(excerpted from "John Coffee Hays - Uncle Jack" - the great-uncle of poet Bob Hays. This story is included to draw a line between visits to Enchanted Rock).
". . . On one of the rare occasions that he [Jack Hays] managed to combine surveying and scouting on a tributary of the Pedernales, he had his famous fight at Enchanted Rock.
"Enchanted Rock lies about nine miles west of Llano and eighteen miles north of Fredericksburg to the northwest of San Antonio. On cool nights, especially when following hot days, the rock would make strange, creaking sounds, sounds geologists would later attribute to the contraction of the rock’s outer surface as it cooled off. Also, the rock glittered in the moonlight, especially when following a rain. The Comanche thought both phenomena were some form of magic, that the rock held magic powers, and had called the place enchanted
The rock is a pink granite mountain with a three-mile-round base, one sloping side, and a broad, flat top with only a few small depressions. It is the second largest natural outcropping of granite in the United States, surpassed only by the huge boulder of Stone Mountain near Atlanta, Georgia. Captain Henry S. Brown had stumbled across it in 1829, when he led a group of volunteers against a raiding Indian party.
"Hays had heard a great deal about Enchanted Rock, and he understood that it was a taxing climb to the top, but he proposed to scale it, since he would have a good view of the surrounding country. He was camped with his men on the bank of nearby Crabapple Creek, and as the men lounged in the camping area, he armed himself with his rifle, two Colt pistols, his knife, and headed out.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the prominent landmark. It’s north side was nearly a cliff, and the other sides were similarly steep, but the rugged rock did have many deeply worn washes extending from the top to the base. Selecting one at random, he proceeded to climb. He reached the summit, looked at the crater, studied distant landmarks, and then was descending, when he saw a score of Indians advancing to intercept him. He quickly shinnied back up the rock. When he reached the crater, he slid down into its shallow pit and hurried to the north side, where he hid between two projecting ledges under an overhanging rock. It was the only possible defensive position, since the north face could not be climbed, and it afforded him a clear field of fire. In assembling his weapons, he discovered he had lost his powder horn. He could only fire eleven shots, five from each pistol and one from his rifle.
"Hardly was he settled in his position when he saw numerous Indian heads peering above the rim of the crater. From their whoops and calls to him, it was obvious that they knew who he was. They shouted to him in Spanish, which they knew he understood, taunting him with "Devil Yack" and other names, trying to entice him from cover, to no avail. Finally, a few brave warriors charged, and bodies thudded near him when he emptied one revolver.
"Silence reigned for only a moment, while the Comanche regrouped. Jack prepared for a mass attack. One of the bolder warriors risked his head for a try at fame with a quick arrow shot. Hays’ rifle answered, and the warrior lay dead. At this, there came a chorus of war whoops, and Jack knew they were coming into the crater after him. Many of the enemy leaped to the top of the crater and slid down into it after him while their comrades continued to climb the rock to join in. He emptied his weapons, and then began one of the most fierce hand-to-hand knife fights of his life. He managed to kill one and knock over two more, and as they rushed, another one fell at his feet. At that moment, a chorus of Texas yells routed his attackers. A hundred Comanches had surrounded the base of the rock in preparation for a final assault, when his men had heard the ruckus and had come to his aid.
"It’s totally amazing, considering the wildness of the times, that in all of Hays’ Rangering days, he led his men into only one ambush. They were camped on the present site of Bandera in October 1841, and the next day they marched ten miles toward Bandera Pass, only a large Comanche war party heading for the Medina Valley arrived there first. The Comanche had discovered he was coming, and they laid their ambush well. Hiding in the brush and behind the boulders of the steep slopes, they opened fire and charged, once Hays’ men were inside the south end of the pass. With his men ready to panic and scatter, Hays quickly called out, "Steady there, boys! Dismount and tie those horses; we can whip them, no doubt about that!" During the ensuing battle, they fought hand-to-hand combat, until the Comanche wearied and retreated to their horses at the north end of the pass."
