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Christopher Carson, or as he was familiarly called, Kit Carson, was aman whose real worth was understood only by those with whom he wasassociated or who closely studied his character. He was more than hunter,trapper, guide, Indian agent and Colonel in the United States Army. Hepossessed in a marked degree those mental and moral qualities which wouldhave made him prominent in whatever pursuit or profession he engaged.
His lot was cast on the extreme western frontier, where, when but ayouth, he earned the respect of the tough and frequently lawless men withwhom he came in contact. Integrity, bravery, loyalty to friends,marvelous quickness in making right decisions, in crisis of danger,consummate knowledge of woodcraft, a leadership as skilful as it wasdaring; all these were distinguishing traits in the composition of Carsonand were the foundations of the broader fame which he acquired as thefriend and invaluable counselor of Fremont, the Pathfinder, in hisexpeditions across the Rocky Mountains.
Father Kit, as he came to be known among the Indians, risked his lifescores of times for those who needed, but had no special claim upon hisservices. The red men were quick to learn that he always spoke with a“single tongue,” and that he was their unselfish friend. Hewent among his hostiles when no one of his race dare follow him; heaverted more than one outbreak; he secured that which is impossible tosecure —justice for the Indian —and his work from the timewhen a mere boy he left his native Kentucky, was always well done. Hismemory will forever remain fragrant with those who appreciate truemanhood and an unswerving devotion to the good of those among whom helived and died.
Kit Carson's Youth —His Visit to New Mexico —Acts asInterpreter and in Various Other Employments —Joins a Party ofTrappers and Engages in a Fight with Indians —Visits the SacramentoValley.
“Kit Carson,” the most famous hunter, scout and guide everknown in this country, was a native of Kentucky, the scene of theprincipal exploits of Daniel Boone, Simon Kenton, the Wetzel brothers andother heroic pioneers whose names are identified with the history of thesettlement of the West.
Christopher Carson was born in Madison county, December 24, 1809, and,while he was still an infant, his father removed to Central Missouri,which at that day was known as Upper Louisiana. It was an immensewilderness, sparsely settled and abounding with wild animals andtreacherous Indians. The father of Carson, like most of the earlypioneers, divided his time between cultivating the land and hunting thegame in the forests. His house was made strong and was pierced withloopholes, so as to serve him in his defence against the red men thatwere likely to attack him and his family at any hour of the day or night.In such a school was trained the wonderful scout, hunter and guide.
No advantages in the way of a common school education were withinreach of the youth situated as was Kit Carson. It is to be believed,however, that under the tutelage of his father and mother, he picked up afair knowledge of the rudimentary branches, for his attainments in thatrespect were above the majority of those with whom he was associated inafter life.
While a mere stripling, Kit became known as one of the most skilfulrifle shots in that section of Missouri which produced some of the finestmarksmen in the world. It was inevitable that he should form a passionfor the woods, in which, like the great Boone, he would have been happyto wander for days and weeks at a time.
When fifteen years old, he was apprenticed to a saddler, where hestayed two years. At the end of that time, however, the confinement hadbecome so irksome that he could stand it no longer. He left the shop andjoined a company of traders, preparing to start for Santa Fe, the capitalof New Mexico, one of the most interesting towns in the southwest. Themajority of its population are of Spanish and Mexican origin and speakSpanish. It is the centre of supplies for the surrounding country, and isoften a scene of great activity. It stands on a plateau, more than a mileabove the sea level, with another snow capped mountain rising a milehigher. The climate is delightful and the supply of water from thesprings and mountains is of the finest quality.
Santa Fe, when first visited by the Spaniards in 1542, was a populousIndian pueblo. It has been the capital of New Mexico for nearly twohundred and fifty years. The houses of the ancient town are made ofadobe, one story high, and the streets are unpaved, narrow, crooked andill looking. The inhabitants are of a low order, scarcely entitled to beranked above the half civilized, though of late years the infusion ofwestern life and rugged civilization has given an impetus and characterto the place for which, through three centuries, it waited in vain.
The company to which young Kit Carson attached himself, was stronglyarmed and it made the perilous journey, across rivers, mountains andprairies, through a country infested with fierce Indians, without theloss of one of their number. This immunity was due to their vigilance andknowledge of the ways of the hostiles who, it may be said, were on allsides, from the beginning to the end of their journey.
After reaching Santa Fe, Carson left the party and went to Taos, asmall station to the north of Santa Fe. There he stayed through thewinter of 1826-27, at the home of a veteran pioneer, from whom he gainednot only a valuable knowledge of the country and its people, but becamefamiliar with the Spanish language —an attainment which provedinvaluable to him in after years. In the spring, he joined a party whichset out for Missouri, but before reaching its destination, anothercompany of traders were met on their way to Santa Fe. Young Carson joinedthem, and some days later was back again in the quaint old capital of NewMexico.
The youth's engagement ended with his arrival in the town, but therewas nothing indolent in the nature of Carson, who immediately engagedhimself as teamster to a company about to start to El Paso, on the RioGrande, near the frontier of New Mexico. He did not stay long beforedrifting back to Santa Fe, and finally to Taos, where he hired out as acook during the following winter, but had not wrought long, when awealthy trader, learning how well Carson understood the Spanish language,engaged him as interpreter.
This duty compelled the youth to make another long journey to El Pasoand Chihuahua, the latter being the capital of the province of the samename, and another of those ancient towns whose history forms one of themost interesting features of the country. It was founded in 1691 and aquarter of a century later, when the adjoining silver mines were in fulloperation, had a population of 70,000, though today it has scarcely afifth of that number.
The position of interpreter was more dignified than any yet held byCarson, and it was at his command, as long as he chose to hold it; but toone of his restless nature it soon grew monotonous and he threw it up,making his way once more to Taos. The employment most congenial toCarson's nature, and the one which he had been seeking ever since he lefthome, was that of hunter and trapper. The scarred veterans whom he met inthe frontier and frontier posts gave him many accounts of their trappingexperiences among the mountains and in the gloomy fastnesses where, whilethey hunted the bear, deer, beaver and other animals, the wild Indianhunted them.
Carson had been in Taos a short time only when he gained theopportunity for which he was searching. A party of trappers in the employof Kit's old friend had just come to Taos, having been driven from theirtrapping grounds by the Indians. The employer set about raising a partystrong enough to return to the trapping grounds, chastise the hostilesand resume business. Knowing the skill and bravery of the youngKentuckian, the gentleman made him an offer to join the party and Kiteagerly accepted it.
The Mexicans have never been particularly friendly toward theirneighbors north of the Rio Grande, and at that time a very strict law wasin force which forbade the issuance of any license to American citizensto trap within Mexican territory. The company which mounted their horsesand rode out of Taos gave the authorities to understand that their errandwas simply to chastise the red men, whereas their real purpose was toengage in trapping. With a view of misleading the officers, they took aroundabout route which delayed their arrival in the section.Nevertheless, the hunters were desirous of punishing the Indians who hadtaken such liberties with the small party that preceded them. On one ofthe tributaries of the Gila, the trappers came upon the identical bandwhom they attacked with such fierceness that more than a dozen werekilled and the rest put to flight. The fight was a desperate one, butyoung as Carson was, he acquitted himself in a manner which won thewarmest praise of those with him. He was unquestionably daring, skilfuland sagacious, and was certain, if his life was spared, to become one ofthe most valuable members of the party.
Having driven the savages away, the Americans began or rather resumedtheir regular business of trapping. The beavers were so abundant thatthey met with great success. When the rodents seemed to diminish innumber, the hunters shifted their quarters, pursuing their professionalong the numerous streams until it was decided to divide into twoparties, one of which returned to New Mexico, while the other pushed ontoward the Sacramento Valley in California. Carson accompanied thelatter, entering the region at that early day when no white man dreamedof the vast wealth of gold and precious metals which so crowded her soiland river beds that the wonder is the gleaming particles had not beendetected many years before; but, as the reader knows, they lay quietly atrest until that eventful day in 1848, when the secret was revealed byCaptain Sutter's raceway and the frantic multitudes flocked thither fromthe four quarters of the earth.
California —Sufferings of the Hunters —The Mission of SanGabriel —The Hudson Bay Trappers —Characteristics of Carson—He Leads the Party which Captures an Indian Village and Securessome Criminals.
California, one of the most magnificent regions of the earth, with itsamazing mineral wealth, its rich soil and “glorious climate,”has its belts of sterility and desolation, where the bones of many atraveller and animal lie bleaching in the sun, just as they fell yearsago, when the wretched victim sank down and perished for want of food andwater.
The hunting party to which Carson was attached numbered eighteen, andthey entered one of those forbidding wastes, where they sufferedintensely. All their skill in the use of the rifle was of no avail, whenthere was no game to shoot and it was not long before they were forced tolive on horse flesh to escape starvation. This, however, was not sotrying as might be supposed, provided it did not last until the entireparty were dismounted.
Fortunately, in their straits, they encountered a party of MohaveIndians, who sold them enough food to remove all danger. These Indiansform a part of the Yuma nation of the Pima family, and now make theirhome on the Mohave and Colorado rivers in Arizona. They are tall, wellformed, warlike and industrious cultivators of the soil. Had they chosento attack the hunters, it would have gone ill with the whites, but thelatter showed commendable prudence which might have served as a model tothe hundreds who came after them, when they gained the good will of thered men.
Extricating themselves from the dangerous stretch of country, thetrappers turned westward until they reached the mission of San Gabriel,one of those extensive establishments formed by the Roman Catholic clergya hundred years ago. There were over a score, San Diego being the oldest.Each mission had its priests, a few Spanish or Mexican soldiers, andscores, hundreds and sometimes thousands of Indian converts who receiveda scant support and some religious instruction.
The Mission of San Gabriel was by no means the largest in California,and yet at the time of Carson's visit it owned 70,000 head of cattle, 200horses, 3,000 mares, hundreds of mules, oxen and sheep, while thevineyards produced 600 barrels of wine every year.
Those old sovereigns of the soil dispensed hospitality without stintto all who knocked at their gates. When the trappers caught sight of theMission, as they rode out from the wilderness, they knew what awaitedthem in the way of entertainment. They were treated right royally, butremained only one day.
Not far away they reached another Mission of less extent than theformer, but, without halt, they pressed steadily forward toward theSacramento River. The character of the section changed altogether. It wasexceedingly fertile and game was so abundant that they feasted to theirheart's content. When fully rested, they proceeded to the San Joaquinriver down which they began trapping.
While thus employed, they were surprised to discover signs of anothertrapping party near them. They wondered where they came from and it didnot take them long to learn that their neighbors were a company oftrappers belonging to the Hudson Bay Company —that enormouscorporation, founded two centuries before, whose agents and employeestramp over British America, far to the northward of the frozen circle,and until a recent date hunted through Oregon.
The two parties were rivals in business, but they showed excellentsense by meeting on good terms and treating each other as friends. Theytrapped near each other until they came to the Sacramento once more, whenthey parted company. The Hudson Bay trappers started for the ColumbiaRiver, while the one to which Carson was attached went into camp wherethey were for the rest of the summer. With the approach of warm weatherthe trapping season ended and they devoted themselves to hunting andmaking ready for cold weather.
It will be borne in mind that Kit Carson was still a youth, not havingreached his majority. He was of short, compact stature, no more than fivefeet, six inches tall, with light brown hair, gray eyes, large head, highforehead, broad shoulders, full chest, strong and possessing remarkableactivity. Even at that early age, he had impressed the veteran huntersand trappers around him as one possessing such remarkable abilities,that, if his life was spared, he was certain to become a man of mark. Ifwe should attempt to specify the particular excellencies in which hesurpassed those around him, it would be said that while Carson was one ofthe most fearless men who lived, yet he possessed splendid judgment. Heseemed to know instinctively what could be accomplished by himself andfriends in positions of extreme peril, and he saw on the moment preciselyhow to do that which often was impossible to others.
His knowledge of woodcraft and the peculiarities of the savage tribesaround him was as perfect as it could be. He was a matchless hunter, andno man could handle a rifle with greater skill. The wilderness, themountains, the Indians, the wild animals —these constituted thesphere in which nature intended Kit Carson should move and serve hisfellow men as no one before or after him has done.
Added to these extraordinary qualifications, was the crowning one ofall —modesty. Alas, how often transcendent merit is made repellingby overweening conceit. Kit Carson would have given his life before hewould have travelled through the eastern cities, with his long hairdangling about his shoulders, his clothing bristling with pistols andknives, while he strutted on the mimic stage as a representative of theuntamed civilization of the great west.
Carson was a superior hunter when a boy in Missouri, and theexperience gained among the experienced hunters and trappers, soon causedhim to become noted by those who had fought red men, trapped beaver andshot grizzly bears before he was born. And yet it could not have beenthat alone: it must have been his superior mental capacity which causedthose heroes of a hundred perils to turn instinctively to him for counseland guidance in situations of extreme peril. Among them all was no onewith such masterful resources in that respect as he.
While the trappers were encamped at this place, a messenger visitedthem from the Mission of San Rafael, with a request that they would helpchastise a party of Indians, who, after committing some outrages at theMission, had fled to an Indian village. When a demand was made for thesurrender of the refugees, the villagers not only refused to give themup, but attacked the party and drove them off. Appreciating theimportance of upholding their authority, the priests sent to the trappersfor assistance in bringing the guilty ones and their friends toterms.
As soon as the request was made known, Carson and eleven of hiscompanions volunteered to help their visitors. Thus reinforced, thecompany from the Mission set out again for the Indian village.
Nothing can attest more strongly the skill and bravery of Kit Carson,than the fact that he was at once selected to lead the party on itsdangerous errand. While he was as modest as a woman and with a voice asgentle and persuasive, he could not be ignorant of his own capacities,and he assumed charge without any pretense of unfitness.
It is easy to understand the great care required in this expedition,for the warriors in the village, having beaten off their assailants,naturally looked for their return with reinforcements, and, in order toinsure success, it was necessary that the attack should be asurprise.
Having brought his men quite close to the village unperceived, Kitgave the signal and the whole company swept through the place like acyclone. There were a few minutes of terrific fighting, during which ascore of warriors were killed, and then the entire village was captured.Carson as the leader of the assailants, demanded the surrender of theoffenders against the Mission. Not daring to disobey such a summons, theywere delivered up to the authorities, and Carson, seeing nothing more todo for his friends, returned with his companions to camp and resumedhunting and their preparations for cold weather.
The Trapper's Life —Indian Horse Thieves —Carson's SkilfulPursuit and Surprise of the Savages —Arrival at Los Angeles —Trouble with the Authorities —A Singular Escape.
The trappers being in the heart of the Indian country, with hostile onevery hand, were cautious in all their movements. When one of thegrizzled hunters in the depths of the wilderness fired his gun at somedeer, antelope or bear, he hastily reloaded his rifle, listeningmeanwhile for sounds of the stealthy footprints of his enemy. He knew notwhen the treacherous shot would be sent from behind the rock or clump ofbushes, but he had learned long before, that, when he penetrated thewestern wilds and followed the calling of trapper, he took his life inhis hands and he was ready to “go under,” whenever the fateso decreed.
The most flagrant crime on the frontier is horse stealing. He whoshoots one of his fellow men has a chance of escaping punishment almostas good as that afforded in civilized communities, but if he steals ahorse and is caught, his case is hopeless. It may be said that the valueof the animal to the hunter or trapper is beyond all calculation, and,inasmuch as the red man is equally appreciative, Carson always warned hisfriends to be on the watch against the dusky thieves. Sentinels were onguard while others slept, but the very calamity against which they thussought to protect themselves overtook them.
One dark night a number of Indians stole by the sentinels and beforetheir presence was discovered, drove off the major part of the horses. Inthe morning, when the alarming truth became known, the employer of thetrappers asked Carson to take twelve of the men and do his utmost torecover those that were stolen. Carson assented at once, and, in hisquiet, self possessed fashion, collected his comrades who were speedilyin the saddle and galloping along the trail of the thieves.
It may strike the reader that an offhand statement like the foregoingrelates to a proceeding of no special difficulty or peril. A party ofbrave white men were pursuing a company of Indian horse thieves and thechances of escape and capture were about equal. Thus the matter presentsitself to the ordinary spectator, whereas the truth was fardifferent.
In the first place, the savages, being as well mounted as theirpursuers, were sure to maintain a swift pace, so long as they believedany danger threatened. They would keep a keen watch of the back trail andwould be quick to detect the approach of enemies. If pressed hard, theywould act as the Apaches and Comanches do, when they find the UnitedStates troops at their heels —break up in so many small partiesthat it is impossible to follow them.
First of all, therefore, Carson had two achievements before him—and the accomplishment of either seemed to render the otherimpossible: he must travel at a faster rate than the thieves, and, at thesame time keep them in ignorance of his pursuit. It is on such occasionsthat a man's woodcraft and knowledge of the country serve him so well.Many a time, during the career of Kit Carson, did he outwit the red menand white criminals, not by galloping along with his eye upon theirfootprints, but by reasoning out with unerring skill, the destination orrefuge which the criminals had in mind. Having settled that all importantquestion, he aimed at the same point and frequently reached it first.Thus it came about that often the fugitive, while hurrying along andglancing furtively behind him, suddenly found himself face to face withhis pursuer, whose acquaintance with the country enabled him to find theshorter route.
It took Carson only a few minutes to satisfy himself that thecriminals were heading for the Sierra Nevada Mountains, but, inasmuch asthey were following a direct course, he could only take their trail.Where there were so many animals in flight, it was impossible to hidetheir tracks and the thieves made no attempt to do so. They struck thehorses into a sweeping gallop, which with a few interruptions theymaintained until they were a hundred miles from the camp of the white menand among the fastnesses of the Sierras.
Then it was the red men made a careful survey of the trail behindthem. The black penetrating eyes scanned the country with a piercingkeenness which it would seem shut out all possibility of concealment.Nowhere could they detect the faint smoke climbing toward the sky fromamong the trees nor could they gain sight of the line of horsemen windingaround the rocks in the distance. Nothing resembling a human being wasvisible. Surely they were warranted in believing themselves perfectlysecure.
Such being their conclusion, they prepared for a great feast. Six ofthe stolen horses were killed and the red men became as ardent hipophagias was the club of advanced Parisians a short time ago. The roasted meattasted as fine to them as though it was the choicest slices from thebison or deer, and they ate and frolicked like so many children let loosefor a holiday.
But in the midst of their feast was heard a series of frightful yellsand whoops. The appalled Indians had scarcely time to turn their eyeswhen a dozen horsemen, that seemed to have risen from the very ground,thundered down upon them. Carson and his men had overtaken the thievesand they now swept down upon them with resistless fury. The fight was asshort as it was fierce. The red men fell on the right and left, and thosewho escaped the wrath of the trappers, scattered and ran as if a hundredbomb shells were exploding around them. Every horse stolen (except thesix killed for the feast) were recovered and Carson took them back tocamp without the loss of a man.
The hunters stayed until early autumn, when their employer decided togo to New Mexico. The journey led for a great portion of the way througha country over which they had travelled, and which therefore was familiarto them. After halting a brief while at the Mission of San Fernando, theyarrived at Los Angeles, which like the rest of the country as the readerknows, belonged to Mexico. As it was apparent that the horsemen werehunters and trappers, the authorities demanded their written license topursue their calling in Mexican territory. Such was the law and theofficials were warranted in making the demand, but it need not be saidthat the party were compelled to admit they had nothing of the kind intheir possession.
The authorities thereupon determined to arrest the hunters, butknowing their desperate nature, hesitated as to the safe means of doingso. They finally hit upon a rather ingenious, though unfair means ofdisarming the white men: they began giving them “fire water”to drink, refusing to accept pay therefor. Those who lead lives ofhardship and peril are generally fond of such indulgence, and, though thetrappers could not fail to understand the purpose of the Mexicans, andthough they knew the disastrous consequences of giving away totemptation, they yielded and took in their mouths the enemy which stoleaway their brains.
The employer became alarmed and saw that something must be done atonce or everything would be lost. Carson had been too wise to fall intothe snare, and he turned to him.
“Take three of the soberest men,” said he, “and theloose animals and camp equipage and push out of the place. I will joinyou as soon as I can, but you mustn't linger for me. If I fail to joinyou, hasten to New Mexico and make known that I and the rest of my menhave been massacred.”
These instructions were definite and they showed the gravity of thesituation. Carson did as directed, while the employer gave his attentionto the rest of the men. It was high time that he did so, for they werefast succumbing to their appetites. Despite the indignant protests andefforts of the employer they would have undoubtedly fallen victims butfor an unlooked for occurrence.
One of the trappers who was so much under the influence of liquor asto become reckless, fired upon and slightly wounded a native of theplace. The act threw the Mexicans into a panic of terror, and they fledfrom the presence of the dreaded Americans who seemed eager for anysanguinary deed.
The employer was wise enough to take advantage of the occurrence andhe succeeded, after much labor, in getting his half intoxicated mentogether and out of the place. The horses were forced to their utmost andthe same night they overtook Carson and his anxious companions. Alldanger from that source was ended.
An Alarming Visit —Carson's Resources —On the Colorado andGila —Capturing a Herd of Horses and Mules —The Raiders—Turning the Tables —Caching their Peltries —Return toSanta Fe — Carson Goes upon a Second Trapping Expedition—Hunting with an Old Mountaineer —A Visit from CrowIndians.
A week or more later, the trappers again reached the Colorado River.They had traveled at a leisurely pace and once more they went into camp,where they were familiar with the country. Men leading such lives asthey, were accustomed to all kinds of surprises, but it may be doubtedwhether the trappers were more amazed in all their existence than whenfive hundred Indian warriors made their appearance and with signs offriendship overran the camp before they could be prevented orchecked.
The hunters did not know what to make of the proceeding, and looked toCarson for advice. He had already discovered that the situation was oneof the gravest danger. Despite the professions of friendship, Kit sawthat each warrior had his weapons under his dress, where he hoped theywere not noticed by the whites. Still worse, most of the hunters wereabsent visiting their traps, only Kit and a few of his companions beingin camp. The occasion was where it was necessary to decide at once whatto do and then to do it without flinching.
Among the red men was one who spoke Spanish and to him Carsonaddressed himself:
“You must leave the camp at once; if you don't do so without aminute's delay, we shall attack you and each of us is sure to kill onewarrior if not more.”
These brave words accompanied by such determination of manner were insuch contrast to the usual course of the cowardly Mexicans that theIndians were taken all aback. They could not suspect the earnestness ofthe short, sturdy framed leader, nor could they doubt that though theIndians would be sure to overwhelm the little band, yet they would haveto pay dearly for the privilege. It took them but a few minutes toconclude the price was altogether too high and they drew off withoutmaking a hostile demonstration against the brave Carson and his men.
The trappers worked their way down the Colorado until they arrived attidewater, when they moved to the Gila, along which they trapped untilthey reached the mouth of the San Pedro. They were in sore need of horseswith which to transport their furs and peltries, that had become numerousand bulky. While in this neighborhood, they discovered a large herd ofhorses and mules in the possession of a few Indians. According to themorality of the border this property was legitimate prey, but in point offact when the trappers determined to take the animals from theaborigines, they became thieves and robbers. However, it is not to behoped that a single member of the company felt the slightest twinge ofconscience when he rode at full speed, yelling to the highest bent, andhelped scatter the terrified red men to the winds. The entire herd fellinto the hands of the whites, and, congratulating themselves on theirgood fortune, they kindled a huge fire and encamped for the night.
Most of the men had lain down with the intention of sleeping untilmorning, and Kit sat looking in the fire, when his trained ear caught apeculiar sound. At first, it seemed to be the faint roll of distantthunder, but he knew it was not. He listened carefully and was able totell the direction whence came the singular noise, but remained uncertainas to its cause. Then, as he had done many a time, he leaned over andpressed his ear to the solid earth. Immediately the rumbling became moredistinct and he recognized what it meant: it was the tramp of numeroushoofs galloping forward.
Carson and several of his men stole noiselessly out to reconnaissanceand found a half dozen warriors hurrying along a drove of more than ahundred horses. They had been on a raid among the Mexican settlements inSonora and were now returning home with their plunder.
The temptation was one which Carson and his companions could notresist. They sent a volley from their rifles among the thieves, whichthrew them into such a panic that they dashed off at full speed withoutgiving the least thought to their valuable property. The latter as amatter of course was taken charge of by the trappers, who were glad ofthe opportunity to chastise the cowardly marauders.
Under the circumstances, however, the animals were of little value tothe hunters, who had all they needed. It was beyond their power to returnthem to their owners, but the best were selected, several of the plumpestkilled and cured, and the rest turned loose to go whither they chose.
The trappers continued up the Gila until near the copper mines of NewMexico, where they found a party of white men trading with the Indians.The peltries were cached and placed in charge of their friends, whileCarson and his companions continued on until they reached Santa Fe. Theretheir employer bought a license to trade with the Indians who lived nearthe copper mines. Then they went back and procuring their furs, returnedonce more to Santa Fe, where they were sold for more than twenty thousanddollars. This being equitably divided among the hunters, furnished each agoodly sum. Like so many sailors just ashore from a long voyage, most ofthe trappers went on a prolonged carousal, which caused their money tomelt like snow in the sun. When their pockets were empty, they had achingheads, weak frames and only the memory of their feverish pleasures.
Kit Carson did not go through this trial unscathed. He drank andspreed with the rest, but he awoke to the folly and madness of his coursesooner than they and the sad lesson learned at the time lasted himthrough life. The baneful habit was not fastened upon him, and he notonly acquired the mastery over self, but was able more than once to saveothers from falling into the whirlpool which has swept unnumberedmultitudes to wretchedness and death.
Carson found little in the way of congenial employment until the fallof the year, when he joined a second trapping expedition. The first hadwon him such a reputation for sagacity, daring and skill, that hisservices were always in demand, and those who were forming suchenterprises sought him out among the very first.
The new party was in charge of an experienced mountaineer, who toldKit his intention was to trap along the principal streams of the RockyMountains. He was well acquainted with the region and was confident thatthe expedition would not only be enjoyable and thrilling in the highestdegree, but would prove profitable to all.
