They counted fourteen dead bandits in all. Six killed by the Apache in the village and eight more in the skirmish with the Army across the river, but Perez was not among them. The bandits had fled back south and Mobley hoped it would take them a long time to regroup.
It took two wagons to carry the bodies out into the scrub where they were dumped into a single large grave dug by the troopers. No headstone, no marker, but Great Hawk would not allow them to be buried on what he considered Apache land.
Lieutenant Fisher and his soldiers had ridden up from Tombstone the minute they disembarked from the Tucson train before dawn. Twelve troopers, two corporals, one sergeant and the lieutenant made a dash for the river based on the intelligence provided by the sheriff in Tombstone.
It didn’t take them long to acquire the tracks of Perez’s men leading towards the Apache village and then the gunfire told them where they were needed. When the bandits became aware of the Army bearing down on them they disengaged the village and made a run for it. Most of them were caught out in the open, but Perez and several of his men escaped.
Several of the sheep had been killed in the exchange and now they had been butchered and set to cook over fire pits around the village. Fisher and his men would partake of the Apache feast in honor of the victory and then return to Tombstone in the morning to catch the train.
The village was slowly transformed back into its normal state and the Chief’s house cleared of animals and debris. The troopers set up camp under the trees along the river to await their dinner which was still some hours away. Darby didn’t know what to do with himself until Indigo brought Taza over and asked him to accompany them to the smelter. Someone had to see if there had been any damage.
Branna looked ready for a run after being cooped up in that fortress, and so did Mosh. The animals had dealt with gunfire quite well, but Darby imagined the smell of gunpowder must have been overpowering. It would take a while for the Apache women to air the place out and restore the home since the smell still lingered hours after the battle.
It was just that…a battle, Darby decided. The heavy logs that comprised the walls around the loft of Great Hawk’s house were pockmarked with bullet holes, as were several of the smaller hogans that had been defended. The damage would remain as a reminder of what the Apache had accomplished.
Indigo, Taza and Darby headed out, traveling north along the river bank.
“The mine is on this side of the river up in the hills,” Indigo said. “It was Sean who decided they should build the smelter across the river so they could take advantage of the water.”
“So they have to move the ore quite a distance to process it,” Darby said.
“At first they hauled it in packs slung on the back of a mule, but then they acquired the wagons. The Apache knew enough to crush the rock and heat it over an open fire to remove the metals, but it was crude work and not very efficient. The smelter changed everything once Sean convinced Great Hawk to build it.”
Taza laughed. “My father can be stubborn man.”
Indigo smiled. “He is that, but he trusted Sean to do the right thing.”
They traveled several miles along the river until they came to a track leading down from the hills. Darby could see the ruts from the wagon wheels that led down to the water and Indigo turned to follow them.
Branna waded right on into the water while Mosh hesitated on the river bank.
Indigo turned his horse and beckoned to Mosh who made an amazing leap up into his arms and was carried across the river on horseback. Taza laughed at Darby’s amazement.
“Smart dog…not swim when he can ride.”
The river was shallow here, the water not even reaching Branna’s belly…and then Darby saw the water wheel and the smelter building. Water power was something he had only read about since the mills of New England were famous for using the resources of a river.
The wheel was not large but it turned freely in the swift flowing water. Darby caught the flash of copper on the wheel and understood that the blades had been formed from the metal. And why not, they probably had a generous supply of copper from the silver processing.
Smelters required hot fires to operate and Darby wondered where they got the fuel to burn. The building they approached was made out of those cast stones, and stacked outside was a generous heap of firewood.
“The refining process requires ore and fuel,” Indigo said. “The Apache send work parties up into the forests of the Verde Mountain for the fuel while others mine the ore in the hills. They only fire up the smelter once a week but in six hours they can produce a lot of metal from that rock.”
“And that’s all it takes?”
Indigo laughed. “If it was only that easy. No, the silver is not completely extracted here. Sean explained it to me, a very complicated process with chemicals we do not possess. What the Apache have done for centuries to get their silver is painstakingly impractical for their needs today.
