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Show l('l .APPENDIX TO PART III. The Appaches nrc a nation of Indians who ext<.-!ld from the black mountains in New 1\Iexico to tl.w frontiers of Cogquilla, keep· in•1):1' the frontiers of three provinces in a continual state of alarm, and maki11g· it necc::;sary to employ nearly two thousand dragoons to escort the caravans, protect the villages, and revenge the various attacks they arc continually making on the subjects of his Catholic majesty. This nation formerly extended from the entrance of the Hio Grande to the gulf of Califomia, and have waged a continual warfare, except short truces, with the Spaniards, from the time they pushed thcit· enterprises back from Mexico into the internal pro· vinccs. lt is extremely diilicult to say what arc their numbers at tht> present day, but they must be very much reduced, from thcit· long and constant warfare, the wandering and savage life they lead in the mountains, which is so injurious to an increase of population, and in which thcv arc frequently extremely pinched by fau1inc. At the com~1enccment of their warfare the Spaniards used to bkc their prisoners and make slaves uf them; but f1ncling that theil' unconquerable attachment to liberty made them surmount every difliculty a1JC.l danger in rctuming- to their mountains, they adopted the mode of sending them to Cuba, which the Appachcs no sooner learned than they rcf11scd to give or rccciYe quarters, and in no in· stance have there been any taken since that period, except sur· prised when asleep ot· knocked down and overpowered. Their arms arc tbe bow and anow and the lance. Thei•· bow furn1s two dcmi-circles, with a shoulder in the middle: the back of it is cntir<:ly core red with sinews, which are laid on in so nice a man· ncr, by the usc of some glutinous substance, as to be almost irnpe~·· ceptiblc; this gives g-re<,t elasticity to the weapon. Their arrow ts n .ore than the "cloth yard" of the English, being three feet a~d a half lon r,, the uppet· p<ut consisting uf some light rush or cane,wto which i-; inserted a shaft of ubout one foot, made of some hard, ~ca· sonccl light ,.,ood; the poiHt is of iron, bone, or stone, and, when the arrow e nters the bocly,in attempting- to extract it, the shaft com~s out of its ~ockc t and the point remains in the wound. \Vith thts vvcllpon they shoot with such force as to go throug·h the body .of a man at the di~tauc.c of 100 yards, and an officer told me that, 111 an ... np·ap·~ m c nt with them one of theit· arrows struck his shield and _).J ,, ""=> ' • dismounted him in an instant. Tla:it· other weapon of ofl'cncc 15 a Jancc or 15 f et in leng·th, with Wl1ich thev charge with both hands over t IH .:·t r Il C<.ltI s , manag·m g t 11 c·u · horses pn: nc·tp1a1 y w1' tl • thel·J. knees· \Vith tlns weapon they arc considered an on:rmatch for the Sp;ln- APPENDIX TO PART ITT. ll ish dragoons single handed, but, for want of a knowledge of tactics, they can never stand the charge of a body which acts in concert. They all carry a shield. Some few arc armed with guns and ammunition taken from the Spaniards. Those, as well as the arcbers, generally march to war on foot; but the hmcemen arc always mounted. Numerous arc the anecdotes I have heard related of theit· personal bravery and the spil'it of tlleit· partisan corps. Not long before I went into that countt·y a comet, with 6:3 dragoons, Lctwcen New .l\lexico unci lliscay, was surrounded by about 200 .Appaches infantry, and instead of charging throug-h them, as it was on the plain, he onlerecl his <lt·agoons to dismount and fig·ht with their earabines, in consequence of which he and his whole party f<.:ll a sacrifice. Malgares related an instance when he was marching with 140 men and they were attacked by a purty of Appaches, both hol'sc nne! foot, who continued the fight fol' foul' hours. \Vhene,·er the Spanish dragoons would make a g-eneral charge, the Appaches' ca\'alry would retreat behind their infantry, who tnl!t the Spaniards with " shower· of arrows, who immediately retreated, and e\'en the ~allan! Malgarcs spoke of the 'panish cavalry's breaking the Appaches' infantry CIS a thing not to be thought of. 1\Ialgat·cs assUI'ed me that, if the Appaches hacl seconded the efforts and br·avcry or theit• chieftain, the Spaniat'(IS IT;) liSt have been defcatccl and cut to pieces; that in val'ions instances he rallied hi:; men and br·oul{ht them llp to the charge, and that when they flew, he retired indignantly to the t•car. Seeing Malgares very actively engag-ed in formin g· Rnd hrin!~ing- np the Spaniards, the Appache chieftain rod<' out a-hcacl of his party and challenged hitn to single combat \Vith his lance. This my friend refused, as he said that the chief was one of the stoutest men he knew, cnrTicd n remat·kably heavy lance, and r·ode a very fllle charger; hnt olfc· of his cm·por~ds, cmaged to sec the Spaniarch thus braved by this savage, begge<l permission to meet the "infidel." IIi~ olliccr refused hi<; requc!:>t and ordered him to keep his ranks; hut he reiterating- the t·eqtJe!.t, his supet·iot• in a passion told him to go. The Tn cli:m ch ief bad tu•·ncd his horse to join his party, but see-ing nn enemy advancing, he turned, r;avc a shout, and met him at full speed. The clt·agoon thought to pnny the lance of his antagonist, which he in part effected, but not tht·owing· it quite high enoug-h, it cntci·<:d his neck before anct came out at the nape, when he fell dead to the ground, and his victot·iou~ encn1y gave u shout of victory, in '' hich he wac.; joincl! by all his fulluwL t'!'!: tlri, enraged the Sp:mbrd · to such n de- |