The party travelled northward until they reached the Platte Riverwhere the business began. They moved from stream to stream, as necessitydemanded, shooting such game as they needed, exchanging shots with thewatchful red men, who killed four of the trappers while hunting bison,and steadily adding to their stock of furs until the close of the seasonin the spring of 1831. Learning that an old mountaineer, named CaptainGaunt, had spent the winter at Laramie River and was then at New Park,Kit Carson and four of his friends set out to join him. It was a long andperilous journey, but they made it in safety and the Captain gave themglad welcome. They hunted together for many months following until theCaptain went to Taos to sell his peltries. On his return, operations wereresumed until the weather became so cold they were forced into winterquarters.
The winter proved very severe. The snow was so deep that only bycutting down numerous cottonwoods and using the bark and twigs for fodderwere the animals saved from starvation. Fortunately, they had laid in agood stock of bison meat so that the trappers themselves underwent nosuffering for food. In fact, they found little to do except to pass thetime in idleness. With abundant food, plenty of tobacco and the means ofengaging in certain games, they whiled away the long winter days andevenings until the signs of spring appeared.
But while the winds were moaning around their hut, in which they madetheir home, and the snow rattled like fine sand against the logs, theywere taught again that no weather is severe enough to keep the wily redman within his wigwam. A party of Crow Indians discovered the camp of thetrappers and one tempestuous night made them a stealthy visit. Theydeparted during the darkness, and, when they went away, took with themnine of the very best horses of the hunters —a loss too serious tobe borne without using every recourse to prevent it.
Kit Carson's Decision —A Hot Pursuit an and Unexpected Discovery—Weary Waiting —A Snow Balling Party —A Daring Attack— Brilliant Exploit.
Instinctively every one turned to Carson to learn what he had toadvise and yet each was certain what he would say.
“It'll never do, boys, to let them steal our horses in thatstyle,” he remarked in his quiet fashion, compressing his lips andshaking his head, while his eyes flashed with a dangerous light.
All knew what his words and manner meant, and in a twinkling thethirteen men were in their saddles, and, with their gallant leader attheir head, galloped forth off in pursuit.
It would be supposed where the ground was covered with snow to such adepth, that it was the easiest matter imaginable to follow the trail, andyet Kit and his companions found it one of the most difficult tasks theyhad ever undertaken. Hundreds of bison had repeatedly crossed the trackssince they were made and less experienced eyes than those of the trapperswould have given over the search in despair.
But no one thought of turning back, and the pursuit was pushedunflaggingly for fully forty miles. Not the first glimpse had beenobtained of the Indians, and the horses that had been pushed so hardfinally gave out. They were in poor condition, and, when the company cameto a halt, showed such exhaustion that it was evident they could not beforced much further. It was decided, therefore, to go into camp.Accordingly, they turned the heads of their panting animals toward apiece of woods a short distance away.
Before the shelter was reached, the trappers were astonished toobserve a column of smoke rising above the trees. They looked in eachothers' faces with a smile of gratification: inasmuch as the trail ledinto the grove and it was evident a camp fire was burning there, itfollowed that they were close to the thieves whom they had followed sucha long distance.
The discovery infused new warmth into the blood of the hunters, whowere fairly atremble with eagerness to attack the unsuspectingIndians.
But all were too experienced in the ways of the wilderness to allowtheir impatience to betray them into any indiscretion. They deemed itnecessary their assault should be a surprise and they, therefore,withdrew to a secluded place in the woods and waited for night.
This was trying to a painful degree. The weather which had beenbitterly cold during the day, grew still colder, until the animalsshivered as if with the ague. They were carefully tied where the treespartly sheltered them from the cutting wind and the hunters made suretheir arms were ready. Then, when the sun went down and darkness creptover the snowy landscape, the men moved around so as to approach the campfrom the direction opposite to that from which the Indians wouldnaturally look for pursuit.
When close enough to catch sight of the flames among the trees, thehunters sank on their knees and crept noiselessly forward until able togain a full view of the dusky thieves. They were surprised at what theysaw. The savages had thrown some logs and stones together so as to make acouple of rude forts and had divided themselves into two parties. It wascharacteristic of them that they were holding a dance and feast in honorof the brilliant style in which they had outwitted the trappers fortymiles away.
The scene was quite interesting, especially when our friends plainlysaw their stolen animals tied near one of the forts. The sight of theirproperty was anything but soothing to the wrathful trappers, who wereresolved not to go back to their own camp without taking the horsesalong.
But the Crows were strong in numbers, well armed and ready to fight onthe briefest notice. It would have been an act of the greatest rashnessto charge upon their camp, while they were excited to an unusual degreeby the rejoicing in which all took a hilarious part. The whites decidedto wait several hours longer until most of their enemies would beunconscious in slumber.
All this time the weather was growing colder, and, toughened as thetrappers had become by years of exposure, they suffered greatly. Theydare not move about to keep up the circulation of their blood, for theslightest noise was liable to attract the suspicion of some of the Crowswho might be prowling through the grove. More than once Carson feared hislimbs were freezing, but he held out like the genuine hero he was, andhis companions were all worthy of him.
At last the dance was over and the tired warriors wrapped theirblankets around their forms and stretched out to rest. Their mannershowed they had no thought that a foe was anywhere in the neighborhood.Although such men sleep lightly, they do not remain long awake whencourting sleep, and in a brief while all were unconscious except thesentinels on duty. Even they were so confident that nothing threatened,that they became less vigilant than usual.
“Sh! now is the time,” whispered the youthful leader. Theyhad decided long before upon their plan of action, so that no time wasnow lost in consultation. Kit and five of his men began slowly creepingtoward their horses. This was anything but a pleasant occupation, for thesnow, it will be remembered, was deep on the ground; but such veteranscared nothing for a trifle like that, and they speedily reached theiranimals.
Such an attempt is always a dangerous one, for the horse of the Indianor white hunter often proves his most skilful sentinel. He is able todetect the stealthy approach of a scout, long before the straining ear ofhis master can catch the slightest sound. If the beasts should becomefrightened by the shadowy figures crawling over the snow, they would belikely to alarm the camp; but Carson and his companions managed it sowell that there was not a single neigh or stamp of a hoof.
Silently rising to their feet, they cut the halters which held thehorses fast, and then, withdrawing a slight distance, began throwingsnowballs at them. These feathery missiles fell among and struck againstthem, until, to escape the mimic bombardment they moved out the woodaltogether, where they were taken charge by the others who were waiting.All this was accomplished without attracting the attention of a singleIndian.
Having met with such success, common prudence and sense suggested thatthe trappers should make all haste to their own comfortable quarters, somany long miles away; but they had scarcely joined each other when theyfell into an earnest discussion as to what the next step should be.
Some were in favor of withdrawing with the least possible delay, butKit Carson and a couple of daring spirits were bent on going back andpunishing the thieves who had given them so much trouble. As they couldnot be argued out of their purpose, the others, as a matter of course,agreed to give them their aid.
Three of the trappers were sent to take the recaptured animals towhere the saddle horses were secured while the others advanced directlyupon the Indian camp. They moved cautiously as was their custom and werealmost upon the Crows, when one of their dogs gave notice of danger by avigorous barking. On the instant, the warriors leaped to their feet andthe fight opened. So many of the Indians were shot down and the advantagewas so strongly against them, that the survivors hastily ran into thenearest fort, from which they returned the fire of their assailants. Thelatter, however, had stationed themselves behind trees, where they weresafe against the whistling bullets, and in their attack they threw awayvery few shots indeed.
It began growing light in the east, and, as soon as the Crowsdiscovered how few composed the besieging force, they in turn became theassailants, and rushed out of their fort with their frightful war whoops,but they were met by such a destructive fire that they scurried backagain.
The second attack of the savages was so furious that the trappers wereforced to fall back, but the reserve, as it may be called, speedilyjoined them, and once more drove the Indians into their fort. Several ofthe whites had been wounded though not dangerously, and both partieshaving had enough of fighting, the battle ended.
The British and American Trapper —Hunting on the Laramie—The Deserters —The Vain Pursuit —Arrival of Friends—The Return Journey —The Night Alarm —The Attack Uponthe Camp —Pursuit and Recovery of Horses.
A half century ago the vast region beyond the Rocky Mountains wascomparatively unknown and unexplored. Its general features of course wereunderstood, but the interior was like the central portion of Australia orAfrica. Clarke and Lewis made their famous expedition to Oregon duringthe early days of the century, and helped to turn general attention inthat direction. Its growth and development since then is one of thewonders of the age.
But there was one class (if the word may be used), who never hesitatedto penetrate the wildest and most dangerous recesses of the far West andNorthwest: those were the hunters and trappers. As we have alreadystated, the employees of the venerable and all embracing Hudson BayCompany ranged over British America and through Oregon, to which vastterritory they possessed the clear legal right, besides which they andthe trappers of the American Fur Company frequently trespassed on eachothers reserves, and not infrequently came in bloody collision with eachother.
Far to the northward, the Indian drove his birch canoe across thesilent Athabasca and Great Bear Lakes, on his way with his peltries tothe distant factory or post of the Company; along the frozen shores ofthe lone Mackenzie (the only American river flowing into the ArcticOcean), the trapper glided on his snow shoes, or with his sturdy dogs andsleigh, fought his way over the snowy wastes of Prince Rupert's Land; thebrigades in their boats rounded the curves of the Saskatchewan, keepingtime with their paddles to their own cheery songs; their camp fires werekindled in the land of the Assiniboine and they set their traps in thewildest recesses of the Rocky Mountains where the whirling snow stormsalmost carried them off their feet; but north of the dividing line, thehunters had little if anything to fear from the red men. Though theyencountered in the loneliest and most desolate distant regions, theygenerally met and separated as friends. Among the perils of the trapper'slife in British America was not reckoned that from the hostilenatives.
It was far different within our own territory. Those who left ourfrontier States and pushed westward, and those who penetrated northwardand eastward from the Mexican country, knew they were invading thehunting grounds of the fiercest Indians on the American continent. Wehave already told enough to show the intense hostility of the red men;between them and the hunters and trappers raged a war that never ceasedor slackened, except when policy held it for a time in check.
The little group of horsemen, who rode out from Independence orWestport, or who took steamer at St. Louis up the Missouri, often cameback with several of their number missing. Up among the mountains, theyhad gone out to visit their traps and had never come back to camp. Thelurking Blackfoot, or Sioux, or Crow, had aimed all too well, and, as hebounded whooping away, he swung aloft the scalp of his victim whosetrapping days were ended forever.
After recovering their horses from the band of Crows, Carson and hiscompanions returned to camp, where they remained until spring, when theycached their furs and made their way to the Laramie River on anotherhunting expedition. While thus employed, a couple of the men desertedtaking several of the best animals. Kit Carson and a single companionwere sent in pursuit, the rascals having a good day's start. A desperatefight was sure to follow a meeting between the parties, for Carson wouldnever forgive such treachery, and the deserters were not the ones topermit themselves to be despoiled of their booty without doing theirutmost to prevent it.
It was suspected that they were on their way to the place where thebeaver had been cached; and disregarding the trail, therefore Carson madeall haste thither. It need not be said that he lost no time on the road,but when he reached their old camp, he found the deserters had precededhim. They had stolen several thousand dollars worth of furs anddeparted.
Carson was more anxious than ever to overtake the scoundrels. He andhis companion made diligent search, but failed utterly to find them. Theywere never seen or heard of again, and Carson was convinced they hadfallen victims to the Indians who in turn made off with the stolenpeltries.
It will be borne in mind that Kit and his friend were several hundredmiles from the main body of hunters, and in one of the most dangerouscountries they had ever visited. So dangerous, indeed, did they consideran attempt to return to them, that they decided not to make it, but tostay in the old camp. Inasmuch as it would be impossible to keep theirpresence from the knowledge of the Indians, they threw up some rudefortifications and never relaxed their vigilance. When Carson wrapped hisblanket around him, and lay down to rest, he knew his companion was onguard and would not slumber. It was the same with his friend, theirwatchfulness undoubtedly preventing the attack which scarcely could havefailed to be effectual.
It was needful now and then that one of them should venture out toprocure game, but that was so plentiful that he was never compelled to gofar, and he used such extreme care that he was not even so much as firedupon.
Thus the time passed, until at the end of several weeks, the hunterswere surprised and delighted by the arrival of more than a dozen men ontheir way with a complete outfit to join the main body. Carson and hisfriend were glad enough to go with them and the long journey was begun.They had not gone far, when they exchanged shots with hostiles and therewere almost daily skirmishes with them. By sunset they had travelled along distance, and went into camp, feeling certain that though Indianshad not shown themselves, they were in the vicinity. To prevent astampede of their animals, the long ropes around their necks werefastened to stakes driven deep into the earth. This arrangement allowedthem to graze over sufficient ground and opposed an almost insuperableobstacle to the success of the dusky thieves prowling around.
It was yet early in the evening when one of the dogs belonging to thecamp began barking. A score of causes might have caused this but Carsonbelieved the incitement in that instance was the one most dreaded.Several men were added to the guard and the rest lay down, too uneasy togain much slumber, however.
The trappers were right in their suspicion that savages were near butthey could not have failed to note what precautions had been taken by thewhites against surprise and they withdrew without molesting them. Theparty were in a beaver country, and Carson and three of his men went upthe stream some distance to learn whether it was worth their while to setthe traps.
They had not been gone long when a party of Indians, who were probablyawaiting such an opportunity, charged upon the camp and drove off all theloose horses. Four of the hunters instantly saddled the swiftest of thoseremaining and started in hot pursuit. So hot indeed was the pursuit thatthey speedily came up with the marauders and opened a running fight. Oneof the hunters was badly wounded, while a warrior was shot from his horsepitching headlong to the earth with a screech of agony. The remainingones were pressed so hard that they were glad enough to abandon theproperty which came back to the rightful owners, probably before ananimal was able to comprehend what had taken place.
The promptness and daring of the hunters had prevented a serious loss,and though one of their number was severely hurt, his wound was notmortal. It may be said that he suffered much but fully recovered in time.Men with such iron constitutions and rugged frames rallied from injuriesthat would have swept off those accustomed to less stirring lives.
Having righted matters, so far as possible, the trappers picketedtheir horses and awaited the return of Carson and his companions. Theywere much disturbed by fears for their safety, as in truth they had goodcause to be.
An Unexpected Meeting —The Ambush —A Daring and PerilousRide —Return to Camp —Disappointments —The Beaver.
Meanwhile the Indians made it exceedingly lively for Kit Carson andhis three companions.
The latter had heard so much of the abundance of beavers in a certainsection that they determined to visit it and make a thorough exploration.To do this, it was necessary to ride over a lofty Rocky Mountain peak ortake many hours to pass around it. Very naturally they concluded to“cut across lots,” confident of their ability to take care ofthemselves, no matter what danger threatened.
The ascent proved very exhausting to men and animals, for the trappersdid not compel the weary beasts to bear them up the steep slope where ittired them to force their own way. They rested many times, but finallyaccomplished the ascent and passed over into the valley beyond. There,disappointment awaited them. The most careful search failed to show thefirst sign of a beaver and they had their labor for their pains. The toilof climbing the mountain peak was so severe that the hunters concluded totake the longer route home. Their steeds had been pushed so hard, thatthey were permitted to set their own pace on the return. This naturallyenough was a deliberate walk, while their riders talked, laughed, jestedand occasionally made some remark on the magnificent scenery by whichthey were surrounded. There was no call for haste, and they knew nothingof what had taken place in camp after their departure; otherwise, theymight have felt more impatience to rejoin their friends.
All at once, the hunters descried four Indian warriors in the path infront. They were splendidly mounted, their hair ornamented with stainedeagle feathers, their ugly countenances daubed with yellow, black andcrimson paint, and they were fully armed. Their appearance showed theywere on the war path.
Such undoubtedly being the case, a sight of the braves was a challengeto the hunters who accepted it without a second's hesitation.
Pausing not a moment to consult on their plan of action, Kit and hiscompanions spurred their horses to a dead run, with the purpose ofbringing them within range of their rifles, but the steeds of the duskyfoes were fleet of foot and they sped away like the wind.
The pursuit was a furious one, until the flying fugitives shot by ahill, when more than fifty warriors similarly mounted and accoutred,dashed out to intercept the enthusiastic hunters. Just then it dawnedupon Kit and his companions that the whole proceeding was a trap arrangedby the Indians into which he and his friends had dashed at headlongspeed.
It was in such crises that Kit Carson displayed his marvelousresources and lightning-like perception of the best course to adopt. Thediscovery of the ambush would have thrown almost any company of men, nomatter how brave into a panic, or at least into temporary confusion whichwould have been equally disastrous. Most probably they would have reinedup or wheeled about and fled in the opposite direction. The whole bandwould have dashed in pursuit and the running fight between four men andmore than twelve times their number, every one of whom it is fair topresume was thoroughly familiar with the country, could have resulted inbut one way. Skilled and daring as were Carson and his comrades, theycould not accomplish the impossible, as they would have had to do inorder to escape the yelling band behind them.
Kit was slightly in advance of the others, and he did not check hisanimal in the least. On the contrary, he urged him to his utmost, and thefour sped straight ahead on a dead run, seemingly as if they meant tocharge the entire war party.
Such, however, was not their intention: they shied off as much as theycould, and, throwing themselves forward and over the side of theirhorses, ran the terrible gauntlet. No one of the trappers fired a shot,for if dismounted by the bullets of their enemies, each wished to havehis loaded rifle in hand, with which to make his last defense.
The very audacity of the movement amazed the Indians. By the time theycomprehended what the white men were doing, they were thundering in frontof them. Then the warriors opened fire, and the bullets whistled aboutthe horses and riders, who kept their steeds to the highest bent andfinally passed beyond danger —their escape one of the mostextraordinary on record.
The Indians did not pursue the hunters, two of whom had been struck bytheir bullets, and Carson and his friends drew their horses down to amore moderate pace. The great scout admitted that he was never moreutterly deceived and entrapped by the red man in all his life. But he sawin the occurrence a deeper significance than appeared on the surface. Theambush into which he and his friends had been led was only a part of thecampaign against the entire party, who, weakened by the absence of Carsonand his companions were likely to fall victims to such a large band ofwarriors. Trembling with fear for their comrades, they again forced theiranimals to a high speed and lost no time in making their way back tocamp. They found everything in good shape, much to their relief, and werenot at all surprised to learn of the visit that had been made by thesavages during the absence of Kit and his companions.
The wounds of the two trappers who were shot while running the fierygauntlet, were found to be of such a serious nature that the party hadnot gone far when they were obliged to go into camp again. One of themespecially, was in such a bad way that it was found necessary to carryhim on a litter until the main camp was reached. There he was allowed torest and everything possible was done to make him comfortable. When hehad fully recovered, the entire company headed for Old Park, once famouson account of the immense numbers of beavers found there. Disappointment,however, awaited them, for other trappers had preceded them, and madesuch thorough work that it was useless for the last arrivals to unloadand set their traps.
The party visited other sections but in every instance they appearedto be “a day too late for the fair;” the beaver runs had beenworked so thoroughly by others that it was useless for them to expectsuccess.
The beaver, as the reader probably knows, aside from its great valuein producing fur and perfume, possesses a most wonderful instinct. Theylive in communities and prefer to build their houses by small clearrivers and creeks or close to springs. Sometimes they are found on thebanks of lakes.
The dams which they construct with the skill of a professional civilengineer, are built for the purpose of making sure of a full supply ofwater at all times and seasons. These dams are composed of stones, mudand tree branches, the base being ten or twelve feet in thickness slopinggradually upward to the summit.
In building their dams, the beaver does not thrust the ends of thestakes into the bed of the river, but lays them down horizontally,holding them in place by piling mud and stones upon them. The logs whichcompose the dams are mostly from six to eight inches in diameter, thoughsome have been found nearly two feet through. The enormous number of suchlogs used may be imagined perhaps, when the ponderous character of thedams is remembered, and when it is stated that some of them are more thanan eighth of a mile wide. Every log, after being gnawed off the properlength, is stripped of its bark which is stored away for use as foodduring the winter.
The lodges of the beavers are composed principally of mud, moss andbranches, circular in shape, the space within being seven feet in widthand about half as high. The walls are so thick that on the outside thecorresponding dimensions are nearly three times as great as within. Theroof is finished off with a thick layer of mud, laid on with wonderfulsmoothness and renewed every year. The severe frosts of winter freeze thelodge into such a solid structure that the beaver is safe against thewolverine, which is unable to break through the wall, resembling theadobe structures found in Mexico and the Southwest. Even the trapper whoattempts to demolish one of the structures finds it tiresome labor, evenwith the help of iron implements.
The beavers excavate a ditch around their lodges too deep to befrozen. Into this opens all their dwellings, the door being far below thesurface, so that free ingress and egress are secured.
The half dozen beavers occupying a lodge arrange their beds againstthe wall, each separate from the other, while the centre of the chamberis unoccupied. During summer they secure their stock of food by gnawingdown hundreds of trees, the trunks or limbs of which are sunk andfastened in some peculiar manner to the bottom of the stream. During thewinter when the beaver feels hungry, he dives down, brings up one of thelogs, drags it to a suitable spot and nibbles off the bark.
It is impossible fully to understand how this remarkable animal doesits work, for as it never toils in the day time, it is out of the powerof any one to watch its method.
The peculiar odoriferous substance, secreted in two glandular sacsnear the root of the tail, is “castoreum,” more generallyknown as “bark stone” among the trappers. The odor ispowerful and is so attractive to the animals themselves, that the trapperhas only to smear some of it near the trap which is hidden under water.Any beaver which catches the scent, is sure to hasten to the spot and isalmost certain to be caught in the trap.
Carson and two Companions set out on a Trapping Expedition of TheirOwn —They Meet With Great Success —Is Engaged by Captain Lee—Carson's Pursuit of an Indian Thief.
Kit Carson finally grew tired of wandering over the country withoutgaining sight of a beaver. He proposed to two of his companions that theystart on a private expedition of their own. They were as disgusted as heand eagerly agreed to the proposition.
The employers of the men commended the enterprise of the littlecompany and gave them their best wishes. Cordial farewells were exchangedall around, and Kit and his comrades left the camp on their perilouserrand.
On this occasion, as on innumerable other ones, Carson showed mostexcellent judgment. His scheme was to keep entirely to the streams neveronce venturing upon the plains. Several advantages were likely to flowfrom this course. During the summer season the mountain Indians generallyplaced their women and children in charge of the old men and a fewwarriors and came down from their retreats to engage in hunting bison orin marching on the war path. Occasionally they are at peace with theIndians of the plains, which was a bad thing for the Mexican settlements,for they left a track of desolation among them.
Few of the trappers ventured far into the mountains, where game wasabundant, so that Carson was confident of finding plenty of beavers. Inthis he was not mistaken. The fur bearing animals seemed to beoverrunning the country, while the Indians acted not only as if unawareof the fact but as if entirely ignorant of the little party of visitors,who, making hay while the sun shines, were not long in finding themselveswith as large a supply as they could carry home.
This was the ordeal more to be dreaded than all the others. While ontheir way to the beaver runs, they had nothing to do beyond taking careof themselves; but now their valuable peltries were liable to be capturedby the Indians, who could compel their abandonment by pressing the ownershard.
But extreme and altogether unexpected good fortune attended them, andthey reached Taos, without receiving a scratch or losing a fur. Theyfound on arriving at that quaint town, that there was great demand forpeltries and prices were correspondingly high. They sold out their stockfor a very liberal price, and Kit's friend, despite his advice, went on acarousal which soon squandered all their hard earned wages. Kit himself,however, had not lost the lesson he learned under somewhat similarcircumstances, and he laid away his funds, against the proverbial rainyday.
By this time the character of Carson was fairly formed. He wasresolute, self reliant, sober, thoughtful, cool headed, wonderfully quickto grasp all the points of a situation, chivalrous, agile as a panther, aperfect master of woodcraft, and withal, charmingly modest.
While Carson was in Taos, waiting for some favorable opening topresent itself, he met Captain Lee, formerly of the United States Army,but who was then a member of the firm of Bent and St. Vrain, engaged forso many years in furnishing supplies to those who visited the mountainsand plains. Captain Lee at that time was thus employed and knowing thevalue of a man like Carson, he made him so liberal an offer that heaccepted it on the spot.
In the Autumn of 1832, with a train of mules loaded with such goods aswere needed by trappers, Captain Lee, Carson and a number of men startednorthward to find their purchasers. They followed the well worn mule pathleading from New Mexico to California and which had been known for yearsas the “Old Spanish Trail.”
They reached White River without mishap, and made their way down ituntil Green River was forded, when they struck across the country toWinty River, where they came upon a party of twenty hunters, who wereengaged in trading and trapping as opportunity offered. They affiliatedat once, for there is something in the presence of a common danger whichdraws men closely together.
The weather became very cold and snow began to fall. It was decided,therefore, to go into winter quarters near the mouth of Winty River.There they erected skin lodges, such as are used by many tribes ofAmerican Indians, and were content to wait the coming of spring.
The skill and address of Carson seemed to create a call for hisservices, no matter where he happened to be, and it was not long beforehe became involved in a most remarkable adventure.
Among the employees of the other party, was a shrewd civilized Indian,who was held in high regard by the whites on account of his nativekeenness, and who stood well in the confidence of his employer; but oneday he disappeared, simultaneously with several of the very best horses.The circumstances were such that there could be no doubt the twooccurrences were inseparably connected.
The loss was too serious to be borne, and the angered leader of theother company (though he had not the least claim upon young Carson),appealed to him to help him to recover his property. Carson said he wasperfectly willing, provided Captain Lee would give his consent, and asthe Captain was more willing to help his friend, he directed Carson to doas he saw fit.
The matchless hunter made sure his weapons were in the best order,and, mounting one of the fleetest horses in camp, he waved a merryfarewell to his friends and galloped off. He had not ridden far when heturned off toward an Indian village, whose people were on friendly termswith the hunters, and, riding directly among the red men, whose lingo heunderstood, he asked for one of their bravest warriors to join him inhunting down a California Indian that had run off with their besthorses.
