when the old chief made his 

 appearance for at last he came and his doing so was 

 quite a relief to us, as it was an earnest of good faith. He 

 was a wonderful old man. I have no doubt he was the 

 oldest man I have ever seen, and appeared to be shrivelled 

 and wrinkled up to a mummy. He arrived in the arms of 

 two young fellows, to whom he seemed a feather weight, 

 who set him down on a folded blanket before his son's 

 wickee-up. The old man was so bent and doubled up with 

 age that he could not straighten himself, neither could he 

 stand up without support. He had still a luxuriant head 

 of hair I have yet to. see a bald Indian but it was snowy 

 white, his teeth were all in his head, but worn down level 

 with his gums, his eyes still keen and piercing, and he 

 appeared to notice everything. We conversed with him 

 through his son as interpreter. Whether the ancient savage 

 could not understand anything but his native dialect, or 

 would not as a matter of dignity, I do not know, but 

 suspect the latter to have been the true reason. He seemed 

 to be a very reasonable old man, and really anxious to 

 make a treaty and go on a reservation. He spoke to 

 this effect : His enemies the Final- Apaches had been 



