ntain range to the south of us. The bulk of
this area constituted the Apache Indian Reservation. It was reserved for
these Indians as a hunting-ground as well as a home. No one else was
allowed to settle within its boundaries, or graze their sheep or cattle
there. It was truly a hunter's paradise, being largely covered with
forest trees, broken here and there by open parks and glades and meadow
lands, drained by streams of clear cool water, which combining, produced
a few considerable-sized rivers, "hotching" with trout, unsophisticated
and so simple in their natures that it seemed a positive shame to take
advantage of them. These mountains were the haunt of the elk, the
big-horned sheep, black-and white-tailed deer, grizzly, cinnamon, silver
tip, and brown and black bears; the porcupine, racoon and beaver; also
the prong-horned antelope, though it is more of a plains country animal.
But more of this some other time.

The Apache Indians (Apache is not their proper name, but Tinneh; the
former was given to them by the Mexicans and signifies "enemy") were
and are the most dreaded of all the redskin tribes. They always have
been warlike and perhaps naturally cruel, and at the time of our arrival
in the country they had about attained their most bloodthirsty and
murderous character. Shocking ill-treatment by white skalawags and
United States officials had changed their nature; but more about them
also by-and-by.

North of us were the numerous and powerful Navajo Indians. They were not
so much dreaded by us, their Reservation being further away, and they
then being of a peaceful disposition, devoted to horse and sheep
breeding and the manufacture of blankets.

These are the famous Navajo blankets so often seen in English homes,
valued for the oddness of their patterns and colours, but used in
Arizona mainly as saddle blankets. The majority of them are coarsely
made and of little intrinsic value; but others, made for the chiefs or
other special purposes, are finely woven, very artistic, and sell for
large sums of money. Rain will not penetrate them and they make
excellent bed coverings.

These Navajoes used to declare that they would never quit the war-path
till a certain "Dancing Man" appeared, and that they would never be
conquered till then. An American officer, named Backus, at Fort
Defiance, constructed a dummy man, who danced by the pulling of wires,
and showed him to the Indians. They at once accepted him as their