Such a request coming from any other hunter would have received littlenotice; but those dusky barbarians not only knew Carson by name, butlooked upon him as the greatest white warrior they had ever seen. Hecould have secured a score of braves had he wanted them, but he desiredonly one —a sinewy, daring fellow whom he knew could be relied onin any emergency. This Indian required no more time than Carson himselfto make ready, and, shortly after Kit's arrival in the village, he rodeforth again with his faithful friend at his elbow.
It was impossible for the thief to conceal the trail of the stolenhorses and he made no attempt to do so. A slight examination showed thepursuers that it led down the Green River, the general course being suchthat Carson was confident the thief was making for California —along distance away.
As the fugitive was well mounted and all his horses were fleet, and ashe must have been quite certain he would be pursued, he lost no time onthe road. The trail showed he was going at a full gallop, and, under themost favorable circumstances, the chase was sure to be a long one.
A Hot Pursuit —An Unexpected Calamity —Carson Continuesthe Chase Alone —The Result.
Everything now depended on speed. Not only was the dusky thief pushinghis animals to the utmost, but Kit Carson knew he would give them littlerest night or day. He was familiar with the route to California and thepursuit would be no child's play.
There could be no doubt, however, of the destination of the redskin,and Carson and his brave warrior were equally persistent with theirhorses. The ground flew beneath their hoofs. Across the stretch ofprairie, along the bank of the rushing streams, around the rocks, overmountains, through torrents, they forced their way, with no thought ofturning back or checking the speed of their animals. Occasionally thebright eyes of the pursuers glanced at the ground in front, when thedisplaced gravel or the indentation in the soft earth showed they had notlost the trail.
In this headlong fashion the friends galloped forward until they hadplaced a full hundred miles behind them. They were a long distance fromhome and camp, but in spite of the speed of the fugitive, Carson wasconfident they had gained considerably upon him. If everything went well,they ought to catch sight of him on the morrow. At this juncture, whenthe prospect was so encouraging, an unlooked for calamity occurred.
Carson's steed stood the great strain admirably, but the one bestrodeby the Indian succumbed. He suddenly slackened his pace, staggered andtrembled so violently, that, when the warrior leaped from his back, hesaw he was fearfully ill. If he did not die, he would not recover forhours and even then could not be forced hard.
Carson contemplated the situation with dismay. He had not counted onanything like this, and the help of the Indian was beyond all price tohim. He was unusually strong, active and experienced, and would nothesitate to attack any person single handed.
Seeing the condition of the exhausted steed, Kit proposed to his duskycompanion that he should abandon him and continue the pursuit on foot,but the brave shook his head. He was equal to the exploit of running tenor twenty miles at a high pace, but a great deal more was likely to berequired and he needed all his powers when the shock of the battle shouldcome. He not only refused to continue the chase, but, knowing thecharacter of the thief, tried to dissuade Carson from going further. Theyhad certainly done all that could be asked of them and no one could findfault if, in the face of such difficulty, they should withdraw and returnto their friends.
“No,” said Carson, “I have set out to recover thosehorses and nothing shall turn me back. I am sorry to lose you, but itcan't be helped; so good bye and good luck attend you.”
And putting spurs to his steed, he dashed over the trail withcompressed lips and flashing eye, determined on running down the fugitiveif he had to follow him to the bank of the Pacific itself. This singleact of the famous mountaineer shows his character in its true light.
In the first place, it must be remembered that Kit Carson was a man ofslight figure and was never noted for his strength. Many of hiscompanions were much more powerful, though none was so quick and activein his movements. His wonderful success lay in his coolness, agility,skill and bravery, which never “overleaped itself.” As wehave stated, he was below the medium stature, and never could haveattained a tithe of his renown, had his muscular strength formed anecessary part of his requirements.
On the other hand, the Indian thief whom he was pursuing, wasexceptionally powerful, athletic and one of the most desperate men on thewhole frontier. He cared nothing for Carson, nor for any single member ofthe company he had left. He would expect pursuit and would be on thewatch for it. Whenever he caught sight of those who were seeking him, hewould not abandon the horses and flee. Far from it: he would stand hisground, and if his booty should be wrested from him the men who did itwould be compelled to the fiercest kind of fight. He would not run fromthe attack of two or three persons: much less from one of the mostinsignificant men in the entire company.
The course of Carson illustrated another marked feature of hischaracter —that of loyalty to his friends and resolution incarrying through any task he undertook. Where scarcely one man in amultitude would have pushed forward, he advanced without hesitation. Hedeliberately resolved to attack a fierce criminal who was as fully armedas he, as daring and perfect in his knowledge of woodcraft, and much hissuperior in strength.
Carson had proven the mettle of his steed, and he now showed him nomercy. The trail indicated he was gaining rapidly and he was anxious toforce matters to an issue before night. Among the horses the Indian wasrunning off were one or two whose endurance was less than the others.Their tardiness moderated the pace of the rest, and thus gave Kit achance of lessening the distance between him and the fugitive.
At the end of the ten miles he scanned the ground in front, butnothing was seen of the thief or his horses; but the hoof prints werefresh and the scout knew he was closer to him than at any time since thechase began. The flanks of his steed shone with perspiration and froth,but it would not do to lag now. The lips were compressed and the gray eyeflashed fire as before.
Ten more miles were speedily thrown behind him, and he knew he was notfar from the dusky desperado, who doubtless was continually glancingbackward in quest of pursuers; but the keen vision which swept aroundevery portion of the visible horizon, discovered no sign of thethief.
Carson anticipated some attempt on the part of the fugitive to confusepursuit and he, therefore, watched the hoof prints more closely thanever. The eagle eye continually glanced from the ground to the country infront, and then to the right and left. Nothing escaped his vision, butwhen his foamy steed had thundered over another ten miles the fugitivewas still beyond sight.
“He can't be far off,” was the thought of Carson,“I'm bound to overtake him before long.”
At that moment, he caught sight of the Indian galloping leisurelyforward, amid the stolen horses. The cunning savage, as the scout hadsuspected, was constantly on the alert, and detected Carson the samemoment that he himself was discovered. Quick as a flash, he leaped fromthe back of his horses and started on a swift run for a clump of treesbetween him and his pursuer. The latter understood his purpose on theinstant. If the Indian could secure the shelter of the grove, he wouldhave his enemy at his mercy; for not only would he be able to protect hisbody, while loading and firing, but Carson himself, being in an openspace, would be without the slightest protection against his deadlyaim.
Carson cocked his rifle and driving his spurs into the flanks of hishigh spirited steed, charged at full speed for the same shelter. Whoevershould reach it first would be the master.
The Indian had much less distance to run, and was as fleet of foot asa deer. He bounded forward with such tremendous strides, that while thehorseman was still some distance away, he plunged in among the trees; butfor the last few seconds the foes had approached each other at a terrificpace, a result that was not only inevitable, but desirable, to thepursuer.
The very second the savage arrived on the margin of the grove, he madea leap for the nearest tree from behind which he meant to shoot hisenemy; but in the very act of doing so, he was smitten by his bullet.Without checking his animal in the slightest, Carson had aimed andfired.
The death screech of the savage rang out, as he leaped in the air andtumbled prostrate to the earth, killed by the shot that was unerring inits accuracy. The Indian himself was so near firing his gun, that hispiece was also discharged, the ball whizzing harmlessly above the head ofhis pursuer. A couple of seconds delay on the part of Carson must haveproved fatal to him, for the savage was a good marksman, and was standingstill, with such a brief space intervening, that he could not havemissed. It is hard to conceive of any escape more narrow than that of thedaring mountaineer.
Carson Returns with the Recovered Property —Journey to SnakeRiver —Starts on a Trapping Expedition with Three Companions— Carson's Stirring Adventure with Two Grizzly Bears.
Carson gathered the horses together and set out on his return. Thedistance was considerable and he was compelled to encamp more than onceon the road, while he was continually exposed to attack from Indians, butwith that remarkable skill and foresight which distinguished him when aboy, he reached home without the slightest mishap and turned over therecovered animals to their owner. Some days later, several trappersentered camp with the statement that a large body of hunters were onSnake River, a fortnight's journey distant. Captain Lee at once set outwith his men and found the company who gave them a warm welcome. Theypurchased all the supplies Captain Lee had for sale, and then, asCarson's engagement with the Captain was ended, he attached himself tothe other body. He remained, however, only a few weeks, for he saw therewere so many that they could never take enough peltries to bring muchmoney to the individual members. He decided to do as he had done before—arrange an expedition of his own. He had but to make known hisintentions, when he had more applicants than he could accept. He selectedthree, who it is needless to say had no superiors in the whole party. Thelittle company then turned the heads of their horses toward LaramieRiver.
At that day, the section abounded with beaver, and although the summeris not the time when their fur is in the best condition, the partytrapped on the stream and its tributaries until cold weather set in. Theymet with far greater success than could have come to them had they stayedwith the principal company of trappers. But they had no wish to spend thewinter alone in the mountains and gathering their stock together, theyset out to rejoin their old companions.
One day, after they had gone into camp, Carson, leaving his horse incharge of his friends, set out on foot to hunt some game for theirevening meal. They had seen no signs of Indians, though they never forgotto be on their guard against them. Game was not very abundant and Carsonwas obliged to go a long ways before he caught sight of some elk grazingon the side of a hill. Well aware of the difficulty of getting withingunshot of the timid animals, the hunter advanced by a circuitous coursetoward a clump of trees, which would give him the needed shelter; butwhile creeping toward the point he had fixed upon as the one from whichto fire, the creatures scented danger and began moving off. Thiscompelled him to fire at long range, but he was successful and broughtdown the finest of the group.
The smoke was curling upward from the rifle of Carson, when he wasstartled by a tremendous crashing beside him, and, turning his head, hesaw two enormous grizzly bears making for him at full speed. They wereinfuriated at this invasion of their home, and were evidently resolved onteaching the hunter better manners by making their supper upon him.
Carson had no time to reload his gun: had it been given him he wouldhave made short work of one of the brutes at least, but as it was, he wasdeprived of even that privilege. Fortunate indeed would he be if he couldescape their fury.
The grizzly bear is the most dreaded animal found on this continent.He does not seem to feel the slightest fear of the hunter, no matterwhether armed or not, and, while other beasts are disposed to give man awide berth, old “Ephraim,” as the frontiersmen call him,always seems eager to attack him. His tenacity of life is extraordinary.Unless pierced in the head or heart, he will continue his struggles aftera dozen or score of rifle balls have been buried in his body. So terribleis the grizzly bear, that an Indian can be given no higher honor than theprivilege of wearing a necklace made from his claws —thatdistinction being permitted only to those who have slain one of theanimals in single handed combat.
No one understood the nature of these beasts better than Kit Carsonand he knew that if either of the animals once got his claws upon him,there would not be the faintest chance of escape. The only thingtherefore that could be done was to run.
There were not wanting men who were fleeter of foot than Carson, butfew could have overtaken him when he made for the trees on which all hishopes depended. Like the blockade runner, closely pursued by the man ofwar, he threw overboard all the cargo that could impede his speed. Hislong, heavy rifle was flung aside, and the short legs of the trapperdoubled under him with amazing quickness as he strove as never before toreach the grove.
Fortunately the latter was not far off, and, though the fierce beastsgained rapidly upon him, Carson arrived among the timber a few steps inadvance. He had no time even to select the tree, else he would havechosen a different one, but making a flying leap, he grasped thelowermost limb and swung upward, at the moment the foremost grizzly wasbeneath him. So close in truth was his pursuer that the hunter distinctlyfelt the sweeping blow of his paw aimed at the leg which whisked beyondhis reach just in the nick of time.
But the danger was not over by any means. The enthusiastic style inwhich the bears entered into the proceedings proved they did not meanthat any trifles should stop them. They were able to climb the tree whichsupported Carson, and he did not lose sight of the fact. Whipping out hishunting knife, he hurriedly cut off a short thick branch and trimmed itinto a shape that would have made a most excellent shillelagh for anative of the Green Isle.
He had hardly done so, when the heads of the bruins were thrust upwardalmost against his feet. Carson grasped the club with both hands andraising it above his shoulders brought it down with all his might uponthe nose of the foremost. The brute sniffed with pain, threw up his headand drew back a few inches —just enough to place the other nose infront. At that instant, a resounding whack landed on the rubber snout andthe second bear must have felt a twinge all through his body.
Though each blow caused the recipient to recoil, yet he instantlyreturned, so that Carson was kept busy pounding the noses as if he was anold fashioned farmer threshing wheat with a flail.
It was a question with Carson which would last the longer —theclub or the snouts, but in the hope of getting beyond their reach, heclimbed to the topmost bough, where he crouched into the smallestpossible space. It was idle, however, to hope they would overlook him,for they pushed on up the tree which swayed with their weight.
The nose of the grizzly bear is one of the most sensitive portions ofhis body, and the vigorous thumps which the hunter brought down uponthem, brought tears of pain to their eyes. But while they suffered, theywere roused to fury by the repeated rebuffs, and seemed all the more seton crunching the flesh and bones of the insignificant creature who defiedthem.
It must have been exasperating beyond imagination to the giganticbeasts, who feared neither man nor animal to find themselves repeatedlybaffled by a miserable being whom they could rend to pieces with one blowof their paws, provided they could approach nigh enough to reach him.
They came up again and again; they would draw back so as to avoidthose stinging strokes, sniff, growl and push upward, more eager thanever to clutch the poor fellow, who was compressing himself between thelimb and the trunk, and raining his blows with the persistency of apugilist.
They were finally forced to desist for a few minutes in order to givetheir snouts time to regain their tone. The bulky creatures looked ateach other and seemed to say, “That's a mighty queer customer upthere; he doesn't fight fairly, but we'll fetch him yet.”
Once more and for the last time, they returned to the charge, but theplucky scout was awaiting them, and his club whizzed through the air likethe piston rod of a steam engine. The grizzlies found it more than theycould stand, and tumbling back to solid earth they gave up the contractin disgust. Carson tarried where he was until they were beyond sight,when he descended and hastily caught up and reloaded his rifle, havingescaped, as he always declared, by the narrowest chance of all hislife.
On the Green River —In the Blackfoot Country —TheBlackfeet —An Unwelcome Visit —The Pursuit and Parley—Dissolution of the Peace Congress.
The day was drawing to a close when Carson set out for camp, which wasnot reached until after dark. His companions did not feel any specialalarm over his continued absence, for the good reason that they wereconfident he could take care of himself no matter in what labyrinth ofperil he might become involved.
It was too late to send for the carcass of the elk and more thanlikely it had already been devoured by wolves. So the trappers made theirbreakfast on one of the beavers found in their traps, and went into campto await the arrival of the main body of trappers, which Carson wasconfident would come that way. Some days later they put in an appearance,and the company proceeded to the general rendezvous on Green River, wherewere found assembled the principal trappers of the Rocky Mountains. Therewere fully two hundred divided into two camps. What a history could havebeen written from the thrilling experiences of such a body of men!
They had gathered at the rendezvous to buy what supplies they neededand to dispose of their peltries. It was several weeks before thenegotiations were over, when the assemblage broke up into smallercompanies which started for their destinations hundreds of milesapart.
Carson joined a party numbering about fifty who intended to trap nearthe headwaters of the Missouri. Hundreds of beavers had been taken inthat section, but poor success went with the large band of which Carsonwas a member. That was bad enough, but they were in a neighborhood which,it may be said, was the very heart of the Blackfoot country, and thosehostiles were never more active and vigilant in their warfare against theinvaders.
The Blackfeet or Satsika today, are the most westerly tribe of theAlgonquin family of Indians, extending from the Hudson Bay to theMissouri and Yellowstone. They number over 12,000 warriors about equallydivided between Montana and British America. They have always been adaring and warlike people, and the early explorers of the Far Westprobably met with more trouble from them than from any other tribe on thecontinent.
Carson and his companions ran in difficulty at once. The Blackfeetseemed to swarm through the woods, and sent in their treacherous shotsfrom the most unexpected quarters. Whoever made the round of the traps inthe morning was almost certain to be fired upon. Matters became so badthat after a time the trappers decided to leave the country. Accordinglythey made their way to the Big Snake River where they went into quartersfor the winter. Even there they were not safe from molestation at thehands of their old enemies the Blackfeet.
One night, when there was no moon or stars, a band of warriors stoleinto camp and ran off about twenty of the best horses. This outragetouched the hunters in the most sensitive part of their nature, and thetruth no sooner became known than they unanimously agreed that theanimals not only should be recovered but the audacious aggressors shouldbe chastised.
Twelve men were selected for the most difficult and dangerous task andneed we give the name of the youth who was made the leader?
With his usual promptness, Carson took the trail which was followedwithout trouble over the snow. The Blackfeet had reason to fear some suchdemonstration, and they hurried off with such speed that they were notovertaken until fifty miles from camp.
The situation was a novel one. The Indians had come to a halt and thehorses were grazing on the side of a hill where the wind had blown awaythe snow. The Blackfeet had on snowshoes which gave them an advantageover the trappers. The latter galloped in the direction of their horses,the moment they caught sight of them. The Blackfeet fired at thetrappers, who returned a scattering volley but no one was hurt on eitherside. Then followed skirmishing and manoeuvering for several minutes,without either party gaining advantage. Finally the Blackfeet asked for aparley to which the trappers assented.
In accordance with the usual custom, one of the Indians advanced to apoint midway between the two parties and halted. At the same time, one ofthe trappers went forward, the rest of the whites and red men keepingtheir distance and watching them.
The Blackfoot opened business by what might be termed an apology whichwas no more genuine than many made by his civilized brethren undersomewhat similar circumstances. He expressed great surprise to learn thatthe horses belonged to their good friends the trappers. They had supposedall along that they were the property of the Snake Indians whom theBlackfeet considered it their duty to despoil on every suitableoccasion.
This glaring misrepresentation did not deceive the man who was actingas spokesman for his side. By way of reply, he asked that if such was thecase, why had not the Blackfeet come forward on discovering theirmistake, greeted their white brothers as friends and returned theirproperty to them.
The replies were evasive and the hunters became convinced that theIndians were seeking to gain time for some sinister purpose; but a fullparley having been agreed upon, both parties left their guns behind andadvanced to where their representatives were holding their interview.
The Blackfeet still professed the most ardent friendship, and as anemphatic token of the same, produced the calumet and began smoking thepipe of peace. The tobacco having been lit, each took several whiffs andthen passed it to his neighbor, who did the same until the round wascompleted. This solemn pledge of good will having been exchanged, theconvention or peace congress was opened as may be said, in due andancient form.
Carson and his companions were distrustful from the start, though itwas hard for them to decide the meaning of the prolonged negotiations,since no one could see what the Blackfeet were to gain by such a course.They may have hoped to deceive the hunters and throw them off theirguard, but, if such was the case, they failed.
First of all, the leading warriors indulged in several long speecheswhich were without point, but what was said in reply could admit of nodoubt as to its meaning. The trappers understood the Blackfoot tonguewell enough to make their responses models in the way of brevity andforce. They said that it was idle to talk of friendship or peace untilthe stolen property was returned to its owners. The Indians stillattempted to postpone or evade, but the complainants were in no mood fortrifling and they repeated their declaration more positively thanbefore.
The Blackfeet were much more numerous than the whites, and confidentof their strength, began to bluster and to assert that whatever they didwould be dictated by their own wishes and not by any fear of theirvisitors. Whether they desired to avoid a fight or not can only beconjectured, but they finally sent back to where the horses were tetheredand caused five of the worst to be picked out and brought forward.
When the trappers inquired the meaning of this proceeding, the Indianssaid that it was the best they could do and the hunters must becontent.
This last insult was the spark which exploded the magazine. Instantlyevery white man ran for his gun, and the Blackfeet did the same. A fewseconds after they wheeled about and the sanguinary fight began.
Kit Carson and a companion were the first to obtain their guns and asa consequence they led the advance. Each selected a warrior who waspartially hidden by the trunk of a tree. Carson was in the act of firing,when he observed that his friend was examining the lock of his gun allunmindful of the fact that one of the Blackfeet had levelled his weapondirectly at his breast. On the instant, Kit changed his aim and shot thesavage dead, thereby saving the life of his friend, who could not haveescaped had the weapon of his adversary been discharged.
Carson Badly Wounded —A Drawn Battle —An IneffectualPursuit —The Summer Rendezvous —Carson's Duel.
This act of chivalry on the part of Carson simply transferred theperil of his friend to himself, for the Indian whom he had selected forhis target was carefully sighting at him, at the very moment the gun wasdischarged. Kit saw what was coming and bounded to one side in the hopeof dodging the bullet. Quick as he was, however, he did not entirelysucceed, though the act doubtless saved his life. The ball from the rifleof his adversary grazed his neck and buried itself in his shoulder,shattering the head of one of the bones.
Carson though badly hurt, did not fall or retreat. On the contrary, hetried desperately to reload his gun, but found it impossible to raise hisarm. He was hors de combat beyond all question, and bleeding so fast thathis weakness compelled him to lie down on the ground while the conflictwent on about him. The fight was very hot for a time, the result beingwhat may be called a drawn battle, with the advantage inclining to theside of the Indians. The trappers fell back to the safest place thatpresented itself and went into camp. They dared not start a fire; forthey knew it would bring an attack from the Indians, but wrapping theirsaddle blankets around them, they bore the intense cold as best theycould.
The sufferings of Carson were great. His wounds continued bleeding andfroze upon the dressings, which were of the most primitive character. Andyet not once through those hours of anguish did he utter a word ofcomplaint. Many a strong man would have cried out in his agony, but onemight have sat within arm's length of the mountaineer without knowing hewas hurt at all.
More than that, Carson took his part in the council which was held inthe cold and darkness. The conclusion reached was that the party oftrappers were not strong enough to pursue the Blackfeet, and the propercourse to pursue was to rejoin the main body and report what had beendone. It would then be time enough to decide upon their futureaction.
When this programme was carried out, a larger party of hunters underthe lead of an experienced mountaineer resumed the pursuit; but nothingcould be found of the savages. They had utilized the grace allowed themso well that it was impossible to overtake or trace them, and theindignant trappers were obliged to submit to their loss.
The severe cold moderated, and, as spring was close at hand thehunters pushed their trapping operations along the Green and SnakeRivers, meeting with unbounded success. They gathered more peltries thanthey had dared to hope for, and when warm weather approached, went intoquarters where they remained until the following fall, a party of tradershaving brought them all the supplies they needed.
The rugged constitution of Carson and his temperate habits caused himspeedily to recover from his severe wound. He again became the active,vigilant, keen witted guide and hunter who was looked up to by all as themost consummate master of woodcraft that had ever been known in thewest.
Such a large party as were gathered at the summer rendezvous wascertain to include many varieties of people. The frank, brave and openhearted, the sly and treacherous, the considerate and courteous, thequarrelsome and overbearing —indeed the temperaments of theindividuals composing the company were as varied as it is possible toimagine.
Among them was a powerful Frenchman known as Captain Shunan. He hadwon his title by hard fighting, possessed a magnificent physique, wasbrave and skilled in the use of arms, and was the most quarrelsomeindividual in camp. It is impossible to picture a more irascible anddisagreeable personage than Captain Shunan, who appeared to spend all hisspare time in trying to provoke quarrels with those around him. Sometimeshe succeeded, but more often his insolence was submitted to by men asbrave as he, but who wished to avoid trouble with him.
The activity and strength of the Frenchman were so great that askilful pugilist would have found difficulty in handling him. The onlyground upon which he could be met with anything like fairness was wherefirearms were used.
On one of these occasions, the bully became unbearable in hisbehavior. He knocked down several weak and inoffensive persons, andswaggered back and forth through camp, boasting that he could trounce anyone there. In the midst of his bluster, Carson walked up in front of himand said in a voice loud enough to be heard by those around:
“Captain Shunan, there are plenty here who can easily chastiseyou, but they prefer to submit to your impudence for the sake of peace:however, we have had enough and now I notify you to stop at once or Ishall kill you!”
These were astounding words, and, as may be supposed, when uttered bya man six inches shorter and many pounds lighter than the blusteringCaptain, they fairly took away his breath. Carson spoke in his quiet,soft voice, as though there was not the least cause for excitement; butthose who knew him, noted the flash of his clear, gray eye and understoodhis deadly earnestness.
Captain Shunan was infuriated by the words of Carson. As soon as hecould recover himself, he turned about and without speaking a word,walked to his quarters. Kit did not need be told what that meant. He didthe same, walking to his own lodge, from which he speedily emergedholding a single barrel pistol. He was so anxious to be on the ground intime, that he caught up the first weapon that presented itself.
Almost at the same moment, Captain Shunan appeared with his rifle.Carson observed him, and, though he could have secured without difficultya similar weapon, he did not do so. He was willing to give his burlyantagonist the advantage, if it should prove such. The other trappers asmay be supposed, watched the actions of the two men with breathlessinterest. The quarrel had taken such a course that they were convincedthat one or the other of the combatants would be killed. Captain Shunanhad been so loud in his boasts that he did not dare swallow the insult,put on him by the fragile Kit Carson. Had he done so, he would have beenhooted out of camp and probably lynched.
As for Kit, his courage was beyond suspicion. He feared no man and wassure to acquit himself creditably no matter in what circumstances he wasplaced. He was the most popular member of the large company, while hisantagonist was the most detested; but the love of fair play was such thatno one would interfere, no matter how great the need for doing so.
The duellists, as they may be called, mounted each his horse andcircling about the plain, speedily headed toward each other and dashedforward on a dead run. As they approached, they reined up and halted faceto face, within arm's length.
Looking his antagonist straight in the eye, Carson demanded:
“Are you looking for me?”
“Have you any business with me?”
“No,” growled the savage Frenchman; but, while the wordswere in his mouth, brought his rifle to his shoulder, and, pointing it atthe breast of Carson, pulled the trigger; but Kit expected some suchtreacherous act, and, before the gun could be fired, he threw up hispistol and discharged it as may be said, across the barrel of the leveledweapon.
