As Jock and the boy disappeared into the San Andreas Mountains, a force meant to destroy them was gathering south of the border at the small town of Samalayuca. Neither the Mexican nor the American Government wanted to acknowledge that there was trouble with Apaches from the Sierra Madre. So word went out to the local authorities: deal with the hostiles, but keep it quiet. Hire a few good men, organize a force, then locate and destroy the renegades. The Americans would pay the bills, but the attack had to happen south of the Rio Grande. That way, any fighting could be denied, rejected as a concern for the Mexican Government. No one could suggest that American politicians couldn"t control Apaches.
What the authorities most feared was a repeat of the rows which broke out in the press and am
