Chapter 68

           ThecampaignagainsttheComanchesprovedoneoftheshortest—lastingonlythreeorfourdays.ItwasdiscoveredthattheseIshmaelitesoftheWestdidnotmeanwar—atleast,onagrandscale.Theirdescentuponthesettlementswasonlythefreakofsomeyoungfellows,abouttotakeouttheirdegreeasbraves,desirousofsignalisingtheeventby"raising"afewscalps,andcapturingsomehorsesandhornedcattle.

           ForaysofthiskindarenotunfrequentamongtheTexanIndians.Theyaremadeonprivateaccount—oftenwithouttheknowledgeofthechief,oreldersofthetribe—justasanambitiousyoungmid,orensign,maystealoffwithascoreofcompanionsfromsquadronorcamp,tocutoutanenemy’scraft,orcapturehispicketguard.ThesemaraudsareusuallymadebyyoungIndiansoutonahuntingparty,whowishtoreturnhomewithsomethingtoshowbesidesthespoilsofthechase;andthemajorityofthetribeisoftenignorantofthemtilllongaftertheevent.Otherwise,theymightbeinterdictedbytheelders;who,asageneralthing,areaversetosuchfilibusteringexpeditions—deemingthemnotonlyimprudent,butofteninjurioustotheinterestsofthecommunity.Onlywhensuccessfularetheyapplauded.

           OnthepresentoccasionseveralyoungComancheshadtakenouttheirwar-diploma,bycarryingbackwiththemthescalpsofanumberofwhitewomenandboys.Thehorsesandhornedcattlewerealsocollected;butthese,beinglessconvenientoftransportthanthelightscalp-locks,hadbeenrecaptured.

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