The ball broke the forearm of Captain Shunan, at the very moment hedischarged his gun. The shock diverted the aim so that the bullet grazedhis scalp, inflicting a trifling wound; but the combatants were so closethat the powder of the rifle scorched the face of the mountaineer.
Captain Shunan had been badly worsted, and was disabled for weeksafterward. He accepted his fate without complaint and was effectuallycured of his overbearing manner toward his associates.
On the Yellowstone —Repeated Disappointments —CarsonEnters the Employ of a Hudson Bay Trader —Poor Success —ATrying Journey —Arrival at Fort Hall —The American Buffalo orBison.
With the approach of cool weather, preparations were made for the fallhunt. When all was ready, the trappers headed for the Yellowstone, whichwas reached without mishap, and they immediately set their traps. Thecountry as a rule, was a good one for those valuable animals, but thevisitors were disappointed to learn they were unusually scarce.
When it became evident that it was useless to work on the Yellowstone,they gathered up their traps and made their way to the Big Horn, but,failing again, tried their fortunes on other rivers in that vicinity withno better results.
It was while engaged in this discouraging work that they met a traderbelonging to the Hudson Bay Company. He had been pushing operations inevery direction, but the stories he told were of the same general tenoras those of the larger party. He had been as unsuccessful in the way oftrade as they had been in catching the fur bearing animals.
The Hudson Bay trader, however, was confident he could succeed wherethey had failed, and he made such liberal offers to Carson that he andseveral of his companions accepted them on the spot.
The first point which they visited was the Humboldt River, from whichhad come reports of the abundance of beavers. They began near the headwaters of the stream, and carefully trapped down to the Great Basin.Meeting with only moderate success, they made their way to Big SnakeRiver. After remaining there a considerable time, the party divided, theHudson Bay trader and his friends going northward toward Fort WallaWalla, while Carson and the larger number set out for Fort Hall.
The journey thither was one of the most distressing which Kit Carsonever undertook. The country through which most of the march led is one ofthe most dismal wastes on the American continent. Except in extent, ajourney across it is similar to that of the parched caravans across theflaming sands of Sahara. Carson and his companions were accustomed to allmanner of privations, but more than once their endurance was tried to theutmost point.
The trappers had gathered some nutritious roots upon which theymanaged to subsist for a time, but these soon gave out, and theirsituation grew desperate. When almost famishing they bled their mules anddrank the warm current. They would have killed one of the animals, butfor the fact that they could not spare it, and, as there was nocalculating how long the others would last, they were afraid to take thestep, which was likely to cripple them fatally.
This strange source of nourishment served them for the time, but arepetition would endanger the lives of their animals, who were also insore straits, inasmuch as the grass was not only poor but very scanty.Matters rapidly grew worse, and soon became so desperate that Carson saidthey would have to kill one of their animals or else lie down and perishthemselves.
At this trying crisis, they discovered a band of Indians approaching.Perhaps the hapless situation in which all were placed left no room forenmity, for the red men showed a friendly disposition. The high hopes ofCarson and his friends were chilled when it was found that the Indianswere in about as bad a plight as themselves. They had barely a mouthfulof food among them, and, when besought to barter with the whites, theyshook their heads. They had nothing to trade, and, while they felt nohostility toward the suffering trappers, they gave them to understandthey could not afford any help at all.
But Carson had fixed his eyes on a plump old horse, and never did ashrewd New Englander apply himself more persistently to secure a prizethan did he. Kit's companions put forth all their powers of persuasion,but in vain, and they advised Carson that he was throwing away hisefforts in attempting the impossible.
But Carson succeeded, and when the equine was slaughtered and broiled,the trappers enjoyed one of the most delicious feasts of their lives.They filled themselves to repletion and felt that the enjoyment itbrought was almost worth the suffering they had undergone to obtainit.
When their strength was recruited, they resumed their journey and afew days later reached Fort Hall. There they found abundance of food andreceived a cordial welcome. In a brief while they were as strong as everand eager for any new enterprise.
Hundreds of bisons were in the neighborhood of the fort and Carson andhis friends slew them by the score. Indeed they kept the post wellsupplied with fresh meet as long as they remained there.
The animal almost universally known as the “buffalo” ismiscalled, his correct name being the “bison,” of which thereare droves numbering, it is said, as high as a hundred thousand. Theflesh is held in high repute by hunters, and not only is nourishing butpossesses the valuable quality of not cloying the appetite. The mostdelicate portion of the animal is the hump which gives the peculiarappearance to his back. That and the tongue and marrow bones arefrequently the only portions made use of by the hunter.
The hide answers many useful purposes. All know how much a“buffalo robe” is appreciated in wintry weather by thoseexposed to cold. It serves to form the Indian's tents, his bed, parts ofhis dress and is sometimes made into a shield which will turn aside arifle ball that does not strike it fairly.
Hundreds of thousands of bisons are killed annually —myriads ofthem in pure wantonness —and yet enormous droves may be encounteredtoday in many portions of the west, where it is hard for the experiencedhunters to detect any decrease in their numbers.
Some of the methods employed to slay bisons are cruel in the extreme.Many a time a large herd has been stampeded in the direction of someprecipice. When the leaders found themselves on the edge, they haveendeavored to recoil; but there was no stemming the tide behind them. Theterrified animals literally pushed the leaders over the rocks and thentumbled upon them. In a little while the gully or stream would be chokedwith the furiously struggling creatures and hundreds would be killedwithin a few minutes.
The bison is as fond as the hog of wallowing in mud. When he comesupon a marshy spot he lies down and rolls about until he has worn out alarge and shallow excavation into which the water oozes through the dampsoil. Lying down again he rolls and turns until he is plastered from headto tail with mud. Though it cannot be said that it adds to hisattractiveness, yet the coating no doubt serves well as a protectionagainst the swarms of insects, which are sometimes terrible enough tosting animals to death.
Those who have viewed the scraggy specimens in the menageries andzoological gardens would scarcely suspect the activity and power ofrunning possessed by them. The body is covered with such an abundance ofhair that it looks larger than it really is, while the legs appearsmaller. But the bison not only can run swiftly, but possesses greatendurance. They will often dash at full speed over ground so rough thatthe more graceful horse will stumble.
When wounded by the hunters, a bull will sometimes turn in desperationon his persecutor. Then, unless the horse is well trained, seriousconsequences are likely to follow. The plunging thrust of his stumpyhorns perhaps rips open the steed, sending the rider flying over the backof the furious bison, who may turn upon him and slay him before he canescape.
This rarely happens, however, the bison being a huge, cowardlycreature which prefers to run rather than fight, and a hunt of the gamein these days often takes the character of wholesale butchery in which notrue sportsman would engage.
A Strange Occurrence —Arrival of Friends —Carson Joins aLarge Company —Trapping on the Yellowstone —The Blackfeet—A Dreadful Scourge —In Winter Quarters —The FriendlyCrow Indians —Loss of Two Trappers —On the Head Waters of theMissouri.
A singular occurrence took place a few nights after the return ofCarson and his friends from an extended bison hunt. Their horses andmules were corralled near the post and a sentinel was on duty at allhours of the night to prevent the animals being stolen by the Indians whowere always prowling through the neighborhood.
In the dim uncertain light, just beyond midnight, the sentinel saw twomen walk forward from the darkness, and without any appearance of haste,let down the bars and drive out the stock. Very naturally he concludedthey were his friends who intended to take out the animals to graze. Asthere was nothing more for him to do, he sought his quarters, lay downand went to sleep.
In the morning not a horse or a mule was to be found. The twoindividuals who had let down the bars and driven them out, were BlackfeetIndians, whose complete success was due to their amazing audacity. Hadthey shown any hesitation or haste, the suspicions of the sentinel wouldhave been aroused, but when the truth became known, he was the mostastonished man at the fort.
The hunters were in a most sorry plight, for the Blackfeet having madea clean sweep, they were without the means of pursuing and recoveringtheir property. The parties who belonged at the fort had suffered asomewhat similar trick a short time before from the same tribe, so thatonly a few rickety horses remained in their possession.
Under the circumstances, the trappers were compelled to accept theirmisfortune with grim philosophy, and await the arrival of the rest of theparty, who had promised to rejoin them after completing their business atFort Walla Walla.
Sure enough, a few weeks later, their friends appeared andprovidentially indeed they brought with them an extra supply of excellenthorses. The trappers were in overflowing spirits once more and soonstarted for the general rendezvous on Green River.
Other trappers continued to arrive for a number of days, until aboutall that were expected had come in. Trade and barter then began andlasted some three weeks. The scene was picturesque and stirring and therewas much hand shaking and pleasant wishes when the time came toseparate.
Kit Carson left the employ of the Hudson Bay Company trader andattached himself to a party numbering fully a hundred who had determinedto trap along the Yellowstone. It will be recalled that Carson once quita company of trappers because it was too large, and it may be wonderedwhy he should join one that was still more numerous. The reason he did sowas because they were going into the very heart of the Blackfoot country.They had suffered so much from these daring marauders that they knewthere would be no safety unless they went in strong force. Furthermore,the whites had so many old scores to settle with those redskins that theymeant to invite attack from them. If the Blackfeet would only offer theopportunity for battle, the trappers meant to give them their fill.
The formidable company arranged matters according to a system.Dividing into two equal parties, the duty of one was made to trap beaver,while the other furnished food and guarded the property. By this means,they would always be in shape to meet their sworn foes, while the realbusiness which brought them into the country would not be neglected.
The hunters were confident they would not be left alone very long. TheBlackfeet would resent the invasion of their hunting grounds, and to saythe least, would take measures to prevent the time hanging heavily on thehands of the pale faces.
But, to the astonishment of the trappers, the days passed withoutbringing a glimpse of the savages. No hostile shot awoke the impressivestillness of the wilderness. Could it be the Blackfeet were seeking tothrow the whites off their guard? Did they expect to induce a degree ofcarelessness that would enable the Blackfeet to gather their warriors andoverwhelm them before they could reply?
It was not reasonable to suppose that the sagacious tribe held anysuch belief, for they could not have failed to know that any such hopewas idle.
But the explanation came one day by a party of friendly Crow Indians,who stated that the small pox was raging with such awful virulence amongthe Blackfeet that they were dying by hundreds and thousands. Indeed, thehavoc was so dreadful that there was reason to believe the whole tribewould be swept away.
It would not be the first time that such an annihilation has takenplace among the American Indians. The treatment required by thatfrightful disease is precisely the opposite of that which the red man inhis ignorance pursues. When small pox breaks out among them, therefore,the mortality becomes appalling.
The Crow Indians affiliated with the trappers and guided them to asecluded valley, where they established themselves for the winter. Thelodges were made strong and substantial, and it was fortunate that suchprecautions were taken, for the winter proved one of the severest knownfor many years. With their abundance of fuel, they kept enormous firesgoing and passed the days and nights in comparative comfort.
But it was far different with their stock. During the severe weather,the only food that could be obtained was the bark of the cottonwood. Theinner lining of this is quite palatable to animals and in cases ofextremity it affords temporary sustenance to men. With its help actualstarvation was kept away, though it came very close.
Unusual weather always brings unusual experience, and the intense colddeveloped an annoyance to the trappers upon which they had not counted.The difficulty of finding food was felt by the wild animals as well asdomestic, and the bisons became desperate. When they saw the horseseating their fodder, they rushed forward and with lowered heads drovethem away. If a horse or mule refused, he was likely to be gored todeath.
The beasts finally became so numerous and fierce they would havekilled all the stock of our friends if they had not kindled large firesand mounted constant guard. When the weather moderated those annoyancesended.
Had any explorer of the west found his way to the secluded valleywhere the trappers were in winter quarters, he would have looked upon astriking scene. The Crow Indians and white men engaged in numerousathletic sports in friendly rivalry. They maintained the best of terms,and when the bisons departed, the strange community enjoyed themselvesfar better than would be supposed. In truth where they were favored withsuch rugged health and where they had plenty of food and comfortablequarters, it would have been remarkable had they not been comparativelyhappy. They were not disturbed by political discussions or diversity ofviews on any public questions and were satisfied that the glorious Unionwas safe without any worriment on their part.
When spring came, two of their party were sent to Fort Laramie toprocure needed supplies. They went off well mounted and armed and werenever heard of again. Somewhere in the recesses of the forest ormountain, the Blackfeet had probably killed them as they had done withmany a brave man before, and as they have done with multitudes since.
When it became certain the messengers had been slain, the companybegan the spring hunt without them. After trapping a brief while on theYellowstone, they worked their way to the head waters of the Missouri.They met with fair success and while engaged in that section, learnedthat the reports of the ravages of the small pox among the Blackfeet hadbeen greatly exaggerated. Instead of being decimated, the tribe had notsuffered to any serious extent and were as strong and aggressive asever.
The trappers were not displeased to learn that such was the case, forthey desired a settlement of accounts with them. Under such circumstancesit was impossible that hostilities should be long delayed.
A Fierce Battle with the Blackfeet —Daring Act of Kit Carson— Arrival of the Reserves and End of the Battle.
When near the head waters of the Missouri, the trappers discoveredthey were approaching the principal village of the Blackfeet. Theydetermined to attack and punish the Indians who had caused them so muchtrouble and suffering; but the whites were so numerous and powerful thatextreme care was necessary to prevent their presence becoming known.
When a number of miles from the village, the trappers came to a halt,and Kit Carson with several men was sent forward to reconnoitre. Withextreme caution they made their way to a point from which they couldoverlook the village.
A glance showed the Indians hurriedly making ready to move elsewhere.The shrewd red men had discovered their danger before their enemiescaught sight of them. Carson galloped back as rapidly as he could, andmade known what had been seen. A council was hastily called and abouthalf the company advanced to give the Blackfeet battle. Kit Carson, asmight be supposed, was made the leader. The others were to guard theproperty, advance slowly and act as reserve, which could be hurriedforward should it become necessary.
As agreed upon, Kit Carson galloped ahead, and the moment his men camein sight of the village, they dashed through it, killing a number ofwarriors. The others slowly fell back, fighting as they went, and withoutshowing the least panic. They received charge after charge of the whitemen, with the steadiness of veterans. By and by the eagerness of thetrappers reduced their ammunition and their firing became lessdestructive. The Blackfeet were quick to perceive the cause, and in turnthey charged upon their assailants who became immediately involved in adesperate hand to hand fight. It was then the small arms in thepossession of the whites played their part. They were used with sucheffect, that the fierce warriors were compelled once more to retreat.
But the courageous red men recoiled a short distance only, when theyhalted and then, with exultant yells, dashed toward the trappers, whodespite all they could do, were forced back until it looked as if thewhole party would be overwhelmed and destroyed.
On this retreat, one of the horses belonging to the hunters was shot,and plunged to the ground so suddenly that his rider was caught before hecould spring from the saddle. Several of the warriors were quick toperceive his sore straits, and dashed toward him, eager to secure hisscalp. The poor fellow struggled desperately, but could not extricatehimself, and his expression of horrified despair when he perceived thefierce red men running a race with each other to reach him, would havemelted the heart of almost any one.
Carson was several rods distant, but seeing the danger of his friend,he bounded out of his saddle, and shouted to the others to rally to thedefence of their imperilled comrade. Kit raised his rifle while on therun and shot the leading warrior dead. The other whites were so closebehind that the remaining Blackfeet whirled and ran for their lives.Several of them were shot down before they could reach the shelter of therocks from behind which they sprang after the fallen white man.
Carson's devotion to his friend now placed him in an unpleasant if notdangerous situation. His steed being without restraint, galloped offbeyond his reach, and the commander was thus left on foot, when there wasurgent need that he should be mounted.
Meanwhile the mountaineer who was caught under the body of his horse,was struggling desperately to withdraw his imprisoned leg, for there wasno saying when the Blackfeet would be upon him again. He succeeded atlast, and, standing upon his feet, shook himself together, as may besaid, and he found that though pretty badly bruised, no bones werebroken, and he was able to do his full part in the serious duty beforehim.
The exciting episode benefited the trappers in one respect: it servedto check the seemingly resistless rush of the Blackfeet and gave theothers a chance to rally and fix upon some course of action.
Carson ran rapidly toward the nearest horseman and sprang upon theback of his animal behind him. The steed was forced to his best andspeedily joined the main body a short distance off. It was fortunate thatjust at that moment there came a lull in the furious fighting, elseCarson could scarcely have escaped so well. The runaway horse was pursuedby one of the mountaineers who finally cornered and brought him back totheir leader.
The Blackfeet did not follow the whites, nor did the latter return totheir charge against them. Both parties had gained a thorough taste ofeach other's mettle, and the conclusion reached was like that of twotrained pugilists —their strength was so nearly equal that neithercould afford to throw away his advantage by leading in the assault.
Undoubtedly Carson and his men would have withdrawn but for the hopethat the reserves were close at hand. The trappers had fought valiantlybut not more so than the Indians, who still possessed plenty ammunitionwhile that of the whites was nearly exhausted. Had they advanced andencountered the warriors again, the latter would have swept everythingbefore them. As it was, the mountaineers were by no means safe even whenacting on the defensive. If the red men should charge upon them withtheir old time fierceness, it was by no means certain they would notdestroy the whites. The fight would necessarily be of the most sanguinarynature, but when guns and small arms were useless for lack of ammunition,nothing short of a miracle could save them from annihilation.
Several hours had gone and Carson and his men wondered what coulddelay the reserves. Time always passes slowly to those in waiting, and tosome of the hunters the tardiness of their friends was unaccountable.Carson was on the point of sending messengers back to hurry them forward,when the whole party appeared and the situation changed.
But those who expected the Blackfeet to flee in panic when theyobserved the doubling of the assailing forces, were much mistaken. Thefeeling among the Indians could not be described as in the least“panicky.” They quietly surveyed the new arrivals andprepared with the coolness of veterans for the conflict that was sure tocome, within the next few minutes.
The powder was distributed among the trappers, who were more eagerthan ever to attack their old enemies, who were as ready as they for theconflict. Nearly two hundred yards separated the combatants, when themountaineers, leaving their horses behind, advanced on foot. TheBlackfeet stationed themselves behind rocks and trees and defiantlyawaited the attack.
In a few minutes the most savage fight of the day was raging. Ahundred rifles were flashing in every direction and the yells of the redmen mingled with the shouts of the excited mountaineers.
As the warriors had used every means to shelter themselves, it wasnecessary to dislodge them before they could be driven back. Withoutremaining together in a compact mass, the trappers made for them with thefierceness of tigers.
The result of this charge were a number of remarkable combats. Ahunter would dash at a warrior crouching behind some rock, and the twowould begin dodging, advancing, retreating, firing, striking andmanoeuvering against each other. Sometimes one would succeed andsometimes the other. The Blackfoot, finding the situation becoming toohot, would break for other cover and probably would be shot on the run orwould escape altogether. Again, it would be the white man who would bejust a second too late in discharging his gun and would pay the penaltywith his life.
At last the Indians began falling back and the mountaineers pushingthem hard, they finally broke and fled in a wild panic, leaving many deadbehind them. On the part of the trappers three had been killed and quitea number badly wounded.
At Brown's Hole —Trading in the Navajoe Country —CarsonServes as Hunter at Brown's Hole —Trapping in the Black Hills—On the Yellowstone —Fight with the Blackfeet —TheirRetreat to an Island —Their Flight During the Night —AnImposing Array of Warriors.
The fight between the Blackfeet and trappers was one of the mostimportant in which Kit Carson, previous to the late war, was everengaged. The forces must have included several hundred, and the lessonadministered to the aggressive red men was remembered by them a longtime.
After burying their dead, looking after the wounded and settingmatters to rights, the hunters resumed trapping through the Blackfootcountry. They were scarcely disturbed by their old enemies who dreadedrousing the resentment of such a formidable body of daring and unerringmarksmen.
Our friends were very successful, and, when they made their way to therendezvous, a week's journey away, they carried with them an immensestock of peltries. When the trading was finished, the parties made newcombinations and departed in different directions. Instead of attachinghimself to a large company, Kit Carson and seven choice spirits startedfor a trading post known at that time as Brown's Hole. They reached therejust in time for the leader to join an expedition, numbering only twobeside himself, which went into the Navajoe country for purposes ofbarter. The venture proved a great success and Carson drifted back againto Brown's Hole. There such liberal offers were made him to serve ashunter for the fort, that he accepted and entered upon his rathersingular, but exceedingly congenial duties.
These, as the reader must know, simply consisted of keeping thegarrison supplied with all the meat they needed. Though the country wasnoted for its fine game, it required much time, skill and patience forCarson to make sure that none of the vigorous appetites at the postsuffered. No one could have done better and very few as well as he. Whenspring came, and he gave up his position, he was complimented by thosewhom he left behind on the admirable manner in which he had met allrequirements.
During those years there was much similarity in the life andexperience of Kit Carson. He had become known all through the west andsouthwest as the most daring, sagacious and brilliant leader in thatcountry. His services were in demand wherever he went, and as he was inthe enjoyment of perfect health, overrunning with life and activity, hemade money rapidly and showed his wisdom by laying aside a respectablesum for a rainy day.
In the spring following his engagement at Brown's Hole, he went with asmall party to the Black Hills, where they were quite successful inhunting. Later in the summer they joined the main body of trappers onGreen River. All meeting at the general rendezvous on a branch of theWind River. Still later, the majority of the trappers went into winterquarters on the Yellowstone. They were again in the country of theirbitter enemies, the Blackfeet, and were certain of a fight with them; butseveral months passed without molestation.
One day, however, several of the trappers who were making the roundsof the traps, came upon signs which showed they were close to a strongforce of the Blackfeet. The men lost no time in hurrying back to campwith the news, where it was agreed that trouble was at hand.
Forty men were selected at once to hunt out the Indians and engagethem in battle. It goes without saying, that Kit Carson was made theleader and there was not a moment's unnecessary delay in starting out tofind the enemy.
They were successful in their search. They suddenly found themselvesin the presence of a scouting party, who were undoubtedly looking forthem; but perceiving the strength of the whites, they began retreating.Carson and his men pressed them hotly, when, as anticipated, they fellback on the main body and one of the old fashioned battles betweentrappers and Indians began.
The Blackfeet always fight bravely, and, for a time, they held theirground well, but they were forced to give way and retired to a smallisland in the Yellowstone, where they had thrown up rude fortificationsand felt able to hold their own against a much superior force.
Darkness closed in upon the contending forces, and the assailantsceased firing and encamped for the night on the bank of the river. Theywere on the qui vive through the still hours, and so eager for the attackthat with the earliest streakings of light in the east, they plunged intothe stream and made for the barricades. It was not to be supposed thatthe Blackfeet would be taken off their guard, and the trappers expectedto reach the defences through a hot fusillade from the duskydefenders.
To their surprise, however, not a single gun was discharged and theyrushed pell mell over the rugged fortifications to engage the enemy inhand to hand conflict. To their chagrin, however, not a solitaryBlackfoot was visible. Despite the watchfulness of the white men, theentire Indian force had withdrawn during the night without arousing theleast suspicion on the part of the watchers.
But the trappers were too wise to misconstrue the action of theBlackfeet. Their withdrawal was a strategic movement, and did not by anymeans signify they were afraid of the large force or that they wouldprefer not to molest them. The signs around the fortifications showedthat the Indians had suffered severely and they would never contentthemselves until full retaliation had been made.
The trappers returned to camp, where a long council was held. Theconclusion was that the Blackfoot village was near by, and when theylearned of the severe punishment received by the scouting party, theywould lose no time in entering upon a campaign of revenge. As theBlackfeet nation included several thousand warriors, there was reason tofear they would overwhelm the trappers, despite their bravery and skill.Barricades were thrown up and the best men stationed as sentinels. One ofthem hastened to the top of an adjoining hill, which commanded anextensive view of the surrounding country.
The sentinel had been in position but a short time when he signalledto his friends the approach of a large body of Indians. The huntersimmediately began strengthening their defences, and before the redskinarrived, they had rendered their position almost impregnable against anyforce that could be gathered in the country.
As the Blackfeet approached, the sentinel hurried down from the hilland joined the main body. Shortly after, the advance party of Blackfeetcame in sight and made a reconnaissance which apprised them of the natureof the defences. They did not fire a shot but waited until the arrival ofthe main band.
When that came in sight, it was enough to strike dismay into everyheart. There were few if any less than a thousand warriors. Dr. Peters,the biographer of Carson, says:
“It was a sight which few white men of the American nation havelooked upon. Arrayed in their fantastic war costume and bedaubed withpaint, armed with lances, bows and arrows, rifles, tomahawks, knives,etc., some mounted and some on foot, they presented a wild and fearfulscene of barbaric fancy.
“Soon after their last company had reported, the frightful wardance, peculiar to the American savages, was enacted in sight of thetrappers' position. The battle songs and shouts which accompanied thedance reached the ears of the whites with fearful distinctness. Any otherthan hearts of oak with courage of steel would have quailed before thisterrible display of savage enmity and ferocity. This dance, to men wellskilled in the ways of the Indian warrior, was a sure signal that thenext day would be certain to have a fearful history for one party or theother and doubtless for both. The odds, most assuredly, were apparentlygreatly in favor of the savage host and against the little band of hardymountaineers.”
The Morrow —Withdrawal of the Indian Army —At Fort Hall—In the Blackfoot Country —The Ambush —The TrappersDecide to Withdraw —Trapping in Other Localities —CarsonDecides to Abandon the Business —Visits Bent's Fort Where He Servesas Hunter for Eight Years.
Having gone through what the red men consider the necessarypreliminaries of such a grand campaign, the vast number of warriorsawaited the dawn that was to witness the annihilation of the entire forcethat had dared to venture upon their hunting grounds without so much asasking permission.
It was scarcely light when the imposing array advanced upon themountaineers, who coolly awaited their approach. When the Blackfeet cameclose enough to see the fortifications thrown up by the whites, they wereastonished. They knew from previous experience the strength of such meansof defence and suddenly lost their eagerness to make the attack.
