APACHES ON THE WAR TRAIL. 9 I 



substantially the same all over the plains of the Great 

 West. Surprise is their great weapon, and the basis 

 of nearly all their operations. Attacks are almost in- 

 variably made with a view to take their opponents 

 unawares; and where it is evident that "surprise" is 

 not likely to succeed, the attack itself will generally 

 be adjourned sine die; for the same reason night 

 attacks, being peculiarly liable to miscarry, are pro- 

 bably unpopular with the Indians, and are seldom 

 resorted to. This may explain their " religious M 

 objection to them. 



When darkness has fallen, the student of military 

 history will be well aware, events may often so turn 

 out as to render an attacking party the surprised, 

 instead of the surprising. The wily Indian therefore 

 prefers to see what he is doing, before risking his 

 skin, and therefore generally elects to trust to his 

 sagacity and intimate knowledge of the country to find 

 a suitable opportunity to surprise his enemy by day- 

 light. 



The system of ravines and "coulees," which we 

 have already referred to as constituting a feature of 

 the plains regions, peculiarly lends itself to this species 

 of attack, and forms natural hiding-places for a skulk- 

 ing enemy. The American General Custer, in his 

 book relating his personal experience among the Plains 

 Indians, gives a graphic description of an attack made 

 upon a detachment of U.S. troops under his command 

 under such circumstances. 



" The escort (he says) was moving over a beautifully level 

 plateau. Not a mound nor a hillock disturbed the evenness 

 of the surface for miles in any direction. To the unpractised 

 eye there seemed no recess in which an enemy might be 



