West of Babylon

the long version

"At a time when the plains east of the Rio Grande are still unknown to white men, two young caciques from the Rio Puerco Valley, Gil Gomez and Decoy, undertake a daring journey to the Sierra Blanca, in what is now central New Mexico. There a powerful Apache sorcerer defends a sacred forest against soldiers and treasure hunters. To neutralize the evil powers of their enemies, the two friends - the cuates, or twins, as the Spanish villagers call them - use Navajo magic and the secret war language of the Apaches.". "The journey of the cuates follows the path taken by the Twin Warriors of Navajo legend in their quest to slay the monsters that preyed upon their people. But West of Babylon is also inspired by an even older story, the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh, in which two young champions fight the guardian of the Cedar Forest, the powerful Humbaba."--BOOK JACKET.