After a full survey of the work before them, they concluded the taskwas beyond accomplishment. The magnificent force, therefore, beganwithdrawing. It was the turn of the trappers to feel disappointed. Theyhad not thought of any such issue and were enraged. They shouted and madetantalizing gestures to the Blackfeet, in the hope of goading them tostand their ground, but they were too wise to do so. They retreated to asafe point where a council of war was held. It was not to be expectedthat after such an abrupt withdrawal, they could summon enough courage tomake the assault.
When the conference was over, the Indian army, as it may be called,broke into two divisions, one of which went back toward their own villagewhile the other set their faces toward the Crow country. Uncertainwhether they would not reappear when they believed there was hope ofsurprising the mountaineers, the latter maintained their vigilance dayand night.
It may have been that the red men made several reconnaissances, but,if so, they concluded it would be imprudent to attack the mountaineerswho held their position and continued trapping as opportunity presentedthrough the winter.
After trapping in various localities, Kit Carson and several friendsvisited Fort Hall, where they joined a party in the employ of theNorthwest Fur Company. They trapped around the head of Salmon River andother streams, and finally returned to Fort Hall, where the peltries weresold for a fair valuation. Then Carson and a few others set out to join aparty which he knew was trapping in the Blackfoot country. Upon coming upwith them, he was told that they had had several sharp skirmishes withthe Indians, in one of which a trapper was severely wounded. Thefollowing morning, Carson and his comrades parted from the rest and weretrapping slowly up stream, when they were fired upon by Blackfeet andcompelled to retreat. They hurried back and succeeded in escaping aserious danger; but the pursuit was so close that Carson hastilystationed his men in ambush. A hot fire dropped several of the warriorsand caused the others to hesitate.
The halt was just long enough to allow the trappers to reload theirpieces, when the Blackfeet made a fiercer rush than before; but with thatpertinacious courage for which the tribe is noted, they kept up the fightthrough the rest of the day, determined to throw away no advantage theymight gain. Had Carson chosen his position with less judgment, he and hiscommand must have been overwhelmed, for nothing could have exceeded thedaring of their assailants, who in their desperation set fire to thethicket in which the mountaineers had ensconced themselves; but theshrubbery was too green to burn well, and, after a little while, it diedout. Then it must have been the red men concluded it was useless tostrive further, and, learning that the main body of the trappers were notfar off, they departed.
The annoyance from these Indians was so great that it was decided toleave the country. While the trappers were able to hold their own againstthem, yet it was impossible to make much progress in taking furs, whentheir attention was mainly taken up in fighting the warriors, who variedtheir shooting by destroying the traps that were set for the beavers.
The next scene of operations was the North Fork of the Missouri wherethey had been engaged only a short time when they came upon an extensivevillage of Flathead Indians. These showed their friendliness to thetrappers by sending one of their chiefs and a number of warriors whohelped them hunt along the different streams.
The following spring Carson and a single companion set their traps inthe vicinity of Big Snake River. This was the country of the UtahIndians, who were well disposed towards the whites. Thus, while furs wereplenty, the couple were enabled to devote their whole time to takingthem, without fear of being fired upon every time they ventured out ofsight of camp. As a consequence, they succeeded beyond their ownexpectations, and, making their way to the nearest post, sold the stockfor a fair sum.
The peltries were scarcely disposed of, when Carson organized anotherexpedition which visited the Grand River, over which they trapped untilwinter, when they returned to Brown's Hole, where Carson remained untilspring. Then he trapped once more in the land of the Utahs and at NewPark, taking their furs to the post where he was obliged to sell them fora much less sum than he had ever received before.
The transaction had an important bearing on the fortunes of KitCarson, for it was proof of an unpleasant truth that had been forcingitself for a number of months upon him: the days of remunerative trappingwere ended.
For years, the demand had been growing steadily less both in Europeand America. The ingenuity of the manufacturer showed itself in the makeof cheaper substitutes, while the beavers that had been hunted sopersistently were becoming scarce: there were few regions in whichtrapping could be pursued with any success.
Nothing could be plainer, therefore, to Carson than the fact that hemust soon give up the business and engage in something else to gain alivelihood. What should it be?
Carson and several veteran trappers started for Bent's Fort, locatedon the Arkansas, near an immense forest of cottonwoods, known as the BigTimbers. Messrs. Bent and St. Vrain, the proprietors, no sooner learnedthat Carson contemplated a change of occupation, than they offered himthe position of hunter for the fort, his duties being to keep it suppliedwith all the game that was required.
Carson was more willing to accept the offer than he would have beenunder other circumstances. He agreed that the large number of men shouldnever want for animal food, and, having given his promise, he kept itmost faithfully for a period of eight years.
This statement includes a great deal, for it means that his wonderfulrifle brought down thousands of deer, antelope, elk and bisons; that hetramped over hundreds of leagues of wilderness; that his splendid healthnever failed him, and that his knowledge of the woods and its inhabitantswas as full and complete as it could be.
Furthermore, it is stated by Dr. Peters, that during that entireperiod, not a single impatient word passed between Carson and hisemployers. He attended to his duties with such regularity, promptness andskill that the only comments they could make on his work were in thenature of strong compliments.
Inasmuch as we have claimed that Carson was the superior in everyrespect of those with whom he was associated, we must dwell for a momenton this fact. Let the reader ask himself how many cases he knows wherethe term of service has been so long, in which not a single unkind wordhas passed between employer and employee.
His occupation as hunter was not monotonous, for where there were somany to provide for, difficult and dangerous work was required and thejourneys which he often made through the long stretches of wildernesswere sometimes attended with much personal danger.
But the surrounding tribes, including the Arapahoes, Kiowas,Cheyennes, Comanches and others, looked upon the great hunter withaffectionate admiration and no guest was more welcome and honored intheir lodges than he.
Carson Visits his Old Home in Missouri —He Goes to St. Louis— Voyage up the Missouri —Makes the Acquaintance ofLieutenant John C. Fremont —Is engaged as a Guide for Fremont'sFirst Expedition —The Start Westward —Various Mishaps—The Emigrants —The False Alarm.
Kit Carson had left his home in Missouri when only a boy and he wasnow in the prime of a vigorous young manhood. The years since he turnedhis back upon his old home had been busy and eventful ones and now, as isoften the case with those placed as was he, he longed to visit the scenesof his childhood, and to meet and shake the hands of those of his oldfriends who were still among the living.
In the spring of 1842, Carson went eastward with a train of wagons,carrying goods to the States. When the borders of Missouri were reached,he bade his companions goodbye and made his way back to his old home. Hisexperience was touching. His parents were dead, the old building whichwould ever linger in his memory, had tumbled down and nearly every onewhom he met was a stranger. The cheeks of the hardy mountaineer were wetwith tears, and with a sigh, he turned his face away forever.
Carson had never seen a large city, and he made his way to St. Louis,where he spent more than a week in sight seeing. Before the end of thattime, the old yearning for the mountains, prairies and streams of theWest came back to him, and he engaged passage on a steamer up theMissouri.
On the same boat John C. Fremont was a passenger. He was two yearsyounger than Carson and had been commissioned Second Lieutenant in theCorps of Topographical Engineers, in 1838. Four years later he projecteda geographical survey of the entire territory of the United States fromthe Missouri River to the Pacific.
Carson was attracted by the fine, manly and intellectual appearance ofFremont, and, learning he was in search of a skilful mountaineer, heintroduced himself, referring in a modest fashion to his experience inthe west and expressing the belief that he could be of service to theexplorer.
Fremont was an excellent judge of character and was favorablyimpressed with Carson from the first. The answers to the inquiries whichhe made concerning the famous guide and mountaineer, were satisfactory inthe highest degree. He engaged Carson as his guide, agreeing to pay him asalary of one hundred dollars a month.
The party of explorers were mainly gathered in St. Louis. It wascomposed mostly of Creole and Canadian voyageurs, Charles Preuss, alearned German, a young son of Colonel Benton (which statesman was thefather in law of Fremont), several other friends, including a notedmountaineer named Maxwell, who was employed as the hunter of the party.Including the commander, the entire company numbered twenty-eight.
With this party of explorers Fremont ascended the Missouri until themouth of the Kansas was reached, when they disembarked and made theirpreparations for the long and dangerous journey before them. The marchwestward began June 10, 1842.
The course lay along the banks of the Kansas. All the party were wellarmed and well mounted, excepting eight men, each of whom drove a cart,drawn by two mules. These carts contained the stores, baggage andinstruments of the expedition. A number of spare horses were taken along,so as to provide against loss in that respect. In addition, they had fouroxen intended to serve as a reserve in the event of provisions runningshort.
It was the custom to arouse the camp at daybreak and turn out theanimals to graze; breakfast followed and the march was begun. The noonhalt lasted from one to two hours and the afternoon's march ended a shorttime before sunset. The tents were then pitched, horses hobbled andturned out to graze, and the evening meal prepared. When it became dark,all the animals were brought in and picketed, the carts arranged so as toserve as barricades and guard mounted.
An Indian guide conducted the expedition for the first forty milesalong the Kansas, when he departed and the responsibility was turned overto Carson. The pilot had guided the steamer out of the harbor and uponthe great ocean, and henceforth the hand of Carson was to be at thehelm.
The soil over which they journeyed for many miles was of the mostfertile character. Numbers of Indian farms were seen, and one could notbut reflect on the possibilities of the future for the red man, whoshould abandon war and give his energies to the cultivation of theground.
Such an expedition could not go far without a taste of the trials thatawaited them. On the second night, the four spare horses seemed to becomedisgusted with the whole enterprise, and turning their heads eastwardstarted on a rapid gallop for the States. Their loss was too serious tobe borne, and a number of men were dispatched in pursuit. The chase was along one and the animals were not recovered for several hours. One of themen lost his way and was forced to spend the night on the open prairie.At midnight it began to rain, and then the exceedingly unpleasantdiscovery was made that the tents on which the explorers relied forprotection and shelter were so thin that they were drenched as if thewater came through a sieve.
The morning, however, brought clear weather and bright sunlight, andall were in high spirits. The scenery for a time was of a pleasing andpicturesque character, and they pushed contentedly forward, until theyarrived at the ford of the Kansas, one hundred miles from the point whereit emptied into the Missouri.
The stream was found so swollen from recent rains that it could not beforded. Accordingly several of the mounted men forced their animals intothe stream and swam them across to serve as guides for the rest. Theysucceeded quite well, excepting the oxen, which, after flounderingawhile, landed on the same side from which they started. The followingmorning they succeeded in crossing.
Among the useful articles with which Fremont had provided himself, wasan India rubber boat, twenty feet long and five feet wide. This was verybuoyant and the carts and baggage were carried over piecemeal in it, withthe exception of the last two carts. Laden with these the boat left theshore but had not gone far when the man at the helm, who was exceedinglynervous, managed to capsize the craft, with all its precious cargo. Thehunters were so dismayed over the prospect of losing their stores thatnearly all plunged into the stream and made frantic efforts to save whatthey could. Several did not stop to remember that they could not swim, sothat the principal efforts of some of the others were directed to savingthem.
Most of the goods were recovered, but nearly all the sugar dissolvedand every grain of coffee was lost. It would be hard to imagine anydeprivation greater than that to which this misfortune condemned theexplorers. Carson and one of the others made such strenuous efforts inthe water that they were ill the next day, and Fremont remained in campfor twenty-four hours with a view of giving them time to recruit.
The journey westward progressed without any special incident. A largeparty of emigrants on their way to Oregon were several weeks in advanceof the explorers. Bad fortune seemed to have followed them from thestart, and numerous freshly made graves were seen. One of the emigrantswho had been peculiarly unfortunate, came into camp with a hunter on hisway home. He took charge of the letters which the explorers desired tosend to their families.
The party soon reached the Pawnee country where they were forced tounusual vigilance, for those Indians have long been noted as mostpersistent horse thieves. Game was abundant. Large flocks of wild turkeyswere found roosting in the trees along the streams; elk, antelope anddeer were plentiful, and as for bisons, they were beyond allcomputation.
One day a member of the company happened to be riding at the reargalloped up in hot haste, shouting, “Indians!” He declaredthat he had seen them distinctly and counted twenty-seven. An immediatehalt was called, and Carson, leaping on one of the fleetest horses,crossed the river and galloped over the prairie.
“Mounted on a fine horse without a saddle,” says Fremont,“and scouring, bareheaded, over the prairies, Kit was one of thefinest pictures of a horseman I have ever seen. He soon returned quiteleisurely, and informed them that the party of twenty-seven Indians hadresolved itself into a herd of six elk who, having discovered us, hadscampered off at full speed.”
On the Platte —A False Alarm —The Cheyennes—Fremont's Account of his Buffalo Hunt —Division of the Party—Fremont's Journey up the South Fork —The Band of Indians—Arrival at St. Vrain's Fort —The Journey to FortLaramie.
Fremont and his party, after traveling something over three hundredmiles from the mouth of the Kansas reached the Platte river, where theyencamped in a charming place near Grand Island. The country was mostbeautiful, though they suffered somewhat from the violent storms whichfrequently broke over them.
The noon halt was made and all were lounging about the camp, when oneof the men on guard called an alarm. Everybody sprang to his feet andgrasped his rifle, expecting an attack from Indians. A strange wildlooking company were seen approaching, but, as they came closer, theywere discovered to be white men. They were a striking sight, numberingfourteen, in the most ragged and woebegone condition imaginable. They hadbeen on a trapping expedition, but having met with nothing but disastersfrom the beginning, were now straggling back to St. Louis on foot.
The explorers proceeded at a leisurely pace that day and having goneinto camp, observed three Indians drawing near, one of whom was a boyabout a dozen years of age. They were Cheyennes that had been out amongthe Pawnees to steal horses, but having met with no success, werereturning home. Catching sight of the white men, they unhesitatinglyentered camp, confident of being treated well, as of course proved to bethe case. After supper one of the warriors drew a rude but correct map ofthe country around them, and gave it to Fremont.
On the first of July, while riding over a delightful prairie country,on the right bank of the river, a herd of buffaloes, numbering nearly athousand, came up from the water and began slowly crossing the plain,cropping the grass as they went. As the prairie was three miles broadonly, a fine opportunity was given the hunters to charge before theanimals could scatter among the hills.
The fleetest horses were quickly saddled and Carson, Fremont, andMaxwell prepared for the chase. By that time the herd was a half mileaway and they did not notice the hunters until they were within threehundred yards. Then followed an agitation of the animals, quicklyfollowed by their precipitate flight. The horses dashed after them. Acrowd of bulls brought up the rear, they having stationed themselvesthere to defend the females. Every once in a while they would whirl aboutand stare, snorting at the horsemen, as if they had made up their mindsto fight; but when the hunters came nigher, they turned about and plungedafter the herd. Describing the exciting incident, Fremont wrote;
“In a few moments, during which we had been quickening our pace,we were going over the ground like a hurricane. When at about thirtyyards we gave the usual shout and broke into the herd. We entered on theside, the mass giving away in every direction in their heedless course.Many of the bulls, less fleet than the cows, paying no heed to theground, and occupied solely with the hunters, were precipitated to theearth with great force, rolling over and over with the violence of theshock, and hardly distinguishable in the dust. We separated, on entering,each singling out his game.
“My horse was a trained hunter, famous in the west under thename of Proveau, and with his eyes flashing and the foam flying from hismouth, he sprang on after the cow like a tiger. In a few moments hebrought me alongside of her. Rising in the stirrups, I fired, at thedistance of a yard, the ball entering at the termination of the longhair, passing near the heart. She fell headlong at the report of the gun.Checking my horse, I looked around for my companions.
“At a little distance Kit was on the ground engaged in tying hishorse to the horns of a cow, which he was preparing to cut up. Among thescattered band at some distance, I caught a glimpse of Maxwell. While Iwas looking, a light wreath of white smoke curled away from his gun, fromwhich I was too far to hear the report. Nearer, and between me and thehills, toward which they were directing their course, was the body of theherd. Giving my horse the rein, we dashed after them. A thick cloud ofdust hung upon their rear, which filled my mouth and eyes and nearlysmothered me. In the midst of this I could see nothing, and the buffaloeswere not distinguishable until within thirty feet. They crowded togethermore densely still, as I came upon them, and rushed along in such acompact body that I could not obtain an entrance, the horse almostleaping upon them.
“In a few moments the mass divided to the right and left, thehorns clattering with a noise heard above everything else, and my horsedarted into the opening. Five or six bulls charged on us as we dashedalong the line, but were left far behind. Singling out a cow, I gave hermy fire but struck too high. She gave a tremendous leap and scoured onswifter than before. I reined up my horse, and the band swept on like atorrent, and left the place quiet and clear. Our chase had led us intodangerous ground. A prairie dog village, so thickly settled that therewere three or four holes in twenty yards square, occupied the wholebottom for nearly two miles in length.”
The stirring buffalo hunt ended, the company advanced over the prairiefor more than twenty miles, and encamped on the banks of a stream, wherethey enjoyed a fine feast on choice bison steaks. While they were thusemployed, the wolves were attracted thither by the smell of broiling meatand prowled around camp, licking their chops, impatient for the time whenthey would be permitted to gorge themselves upon what should be left.
For several days there was little variation in the experience of theexplorers, and no special incident took place. At the junction of thenorth and south fork of the Platte, Fremont, who wished to explore thesouth branch and to secure some astronomical observations, set out withnine men intending to advance to St. Vrain's fort, where he was hopefulof obtaining some mules. The rest of the party followed the north fork tofort Laramie, where it was agreed they would wait for the others to jointhem.
Fremont's experience in going up the south branch was in strongcontrast to the pleasant scenes of the previous. It was midsummer and theweather was suffocatingly hot. Fierce storms of wind and gusts of rainswept the country, while the bisons were everywhere. They literallynumbered hundreds of thousands, and, look in whatsoever direction the menchose, they were sure to see the huge creatures cropping the grass orlumbering across the prairie.
On the fourth day a band of three hundred mounted Indians suddenlyappeared. The chief proved to be an old acquaintance of Maxwell andshowed genuine pleasure in meeting him. They shook hands and the sachemconducted the little party to his village, where they received mosthospitable treatment.
Resuming their journey, they encamped in a cottonwood grove in achilly drizzling rain. The next morning dawned bright and clear, and theycaught their first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains. They gazed long on thesnowy peaks outlined in the far distance like fleecy clouds against theblue sky.
St. Vrain's Fort was reached on the tenth day. They were made welcomeby Mr. St. Vrain, who was much interested in the expedition westward anddid everything he could to assist Lieutenant Fremont in the enterprise.The needed horses and mules were secured, and three men were hired toaccompany them across the country to Fort Laramie.
This station was a hundred and twenty-five miles distant, and the newhands engaged, as a matter of course, were so familiar with it, thatthere was no possibility of going astray. The journey was resumed on thesecond day after reaching the fort, and without meeting with anyparticular incident they arrived at their destination, three dayslater.
Fort Laramie, at that time, was one of the most important posts of thefar west. It had large bastions at the corners, and its high walls werewhitewashed and picketed.
Several lodges of Sioux Indians were pitched close by, and thedivision under charge of Kit Carson having arrived several days before,had also gone into camp with the appearance of the commander of theexpedition.
Alarming News —Fremont Presses Forward and is Not Molested— Arrival at South Pass —Fremont's Account of the Ascent ofthe Highest Peak of the Rocky Mountains —The Return to Fort Laramie—Carson Starts for New Mexico —End of Fremont's FirstExploring Expedition.
Alarming news awaited Fremont at Fort Laramie. A number of trappersinformed them that the Sioux, through whose country their route lay, wereexcited to exasperation by several recent conflicts with hunters in whichthe red men were worsted. The Sioux warriors were gathered in largenumbers and would attack any white men who ventured beyond the fort. Theyhad already massacred a number and it was impossible for Fremont and hisparty to get through without a battle in which they were likely to beoverwhelmed.
Carson looked upon the situation as so serious that he made his willand left it at the fort. When consulted by Fremont, he said he consideredthe prospect full of peril, but he was ready to go the moment required.The commander was confident the danger was greatly exaggerated, and,without much misgiving, he resumed his journey westward, following up thenorth fork of the Platte. Game and water were found, and, at the end ofthree weeks, they arrived at the South Pass of the Rocky Mountainswithout having exchanged a shot with a red man on the way.
They had now reached their destination and Lieutenant Fremont at oncebegan his observations. When they were concluded he undertook the ascentof the highest mountain peak. The situation was anything but encouraging:they were in the country of the hostile Blackfeet, some of whom wereobserved hovering in the vicinity; men and animals were worn out and itwas hard to procure game. But the ascent was begun, Fremont takingfourteen men with him. Those who were left in camp erected a rude butstrong fort, behind which they were confident they could sustainthemselves against any force the Indians were likely to muster.
The ascent of the mountain was laborious in the extreme. Kit Carsonclimbed to one of the loftiest peaks from which he gained a full view ofthe very highest elevation. The next day Fremont sent Carson and severalof the men back. He unquestionably intended that no one should share withhim the honor of climbing the most elevated point. This exploit is worthyof description at the hands of the Pathfinder himself.
“At intervals we reached places where a number of springs gushedfrom the rocks, and about 1,800 feet above the lakes came to the snowline. From this point our progress was uninterrupted climbing. Hitherto,I had worn a pair of thick moccasins, with soles of parfleche but here Iput on a light thin pair, which I had brought for the purpose, as now theuse of our toes became necessary to a further advance. I availed myselfof a sort of comb of the mountain, which stood against the wall like abuttress, and which the wind and solar radiation, joined to the steepnessof the smooth rock, had kept almost entirely free from snow. Up this Imade my way rapidly. Our cautious method of advancing in the outset hadspared my strength; and, with the exception of a slight disposition toheadache, I felt no remains of yesterday's illness. In a few minutes wereached a point where the buttress was overhanging, and there was noother way of surmounting the difficulty than by passing around one sideof it, which was the face of a vertical precipice of several hundredfeet.”
Parfleche is the name given to buffalo hide. The Indian women prepareit by scraping and drying. It is exceedingly tough and hard, and receivesits name from the circumstance that it cannot be pierced by arrows orspears.
The entire dress of Fremont and his party, on their ascent to the“top of America,” consisted of a blue flannel shirt, free andopen at the neck, the collar turning down over a black silk handkerchieftied loosely, blue cloth pantaloons, a slouched broad brimmed hat, andmoccasins as above described. It was well adapted to climbing, quitelight, and at the same time warm, and every way comfortable.
“Putting hands and feet in the crevices between the blocks, Isucceeded in getting over it, and when I reached the top, found mycompanions in a small valley below. Descending to them, we continuedclimbing, and in a short time reached the crest. I sprang upon the summitand another step would have precipitated me into an immense snow fieldfive hundred feet below. To the edge of this field was a sheer icyprecipice; and then, with a gradual fall, the field sloped off for abouta mile, until it struck the foot of another lower ridge. I stood on anarrow crest about three feet in width, with an inclination of about 20degrees N. 51 degrees E. As soon as I had gratified the first feelings ofcuriosity I descended, and each man ascended in turn, for I would onlyallow one at a time to mount the unstable and precarious slab, which itseemed a breath would hurl into the abyss below. We mounted the barometerin the snow of the summit, and, fixing a ramrod in a crevice, unfurledthe national flag, to wave in the breeze, where never flag waved before.During our morning's ascent, we met no sign of animal life, except asmall bird having the appearance of a sparrow. A stillness the mostprofound, and a terrible solitude forced themselves constantly on themind as the great features of the place. Here, on the summit, where thestillness was absolute, unbroken by any sound, and the solitude complete,we thought ourselves beyond the region of animated life; but while wewere sitting on the rock, a solitary bee (bombus terrestris, the humblebee) came winging his flight from the eastern valley, and lit on the kneeof one of the men.
“Around us the whole scene had one main striking feature, whichwas that of terrible convulsion. Parallel to its length, the ridge wassplit into chasms and fissures, between which rose the thin, lofty walls,terminated with slender minarets and columns, which are correctlyrepresented in the view from the camp on Island Lake. According to thebarometer, the little crest of the wall on which we stood was threethousand five hundred and seventy feet above that place, and two thousandseven hundred and eighty feet above the little lakes at the bottom,immediately at our feet.
“Our camp at the Two Hills (an astronomical station) bore south30 east, which, with a bearing afterward obtained from a fixed position,enabled us to locate the peak. The bearing of the Trois Tetons was north50 degrees west, and the direction of the central ridge of the Wind RiverMountains south 39 degrees east. The summit rock was gneiss. Sienite andfeldspar succeeded in our descent to the snow line, where we found afelspathic granite. I had remarked that the noise produced by theexplosion of our pistols had the usual degree of loudness, but was not inthe least prolonged, expiring almost instantaneously. Having now madewhat observations our means afforded, we proceeded to descend. We hadaccomplished an object of laudable ambition, and beyond the strict orderof our instructions. We had climbed the loftiest peak of the RockyMountains and looked down upon the snow a thousand feet below, and,standing where human foot had never stood before, felt the exultation offirst explorers. It was about two o'clock when we left the summit; andwhen we reached the bottom the sun had already sunk behind the wall, andthe day was drawing to a close. It would have been pleasant to lingerhere and on the summit longer; but we hurried away as rapidly as theground would permit, for it was an object to regain our party as soon aspossible, not knowing what accident the next hour might bringforth.”
This mountain which bears the name of Fremont's Peak, in honor of thegreat Pathfinder, was found to be 13,570 feet above the Gulf ofMexico.
The object of the expedition was accomplished and preparations weremade for the return to the states. No accident worth the mention hadbefallen the explorers, and the Blackfeet, from whom so much was feared,did not molest them. It may have been that when their scouts reconnoitredthe camp, they found the barricades so strong and the garrison sowatchful that they decided it would be too costly to make an attack uponthem. It is not impossible that some one or more of them recognized thedaring mountaineer who more than once years before had given theirwarriors such severe defeat and punishment. If such was the truth, wecannot but respect the discretion they showed.
