Campfire Stories of Indian Character 519 



cease, and for the last time summoned the Apaches to 

 surrender, or to let their women and children come out 

 unmolested. On their side, the Apaches also ceased all 

 hostile demonstrations, and it seemed to some of us Ameri- 

 cans that they must be making ready to yield, and were 

 discussing the matter among themselves. Our Indian 

 guides and interpreters raised the cry, "Look out! there 

 goes the Death Song; they are going to charge!" It was a 

 weird chant,* one not at all easy to describe, half wail and 

 half exultation — the frenzy of despair, and the wild cry 

 for revenge. Now, the petulant, querulous treble of the 

 squaws kept time with the shufiiing feet, and again the 

 deeper growl of the savage bull-dogs, who represented man- 

 hood in that cave, was flung back from the cold, pitiless 

 brown of the cliffs. 



"Look out! here they come!" Over the rampart, 

 guided by one impulse, moving as if they were all part of 

 one body, jumped and ran twenty of the warriors — superb- 

 looking fellows, all of them; each carried upon his back a 

 quiver filled with the long reed arrows of the tribe; each 

 held in his hands a bow and a rifle, the latter at full cock. 

 Half of the party stood upon the rampart, which gave 

 them some chance to sight our men behind the smaller 

 rocks in front, and blazed away for aU they were worth — 

 they were trying to make a demonstration to engage our 

 attention, while the other part suddenly slipped down and 

 around our right flank, and out through the rocks which 

 had so effectively sheltered the retreat of the one who had 

 so nearly succeeded in getting away, earlier in the morning. 

 Their motives were divined, and the move was frustrated; 



* A Death Song, probably the one used here, is: 

 "Father we are going out to die, 

 Let not fear enter into our hearts. 



For ourselves, we grieve not, but for those that are left behind. 

 We are going out to die." 



