Apache Shadow by Jason Manning

Author:Jason Manning [Manning, Jason]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-05-05T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Kiannatah reasoned that to brazenly enter the encampment of the Coyoteros and to present himself to Valerio as a volunteer who could help him and his people in their war against the White Eyes would probably not work. For one thing, it would quickly become apparent to Valerio, even if Kiannatah made no mention of it, that he was Netdahe. An outcast. And once this was determined, the Coyoteros might take offense, as though his very presence was an indication that he did not think they would fare as well against the Pinda Lickoyi if they sent him away. Of course, Kiannatah believed this was true, but to convince the Coyoteros of this truth, which would wound their pride, was something else. No, he had to earn his way into the confidence of Valerio. And the only way he could see to do that was to await an opportunity to show the Coyoteros what an asset he could be in battle.

To do this he had to be in the right place at the right time, and that meant he had to shadow the Coyotero war parties as they left the encampment—which itself had been easy enough to locate, high up in the Mogollon Mountains. Shadowing a group of bronchos going off to war was no easy thing, but Kiannatah wasn't worried. He was confident he could do it. And he did—for weeks.

The Coyoteros launched numerous raids from their mountain stronghold. For the most part, they attacked easy targets—isolated ranches, a party of gold hunters who, though alerted to the fact that there was an Apache war going on, had allowed their hunger for the yellow ore to blind them to the risks involved in continuing their search for the mother lode. One of the war parties that Kiannatah followed attacked a Butterfield Stage route way station. They wanted the horses held in the station's corrals. But the stage company had taken precautions, fortifying the stations along the route, and making sure that no coach rolled without the protection of an army detail or a squad of the hired guns it had hired. The way station attacked by the Coyoteros was manned by a dozen well-armed men, and they not only saved themselves but prevented the bronchos from making off with a single horse.

Win or lose, the Coyoteros always returned to the Mogollons, moving quickly but always careful to watch out for army pursuit. Kiannatah watched out for the yellow-legs too. But he never saw any. That puzzled him. Where was the United States Army? Surely it had been charged with the task of protecting civilians from the Coyotero threat.

Eventually, Kiannatah solved the mystery. Following the Coyoteros back to the mountains in the aftermath of the disastrous raid on the stage station, he discovered that he was not the only lone Apache shadowing the war party.

In the foothills of the Mogollons, he crossed the track of a lone Apache, who seemed to have come from the north, cut the fresh trail of the Coyoteros, and then turned to follow them.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.