Fort Laramie was reached in the month of September 1842. There as KitCarson's labors were ended, he bade his commander and friends goodbye andstarted for New Mexico. Fremont and his men reached the states in safetyand thus ended his first exploring expedition.
Carson Starts for the States —The Encampment of Captain Cook andhis Dragoons —Carson Undertakes a Delicate and Dangerous Mission—The Perilous Journey —Return of Carson and the Mexican Boy— Encounter with Four Utah Indians —Arrival at Bent'sFort.
Early in the year 1843, Kit Carson married his second wife and shortlyafter agreed to accompany an expedition of Bent &St. Vrain's wagonsto the States. When part way across the plains, they struck the old SantaFe trail and came upon an encampment of Captain Cook with four companiesof United States Dragoons.
They were engaged in escorting a train of Mexican wagons to theboundary line between New Mexico and the United States. The train was avery valuable one and an escort of a hundred men were hired to accompanyit through the Indian country.
The situation of this train was an alarming one. It was the duty ofCaptain Cook and his soldiers to guard it as far as the fording of theArkansas, at that time the boundary line between the two countries. Therewas good reason for believing that a strong band of Texan rangers werewaiting beyond, with the intention of attacking and plundering the train.Indeed the Mexican who had it in charge had received information thatleft no possible doubt of the fact.
His face lighted up when he recognized Kit Carson. Hardly waitinguntil they had greeted each other, he offered him a liberal reward if hewould ride post haste to Santa Fe and deliver a letter to the Governor,containing an urgent request to send a strong force to escort the trainthither.
Carson unhesitatingly accepted the offer and with his usual promptnessstarted almost immediately on his delicate and dangerous business. Thejourney was one of several hundred miles through a country swarming withIndians, and all the skill, cunning and vigilance of the great scoutwould be required to succeed. But he never faltered in the face ofperil.
A veteran mountaineer agreed to keep him company, but, when Bent'sFort was reached he refused to go further, and Carson, as he had oftendone before in critical situations, went on alone.
The news which he heard at the fort was of a startling nature. TheUtah Indians were hostile and his long journey led him directly throughtheir country. He could not censure his friend for declining to gofurther, nor could he blame others whom he asked to accompany him, whenthey shook their heads. Mr. Bent understood the peculiar danger in whichKit would be placed, and though he was splendidly mounted, he loaned hima magnificent steed which he led, ready to mount whenever the necessityshould arise for doing so.
That journey was one of the most remarkable of the many made by KitCarson. It would have been less so, had he possessed a companion ofexperience, for they could have counselled together, and one would havekept watch while the other slept. As it was, Carson was compelled to scanevery portion of the plain before him, on the constant lookout forIndians, who would have spared no effort to circumvent and slay him, hadthey known of his presence in their country. He was so placed, indeed,that only by the most consummate skill could he hope to run thecontinuous gauntlet, hundreds of miles in length.
He had gone but a short distance when he detected the trails of hisenemies, showing they were numerous and liable to be encountered at anymoment. When night came, he picketed his horses and lay down on theprairie or in some grove, ready to leap to his feet, bound upon one ofhis steeds and gallop away on a dead run. Where the hunter has no friendto mount guard, he is often compelled to depend upon his horses, whofrequently prove the best kind of sentinels. They are quick to detect theapproach of strangers, and a slight neigh or stamp of the foot is enoughto give the saving warning.
A large portion of the country over which he rode, was a treelessplain and the keen blue eyes of the matchless mountaineer were kept on acontinual strain. A moving speck in the distant horizon, the faint columnof thin smoke rising from the far off grove, or a faint yellow dustagainst the blue sky, could only mean one thing —the presence ofenemies, for he was in a region which contained not a single friend.
One afternoon Carson discovered an Indian village directly ahead ofhim and on the trail which he was following. He instantly withdrew beyondsight of any who might be on guard, and, hunting a sparse grove oftimber, kept within it until dark; then he made a long circuit, and cameback to the trail far beyond it. He travelled a long distance that nightand by daylight was in no danger of detection.
By using such extreme caution and watchfulness, he succeeded inpassing the entire distance without exchanging a hostile shot withanyone. He reached Taos, where he waited as agreed upon, until hismessage could be sent to the Governor at Santa Fe. While in Taos helearned that one hundred men had been sent out to meet the caravan andthe Governor himself was about ready to follow with six hundred more. Itmay be stated in this place that the smaller company, while looking forthe train was attacked by the Texan rangers and with a single exceptionevery man was killed; but venturing into American territory, the rangerswere disarmed by Captain Cook and his dragoons, and the wealthy wagontrain, with its valuable cargo reached its destination in safety.
Having accomplished his mission, Carson set out on his return toBent's Fort. This time he took a Mexican boy with him. The mountaineerhad become strongly attached to the youth, who was a noble, high mindedlad, the fit companion of the prince among plainsmen.
Two days out from Taos, both were surprised to find themselvesconfronted by four Utah Indians on the war path. They appeared sosuddenly, that the two friends were given little time to makepreparation; but, as some distance separated the parties, Kit and the ladhastily consulted over what was best to do.
“It is you whom they are seeking,” said the youth,“and your life is worth a great deal more than mine; you have aswift horse; mount him and dash off; perhaps they will spare me, but youcannot help me by staying.”
“Your offer is a kind one,” said Carson much touched bythe words of his young friend; “but nothing in the world wouldinduce me to leave you. We will stick together and if we must die, whylet's each take a warrior with us.”
The leading warrior sauntered toward the couple, while they werehastily consulting together, after the manner of one who felt he wasmaster of the situation. A broad grin stretched across his painted face,as he extended one hand to salute Carson, while he reached for his riflewith the other. Just as his fingers were closing around the weapon of themountaineer, the latter struck him a violent blow in the face, which senthim staggering several paces backward. The other Utahs instantly ranforward to the help of their comrade.
When they were within a few rods, Carson brought his gun to hisshoulder and peremptorily ordered them to halt. They hesitated, as ifuncertain what to do, when he told them that if they advanced anotherstep or made any hostile demonstration, both he and his companion wouldfire. They would be sure of hitting two of the warriors, when it wouldbecome something like an even fight, with two on each side, and with theprospect that the red men might suffer still further.
But the Indians were not to be bluffed in such an easy fashion. Theybrandished their guns, shook powder in the pans and talked boastingly ofwhat they meant to do. They were double the number of their enemies andthey would teach them how brave Utah warriors were.
Neither Carson nor the lad was disturbed by these demonstrations,which meant to intimidate them. The mountaineer whispered to his braveyoung companion to keep on his guard against any sudden rush ordemonstration. But the lad scarcely needed the warning. He was as alertand vigilant as his friend. Had the red men attempted anything hostile,the two would have fired instantly and then drawn their pistols and beenready for the others.
The Utahs finally saw it was useless to attempt to bluff the man andboy, and they rode away without offering them the least harm. Carson andhis young companion instantly resumed their journey, still watchful andalert; but they reached Bent's Fort without molestation, and thedangerous venture was over.
Kit Carson Hears Surprising News —He Visits Fremont —IsRe-engaged as Guide —Fremont's Account of his Visit to SaltLake.
Kit Carson was astonished on reaching Bent's Fort to learn thatLieutenant Fremont had gone by on his second exploring expedition but afew days before. Carson felt a strong attachment for his old leader andgalloped nearly a hundred miles to overtake him. Fremont gave themountaineer most cordial greeting and insisted so strongly on hisaccompanying him that Carson could not refuse.
The object of Fremont's second exploration was to connect the surveyof the previous year with those of Commander Wilkes on the Pacific coast.The first objective point was the Great Salt Lake of Utah, of which verylittle was known at that time.
Carson was sent back to the fort to procure a number of mules. He didas directed and rejoined Fremont at St. Vrain's Fort. The regiontraversed by these explorers is so well known today that it is hard torealize what a terra incognita it was but a short time since. Perhaps itwill be most instructive at this point to quote the words of the greatPathfinder himself. The party arrived on the 21st of August on the BearRiver, one of the principal tributaries of Great Salt Lake. The narrativeof Fremont proceeds:
“We were now entering a region, which for us possessed a strangeand extraordinary interest. We were upon the waters of the famous lakewhich forms a salient point among the remarkable geographical features ofthe country, and around which the vague and superstitious accounts of thetrappers had thrown a delightful obscurity, which we anticipated pleasurein dispelling, but which, in the meantime, left a crowded field for theexercise of our imagination.
“In our occasional conversations with the few old hunters whohad visited the region, it had been a subject of frequent speculation;and the wonders which they related were not the less agreeable becausethey were highly exaggerated and impossible.
“Hitherto this lake had been seen only by trappers, who werewandering through the country in search of new beaver streams, caringvery little for geography; its islands had never been visited; and nonewere to be found who had entirely made the circuit of its shores, and noinstrumental observations, or geographical survey of any description, hadever been made anywhere in the neighboring region. It was generallysupposed that it had no visible outlet; but, among the trappers,including those in my own camp, were many who believed that somewhere onits surface was a terrible whirlpool, through which its waters foundtheir way to the ocean by some subterranean communication. All thesethings had been made a frequent subject of discussion in our desultoryconversations around the fires at night; and my own mind had becometolerably well filled with their indefinite pictures, and insensiblycolored with their romantic descriptions, which, in the pleasure ofexcitement, I was well disposed to believe, and half expected torealize.
“In about six miles' travel from our encampment we reached oneof the points in our journey to which we had always looked forward withgreat interest —the famous Beer Springs, which, on account of theeffervescing gas and acid taste, had received their name from thevoyageurs and trappers of the country, who, in the midst of their rudeand hard lives, are fond of finding some fancied resemblance to theluxuries they rarely have the good fortune to enjoy.
“Although somewhat disappointed in the expectations whichvarious descriptions had led me to form of unusual beauty of situationand scenery, I found it altogether a place of very great interest; and atraveller for the first time in a volcanic region remains in a constantexcitement, and at every step is arrested by something remarkable andnew. There is a confusion of interesting objects gathered together in asmall space. Around the place of encampment the Beer Springs werenumerous but, as far as we could ascertain, were entirely confined tothat locality in the bottom. In the bed of the river in front, for aspace of several hundred yards, they were very abundant; the effervescinggas rising up and agitating the water in countless bubbling columns. Inthe vicinity round about were numerous springs of an entirely differentand equally marked mineral character. In a rather picturesque spot, about1,300 yards below our encampment and immediately on the river bank, isthe most remarkable spring of the place. In an opening on the rock, awhite column of scattered water is thrown up, in form, like a jet d'eau,to a variable height of about three feet, and, though it is maintained ina constant supply, its greatest height is attained only at regularintervals, according to the action of the force below. It is accompaniedby a subterranean noise, which, together with the motion of the water,makes very much the impression of a steamboat in motion; and, withoutknowing that it had been already previously so called, we gave to it thename of the Steamboat Spring. The rock through which it is forced isslightly raised in a convex manner, and gathered at the opening into anurn mouthed form, and is evidently formed by continued deposition fromthe water, and colored bright red by oxide of iron.
“It is a hot spring, and the water has a pungent, disagreeablemetallic taste, leaving a burning effect on the tongue. Within perhapstwo yards of the jet d'eau, is a small hole of about an inch in diameter,through which, at regular intervals, escapes a blast of hot air with alight wreath of smoke, accompanied by a regular noise.
“As they approached the lake, they passed over a country of boldand striking scenery, and through several 'gates,' as they called certainnarrow valleys. The 'standing rock' is a huge column, occupying thecentre of one of these passes. It fell from a height of perhaps 3,000feet, and happened to remain in its present upright position.
“At last, on the 6th of September, the object for which theireyes had long been straining was brought to view.
“September 6. —This time we reached the butte without anydifficulty; and ascending to the summit, immediately at our feet beheldthe object of our anxious search, the waters of the Inland Sea,stretching in still and solitary grandeur, far beyond the limit of ourvision. It was one of the great points of the exploration; and as welooked eagerly over the lake in the first emotions of excited pleasure, Iam doubtful if the followers of Balboa felt more enthusiasm when, fromthe heights of the Andes, they saw for the first time the great WesternOcean. It was certainly a magnificent object, and a noble terminus tothis part of our expedition; and to travellers so long shut up amongmountain ranges, a sudden view over the expanse of silent waters had init something sublime. Several large islands raised their high rocky headsout of the waves; but whether or not they were timbered was still left toour imagination, as the distance was too great to determine if the darkhues upon them were woodland or naked rock. During the day the clouds hadbeen gathering black over the mountains to the westward, and while wewere looking, a storm burst down with sudden fury upon the lake, andentirely hid the islands from our view.
“On the edge of the stream a favorable spot was selected in agrove, and felling the timber, we made a strong corral, or horse pen, forthe animals, and a little fort for the people who were to remain. We werenow probably in the country of the Utah Indians, though none reside uponthe lake. The India rubber boat was repaired with prepared cloth and gum,and filled with air, in readiness for the next day.
“The provisions which Carson had brought with him being nowexhausted, and our stock reduced to a small quantity of roots, Idetermined to retain with me only a sufficient number of men for theexecution of our design; and accordingly seven were sent back to FortHall, under the guidance of Francois Lajeunesse, who, having been formany years a trapper in the country, was an experienced mountaineer.
“We formed now but a small family. With Mr. Preuss and myself,Carson, Bernier, and Basil Lajeunesse had been selected for the boatexpedition —the first ever attempted on this interior sea; andBadau, with Derosier, and Jacob (the colored man), were to be left incharge of the camp. We were favored with most delightful weather. Tonightthere was a brilliant sunset of golden orange and green, which left thewestern sky clear and beautifully pure; but clouds in the east made melose an occulation. The summer frogs were singing around us, and theevening was very pleasant, with a temperature of 60 degrees —anight of a more southern autumn. For our supper, we had yampak, the mostagreeably flavored of the roots, seasoned by a small fat duck, which hadcome in the way of Jacob's rifle. Around our fire tonight were manyspeculations on what tomorrow would bring forth; and in our busyconjectures we fancied that we should find every one of the large islandsa tangled wilderness of trees and shrubbery, teeming with game of everydescription that the neighboring region afforded, and which the foot of awhite man or Indian had never violated. Frequently, during the day,clouds had rested on the summits of their lofty mountains, and webelieved that we should find clear streams and springs of fresh water;and we indulged in anticipations of the luxurious repasts with which wewere to indemnify ourselves for past privations. Neither, in ourdiscussions, were the whirlpool and other mysterious dangers forgotten,which Indian and hunter's stories attributed to this unexplored lake. Themen had discovered that, instead of being strongly sewed, (like that ofthe preceding year, which had so triumphantly rode the canons of theUpper Great Platte), our present boat was only pasted together in a veryinsecure manner, the maker having been allowed so little time in theconstruction that he was obliged to crowd the labor of two months intoseveral days. The insecurity of the boat was sensibly felt by us; andmingled with the enthusiasm and excitement that we all felt at theprospect of an undertaking which had never before been accomplished was acertain impression of danger, sufficient to give a serious character toour conversation. The momentary view which had been had of the lake theday before, its great extent and rugged islands, dimly seen amidst thedark waters in the obscurity of the sudden storm, were well calculated toheighten the idea of undefined danger with which the lake was generallyassociated.”
“September 8. —A calm, clear day, with a sunrisetemperature of 41 degrees. In view of our present enterprise, a part ofthe equipment of the boat had been made to consist of three airtightbags, about three feet long, and capable each of containing five gallons.These had been filled with water the night before, and were now placed inthe boat, with our blankets and instruments, consisting of a sextant,telescope, spyglass, thermometer, and barometer.
“In the course of the morning we discovered that two of thecylinders leaked so much as to require one man constantly at the bellows,to keep them sufficiently full of air to support the boat. Although wehad made a very early start, we loitered so much on the way —stopping every now and then, and floating silently along, to get a shotat a goose or a duck —that it was late in the day when he reachedthe outlet. The river here divided into several branches, filled withfluvials, and so very shallow that it was with difficulty we could getthe boat along, being obliged to get out and wade. We encamped on a lowpoint among rushes and young willows, where there was a quantity ofdriftwood, which served for our fires. The evening was mild and clear; wemade a pleasant bed of the young willows; and geese and ducks enough hadbeen killed for an abundant supper at night, and for breakfast nextmorning. The stillness of the night was enlivened by millions ofwaterfowl.
“September. 9. —The day was clear and calm; thethermometer at sunrise at 49 degrees. As is usual with the trappers onthe eve of any enterprise, our people had made dreams, and theirshappened to be a bad one —one which always preceded evil —andconsequently they looked very gloomy this morning; but we hurried throughour breakfast, in order to make an early start, and have all the daybefore us for our adventure. The channel in a short distance became soshallow that our navigation was at an end, being merely a sheet of softmud, with a few inches of water, and sometimes none at all, forming thelow water shore of the lake. All this place was absolutely covered withflocks of screaming plover. We took off our clothes, and, gettingoverboard, commenced dragging the boat —making, by this operation,a very curious trail, and a very disagreeable smell in stirring up themud, as we sank above the knee at every step. The water here was stillfresh, with only an insipid and disagreeable taste, probably derived fromthe bed of fetid mud. After proceeding in this way about a mile, we cameto a small black ridge on the bottom, beyond which the water becamesuddenly salt, beginning gradually to deepen, and the bottom was sandyand firm. It was a remarkable division, separating the fresh water of therivers from the briny water of the lake, which was entirely saturatedwith common salt. Pushing our little vessel across the narrow boundary,we sprang on board, and at length were afloat on the waters of theunknown sea.
“We did not steer for the mountainous islands, but directed ourcourse towards a lower one, which it had been decided we should firstvisit, the summit of which was formed like the crater at the upper end ofBear River Valley. So long as we could touch the bottom with our paddles,we were very gay; but gradually, as the water deepened, we became morestill in our frail bateau of gum cloth distended with air, and withpasted seams. Although the day was very calm, there was a considerableswell on the lake; and there were white patches of foam on the surface,which were slowly moving to the southward, indicating the set of acurrent in that direction, and recalling the recollection of thewhirlpool stories. The water continued to deepen as we advanced; the lakebecoming almost transparently clear, of an extremely beautiful brightgreen color; and the spray which was thrown into the boat and over ourclothes, was directly converted into a crust of common salt, whichcovered also our hands and arms. 'Captain,' said Carson, who for sometimehad been looking suspiciously at some whitening appearances outside thenearest islands, 'what are those yonder? —won't you just take alook with the glass?' We ceased paddling for a moment, and found them tobe the caps of the waves that were beginning to break under the force ofa strong breeze that was coming up the lake. The form of the boat seemedto be an admirable one, and it rode on the waves like a water bird; but,at the same time, it was extremely slow in its progress. When we were alittle more than half way across the reach, two of the divisions betweenthe cylinders gave way, and it required the constant use of the bellowsto keep in a sufficient quantity of air. For a long time we scarcelyseemed to approach our island, but gradually we worked across the roughersea of the open channel, into the smoother water under the lee of theisland, and began to discover that what we took for a long row ofpelicans, ranged on the beach, were only low cliffs whitened with salt bythe spray of the waves; and about noon we reached the shore, thetransparency of the water enabling us to see the bottom at a considerabledepth.
“The cliffs and masses of rock along the shore were whitened byan incrustation of salt where the waves dashed up against them; and theevaporating water, which had been left in holes and hollows on thesurface of the rocks, was covered with a crust of salt about one eighthof an inch in thickness.
“Carrying with us the barometer and other instruments, in theafternoon we ascended to the highest point of the island —a bare,rocky peak, 800 feet above the lake. Standing on the summit, we enjoyedan extended view of the lake, inclosed in a basin of rugged mountains,which sometimes left marshy flats and extensive bottoms between them andthe shore, and in other places came directly down into the water withbold and precipitous bluffs.
“As we looked over the vast expanse of water spread out beneathus, and strained our eyes along the silent shores over which hung so muchdoubt and uncertainty, and which were so full of interest to us, I couldhardly repress the almost irresistible desire to continue ourexploration; but the lengthening snow on the mountains was a plainindication of the advancing season, and our frail linen boat appeared soinsecure that I was unwilling to trust our lives to the uncertainties ofthe lake. I therefore unwillingly resolved to terminate our survey here,and remain satisfied for the present with what we had been able to add tothe unknown geography of the region. We felt pleasure also in rememberingthat we were the first who, in the traditionary annals of the country,had visited the islands, and broken, with the cheerful sound of humanvoices, the long solitude of the place.
“I accidentally left on the summit the brass cover to the objectend of my spyglass and as it will probably remain there undisturbed byIndians, it will furnish matter of speculation to some future traveller.In our excursions about the island, we did not meet with any kind ofanimal: a magpie, and another larger bird, probably attracted by thesmoke of our fire, paid us a visit from the shore, and were the onlyliving things seen during our stay. The rock constituting the cliffsalong the shore where we were encamped, is a talcous rock, or steatite,with brown spar.
“At sunset, the temperature was 70 degrees. We had arrived justin time to obtain a meridian altitude of the sun, and other observationswere obtained this evening, which placed our camp in latitude 41 degrees10' 42” and longitude 112 degrees 21' 05” from Greenwich.From a discussion of the barometrical observations made during our stayon the shores of the lake, we have adopted 4,200 feet for its elevationabove the Gulf of Mexico. In the first disappointment we felt from thedissipation of our dream of the fertile islands, I called thisDisappointment Island.
“Out of the driftwood, we made ourselves pleasant little lodges,open to the water, and, after having kindled large fires to excite thewonder of any straggling savage on the lake shores, lay down, for thefirst time in a long journey, in perfect security; no one thinking abouthis arms. The evening was extremely bright and pleasant; but the windrose during the night, and the waves began to break heavily on the shore,making our island tremble. I had not expected in our inland journey tohear the roar of an ocean surf; and the strangeness of our situation, andthe excitement we felt in the associated interests of the place, madethis one of the most interesting nights I remember during our longexpedition.
“In the morning, the surf was breaking heavily on the shore, andwe were up early. The lake was dark and agitated, and we hurried throughour scanty breakfast, and embarked —having first filled one of thebuckets with water from which it was intended to make salt. The sun hadrisen by the time we were ready to start; and it was blowing a stronggale of wind, almost directly off the shore, and raising a considerablesea, in which our boat strained very much. It roughened as we got awayfrom the island, and it required all the efforts of the men to make anyhead against the wind and sea; the gale rising with the sun; and therewas danger of being blown into one of the open reaches beyond the island.At the distance of half a mile from the beach, the depth of water wassixteen feet, with a clay bottom; but, as the working of the boat wasvery severe labor, and during the operation of sounding, it was necessaryto cease paddling, during which the boat lost considerable way, I wasunwilling to discourage the men, and reluctantly gave up my intention ofascertaining the depth and character of the bed. There was a generalshout in the boat when we found ourselves in one fathom, and we soonafter landed on a low point of mud, where we unloaded the boat, andcarried the baggage to firmer ground.”
The Return —Suffering for Food —A Royal Feast —Onthe Lewis Fork —Fort Hall —Division of the Party—Arrival at Dalles —The Sierra Nevada —Preparations forthe Passage Through the Mountains —Fremont's Account.
The explorers remained in camp the next day and boiled down some ofthe water from the lake, thereby obtaining considerable salt. Thefollowing morning was clear and beautiful and they returned by the sameroute, ascending the valley of Bear River toward the north.
The expected Fitzpatrick and the provisions did not show themselvesand the party began to suffer for food. When their situation becameserious, Fremont permitted a horse to be killed and then all enjoyed oneof their old fashioned feasts.
But this supply could not last long, and still they failed to meettheir expected friends. After a time they encountered an Indian who hadkilled an antelope, which they quickly purchased and another feast madeevery heart glad. By way of dessert, a messenger galloped into camp withthe news that Fitzpatrick was close at hand with an abundant supply ofprovisions.
The next morning the two parties united and continued the journeytogether. After leaving the Bear River Valley they crossed over toLewis's Fork of the Columbia. At night the camp fires of the Indiantwinkled like so many stars along the mountain side; but they were allfriendly and the tired explorers slept peacefully.
Pushing onward they reached the upper waters of Lewis's Fork, wheresnow began to fall. However, they were quite near Fort Hall and theytherefore went into camp, while Fremont rode to the fort and procuredseveral horses and oxen.
The weather continued severe, but Fremont determined to push on,despite the hardships which he knew awaited them all. As a matter ofprudence, however, he sent back eleven of his men, leaving about twentywith which he pursued his journey down the river valley in the directionof the Columbia. The Dalles was reached in safety where Kit Carson wasleft in command of the party, while Fremont with a few companions pushedon to Vancouver Island, where he procured some provisions. On his return,the whole party united and made their way to Klamath Lake, in what wasthen Oregon Territory. When their observations were completed, they tookup their march in the direction of California.
After a long and wearisome journey, attended by much suffering for thelack of food, they came in sight of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, whichwere seen to be covered with snow. The men were in a sorry plight. Theprovisions were nearly gone; they could not turn back, and there seemedbut two alternatives before them: to push on through the mountains orremain where they were and starve to death. Such men were not the ones tofold their hands and lie down in helpless despair. Accordingly, they madetheir preparations for the terrible venture.
The snow was so deep that it was impossible to get forward without theaid of snowshoes. Devoting themselves to the manufacture of theseindispensable articles, a few were sent ahead to learn how far it wasnecessary to break a path for the animals. After a laborious passage, itwas found that nine miles would have to be prepared in that fashion.Carson was with this advance and when they halted, he saw in the distancethe green Sacramento Valley. Although nearly twenty years had passedsince he visited that section, he recognized it at once. Away beyondtowered the white peaks of the Coast Range. Carson was the only man inthe party who really knew where they were.
This passage of Fremont and his men through the Sierra NevadaMountains is one of the most extraordinary achievements in Americanhistory. Carson himself took such a prominent part in it, that it seemsonly just that Fremont's thrilling account should be quoted.
“The people were unusually silent; for every man knew that ourenterprise was hazardous, and the issue doubtful.
