THE FACE OF COCHISE by Andrew McBride

Hi. I'm Andrew McBride. I’ve been fortunate enough to receive wide acclaim already for my Sundown Press novel THE PEACEMAKER, including 5 star reviews from 2 of the most successful western authors in the business. Spur award-winning and Pulitzer Prize-nominated author ROBERT VAUGHAN describes it as ‘a great book’. Meanwhile RALPH COTTON (also a Pulitzer-prize nominated novelist) writes: ‘For pure writing style, McBride’s gritty prose nails the time and place of his story with bold authority. …this relatively new author has thoroughly, and rightly so, claimed his place among the top Old West storytellers.’ I’m very grateful to both Robert & Ralph for their fantastic support.

One of the things I aimed for was authenticity. THE PEACEMAKER is a work of fiction but does bring in a historical character – COCHISE, leader of the Chiricahua Apaches, often held to be one of the greatest Native American chiefs. Therefore I wanted an authentic picture of Cochise for the PEACEMAKER cover – and thought I had one. But I should have realised that almost nothing concerning the Old West is without controversy!

Angela Aleiss claims the image is actually Juan Rey Abeita of the Isleta Pueblo in New Mexico. Now, I’m not disputing whether what Angela says is accurate. All I would say is I used the image in good faith, having found it labelled as a portrait of Cochise in Dee Brown’s ‘Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee’, in the Western History Collections of the University of Oklahoma Libraries, and on the official Mescalero Apache website. But it did make me think about how Cochise has been depicted in fact and fiction ever since his time.

So what did Cochise look like? Various descriptions from those who met him in the early 1870s concur that he was a tall, impressive-looking man of around 60. Army doctor Anderson Nelson Ellis: ‘His height, five feet ten inches; in person lithe and wiry, every muscle being well-rounded and firm. A silver thread was now and then visible in his otherwise black hair, which he wore cut straight around his head about on a level with his chin. His countenance displayed great force.’ U.S. Cavalry officer John G. Bourke: ‘a… stately, finely-built Indian who seemed to be rather past middle life’ ‘Roman nosed… a kindly and even somewhat melancholy expression tempers the determined look of his countenance.’

Let’s nail two images that are definitely not Cochise straight away. This photograph is sometimes held to be Cochise but is clearly of a much younger man. It is in fact his son Naiche (Nachay/ Natchez.)

And this photograph is the Chiricahua warrior Chatto or Chato.

With the popularity of Elliot Arnold’s great novel ‘Blood Brother’ in 1947 depictions of Cochise exploded in movies and TV. Most famously Jeff Chandler depicted him in the 1950 movie Broken Arrow which led to a spin-off TV series of the same name. Michael Ansara played him in 73 episodes, but found the role one-dimensional: ‘Cochise could do one of two things – stand with his arms folded, looking noble; or stand with arms at his sides, looking noble.’

In my view one of the best Cochise’s was Miguel Inclan in John Ford’s masterpiece ‘Fort Apache’ (1948.)

Perhaps the most controversial was Niño Cochise who played him in 3 episodes of ‘The High Chaparral’ despite being short, over 90 years old and having only 1 leg! Doubtless the producers cast him for reasons of authenticity, as he did claim to be Cochise’s grandson. Needless to say, that claim is also a matter of dispute!

BLURB for THE PEACEMAKER:

Eighteen-year-old scout Calvin 'Choctaw' Taylor believes he can handle whatever life throws his way. He’s been on his own for several years, and he only wants to make his mark in the world. When he is asked to guide peace emissary Sean Brennan and his adopted Apache daughter, Nahlin, into a Chiricahua Apache stronghold, he agrees—but then has second thoughts. He’s heard plenty about the many ways the Apache can kill a man. But Mr. Brennan sways him, and they begin the long journey to find Cochise—and to try to forge a peace and an end to the Indian Wars that have raged for so long. During the journey, Choctaw begins to understand that there are some things about himself he doesn’t like—but he’s not sure what to do about it. Falling in love with Nahlin is something he never expected—and finds hard to live with. The death and violence, love for Nahlin and respect for both Cochise and Mr. Brennan, have a gradual effect on Choctaw that change him. But is that change for the better? Can he live with the things he’s done to survive in the name of peace?

Buy it on Amazon — or read free with Kindle Unlimited — here: http://amzn.to/2hjxyHy

 

EXTRACT:
Choctaw blinked sweat and sunspots out of his eyes and began to lower the field glasses; then he glimpsed movement.

He used the glasses again, scanning nearer ground, the white sands. He saw nothing.

And then two black specks were there suddenly, framed against the dazzling white. They might have dropped from the sky.

They grew bigger. Two horsebackers coming this way, walking their mounts. As he watched they spurted into rapid movement, whipping their ponies into a hard run towards him.

The specks swelled to the size of horses and men. Men in faded smocks maybe once of bright colour, their long hair bound by rags at the temple. They had rifles in their hands.

Breath caught in Choctaw’s throat. Fear made him dizzy. His arms started to tremble. He knew who was coming at him so fast.

Apaches.

And you killed them or they killed you.

**** 

   

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