“What they do now is extract the metals in the rock: copper, lead and silver. This is formed in bricks and shipped by Modoc Freight wagon to Tucson and then by rail all the way to Denver. Sean thought it best that the people of Tombstone don’t know about the shipments and they would if we took it there.”
“But Denver? That’s way up in Colorado,” Darby said.
“Yes it is, about eight hundred miles, but that’s where the government has its mint. The silver is processed out of the other metals up there, and of course they get paid for that work. But they have mines all over the state of Colorado which do the same thing for processing. So once a month Modoc shows up here for you.”
“For me? I don’t know anything about this.”
“Well, now you are the O’Brien…does that make it clearer?” Indigo asked.
The facts assembled in Darby’s mind and he understood. The bank accounts and the mining claim in the O’Brien name…the government thought the silver came from Sean’s mine. In all this time the deal between Sean and the Apache had disguised the source of the silver.
“Why so secret?” Darby asked.
“Indian reservation land belongs to the tribes by government treaty…the mineral resources do not or at least that was never mentioned on paper. The Indians in the Midwest have oil wells on their land run by outside companies and they receive pennies for the resources that should rightfully be theirs. The Navajo are in the same fix with the coal on their lands.
“The government sells these rights to private companies and in return the Indian lands are dug up, the sacred trees are cut down, and for this they get little. The Apache have seen this and so they needed Sean…he figured out a way around the dilemma.”
Darby thought about this for a moment and then smiled. “Dilemma…but I bet you had something to do with it as well.”
Indigo nodded. “I studied many things at the hands of my Chinese family but it is their wisdom I appreciate most. In China they have a saying: Give a fish to a man and he has food for a day, but teach him how to fish and he learns a skill for life. Knowledge of silver mining is important and I learned many things from Sean, but I was best at studying people.
“And so the truth is when I met this young man who had been trying to seek his fortune in the California gold fields I knew there was something special about him. He understood mining and the construction of machinery. Those things had served him well but there was little gold left in the ground and so he came this way to mine copper.
“The sight of an Indian and a white man together was not well received by some, but they never reckoned how fierce an Irishman can be. So he came here from California and I met my first Irishman. Sean continued south to Bisbee while I remained here to study these Apache.
“Sean was back within six months and told me Bisbee was a dirty, lawless town and he felt unwelcome there. He had heard there was silver in the hills around here, but he didn’t know where to look for it…and then Sean met Great Hawk.”
“I know this story, the mountain lion,” Taza said.
Indigo nodded. “Then why don’t you tell Darby.”
Taza shook his head. “My words…the English is not good.”
“You will do just fine…tell me the story,” Darby said.
“My father goes to hunt in mountains, many warriors do this. He goes, maybe stay many days to seek deer, and to …word is Ha’do’aal.”
“Sing…to the Apache this is how they communicate with the gods, a chanting song,” Indigo said.
“Sing to gods. My father is a spiritual man,” Taza said. “His horse is not easy…uneasy, as Darby has taught me to say. The horse has smelled mountain lion but father not know this. He also does not know that Sean O’Brien is over the hill searching rocks for signs of silver.
“But mountain lion creep up for attack on horse and leaps. My father has rifle but lion is on back of horse and shot may hit wrong animal. Horse jump and kick, make great noise, and head for top of hill. My father follows but he only has one shot and if he miss lion may come for him.
“Horse move fast but finally father shoots, but only wound lion who leaves horse and attacks. My father cannot reload so he clubs lion with rifle and then pulls his knife. This is when Sean come over hill and shoots lion dead.
“My father say spirits guide Sean to be there and save his life. Sean become member of family and Apache for his courage.”
“Sean joined your family?” Darby asked.
“He was adopted into the tribe a few months later…a very rare event for a white man, but Great Hawk insisted,” Indigo said. “I believe that perhaps there was more than saving him from the lion behind the Chief’s desire to have Sean in the tribe. “By the time of the adoption they knew of Sean’s mining ability and there had been some discussion of expanding the existing operations. Great Hawk is a good judge of men, and he found an ally in Sean…and now in you.”
Darby stared at Taza. “Did your father tell you to become my friend?”
“No, father say to understand you…help you. I learn about you, I become your friend.”