“The snow deepened rapidly, and it soon became necessary tobreak a road. For this service, a party of ten was formed, mounted on thestrongest horses; each man in succession opening the road on foot, or onhorseback, until himself and his horse became fatigued, when he steppedaside; and, the remaining number passing ahead, he took his station inthe rear.
“The camp had been all the day occupied in endeavoring to ascendthe hill, but only the best horses had succeeded; the animals, generally,not having sufficient strength to bring themselves up without the packs;and all the line of road between this and the springs was strewed withcamp stores and equipage, and horses floundering in snow. I thereforeimmediately encamped on the ground with my own mess, which was inadvance, and directed Mr. Fitzpatrick to encamp at the springs, and sendall the animals, in charge of Tabeau, with a strong guard, back to theplace where they had been pastured the night before. Here was a smallspot of level ground, protected on one side by the mountain, and on theother sheltered by a little ridge of rock. It was an open grove of pines,which assimilated in size to the grandeur of the mountain, beingfrequently six feet in diameter.
“Tonight we had no shelter, but we made a large fire around thetrunk of one of the huge pines; and covering the snow with small boughs,on which we spread our blankets, soon made ourselves comfortable. Thenight was very bright and clear, though the thermometer was only at 10degrees. A strong wind which sprang up at sundown, made it intenselycold; and this was one of the bitterest nights during the journey.
“Two Indians joined our party here; and one of them, an old man,immediately began to harangue us, saying that ourselves and animals wouldperish in the snow; and that, if we would go back, he would show usanother and a better way across the mountain. He spoke in a very loudvoice, and there was a singular repetition of phrases and arrangement ofwords, which rendered his speech striking, and not unmusical.
“We had now begun to understand some words, and, with the aid ofsigns, easily comprehended the old man's simple ideas. 'Rock upon rock—rock upon rock —snow upon snow —snow upon snow,' saidhe; 'even if you get over the snow, you will not be able to get down fromthe mountains.' He made us the sign of precipices, and showed us how thefeet of the horses would slip, and throw them off from the narrow trailsled along their sides. Our Chinook, who comprehended even more readilythan ourselves, and believed our situation hopeless, covered his headwith his blanket, and began to weep and lament. 'I wanted to see thewhites,' said he; 'I came away from my own people to see the whites, andI wouldn't care to die among them; but here' —and he looked aroundinto the cold night and gloomy forest, and, drawing his blanket over hishead, began again to lament.
“Seated around the tree, the fire illuminating the rocks and thetall boils of the pines round about, and the old Indian haranguing, wepresented a group of very serious faces.
“February 5. —The night had been too cold to sleep, and wewere up very early. Our guide was standing by the fire with all hisfinery on; and seeing him shiver in the cold, I threw on his shouldersone of my blankets. We missed him a few minutes afterwards, and never sawhim again. He had deserted. His bad faith and treachery were in perfectkeeping with the estimate of Indian character, which a long intercoursewith this people had gradually forced upon my mind.
“While a portion of the camp were occupied in bringing up thebaggage to this point, the remainder were busied in making sledges andsnowshoes. I had determined to explore the mountain ahead, and thesledges were to be used in transporting the baggage.
“Crossing the open basin, in a march of about ten miles wereached the top of one of the peaks, to the left of the pass indicated byour guide. Far below us, dimmed by the distance, was a large, snowlessvalley, bounded on the western side, at the distance of about a hundredmiles, by a low range of mountains, which Carson recognized with delightas the mountains bordering the coast. 'There,' said he, 'is the littlemountain —it is fifteen years ago since I saw it; but I am just assure as if I had seen it yesterday.' Between us, then, and this low coastrange, was the valley of the Sacramento; and no one who had notaccompanied us through the incidents of our life for the last few months,could realize the delight with which at last we looked down upon it. Atthe distance of apparently thirty miles beyond us were distinguishedspots of prairie; and a dark line, which could be traced with the glass,was imagined to be the course of the river; but we were evidently at agreat height above the valley, and between us and the plains extendedmiles of snowy fields and broken ridges of pine covered mountains.
“It was late in the day when we turned towards the camp; and itgrew rapidly cold as it drew towards night. One of the men becamefatigued and his feet began to freeze, and building a fire in the trunkof a dry old cedar, Mr. Fitzpatrick remained with him until his clothescould be dried, and he was in a condition to come on. After a day's marchof twenty miles, we straggled into camp, one after another, at nightfall;the greater number excessively fatigued, only two of the party havingever travelled on snowshoes before.
“All our energies were now directed to getting our animalsacross the snow; and it was supposed that, after all the baggage had beendrawn with the sleighs over the trail we had made, it would besufficiently hard to bear our animals.
“At several places, between this point and the ridge, we haddiscovered some grassy spots, where the wind and sun had dispersed thesnow from the sides of the hills, and these were to form resting place tosupport the animals for a night in their passage across. On our wayacross, we had set on fire several broken stumps and dried trees, to meltholes in the snow for the camp. Its general depth was five feet; but wepassed over places where it was twenty feet deep, as shown by thetrees.
“With one party drawing sleighs loaded with baggage, I advancedtoday about four miles along the trail, and encamped at the first grassyspot, where we expected to bring our horses. Mr. Fitzpatrick, withanother party, remained behind, to form an intermediate station betweenus and the animals.
“Putting on our snowshoes, we spent the afternoon in exploring aroad ahead. The glare of the snow, combined with great fatigue, hadrendered many of the people nearly blind; but we were fortunate in havingsome black silk handkerchiefs, which, worn as veils, very much relievedthe eye.
“In the evening I received a message from Mr. Fitzpatrick,acquainting me with the utter failure of his attempt to get our mules andhorses over the snow —the half hidden trail had proved entirely tooslight to support them, and they had broken through, and were plungingabout or lying half buried in snow. He was occupied in endeavoring to getthem back to his camp; and in the mean time sent to me for furtherinstructions. I wrote to him to send the animals immediately back totheir old pastures; and, after having made mauls and shovels, turn in allthe strength of his party to open and beat a road through the snow,strengthening it with branches and boughs of the pines.
“February 12. —We made mauls, and worked hard at our endof the road all the day. The wind was high, but the sun bright, and thesnow thawing. We worked down the face of the hill, to meet the people atthe other end. Towards sundown it began to grow cold, and we shoulderedour mauls, and trudged back to camp.
“February 13. —We continued to labor on the road; and inthe course of the day had the satisfaction to see the people working downthe face of the opposite hill, about three miles distant. During themorning we had the pleasure of a visit from Mr. Fitzpatrick, with theinformation that all was going on well. A party of Indians had passed onsnowshoes, who said they were going to the western side of the mountainafter fish. This was an indication that the salmon were coming up thestreams; and we could hardly restrain our impatience as we thought ofthem, and worked with increased vigor.
“I was now perfectly satisfied that we had struck the stream onwhich Mr. Sutter lived, and turning about, made a hard push, and reachedthe camp at dark. Here we had the pleasure to find all the remaininganimals, fifty-seven in number, safely arrived at the grassy hill nearthe camp; and here, also, we were agreeably surprised with the sight ofan abundance of salt. Some of the horse guard had gone to a neighboringhut for pine nuts, and discovered unexpectedly a large cake of very whitefine grained salt, which the Indians told them they had brought from theother side of the mountain; they used it to eat with their pine nuts, andreadily sold it for goods.
“On the 19th, the people were occupied in making a road andbringing up the baggage; and, on the afternoon of the next day, February20, 1844, we encamped with all the materiel of the camp, on the summit ofthe pass in the dividing ridge, 1,000 miles by our travelled road fromthe Dalles of the Columbia.
“February 21. —We now considered ourselves victorious overthe mountain; having only the descent before us, and the valley under oureyes, we felt strong hope that we should force our way down. But this wasa case in which the descent was not facile. Still, deep fields of snowlay between, and there was a large intervening space of rough lookingmountains, through which we had yet to wind our way. Carson roused methis morning with an early fire, and we were all up long before day, inorder to pass the snow fields before the sun should render the crustsoft. We enjoyed this morning a scene at sunrise, which, even here, wasunusually glorious and beautiful. Immediately above the eastern mountainswas repeated a cloud formed mass of purple ranges, bordered with brightyellow gold; the peaks shot up into a narrow line of crimson cloud, abovewhich the air was filled with a greenish orange; and over all was thesingular beauty of the blue sky. Passing along a ridge which commandedthe lake on our right, of which we began to discover an outlet through achasm on the west, we passed over alternating open ground and hardcrusted snow fields which supported the animals, and encamped on theridge after a journey of six miles. The grass was better than we had yetseen, and we were encamped in a clump of trees, twenty or thirty feethigh, resembling white pine.”
Continuation of Fremont's Account of the Passage Through theMountains.
“We had hard and doubtful labor yet before us, as the snowappeared to be heavier where the timber began further down, with few openspots. Ascending a height, we traced out the best line we could discoverfor the next day's march, and had at least the consolation to see thatthe mountain descended rapidly. The day had been one of April; gusty,with a few occasional flakes of snow; which, in the afternoon envelopedthe upper mountains in clouds. We watched them anxiously, as now wedreaded a snow storm. Shortly afterwards we heard the roll of thunder,and looking toward the valley, found it all enveloped in a thunderstorm.For us, as connected with the idea of summer, it had a singular charm;and we watched its progress with excited feelings until nearly sunset,when the sky cleared off brightly, and we saw a shining line of waterdirecting its course towards another, a broader and larger sheet. We knewthat these could be no other than the Sacramento and the bay of SanFrancisco; but, after our long wandering in rugged mountains, where sofrequently we had met with disappointments, and where the crossing ofevery ridge displayed some unknown lake or river, we were yet almostafraid to believe that we were at last to escape into the genial countryof which we have heard so many glowing descriptions, and dreaded again tofind some vast interior lake, whose bitter waters would bring usdisappointment. On the southern shore of what appeared to be the bay,could be traced the gleaming line where entered another large stream; andagain the Buenaventura rose up in our mind.
“Carson had entered the valley along the southern side of thebay, but the country then was so entirely covered with water from snowand rain, that he had been able to form no correct impression ofwatercourses.
“We had the satisfaction to know that at least there were peoplebelow. Fires were lit up in the valley just at night, appearing to be inanswer to ours; and these signs of life renewed, in some measure, thegayety of the camp. They appeared so near, that we judged them to beamong the timber of some of the neighboring ridges; but, having themconstantly in view day after day, and night after night, we afterwardsfound them to be fires that had been kindled by the Indians among thetulares, on the shore of the bay, eighty miles distant.
“Axes and mauls were necessary today to make a road through thesnow. Going ahead with Carson to reconnoitre the road, we reached in theafternoon the river which made the outlet of the lake. Carson sprangover, clear across a place where the stream was compressed among rocks,but the parfleche sole of my moccasin glanced from the icy rock, andprecipitated me into the river. It was some few seconds before I couldrecover myself in the current, and Carson, thinking me hurt, jumped inafter me, and we both had an icy bath. We tried to search a while for mygun, which had been lost in the fall, but the cold drove us out; andmaking a large fire on the bank, after we had partially dried ourselveswe went back to meet the camp. We afterwards found that the gun had beenslung under the ice which lined the banks of the creek.
“The sky was clear and pure, with a sharp wind from thenortheast, and the thermometer 20 below the freezing point.
“We continued down the south face of the mountain; our roadleading over dry ground, we were able to avoid the snow almost entirely.In the course of the morning we struck a foot path, which we weregenerally able to keep; and the ground was soft to our animals feet,being sandy or covered with mould. Green grass began to make itsappearance, and occasionally we passed a hill scatteringly covered withit. The character of the forest continued the same; and, among the trees,the pine with sharp leaves and very large cones was abundant, some ofthem being noble trees. We measured one that had ten feet diameter,though the height was not more than one hundred and thirty feet. Allalong, the river was a roaring torrent, its fall very great; and,descending with a rapidity to which we had long been strangers, to ourgreat pleasure oak trees appeared on the ridge, and soon became veryfrequent; on these I remarked unusually great quantities ofmistletoe.
“The opposite mountain side was very steep and continuous—unbroken by ravines, and covered with pines and snow; while on theside we were travelling, innumerable rivulets poured down from the ridge.Continuing on, we halted a moment at one of these rivulets, to admiresome beautiful evergreen trees, resembling live oak, which shaded thelittle stream. They were forty to fifty feet high, and two in diameter,with a uniform tufted top; and the summer green of their beautifulfoliage, with the singing birds, and the sweet summer wind which waswhirling about the dry oak leaves, nearly intoxicated us with delight;and we hurried on, filled with excitement, to escape entirely from thehorrid region of inhospitable snow, to the perpetual spring of theSacramento.
“February 25. —Believing that the difficulties of the roadwere passed, and leaving Mr. Fitzpatrick to follow slowly, as thecondition of the animals required, I started ahead this morning with aparty of eight, consisting (with myself) of Mr. Preuss, and Mr. Talbot,Carson, Derosier, Towns, Proue, and Jacob. We took with us some of thebest animals, and my intention was to proceed as rapidly as possible tothe house of Mr. Sutter, and return to meet the party with a supply ofprovisions and fresh animals.
“Near night fall we descended into the steep ravine of ahandsome creek thirty feet wide, and I was engaged in getting the horsesup the opposite hill, when I heard a shout from Carson, who had goneahead a few hundred yards. 'Life yet,' said he, as he came up, 'life yet;I have found a hillside sprinkled with grass enough for the night.' Wedrove along our horses, and encamped at the place about dark, and therewas just room enough to make a place for shelter on the edge of thestream. Three horses were lost today — Proveau; a fine young horsefrom the Columbia, belonging to Charles Towns; and another Indian horsewhich carried our cooking utensils; the two former gave out, and thelatter strayed off into the woods as we reached the camp: and Derosierknowing my attachment to Proveau, volunteered to go and bring him in.
“Carson and I climbed one of the nearest mountains; the forestland still extended ahead, and the valley appeared as far as ever. Thepack horse was found near the camp, but Derosier did not get in.
“We began to be uneasy at Derosier's absence, fearing he mighthave been bewildered in the woods. Charles Towns, who had not yetrecovered his mind, went to swim in the river, as if it was summer, andthe stream placid, when it was a cold mountain torrent foaming among therocks. We were happy to see Derosier appear in the evening. He came in,and sitting down by the fire, began to tell us where he had been. Heimagined he had been gone several days, and thought we were still at thecamp where he had left us; and we were pained to see that his mind wasderanged. It appeared that he had been lost in the mountain, and hungerand fatigue, joined to weakness of body, and fear of perishing in themountains had crazed him. The times were severe when stout men lost theirminds from extremity of suffering —when horses died —and whenmules and horses, ready to die of starvation, were killed for food. Yetthere was no murmuring or hesitation. In the meantime Mr. Preusscontinued on down the river, and unaware that we had encamped so early inthe day, was lost. When night arrived and he did not come in, we began tounderstand what had happened to him; but it was too late to make anysearch.
“March 3. —We followed Mr. Preuss's trail for aconsiderable distance along the river, until we reached a place where hehad descended to the stream below and encamped. Here we shouted and firedguns, but received no answer; and we concluded that he had pushed on downthe stream. I determined to keep out from the river, along which it wasnearly impracticable to travel with animals, until it should form avalley. At every step the country improved in beauty; the pines wererapidly disappearing, and oaks became the principal trees of the forest.Among these, the prevailing tree was the evergreen oak (which, by way ofdistinction, we shall call the live oak); and with these, occurredfrequently a new species of oak, bearing a long, slender acorn, from aninch to an inch and a half in length, which we now began to see formedthe principal vegetable food of the inhabitants of this region. In ashort distance we crossed a little rivulet, where were two old huts andnear by were heaps of acorn hulls. The ground round about was very rich,covered with an exuberant sward of grass; and we sat down for a while inthe shade of the oaks to let the animals feed. We repeated our shouts forMr. Preuss; and this time we were gratified with an answer. The voicegrew rapidly nearer, ascending from the river, but when we expected tosee him emerge, it ceased entirely. We had called up some stragglingIndian —the first we had met, although for two days back we hadseen tracks —who, mistaking us for his fellows, had been onlyundeceived by getting close up. It would have been pleasant to witnesshis astonishment; he would not have been more frightened had some of theold mountain spirits they are so much afraid of suddenly appeared in hispath. Ignorant of the character of these people, we had now additionalcause of uneasiness in regard to Mr. Preuss; he had no arms with him, andwe began to think his chance doubtful. Occasionally we met deer, but hadnot the necessary time for hunting. At one of these orchard grounds, weencamped about noon to make an effort for Mr. Preuss. One man took hisway along a spur leading into the river, in hope to cross his trail, andanother took our own back. Both were volunteers; and to the successfulman was promised a pair of pistols —not as a reward, but as a tokenof gratitude for a service which would free us all from muchanxiety.”
At the end of four days, Mr. Preuss surprised and delighted hisfriends by walking into camp. He had lived on roots and acorns and was inthe last stages of exhaustion.
Shortly the advance party reached Sutter's Fort where they receivedthe most hospitable treatment. All their wants were abundantly supplied,and provisions were sent back to Fitzpatrick and his party.
The Start Homeward —The Visitors in Camp and Their Story—Carson and Godey Start to the Rescue —Trailing the Enemy byNight —In Camp —The Attack —An Amazing Success—The Return.
Fremont and his command remained at Sutter's Fort about a month, whentheir preparations were completed for their return to the States. Theyjourneyed leisurely up the valley of the San Joaquin, crossing over theSierra Nevada and Coast Range by means of an easily travelled pass. Thelatter chain was followed until they came upon the Spanish trail, alongwhich they passed to the Mohave River. Where the Trail diverges from thatstream, Carson became involved in a characteristic adventure.
While in camp two Mexicans, a man and a boy, rode up and told a sadstory. They belonged to a party of Mexican traders from New Mexico. Sixof them, including two women who acted as cooks, were left in charge of aband of horses while the rest were away, engaged in barter. Whenendeavoring to find better grazing for their animals and while the manand boy were on guard, they were attacked by a band of thirty Indians.The warriors were after the horses and their first demonstration was aflight of arrows. The only chance of escape was to make off with theanimals and the two started them on a dead run straight toward theIndians. The charge was so impetuous, that they forced their way through,and continued their flight, while the warriors remained behind tomassacre the others.
When the couple had gone a long distance, they left the horses andturned back to look for their friends. While they were doing so, theycame upon Fremont's camp. When it is added that among those who were leftbehind by the Mexicans, were the wife of the man and the father andmother of the boy, their pitiful situation must touch the hearts of all.They were overcome with grief, and Carson was so stirred that hevolunteered to go back with the couple and help rescue their friends ifalive, or punish the Indians, if it should prove that they had beenmassacred.
Richard Godey, a mountaineer almost the equal with Carson, willinglyagreed to accompany him. The two were perfectly familiar with thecountry, which was an immense advantage. When the Mexicans described thespring, a long ways distant, where they had abandoned the horses to huntfor their friends, Carson recalled its exact location. It was aboutthirty miles away and he said that that was the point toward which theymust push with all speed.
Accordingly they turned the heads of their horses thither and struckinto a sweeping gallop, resting only when compelled to do so, andreaching the spring at daylight the next morning. Not a horse wasvisible, but an examination of the ground showed that the Indians hadfollowed the fleeing Mexicans and stock to the spring, where, finding theanimals, they had captured and driven them off in another direction.
It seems like a piece of madness for three men to pursue ten times asmany Indian warriors; but the blood of Carson was up and he told Godey itwas too soon for them to turn back. The eyes of both flashed, when theyreflected upon the shameful outrage, and they meant that the maraudersshould not get off scot free.
As the boy was only an incumbrance, he was left behind, and, takingthe trail of the warriors, the three put their horses to their best,confident the chase would be a long one. On such occasions, the red menare accustomed to travel a long distance before making a halt. With somuch booty in their hands, they were liable to be set upon by others assavage as themselves, and they had every cause, therefore, to get out ofthe country with the least possible delay.
The three were riding in this furious fashion, when most unexpectedlythe steed of the Mexican gave out. A minute's examination showed he wasas thoroughly used up and useless as the horse of the Ute Indian, yearsbefore, who started out with Kit to pursue the thief that was running offwith the animals. There was no course but to leave the Mexican behind,for time was too precious to ride back to camp after another horse. He,therefore was told to go back to Fremont's camp and await theirreturn.
The exploit of Carson and Godey, when calmly told, seems incredible.There was no one in Fremont's command who would go with them, and thoughthey knew there were a score and a half of savage wild men to encounter,they did not hesitate, but pressed their steeds to the utmost, eager tojoin in the fierce hand to hand conflict.
When night shut in upon them, the Indians were not in sight and thesigns indicated they were a good many miles ahead. There was no moon orstars and they could see only a few feet in advance of their horses'ears, but it would not do to linger. If they should go into camp, theywould lose so much ground that pursuit was likely to be hopeless.
Accordingly, they dismounted and leading their steeds, continued thepursuit on foot. Where it was impossible to see the ground, they dependedon the sense of feeling. Quite certain of the general direction taken bythe red men, they occasionally stooped down and passed their hands overthe earth. The trail was so distinct that it could be readily detected inthis manner, provided they had not gone astray. Several times theywandered to the right or left, but found their way back withoutdifficulty, and the chase was continued for several hours in thissingular fashion.
After a time, the trail became so fresh that it could be readilydetected and no doubt was left in their minds that they were close uponthe marauders. Inasmuch as Carson and Godey had pushed their horses tothe utmost, and they were showing signs of weariness, they concluded, inview of these facts, to halt and wait until daylight.
The night was unusually cold, but they dared not start a fire, lest itshould apprise their enemies of their presence. So they suffered insilence, miserable, wretched and as uncomfortable as it was possible tobe, while watching for the growing light in the east.
When at last, morning appeared, they were so chilled that they couldhardly walk; but making their way to the bottom of a ravine, they kindleda fire, and with the help of some violent exercise, managed to starttheir blood in circulation.
In a very brief time, their horses were resaddled and they weregalloping along the trail again. Within an hour, they caught sight of theIndians and the stolen animals. The warriors were in camp and wereenjoying a breakfast of horse meat, several of the stock having beenkilled to furnish the food.
Before the Indians could detect their pursuers, the latter dismountedand hid their steeds where they were not likely to attract notice. Theythen started to crawl in among the stolen animals, which were grazing ashort distance from camp. This was an exceedingly delicate task, for thehorses were likely to give the alarm, even if the warriors did not detecttheir presence; but patience and skill succeeded, and, after a time, theywere among the drove.
But the very thing they dreaded took place. They had scarcely reachedthe animals, when one of them became frightened by the appearance of thestrangers, and began rearing and snorting. This caused such confusionamong the others that the Indians became alarmed and sprang to theirfeet. Carson and Godey emitted a series of yells that must have made thered men envious, and dashed at full speed toward the thirty Indians. Themoment they were within range, both fired. Carson killed his man, butGodey missed. The latter reloaded with great quickness and fired again,bringing down his man.
Meanwhile, the warriors were thrown into a sort of panic by theamazing audacity of their assailants. They could not have suspected thetruth —that is that no others were near. They must have believedthat a strong reserve was close at hand and that if they tarried in campthey would be overwhelmed by a party of avengers. Accordingly they brokeand ran, leaving the daring mountaineers masters of the field.
In accordance with the savage spirit of the border, Godey scalped thetwo Indians who had been shot, after which the horses were gatheredtogether and driven to where the steeds of the mountaineers had beenleft.
But when this point was reached, Carson expressed himself as notsatisfied: they had not ascertained the fate of the captives and they nowproceeded to do so.
In the camp of the Mexicans were found the mangled bodies of the twomen. These were buried by Carson and Godey who made search for the women.Though nothing of them was discovered, it was afterwards learned thatthey, too, had been killed. Having done all that was possible, Carson andGodey made their way back to Fremont's camp, where the stolen propertywas turned over to the Mexicans, the daring mountaineers refusing toaccept the slightest payment for their extraordinary services.
Arrival at Bent's Fort —Carson goes to Taos and Decides toBecome a Farmer —Arrival of a Messenger from Fremont —Carsonand Owens Repair Again to Bent's Fort —Carson Engages as Guide forFremont's Third Exploring Expedition —On the Great Divide—Division of the Parties —The Journey Across the Desert—A Singular Meeting —Aboriginal Horse Thieves.
After a tedious journey of many miles, the exploring party reachedBent's Fort July 2, 1844. The labors were considered finished, andbidding his old commander goodbye, Carson made his way to Taos, where hehad a most happy reunion with his family. He was cordially welcomed byhundreds of old friends who had learned years before the rare courage andworth of the man, and who were proud to possess such a neighbor.
Carson had led a wild and adventurous career, and, after talking muchwith those in whom he had confidence, he decided to adopt the life of afarmer. In this conclusion he was joined by Richard Owens, an oldmountaineer and an intimate associate for many years.
It did not take them long to fix upon a desirable site, and, in thespring of 1845, stock and animals were bought, building commenced andeverything was fairly under way. At the moment when the scarredmountaineers were counting with pleasure on the complete arrangementsmade, an express messenger galloped up and handed Carson a letter.
The contents were of an important character. Captain Fremont hadwritten to notify Kit that he had started on his third exploringexpedition, and, inasmuch as the mountaineer had given his promise monthsbefore, that in the event of doing so, he (Carson) would serve again asguide, Fremont reminded him that he should hold him to his pledge andwould expect to meet him at Bent's Fort on his arrival there.
It was a considerable pecuniary sacrifice for Carson to keep hispromise, but he never failed to do so, when it was not absolutelyimpossible. Besides, it is fair to presume that the old life could neverlose its charm for one of his disposition, and, contrasted with thehumdrum existence of a farmer, he could not have been much grieved overthe reception of the message. But it must be stated that both Owens andCarson sold out at much loss, and, putting their affairs in the bestshape possible, bade families and friends goodbye, mounted their horsesand set out for Bent's Fort which was safely reached some days later.
