the Indians called "Nick Golee"
was agent at this place. All went well here for a period of two years,
but we were not satisfied.

In the summer of 1883 a rumor was current that the officers were again
planning to imprison our leaders. This rumor served to revive the memory
of all our past wrongs--the massacre in the tent at Apache Pass, the
fate of Mangus-Colorado, and my own unjust imprisonment, which might
easily have been death to me. Just at this time we were told that the
officers wanted us to come up the river above Geronimo to a fort (Fort
Thomas) to hold a council with them. We did not believe that any good
could come of this conference, or that there was any need of it; so we
held a council ourselves, and fearing treachery, decided to leave the
reservation. We thought it more manly to die on the warpath than to be
killed in prison.

There were in all about 250 Indians, chiefly the Bedonkohe and Nedni
Apaches, led by myself and Whoa. We went through Apache Pass and just
west of there had a fight with the United States troops. In this battle
we killed three soldiers and lost none.

We went on toward Old Mexico, but on the second day after this United
States soldiers overtook us about three o'clock in the afternoon and we
fought until dark. The ground where we were attacked was very rough,
which was to our advantage, for the troops were compelled to dismount in
order to fight us. I do not know how many soldiers we killed, but we
lost only one warrior and three children. We had plenty of guns and
ammunition at this time. Many of the guns and much ammunition we had
accumulated while living in the reservation, and the remainder we had
obtained from the White Mountain Apaches when we left the reservation.

Troops did not follow us any longer, so we went south almost to Casa
Grande and camped in the Sierra de Sahuaripa Mountains. We ranged in the
mountains of Old Mexico for about a year, then returned to San Carlos,
taking with us a herd of cattle and horses.

Soon after we arrived at San Carlos the officer in charge, General
Crook, took the horses and cattle away from us. I told him that these
were not white men's cattle, but belonged to us, for we had taken them
from the Mexicans during our wars. I also told him that we did not
intend to kill these animals, but that we wished to keep them and raise
stock on our range. He would not listen to me, but took the stock. I
went up near Fort Apache and General Crook or