“They’re not trying to control you, Darby,” Indigo said. “But if you were in their shoes and your source of income was at risk you would study the man who came after Sean. Taza is a genuinely good person…and someday he will be Chief.”
Darby nodded and dismissed the doubts in his mind. “So, is anyone going to show me how this silver processing works?”
Count on Sean to design an operation that could crush the ore, melt it with high heat and pour it into molds. Darby was astonished at the simplicity and he could see how water power moved everything.
“Where is the silver? Was it hidden before the bandits got here?” Darby asked.
“You’re standing on it,” Indigo said, and Darby looked down at what appeared to be a stone floor. “They didn’t have time to remove the results of two week’s work so they laid it on the ground and covered it with dirt. Now they can go back to work and in a few weeks load it on the freight wagons.”
“And this has been going on for how long?”
“About three years, right after they found a new vein of silver ore up in the hills.”
“Denver processes it, charges the account for the work and sends the balance to the bank,” Darby said. “Can they be trusted?”
“We have an assay office up there, they do the paperwork. About sixty percent of the ore is copper and lead which gets sold, the remainder is silver and the mint uses it to stamp out coins. It’s a good venture, Darby…for you and the Apache.”
“But I don’t see where they are spending the money. They grow their own food, they have sheep…what do they spend it on?”
“Each family is given a small payout every year to spend as they wish. The rest is sent to the Bank of California in Los Angeles where you have an account.”
“I understand, Sean was holding their money,” Darby said. “But do they have plans for it?”
“Yes…Great Hawk wants to buy land on this side of the river. Right now Arizona is a territory and land claims are a source of corruption. But someday soon this will be a state and the sale of land will be a source of revenue, Great Hawk will have enough money saved up by then to buy thousands of acres.”
Indigo said something to Taza in the Apache language and the boy nodded in reply.
“He agrees with me,” Indigo said. “I told him this land will probably not be in Apache hands until he is chief and he accepts that. You must understand, the Indian people have been pushed from their homelands since the founding of this country. Land has always been a big issue with the Apache because it is in their hearts and minds, and even a fixture in their religious beliefs.
“But now, even as we have entered the twentieth century, the Indian is not considered a citizen of this nation. They cannot vote, they cannot own land, and by government regulation they are not even allowed to travel off the reservation without permission.”
“But they live here…you call this Apache land, isn’t this a reservation?” Darby asked.
“No, the Verde Apache just came here out of the hills to the east and squatted on the land. The territory knows of their existence and every once in a while some official comes through here, but so far they have not told these Apache to move. I think John Mobley and some of the people in Tombstone want the Indian to remain here as a deterrent to people like Perez and his bandits.
“But someday the Apache will be challenged for this land, and Sean vowed to put a stop to that by purchasing it. This is why the real mine must remain a secret even after the land is bought. Very soon you will have to go meet with the lawyer in Tombstone to discuss Sean’s claim on the land, which will now be yours.”
“We should return,” Taza said.
Indigo nodded. “Yes, we have a celebration to attend. There will be time for further discussion on this matter. But now you understand why an O’Brien is the future of these people.”
The afternoon waned and the celebration began. The soldiers consumed their meal and watched as the Apache put on a show of singing and dancing. Darby sat and observed all this with a head full of thoughts inspired by the things Indigo had said.
Great Hawk’s people were a tribe in transition towards a more modern way of thinking. The Indian Wars between the various Apache factions led by Geronimo and the Army was only twenty years in the past, and the old war Chief still lived on the reservation in Oklahoma.
But the relationship between these Army soldiers and the Verde Apache was one of friendship and accomplishment because a common enemy had created that. This was all to the good because even if the politics of the state changed and became negative towards these people Darby wasn’t sure the Army would enforce those changes.
He could understand Great Hawk’s desire for Darby and Taza to become friends. Just as Sean had passed along his desires for another O’Brien to support these people Darby knew Taza was put in the same role by his father.
Great Hawk and the Lieutenant sat with Mobley and talked for what seemed like hours. Taza sat beside his father and listened to their conversation while Darby sat apart, watching the dances and listening to the songs. The singing and drumming were foreign sounds to his ears but still fascinating.
