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Show 252 FORTY YEARS AMONG THE INDIANS. for we were on a mission, not of our own choosing. We got in next day all right. Our animals needed shoe-ing so we concluded to lay over a day. I had a great desire to talk to these Indians, believing that they would listen a little. I made some inquiry of the trader who had been with them for some years, about their tradi-tions. He said they had none, only to murder and steal. This I found afterwards to be a great mistake. I asked Mr. Jeffries, permission to talk to the Indians. He rather jeeringly replied, " I don't think you can get them to listen to you, I am the only man they will talk to." I answered, " All I ask is your permission and if they won't listen to me, all right." He said, " Go ahead, I guess you can't make them much worse than they are anyway." I inquired if any of the Indians talked Spanish. Their interpreter, a drunken little Mexican, offered to interpret, if I would pay him, saying that that was his business, and that no one had a right to talk to the Indians except through him. I told him that the agent had given me the privilege of talking to them ; that I was not working for money, and that I did not intend to pay for any interpreting. He then pointed out an Indian that spoke tolerable fair Spanish. I approached the Indian and spoke to him. He answered quite short and asked what I wanted. I told him that what I wanted to say to him was for his people's good ; that if he would listen to me a few minutes, he could then judge. He looked me in the eye for a moment and then said, " All right, say what you please." I asked him if the Apaches had any knowledge of their fathers, counting back many counts. He answered |