The North American Indian | Page 9

excited almost to the
degree of frenzy. They watched the little grave-houses constantly and gathered in groups
about other graves.
Some of the Apache employed as scouts with the detachment stationed at Fort Apache
heard of the craze and obtained leave of absence to investigate. They returned and
informed the commanding officer, then acting as agent, that their people were going mad,
whereupon a number of scouts and troopers were sent to learn the cause of the trouble
and to ask Nabakélti to come to the fort for an interview. Though angered by the message,
the old man agreed to come in two days. Meanwhile he had the little brush houses over
the bones tightly sealed to keep out preying animals and curious Indians. He then
explained to his people that, owing to the interruption by the whites, it was probable that
the bones would not come to life at the end of four days, as predicted, but that he would
make a new dance later and prove the efficacy of his creed.
Then he started for the fort with his entire band of dancers, sixty-two in number, each
with his "sacred medicine"--wheels, sticks, and drums. They journeyed afoot, stopping
occasionally to dance, and reached the grounds of the fort late in the afternoon of the
second day. On they passed, dancing in a spectacular manner, and camped that night on
the flat a little above the fort, where they waited for someone to come over to interview
them. The agent did not send for Nabakélti that night, so at daybreak he started up White
river with his band, passing by the present agency site, and crossing into Bear Springs
valley. Thence they took the trail toward the Cibicu again, reaching the Carrizo in the
evening, where they camped for the night and performed another dance. The following
morning they took the trail for their home, which they reached rather early in the day.
As soon as the band had reached its destination, another summons was delivered to
Nabakélti to appear before the agent at the fort. This time the old man sent back word that
he would not come: he had gone once, and if any had wished to see him, they had had
their chance.
On receipt of this reply, sixty mounted soldiers, armed and provisioned, were sent over to
the Cibicu to put a stop to the dancing. Apache scouts had been stationed to watch the
manoeuvres of the Indians and to keep the officials informed. They met the troopers, who
made a night ride to the stream, and informed them where the old medicine-man was
encamped. Early in the morning the soldiers reached the Cibicu at a point about two
miles above Nabakélti's camp, whence a detachment was despatched to arrest the
medicine-man and bring him to the place where headquarters were being established. It
was the intention merely to arrest and hold him while the troops rested for the day,
preparatory to taking him back to the fort; but it was deemed necessary to send a force
sufficiently large to cope with the Indians should they attempt resistance.
[Illustration: Mescal Hills - Apache]
Mescal Hills - Apache
From Copyright Photograph 1906 by E.S. Curtis

Nabakélti yielded without hesitation to the demands of the soldiers, and forthwith rode up
to headquarters. Everything seemed very quiet. There was no demonstration against the
soldiers, who stacked their arms and unloaded the pack-trains. The mules were hobbled
and turned loose, and the cavalry horses tethered and fed.
While this apparently peaceful condition prevailed, a brother of the medicine-man,
angered because of the arrest, dashed into camp on a pony and shot and killed the captain
in command. Instantly, hardly realizing whence the shot had come, one of the troopers
struck Nabakélti on the head with a cudgel, killing him. Assured that a fight was
imminent, the soldiers receded to higher ground, a short distance back, where they
hurriedly made preparations for defence.
On learning that Nabakélti had been killed, and deeming the soldiers wholly to blame, a
small party of Apache attacked the troopers while retreating to the higher ground. Six of
the soldiers were killed, the mules stampeded, and the provisions burned, all within a
short space of time. The hostiles made their escape, practically all of them leaving the
valley.
The Government probably never lost money faster in an Indian campaign than it did as a
result of its interference with Nabakélti's harmless medicine craze. Had he been left alone
his inevitable failure, already at hand, to bring the dead to life would have lost him his
following, and in all probability his ill-success would have cost his life at the hands of
one of his tribesmen. As it was, the hostilities that followed extended over several months,