He glanced across the fire at Taza. There was much about this boy he didn’t understand and yet he would have to learn what he could. And again that nagging thought, had Sean planned all this? If he had remained alive would his uncle have sent for him and made the introductions?
The Apache were a proud people…industrious and clever. The Irish in Darby’s family were a lot like that. The older Apache like Chappo dressed traditionally, carrying on the ways of their ancestors. But Taza was a new generation and although he might be aware of the old ways he seemed more interested in all things new.
Darby yawned and realized he was tired. It had been a long day and the tension had worn him down so he rose to his feet and went to find Branna. But rather than saddle the horse he led Branna to the corral and let her in with the other mares. No point in taking her home, there probably wasn’t a barn to house her anymore.
Without saying a word Taza joined him for the walk back to the house and Mosh followed along. The barn was a smoldering ruin but the house looked secure, at least until Darby got closer and saw the marks on the rear door. The bandits had tried to break in, and given time they might have accomplished just that.
Taza climbed up on the roof and withdrew the poles to free the door and they went inside. Darby lifted the lantern from its hook and struck a match to light it. He was tired, but he was also filthy, covered in dirt and gunpowder.
“It’s too late for a bath but I can’t sleep like this,” Darby said.
“Take soap to the river, leave clothes for washing tomorrow,” Taza said.
Darby shucked his boots and began to undress, watching Taza do the same before they walked down towards the river. The stars were out although the moon had yet to make an appearance, but there was still enough light to see their way.
The water felt good and so did a liberal application of soap. Darby washed his hair and body, rinsing away the morning’s battle…and then he realized Taza was watching him.
“You fight like warrior my father say to me. I will bring you to spirit rocks and we will find Apache name for you.”
“Oh…find a name?”
“This is holy place…a warrior place. We will seek a name from the spirits, and then Darby will become Apache.”
“Great Hawk adopted Sean…does this mean I will be adopted?”
“Yes, I will do this,” Taza said.
“When will you become Chief?”
“When father decides I am ready and Chappo agree. There are many chiefs in Apache ways but now changes come, different ways. I learn from you about white man’s world, it is needed. My people must change and I will do this when I become leader.”
“Indigo told me a lot about the mine and how things work for your people, but I need to know more,” Darby said.
“What things?”
“As you said, changes are coming and we have to be ready for them. I need to know more about the money we have in the bank and how much all this land is going to cost. I guess to do that I need to speak to the bankers and find out what they know. I might have to go see the accounting for the silver we send to Denver.”
“These things are not good?” Taza asked.
“Not saying that, what isn’t good is that I don’t know how it all works and yet I am expected to make all these decisions. This is complicated, difficult to understand. But I know one thing…you’re coming with me.”
“With you…to this place called Denver?” Taza asked.
“If necessary. Have you even been on a train?”
“No, but I have seen the great iron beast and it scared my horse. If you want me to come with you I will go.”
Darby smiled. “This is how you will learn of the white man’s world.”
“The white man does not like Indian…”
“Then we will teach them how wrong they are,” Darby said, and then he yawned again.
“Long day, we sleep now,” Taza said.
Mosh lay on the floor and only raised his head when they returned to the house. Darby climbed into bed and Taza lay down beside him. There was no reluctance although they were both naked, it just was…and Darby quickly fell asleep.
This closeness was to continue over the following weeks as Darby was introduced to the Apache way of life and their belief system. Taza was there to provide answers when needed and he became less shy about asking his own questions.
They visited the mine when the operation resumed and Darby was able to see how the ore came out of the ground. The silver appeared as a vein in the rock which was followed until it played out, and then they went looking for a different source. What had started as a small hole in the hillside had become a cut that ran ever deeper into the rock.
Unlike coal mines Darby had read about the Apache didn’t tunnel deep for the precious metal because in these hills it lay right along the surface. Sean’s mining claim covered hundreds of acres in these hills so the Apache would have the resources to continue this operation for years to come…only now it was all in Darby’s name.
With the advent of Taza moving into the house there also came Sonsee, a young woman from the village who was not of Taza’s clan. Great Hawk had sent her to clean and cook for his son and the new O’Brien. She arrived every morning and left before dark, returning to the village to stay with her sister’s family.
