Apache The Long Ride Home A Novel

''An Apache Warrior Bent Down From His Horse Its Glossy Black Flanks Still Heaving From Exertion To Pick Me Up. As His Hand Grabbed My Arm I Bit Hard Into The Flesh Of His Forearm. It Was A Deep Bite And He Shouted With Pain. The Other Apaches Laughed Loudly At His Discomfort. He Reached Down Again. I Tried The Same Tactic But This Time He Was Too Quick. He Jerked Me Upwards Onto His Horse And Sat Me In Front Of Him. I Fought Like A Cornered Bobcat Spitting Biting And Clawing. He Struck Me On The Back Of The Neck. A Vivid Flash Then Darkness.'' Thus Begins The Saga Of Pedro Bautista Captured By The Apache Indians When He Was Nine Years Old After A Raid On His Mexican Village. Adopted Into The Tribe He Absorbed Their Culture And Survived Their Eventual Confrontation And Defeat By American Troops.