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Show 10 .t\PPENDIX TO PART III. The Appachcs arc a nation of Indians who extend from the black mountains in New ::\'Icxico to the frontiet·s of Cogquilla, keep· ing the frontier& of three provinces in a continual state of ~llarm, and mal ing it necessary 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 California, and have waged a continual warfare, except short truces, with the Spaniards, from the time they pushed their enterprises back from Mexico into the internal provinces. It is extremely difficult to say what arc their numbers at the present day, but they must be very much reduced, from their long and constant warfare, the wandering and savage life they lead jn the mountains, which is so injurious to an increase of population, and in which they are frequently extreme1y pinched by fao1ine. At the commencement of their warl~11·e the Spaniards used to take their prisoners and make slaves(.)[ them; but finding that thcit• unconquerable attachment to liberty nwcle them surmount every difficulty and danger in returning to their mountains, they adop~ed the mode of sending them to Cuba, which the A ppaches no soone1· learned than they refused to give or receive quartci'S, and in no instance have there been any taken since that period, except surprised when asleep or knocked do'' nand overpowered. Their arms arc the bow and aiTow and the lance. Their bow forms two dcmi-cirdcs, with a shoulder in the middle: the back of it is entirely covered with sinews, which arc laid on in so nice a man· m·r, by the usc of some glutinous substance, as to be almost imperceptible; this givts g re~,t elasticity to the weapon. Their arrow is n ;orc than the " cloth ynrd" of the English, being three feet and a half long-, the upper pun consi~ting uf some light rush or cane, into which i~ inserted a shaft of about one foot, made of some hard, seasoned li g-ht wood; the point is of iron, bone, or stone, and, when the arrow <·ntt' l'S the body,in attempting to cxu·act it, the shaft comes out of its so kct and the point remains in the wound. vVith this weapon they shoot with such force as to go through the body of a man at the di!>tnncc of I 00 yards, and an officer told me that, in an engagement with them, one of their arrows struck his shield and dismounted him in an instant. Their other weapon of offence is a lance of. 15 feet in length, with which they charge '"ith both hand!! ov ~ r thctr heads, man•~ging their horses principally wit!J their knees. \ Vlth tlus '"capon they are constdered an overmatch for the Span,- APPENDIX TO PART III. 1 1 ish dragoons single handed, but, for want of a l<.nowlcdg~ of tactics, they can never stand the charge of a body wlucl: acts 111 concert. They all carry a shield. Some few arc armccl w1th guns nncl ammunition taken from the Spaniards. Those, as well as the arcltcrs generally march to war on foot; but the l:mcemen arc always_ mounted. Numerous arc the anecdotes I have hcarLl related o [ their personal lm.\vcry and the spirit of their partisan corps. t\ ot long before I went into that country a cornet, with G:> dragoons, brtwcen New l\Icxico and lliscay, w,\s sutTotmdcd by abont 200 J\ ppachcs infantry, and instead of charging through them, au i~ \l'as ~n the plain, he onlered hi~ dragoons to dismount ancl fi g-ht'' nh t hcu· carabines, in consequence of which he ami !tis whole party fl: !l a sacrifice. 1\Ial ~ares related an inst:mce when he was marching with l ,W men and they were attacked by a party of Appachcs, both horse and foot, who continued the flght for four hours. 'Vhcnever the Spanish dragoons woulclnwkc a general charge, the Appachcs' cavalry would retreat behind their infantry, who met the Spaniards with :.t. shower of arrows, who immediately rctrcatccl, and even the ~allant Malgarcs spoke of the Spanish cavalry's breaking the Appachcs' infantry as a thing- not. to be thought of. l\1algarcs assured me that., if the Appachcs had seconded the efforts and br:1vcry of their chieftain, the Spaniards must h.1\'C be en defeated and cut to pieces; that in various instances he rallied hi.., men and b t·ou ~ llt them up to the ch•1rgc, ancl that when they flew, l1e retired imli ~ nantly to the rear. Sccin~ :\I..d ~arc s very actively engaged in fa nning and bringinij up the Spaniards, the .1\ppache chieftain rode ottt a-head of his party and ch .dl c n ~ c <l him to single combat with his lance. This my fri end rcfusccl, as he said that t.hc chief was one of the stoutest men he knew, C<.ll'ricd n r em a rkably heavy lance, and rode a ,·cry fine charger; but one of his corpora ls, enraged to sec the Sprmia rcls thus bt·:~,·e tl by this sa, ag-c, bcggcH permission lo meet the ((infidel." His on'tcc r \'efusc cl his rccruest and ordered him to keep his ranks; but he r e i te rating tht: requc:,t, his superior in a passion told him to go . The Indian c hief had tmnecl his ltot•sc to join his party, hut seeing an enctn y adv;.tncing·, he tmncd, g-ave a shout, ancl met him at full speed. T he dragoon thoug-ht to parry the lance of his antagonist, wltich he in part cf. fcctcd, but not thro,ring- it quite hi :;h enou g h, it entered his n eck before and came out at the nape, when he fell dead to the gTmmd , ilL·! his victot·ious enemy gaye u shout of victory, in which he w .\S joinet! by all his followers : thic; enrag·ecl the S pani :ml.:! to c;u ·h a dt· |
