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17 - Story of Geronimo by Jim Kjelgaard · Story of Geronimo

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  Speaker 1: Chapter seventeen of the Story of Geronimo. This is a
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  Speaker 1: libravox recording. All librevox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit librevox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Reading done by Jules Harlock. The Story of Geronimo by
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  Speaker 1: Jim Cagilgard, Chapter seventeen. A gallant soldier sitting in the
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  Speaker 1: shade of some pines on the rim of a lofty mountain,
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  Speaker 1: Geronimo stared down at Mexico's the beastly river. From the mountaintop.
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  Speaker 1: The river looked like a silver ribbon that followed the
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  Speaker 1: curves of the valley and gave back the sparkle of
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  Speaker 1: the sun. Geronimo shook his head. When he was a
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  Speaker 1: medicine man, he had tried in vain to see the
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  Speaker 1: vision that should appear to all shamans. Though he was
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  Speaker 1: no longer a shaman. Visions came now. He saw that
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  Speaker 1: long past day when he had stolen del Gadido's war
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  Speaker 1: horse to fight a duel of stallions with the son
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  Speaker 1: of Ponce again, he went with del Gadido on the
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  Speaker 1: raid and saw the two Papagos who had come to
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  Speaker 1: steal the horses. Once more he lived in his mother's
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  Speaker 1: wikie up and knew the love that had warmed him there.
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  Speaker 1: Next followed his happy days with Alope, but not the
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  Speaker 1: massacre of Kaskaya. Then the battle that avenged the massacre,
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  Speaker 1: the ambush of the California volunteers in Apache Pass, and
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  Speaker 1: the battles that had been since. He thought of all
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  Speaker 1: that had passed since his first fight with the two Papagoes.
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  Speaker 1: Geronimo had been twelve years old. Then he was fifty eight.
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  Speaker 1: Now he had known forty six years of war. More
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  Speaker 1: visions came. Geronimo saw old Mangus Coloradus leaving the Mimbrino
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  Speaker 1: village to surrender to the white man. He saw Cochis,
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  Speaker 1: who fought fiercely for ten years after the death of
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  Speaker 1: Mangus Coloradus, but finally gave in too. No more visions appeared.
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  Speaker 1: Geronimo turned to Naichi, who sat beside him. You told
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  Speaker 1: me that you longed to see your wife, your children,
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  Speaker 1: your relatives, he said, I do, said Naichi, Have you
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  Speaker 1: no wish again to visit your blood kin? No one
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  Speaker 1: awaits me. Geronimo was interrupted by the whistle of a hawk.
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  Speaker 1: The sentry signaled and an enemy came. The sentry signaled
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  Speaker 1: again the enemy was not in force. The women and
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  Speaker 1: children ran to hurry the horse into hiding. The men
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  Speaker 1: hid themselves where they could ambush their foe. In less
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  Speaker 1: than half a minute, not one of Geronimo's band and
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  Speaker 1: no horses could be seen. Presently, two apaches appeared. One
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  Speaker 1: was Kieta, who had deserted Geronimo while raiding in Arizona.
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  Speaker 1: The second was a warrior named Martin. When the pair
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  Speaker 1: was well within the ambush, Geronimo and his hidden warriors
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  Speaker 1: sprang up. Kieta and Martin stood motionless, but both knew
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  Speaker 1: that if either raised a weapon, both would die. Geronimo said,
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  Speaker 1: it is good to see you again, Kieta. I am
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  Speaker 1: here because I like you, Geronimo. Kieta said, and I
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  Speaker 1: like you because you led us well. I know you
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  Speaker 1: bear me no ill will because I left you and
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  Speaker 1: returned to San Carlos, said Geronimo. If if you wish
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  Speaker 1: to follow me no more, your own path was before you,
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  Speaker 1: and how can I bear ill will? Because you chose it?
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  Speaker 1: Have you now returned to me and brought Martin with you.
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  Speaker 1: We are here as messengers for a very gallant soldier,
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  Speaker 1: Kieta said. Geronimo said, harshly, I treat with no soldiers.
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  Speaker 1: Will you hear his name, Kieta asked, Geronimo said, I
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  Speaker 1: will hear his name, Lieutenant Gatewood, said Keieda. Geronimo could
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  Speaker 1: not hide his astonishment. He knew that Lieutenant Gatewood was
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  Speaker 1: fierce in battle, merciful in victory, and always true to
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  Speaker 1: his word. With that respect which one great warrior must
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  Speaker 1: feel for another, Geronimo said, more than once I have
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  Speaker 1: met Lieutenant Gatewood in battle, But it came to my
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  Speaker 1: ears that he had gone far from the land of
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  Speaker 1: the Apaches. Your ears heard truly, Kieda said, Lieutenant Gatewood
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  Speaker 1: has been in a place so far off that I
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  Speaker 1: do not even know its name. But when he learned
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  Speaker 1: that Geronimo refuses even to talk with the soldiers who
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  Speaker 1: are pursuing him, he came as one whom Geronimo himself
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  Speaker 1: knows he may trust. How many soldiers are with him,
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  Speaker 1: Geronimo asked, Kieda, said, there are six soldiers, all of
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  Speaker 1: whom serve as couriers and none as warriors. There are
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  Speaker 1: two interpreters, Jose Maria and Tom Horn. They are all
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  Speaker 1: Geronimo asked, they are all with Lieutenant Gatewood, said keieda,
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  Speaker 1: but there are many soldiers not far away. Will you
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  Speaker 1: talk with this brave man? Geronimo gave himself to serious thought.
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  Speaker 1: After a while, he looked at Kieta. I will talk
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  Speaker 1: with him, he said, But only Lieutenant Gatewood, the six couriers,
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  Speaker 1: and Tom Horn and Jose Maria. No one else must
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  Speaker 1: come to the meeting place. Should there be soldiers we fight,
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  Speaker 1: we go to tell him, Kieta, said Geronimo said, Martin
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  Speaker 1: goes to tell him. Just to be sure Martin speaks truly.
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  Speaker 1: You stay with us until he returns. Later, Geronimo stood
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  Speaker 1: very still as he watched Lieutenant Gatewood and his group
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  Speaker 1: come near. Lieutenant Gatewood had been ill and showed it,
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  Speaker 1: but he was armed as a warrior should be, and
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  Speaker 1: mounted as a warrior should be, and he was completely
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  Speaker 1: at ease. True to his word. He was accompanied only
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  Speaker 1: by the six couriers and two interpreters. Geronimo's mind took
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  Speaker 1: him back almost six years to a nameless canyon. He
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  Speaker 1: and Naiche, with a large band of well armed war
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  Speaker 1: had succeeded in luring a company of United States cavalry
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  Speaker 1: to a water hole in the canyon. The apaches fell
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  Speaker 1: upon the soldiers and might have massacred everyone, had not
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  Speaker 1: the brave Lieutenant Gatewood rallied his men and led them
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  Speaker 1: out of the trap. Geronimo stirred uneasily. His warriors could
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  Speaker 1: kill these few men in less than a minute. But
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  Speaker 1: even as the thought occurred to him, he knew that
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  Speaker 1: he would never give the order to shoot, not when
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  Speaker 1: this gallant soldier was in command. End of Chapter seventeen.