She could not sleep in the house because that was unseemly according to Taza. But the other thing that Darby thought might be questioned were their sleeping arrangements, there was only the one bed. Taza though that was funny because sometimes an entire Apache family would sleep together on a platform that passed for a bed.
“But we are not yet family,” Darby countered. “It just seems…odd.”
Taza frowned. “I am sorry…I did not know it made you uncomfortable.”
His language skills were improving and any word with an un soon became a part of his vocabulary. “I will bring another bed,” He said.
Darby felt like an idiot and took the issue to Indigo.
“The boy admires you and I’m sure he now feels rejected,” Indigo said. “You are worried about appearances where only the innocence of friendship exists. Perhaps you feel differently about Taza and there is guilt in your mind.”
“Guilt, for what? It’s only sleeping and…oh no, you don’t think I’m like Sean, do you?”
“What I think is not important,” Indigo said. “Your relationship with Taza will go where it may and that is between you and him.”
The issue nagged at Darby all day long. Taza and Sonsee brought in another bed and placed it along the far wall, leaving the width of the room between them. Nothing was said and Taza appeared to go on without any hard feelings. They had dinner and Sonsee left for the village.
The following day Taza was planning to take Darby up into the mountains to see the Apache holy places. They would be away for several days and hunt for their food, cooking out at night and sleeping beside a fire. Darby packed a sack with spare clothes and a few essential items like a fry pan while Taza watched.
“You bring too much,” Taza said. “I have a blanket, my rifle, knife and matches…this is all I need.”
“What if we get dirty and need clean clothes?”
“Wash clothes in river. If the body needs something nature will provide.”
Darby tossed the sack on his bed and sat at the table. “I have never been an outdoors person. I don’t know what to expect and so I plan for the worst.”
“Only bad things you will find in mountains come with you,” Taza said, touching his head and placing a hand over his heart. “The spirits live in mountains and we go to see them.”
“I don’t know anything about that except what you have told me,” Darby said.
“Indigo say all native people have same gods, only difference is how we name them. The spirits live in all things and this is what I want to show you. The sun and moon, trees, rocks, everything has a spirit, but in the beginning there was nothing. The white man believe in a god who creates all things, Apache think same thing.”
“How do you know they are the same?” Darby asked.
“Indigo read to me from Bible…story of the beginning. Apache believe god make woman first. God in Bible make man first which is not the way of nature.”
“The Bible was written by men and I doubt if there was a single woman who influenced those words,” Darby said. “But many people don’t believe the Bible stories, Darwin certainly didn’t.”
“Who is Darwin?” Taza asked.
“Oh…well, perhaps you will like this. Darwin said life began with small creatures and that man developed over time, called it evolution. The college boys where I lived in New York used to argue about those theories all the time. I don’t think anyone really has the answer to where we came from.”
“All questions need answers,” Taza said. “Apache have creation stories to get answers, but that is only for understanding old things. Chappo says answers about past will not show us future, is better to understand new things in our world.”
“That sounds about right,” Darby said. “I think it’s about time I taught you to read, don’t you?”
Taza smiled. “You become tired of questions, want Taza to learn for self in books?”
“No, that’s not it. The white man’s world is filled with words and recognizing what they say is important. When we go to Tombstone you will see signs for many things and the words are something you need to understand.”
“I have been to town with Indigo,” Taza said. “Some people not nice.”
“I understand that, but they will change over time…we will change them together,” Darby said and Taza seemed to like that.
It was time for a bath in the river which was becoming a part of their evening ritual. The early summer days were hot and dusty so a river bath was most welcome. Perhaps as the seasons changed Darby would look forward to a hot bath, but not any time soon.
But when they returned to the house Darby looked at the bed Taza had brought and made a decision.
“You should sleep here with me,” Darby said. “I think we are family.”
Taza nodded and they slid into the bed together. Darby lay there in darkness realizing this was an important moment in their relationship, and as if in response Taza slid an arm around Darby’s waist and drew closer. Nothing was said, it just happened, and everything felt right in their world.