La Piste des Navajos is a comic book by Jean Giraud and Jean-Michel Charlier. The original French version was first published in Pilote magazine, before being published as a comic album in 1969.This is the fith episode of the Blueberry series and the fith and last part of the First Indian Wars series.
In Sierra Madre in Mexico, where the Apaches and Navajo and their allies have taken refuge, the situation is critical. Their food stock is shrinking dangerously, and they lack modern weapons to fight against the US Army. Nevertheless Cochise tries to keep his people from leaving as they are soon to receive modern riffles and ammunitions from Mexicans.Blueberry and his companions Crowe and McClure seek to meet Cochise, in order to negociate and end the war before a bloodshed happens, but for that they need to overcome Lone Eagle's attempt to foil them continue the war, and to prevent the Mexican weapons from being delivered to the Apaches.
La Piste des Navajos provides examples of
- Brutal Honesty: Blueberry has never been shy at boldly and bluntly telling the truth to others, but saying to an enraged crowd of Native chieftains who are at war with the US Army that he destroyed the weapons they were desperately awaiting takes the cake.
- Easy Logistics: Averted. After several weeks, months at most, of war against the US army, the Natives who can't produce their own modern weapons are in desperate need of modern riffles and bullets, are threatened by hunger far from their lands, and are reliant on Armendariz's help to get new weapons and food supplies. When Lone Eagle tells Armendariz that now is the time to finally deliver the weapons he has promised, Armendariz points out that it took him weeks to find and assemble all the weapons and supplies in San Feliu, and that it will take him a week to convey them to the Apaches, the time to find charriots and transport the weapons and supplies on them.
- Hero Killer: Lone Eagle becomes this, with his killing and scalping of Crowe.
- Honor Before Reason: The majority of the Apaches and Navajo chieftains are increasingly tired of waiting for the weapons promised by the Mexicans and of being away from their lands, and want to go back north to resume the war with the US Army, preferring to die fighting on their land rather than of hunger in Mexico.
- It's Personal: The feud between Blueberry and Lone Eagle becomes very personal after the latter's murder of Crowe, prompting Blueberry to swear to avenge Crowe and put Lone Eagle's scalp on his grave. Cochise himself becomes enraged and wants to kill Lone Eagle himself for killing Crowe, though Blueberry beats him at it.
- Reasonable Authority Figure:
- Despite his own doubts and knowing the belligerent will of his people, Cochise agrees to talk with Blueberry due to his friendship and debt toward Crowe. He also listen to his medicine-man, and ends up agreeing to make peace after witnessing Blueberry's bravery, loyalty and victory over Lone Eagle.
- After listening to Crowe one of the chieftains backs him up, saying that they should see Blueberry at least to listen to his terms.
- An Apache medicine-man backs Blueberry up when he says that he has the right to fight Lone Eagle first to avenge Crowe, and says that the future shall be indicated by the winner of their duel.
- Refuge in Audacity: Blueberry telling the Native chieftains right to their face that he just destroyed the modern weapons the Mexicans were to deliver to them would have surely gotten anyone else a long and gruesome death after terrific torture. It really says something about Blueberry's diplomatic and oral skills and how reasonnable Cochise is that he is able to avoid that fate.
- The Starscream: Lone Eagle fully expresses his intention to replace Cochise after the latter discovers his murder of Crowe, calling him weak and soft.
- Took a Level in Badass: Governor Armendariz is far more of a Frontline General and Genre Savvy adversary that he was in the previous album, being far more cautious and farsighted with him immediately suspecting Blueberry's presence in San Feliu after something happened to one of his men and ordering for the town to be searched through, destroying a path to the mine's secret entrance and having said entrance guarded, while also leading his men directly in battle.
- Villainous Breakdown: Lone Eagle loses all semblance of calm and sanity after Blueberry blew up the mine of San Feliu with the weapons destined to Natives inside it.