There they were warmly welcomed by Fremont, who had entered upon histhird exploring expedition, the last under the authority of the UnitedStates government, though two others were afterwards undertaken on hisown responsibility. As was to be supposed, Fremont taking lessons fromhis previous experiences, was much better equipped for his third than foreither of the other preceding expeditions. He had about fifty men, amongthem in addition to Carson and Owens, being Maxwell, the famousmountaineer, Walker who was a member of Captain Bonneville's expeditionto the Columbia, besides other hunters and scouts less known but not lessskilful and daring than they.
We have already given tolerably full accounts of the two exploringexpeditions of Fremont, and it is not our purpose to narrate theparticulars of the one which followed. There is a sameness in many of theoccurrences but the third time the Pathfinder penetrated into therecesses of the far west, he became involved in a series of experiencestotally different from the preceding and deeply interesting ofthemselves.
Several months were spent on what may be called the Great Divide—that is the region where the waters flow east or west to eitherocean, and in the autumn of the year they encamped on the southwesternshore of the Great Salt Lake.
Before them stretched a vast arid plain to which the trappers referredwith a shudder of terror. They had heard of it many a time and the commonlegend was that no man white or Indian who had ever attempted to crossit, succeeded. These stories, however, added to the eagerness of CaptainFremont to explore its secrets, and, when he proposed it to his men, theyexpressed as strong a desire as he to do so. They felt a mutual trust andconfidence impossible under other circumstances.
Some seventy miles away, a mountain peak held out the promise of woodand water. Four men under the guidance of an Indian, were sent forward toexplore the place, and, in the event of finding water, they wereinstructed to apprise the watchful commander by means of the smoke from acamp fire.
When the second day closed without sight of the signal, Fremont becameso uneasy that he moved forward with the rest of the party and travelledall night. At daylight, one of the smaller party approached them. He saidthat running water and grass existed at the mountains, but their Indianguide was wholly ignorant of the country. This was good news and the nextday the party reached the stream.
Shortly after, the expedition was divided into two parties, Walker (ofwhom mention has been made), taking charge of the larger while Fremontled the smaller. It was the purpose of Walker to pass around to the footof the Sierra Nevada, by a route with which he was familiar, whileFremont with Carson and less than a dozen men, among whom were severalDelaware Indians, headed straight across the desert.
While advancing over this arid tract, they detected a volume of smokerising from a ravine. Cautiously approaching, they discovered an Indianwarrior perfectly nude, standing by a fire and watching an earthen pot inwhich something was simmering. He was greatly frightened and offered themhis food. They smiled, treated him kindly and gave him several triflingpresents which he received with childish delight.
One of the singular incidents of the journey took place while theexploring party were making their way along the foot of the Sierras.Passing around a point on the lake shore, they unexpectedly met a dozenIndian warriors. They were walking directly behind each other in what isknown as Indian file, their heads bent forward and their eyes fixed onthe ground. The whites turned aside to allow them to pass and naturallywatched them with much interest. The Indians neither halted, deviatedfrom the path, spoke nor looked up, but walked straight forward withtheir silent, measured tread until they disappeared. The explorers didnot interfere with them or speak to them. Thus the representatives of thedifferent races encountered.
The division under charge of Walker joined Fremont at the appointedrendezvous, but winter was upon them, the mountains were sure to bechoked with snow and no one was familiar with the route. As a matter ofprudence, therefore, Walker was directed to continue southward with theprincipal party, while Fremont and a few picked men pushed on directlythrough the Sierras to Sutter's Fort, with a view of obtaining thenecessary animals and supplies.
The smaller division was advancing as best it could, when a number ofplainly marked trails were observed showing they were in the vicinity ofsome of the most notorious horse thieves in the world. They were daringand skilful, went long distances, plundered ranches and hastened to themountains with their booty. The exasperated Californians often organizedand went in pursuit, but it was rare they overtook the dusky thieves, andwhen they succeeded in doing so, were invariably defeated.
This sort of people were undesirable neighbors, and Fremont sentforward two Delawares and two mountaineers to make an investigation. Theyhad not gone far, when the company following them found the signs sothreatening that they were alarmed for the scouts. A short distancefurther they came upon such an excellent camping site that they decidedto halt for the night.
Alarming Sounds —Danger of the Scouts —Fremont Goes toTheir Rescue —Arrival at Sutter's Fort —Ordered out ofCalifornia by the Mexican Governor —Fremont's Refusal—Withdrawal to Sacramento River —Arrival of Despatches fromWashington —War with Mexico —Meeting with LieutenantGillespie —Night Attack by Klamath Indians.
While preparing to go into camp, the explorers were mystified byhearing a number of peculiar sounds like the barking of dogs. Attentivelistening, however, satisfied them that it came from an Indian villageclose by, whose women and children were calling out and lamenting. Thisconstituted positive proof that the friends in advance were in troublewith the red men and there was not a minute to lose in going to theirrescue.
A half mile further, the explorers galloped over a slight ridge, whenthey suddenly came in sight of several hundred Indians, who were makingtheir way up two sides of a knoll, on the crest of which the four scoutshad entrenched themselves among the rocks and trees and were coollyawaiting the attack of their enemies.
The little party had run so suddenly into danger that they werecompelled to make a flying leap from their horses, in order to secure asuitable shelter. The assailants had almost captured the abandonedhorses, when relief came. The two Delawares made a dash to recover theiranimals, their companions shooting the foremost of the thieves. Theproperty was saved and then all fell back to their own camp.
As the aboriginal horse thieves were so numerous, Fremont kept up anunremitting watch all through the night. Singular noises were continuallyheard and there could be no doubt that the women and children wereretreating further into the mountains.
One of the Delawares on guard was sure he saw an Indian leap over alog, and firing quickly, brought him to the ground; but it proved to be aprowling wolf. None of their enemies appeared, and when morning came,Fremont withdrew from his perilous position.
Sutter's Fort at last was safely reached, and the other party havingbecome lost, Carson was sent to find them. He succeeded with littledifficulty and the companies reunited.
Their course was now directed toward Monterey on the sea coast, wherethey were confident of securing all they needed, but before reaching theplace, a messenger arrived from General Castro, the Mexican commander ofthe territory, ordering the Americans to leave at once or they would bedriven out.
Fremont immediately intrenched himself and waited for the Mexicans tocarry out their threat. He waited three days, and then, as no attempt wasmade, withdrew to the Sacramento, which stream was followed to Lawson'sTrading Post, where the commander hoped to purchase the outfit for thejourney homeward.
Moving northward toward the Columbia, they encountered an enormousforce of marauding Indians with whom a fierce battle was fought. Thesavages were defeated and lost a large number of warriors.
While encamped near Klamath Lake, two horsemen galloped up withdespatches to Fremont from Washington, forwarded by Lieutenant Gillespie,of the United States Marines. This officer was making his way through theIndian country with six men as an escort, when his animals began tosuccumb. Fearing he would not be able to intercept the Captain, theLieutenant selected two of his best men and sent them ahead with thedespatches. He begged Fremont to forward him assistance, as he doubtedhis ability to reach him without such help.
But the most startling news brought to camp was that war had beendeclared between the United States and Mexico. When Fremont had read hisdespatches from his Government, he appreciated the imminent danger inwhich the Lieutenant was placed, and, without any tarrying, perfectedmeasures for his rescue.
He immediately selected ten of his men, Carson, as a matter of coursebeing among them, and pushed on with all haste, leaving directions forthe rest to follow as rapidly as they could.
Fremont and his little company had journeyed something over fiftymiles when they met the officer and his companions. The meeting was ofthe happiest nature, for the Lieutenant, in fact, was in greater dangerthan he suspected, the Indians around him being among the mosttreacherous of their race.
Those who have been placed in a situation resembling in a slightdegree that of Fremont, can appreciate the interest with which he perusedthe letters and papers from his distant home. After the parties had goneinto camp, the Captain sat up till after midnight reading by the light ofthe camp fire. Tired out at last, he stretched out with his blanket abouthim and sank soon into heavy slumber.
The night was cold, and Carson and Owens, with their saddle blanketswrapped around them, lay down close to the fire. All at once Carson hearda peculiar noise, as though some one had struck a quick blow with an axe.Wondering what it could mean, he called to one of the mountaineers.
“What's the matter over there?”
There was no answer, for the head of the poor fellow had been cleft byan axe in the hands of one of the Klamath Indians who had crept intocamp. A Delaware had already been killed by the treacherous redskins,that night being the second among all those spent in the west, when theexplorers had no sentinel on duty.
Carson and Owens called out “Indians!” and springing totheir feet, hurried away from the fire whose strong light was sure totempt the aim of their enemies.
One of the other Delawares who leaped to his feet snatched up thenearest rifle which unfortunately was not his own, and was unloaded.Unaware of the fact, he tried to fire it over again and again, withoutsuspecting the cause, while a Klamath launched arrow after arrow into hisbody. The first penetrated his left breast and was fatal; but he bravelykept his feet trying to discharge the useless gun, until four othermissiles were also buried within a few inches of the first.
Kit Carson had been quick to detect the danger of the brave Delaware,and, in the hope of saving his life, he brought his unerring rifle to hisshoulder. Just as his finger pressed the trigger, he recollected thatthat, too, was unloaded.
By one of those singular fatalities which sometimes occur, Carson hadbroken the tube the night before, and left the weapon unloaded. Withouttrifling with it, he threw it down, drew his single barrelled pistol andran toward the Klamath, who was coolly launching his arrows into thebreast of the poor Delaware.
The Indian leaped from side to side, so as to distract the aim of hisenemies, and, instead of hitting him, Carson only cut the string whichheld a tomahawk to the warrior's arm. The mountaineer had no other shotat command, and Maxwell tried his hand, but in the uncertain light,inflicted only a slight wound. The Indian at that moment wheeled to run,when one of the whites shot him dead. By this time the alarm was generaland the assailants fled.
There was good reason to believe that the Klamath Indians had set thesnare for Lieutenant Gillespie and his escort. As it was, the wonder wasthat Fremont's command did not suffer to a greater extent; for having nosentinels on duty, the warriors might have perfected their schemes insecurity and killed a large number.
The Indian who drove five arrows into the left breast of the Delaware,three of which pierced his heart, was the leader of the attacking party.He had an English half axe slung to his wrist by a cord, and forty arrowswere left in his quiver. Carson pronounced them the most beautiful andwarlike missiles he had ever seen.
As may be supposed the explorers “slept on their arms” forthe rest of the night, but the assailants had fled.
They had killed three of the explorers, besides wounding another ofthe Delawares, who took characteristic revenge by scalping the leaderthat had been left where he fell. The dead were given the best burialpossible. As illustrating the ingratitude and perfidy of these red men,it may be stated that it was only a few days before that they had visitedFremont's camp, and, though provisions were very scarce, they had beengiven considerable food, besides tobacco and a number of presents.
Retaliatory Measures —Fremont's Return to California—Capture of Sonoma —Sutter's Fort Placed Under Military Rule—Monterey Taken by Commodore Sloat —Capture of Los Angeles byFremont and Commodore Stockton —Carson Sent East as a Bearer ofDespatches —The Meeting with Apaches —General Kearney—Bravery of the California Mexicans.
The indignation over the action of the Indians was so great thatretaliatory measures were determined upon. Fremont moved around LakeKlamath until nearly opposite where his command had been attacked. Thefollowing morning, Carson and ten men were sent forward to search for theIndian village that was believed to be somewhere in the neighborhood. Ifthe discovery could be made without detection on the part of the Indians,Carson was instructed to signal to Fremont who would hasten forward withreinforcements.
The mountaineer had not gone far, when he struck a broad, clear trail,which speedily carried him in sight of a village of some fifty lodges. Asit was evident that the Indians had detected their danger, Carson and hiscompanions made an impetuous attack before which the red men fled inwildest panic. A number were shot, when, finding pursuit useless, Carsonreturned to the village where all the lodges were destroyed.
Because of the war with Mexico, Fremont decided to return toCalifornia. On his way thither, the Tlamath Indians continually doggedthem and a number of collisions followed, though none was of particularmoment. After suffering many hardships, Lawson's Fort was reached andseveral days were spent in hunting, while Fremont awaited instructions asto the course he was to take in the war then going on between the UnitedStates and Mexico.
As the days went by without bringing him any despatches, he wearied ofinactivity and decided to assume the aggressive. Accordingly he sent aforce to a Mexican military post known as Sonoma, which with littletrouble was taken.
Fremont sent out a couple of messengers to inform the Americansettlers of what had taken place, but the messengers fell into the handsof General Castro who put both to death.
General Castro sent one of his captains, with quite a force to destroythe Americans, but the officer changed his mind when he found himself inthe neighborhood of the detested invaders. Fremont pursued him for nearlya week, and captured much of his stock and property, but the Mexican wasso skilful in retreating that he could not be brought to bay and Fremontreturned to Sonoma.
The little force under Fremont now became the rallying point for theAmerican settlers, and before long the Captain had several hundred underhis command. Leaving a garrison at Sonoma, he marched to Sutter's Fort,which was placed under military rule, and then made his way towardMonterey with the purpose of capturing that town. On his arrival,however, he found the place had already been taken by Commodore Sloat andthe American squadron. The Commodore leaving shortly after, CommodoreStockton succeeded him.
While at Sonoma, Fremont and his comrades had declared theindependence of California and adopted the Bear Flag, which was profferedto Commodore Sloat and the Star Spangled Banner hoisted over thecamp.
As the Mexican General, Castro, was known to be at Los Angeles,Fremont asked for and obtained a ship on which his force was taken to SanDiego. Then with a much inferior force, he set out to give battle to theMexican leader; but the latter no sooner learned of his coming, than hefled with all his men. Finding it impossible to force him to give battle,Fremont encamped near the town, where he waited until joined by CommodoreStockton and a company of marines.
The junction effected, they marched upon Los Angeles which immediatelyfell into their hands. Long before this, Fremont had become impressedwith the necessity of having some communication with Washington. In onesense it may be said he was all at sea, for he was without positiveinstructions, at a critical period, when it was most important that hisline of policy should be clearly defined by his government.
But the matter of communicating with headquarters, thousands of milesaway, was infinitely more difficult and serious than it is today. A vast,wild, perilous and almost unknown tract stretched between the Pacific andAtlantic, across which it required weeks and sometimes months for anexpress rider to make his way. To send despatches around Cape Horn took amuch longer time; but the necessity was so urgent that Fremont sentCarson with fifteen picked men across the plains, instructing him tocomplete the journey if possible in sixty days.
Carson started in the middle of September, 1846, and by the exerciseof his consummate skill he passed rapidly through a most dangeroussection without running into any special danger until the third day.Then, when in the neighborhood of the copper mines of New Mexico, hesuddenly came upon an encampment of Apaches, one of the most hostiletribes and the most daring of fighters in the whole southwest.
This was another of those critical occasions where Carson's wonderfulquickness of mind enabled him to make the right decision without asecond's delay. He understood the language, customs and peculiarities ofthe people, and he knew them to be splendid riders and tiger-likewarriors. The least evidence of timidity would invite an overwhelmingattack: a bold front and what may be called indomitable“cheek” were all that was likely to take them through.
Telling his men to halt, Carson galloped forward until within a fewrods of the warriors, when he reined up and called out that he wished tohold a parley with them. Thereupon, a number advanced to hear what he hadto say. The mountaineer stated that he and his friends were simplytravellers through the Apache country; while they were prepared for war,they desired peace, and as their animals were tired out they wished toexchange them for fresh ones. The Apaches expressed themselves satisfiedwith the proposal, and Carson carefully chose a camping site, where theycould best protect themselves against treachery. Then the exchange wasmade, both parties being so well satisfied that they parted with manyexpressions of good will.
It was impossible to carry any extended stock of provisions, the partydepending upon their rifles to supply their needs in that direction; butgame proved to be very scarce and they suffered much until they reachedthe first Mexican settlement. Although those people were at war with theUnited States, their friendship for Carson led them to supply abundantlyall the wants of himself and friends.
With unremitting diligence and skill, the party pushed on day afterday until the sixth of October, when, as they were riding across atreeless prairie, several moving specks were observed in the far horizon.As they came closer, they resolved themselves into horsemen, and, with adelight which may be imagined, Carson speedily observed that they were adetachment of United States troops under the command of General S. W.Kearney, who was highly pleased to meet Carson.
The detachment was a strong one and was on its way to operate inCalifornia. After that officer had obtained all the important news Carsonhad to give, he decided to send the despatches to Washington by another,while he employed the mountaineer to guide him back.
This delicate duty was executed with such admirable skill that GeneralKearney commended Carson in the highest terms. So rapidly did they movethat California was entered early in December, and they were approachingSan Diego, when the scouts brought news that a large party of Mexicanswere intrenched a short distance ahead with the intention of disputingtheir advance. Fifteen men under Carson were sent forward to drive in theoutposts and capture such loose animals as could be found.
A fierce fight followed, the Mexicans showing far more daring andskill than was expected. General Kearney was compelled to send twocompanies of dragoons and twenty-five California volunteers to charge theenemy. Carson was in the front column, and was riding at high speed, whenhis horse stumbled, throwing him so violently as to shatter the stock ofhis gun. He lay partly stunned but speedily recovering, he caught up therifle of a dead dragoon and rushed into the fight. Though the Mexicanswere finally driven out, they inflicted frightful loss on the Americans.Nearly every man who was in the front column, where Carson was ridingwhen his horse threw him, was killed by the deadly bullets of theenemy.
The Mexicans soon rallied and attacked the Americans with suchfierceness that the advance guard was driven back and forced to act onthe defensive. No soldiers could have fought with greater gallantry thandid the assailants. Before the two mountain howitzers could beunlimbered, almost every man around them was shot down. Then the Mexicanscharged forward, lassoed the horses, captured one of the guns and turnedit on the Americans. From some cause or other it could not be discharged.Finally, the Americans took refuge among the rocks, where they weresurrounded by three or four times their number, seemingly with the choiceof two courses before them —to surrender or starve to death.
Daring Exploit of Kit Carson and Lieutenant Beale —GeneralKearney Saved.
The situation of General Kearney and his men could not have been moredesperate. The only subsistence they had were their mules, and the waterwas insufficient to meet their wants. They were completely surrounded bythe brave California Mexicans. They might exist for a time on the bodiesof their animals, but they must perish without water.
General Kearney called his friends together during the afternoon toconsult as to whether any possible means of escape was before them. Hecould see none. He had sent three scouts to Commodore Stockton at SanDiego, asking for immediate help, but the three were captured by theMexicans on their return. Kearney had succeeded in exchanging a Mexicanlieutenant, whom he held prisoner, for one of the scouts, but nothing wasgained thereby. The messenger reported that they had been unable to reachSan Diego, and Commodore Stockton, therefore, was in ignorance of theperil of his countrymen not far distant.
When every one expressed himself as unable to see the first ray ofhope, Carson in his deliberate, modest way said that it was clear only asingle possibility remained —that was by procuring relief fromCommodore Stockton at San Diego. Though the other scouts had failed toreach him, Carson expressed his belief that he could succeed. At anyrate, he desired to make the attempt to pass the Mexican lines.
Lieutenant Beale, since Minister to Austria, and favorably knownthroughout the country, immediately seconded the proposition,volunteering to accompany Carson. General Kearney gladly and gratefullyaccepted the offer, and the arrangements were instantly made. Thesearrangements were of the simplest nature. The beleaguered Americans weresurrounded by three cordons of sentinels, and it was necessary for Carsonand Beale to make their way past them in order to reach San Diego.
When night was fully descended, the two left the rocks and approachingthe first line, sank upon their hands and knees, and crawled forward withthe silence and stealth of Indian scouts. Despite the utmost care, theirshoes made a slight noise now and then, and to avoid it, they took themoff and shoved them in their belts.
The exploit of Lieutenant Beale and Kit Carson was a most remarkableone in every respect. Frequently through the gloom they would catch thefaint outlines of a sentinel, pacing back and forth. Instantly the twowould lie flat on their faces until the man moved away, when the painfulprogress would be resumed.
The slightest forgetfulness was certain to prove fatal, for theMexicans, knowing the desperate straits of the Americans, must have beenexpecting some such attempt and were therefore more than usuallywatchful.
Once a mounted Mexican rode close to the prostrate figures, sprang offhis horse and lit his cigarette. He was so close that the tiny flameshowed his nose and features, as it was held in front of his face, whilelighting the twist of tobacco. During that most trying moment, as KitCarson afterwards declared, he distinctly heard the beating of LieutenantBeale's heart.
There seemed no escape but finally the horseman drove away and thepainful progress was continued for fully two miles, during which both menwere constantly peering through the darkness for signs of danger. Againand again they were compelled to halt, and lying flat on their faces,wait till their fate was determined.
“We are through,” whispered Carson at last, whenconsiderable distance beyond the last row of sentinels.
“Thank heaven!” exclaimed Lieutenant Beale in the sameguarded voice.
“Now we'll put on our shoes and travel as fast as we know how toSan Diego —”
The mountaineer paused in dismay, for, while creeping over the plain,he had lost both his shoes that were thrust in his belt. The Lieutenanthad been equally unfortunate, and, as it was utterly out of their powerto recover them, they could only push on barefooted, over a soil thatabounded with thorns and prickly pears. As these could not be seen in thedarkness, their feet were soon wounded to a distressing degree. It wasnecessary to avoid the well beaten trails, so that the route was not onlymade longer, but much more difficult on account of the obstaclesnamed.
Yet they were working for a great stake. The lives of General Kearneyand his brave men were in the balance. If Carson and Beale failed tobring help right speedily, they were doomed.
All night long, through the succeeding day and far into the followingnight, the couple, worn, wearied and with bleeding feet, pushed ahead.When exhausted, they would halt for a brief while, but the thought oftheir imperilled comrades, and the fear that some of the Mexicans werepursuing them, speedily started them off again and they kept to theirwork with a grim resolution which heeded not fatigue, suffering andwounds.
The only compass Carson had was his eye, but he was so familiar withthe country that he never lost himself. The weary men were still trudgingforward, when through the darkness ahead suddenly flashed out a star-likepoint of light. Several others appeared and a minute after they dottedthe background of gloom like a constellation.
“That's San Diego!” exclaimed Carson, who could not bemistaken. The couple could scarcely restrain their joy. New life andactivity thrilled their bodies, and they hurried on with the same elasticeagerness they felt at the beginning.
In a short while they were challenged by sentinels, and making knowntheir mission, were taken before Commodore Stockton. That officer, withhis usual promptness, sent a force of nearly two hundred men to therelief of General Kearney. They took with them a piece of ordnance whichfor want of horses the men themselves were forced to draw.
They advanced by forced marches to the endangered Americans, scarcelypausing night or day, until in sight of the Mexicans, who consideringdiscretion the better part of valor, withdrew without exchanging a shotwith the naval brigade.
As may be supposed, the feet of Carson and Beale were in a frightfulcondition, when they reached San Diego. The mountaineer, on that account,did not return with the reinforcements, but he described the course andlocation so minutely that no difficulty was experienced by the relievingforce.
Lieutenant Beale was a man of sturdy frame, accustomed to roughing iton the frontier, but the sufferings he underwent on that eventful nightwere such that he felt the effects for years afterward.
Capture of Los Angeles —Court Martial of Fremont —CarsonAppointed a Bearer of Dispatches to Washington —His Journey to St.Louis —Visits Washington —Appointed Lieutenant by PresidentPolk —Ordered Back Across the Continent —His Journey —Assigned to Duty at Tajon Pass —Again Ordered to Washington —His Appointment not Confirmed by the United States Senate —Visit toWashington —Return to New Mexico.
The chief force of the Mexicans was at Los Angeles over a hundredmiles to the north of San Diego. They numbered six or seven hundred andwere strongly intrenched. General Kearney and Commodore Stockton joinedtheir commands and marched to attack them. Arriving in front of the town,they scattered the Mexicans intrenched on the outside, and then marchedinto the place. But the enemy had fled and gone northward to meet Fremontwho was on his way from Monterey with four hundred men to attack LosAngeles.
The Mexicans had not long to search when they found Fremont, but,instead of giving him battle, their commander surrendered, possiblypreferring to give him the honor, instead of selecting the othercommanders. Fremont continued his march to Los Angeles, where they wentinto winter quarters, and Carson, who had been devoting his valuableservices to General Kearney, now rejoined his old friend, Fremont.
It may be stated in this place that the jealousy between CommodoreStockton and General Kearney assumed such a shape at that time thatFremont was compelled to acknowledge either one or the other as hissuperior officer. He selected Commodore Stockton as the one to whom heowed superior allegiance. The result of the petty quarrel was the trialof Fremont by court martial, the particulars of which are too well knownto require further reference at our hands.
In the following March, Kit Carson was selected to carry despatches toWashington. Lieutenant Beale, who was still suffering from the exposureand hardships he had undergone, accompanied him, together with a guard ofa dozen veteran mountaineers. Lieutenant Beale was so weak that Carsonfor many days was obliged to lift him on and off his horse; but the clearair, the healthful exercise and the cheery companionship of the hardyscout were the best tonics in the world, and probably did the invalidmore good than any other treatment that could have been devised.
Carson took an extremely southern route, and his superior skill andknowledge of the country and its inhabitants enabled him to avoid alldanger until he reached a tributary of the lower Colorado. While in campat midnight, they were assailed with a shower of arrows from a party ofIndians; but, as Carson expected the attack, he had made suchpreparations that not one of his men were injured.
Without any other incident worth the mention, Carson and his escortreached St. Louis. There the renowned mountaineer became the hero of thehour. He was taken at once to the home of Hon. Thomas H. Benton, thedistinguished statesman and the father in law of Colonel Fremont, whointroduced him to the leading Citizens.
The first person to greet Carson when he stepped from the cars inWashington was Mrs. Fremont, who recognized him from the descriptiongiven by her husband in his letters. She compelled him to accompany herto the house of her father, where he remained an honored guest during hisstay in Washington, which was for a considerable time.
Among the compliments paid Carson while in the capital was that of hisappointment by President Polk, as lieutenant in the rifle corps of theUnited States army, and he was ordered to return across the continentwith despatches. At Fort Leavenworth, Carson was furnished with an escortof fifty men who were volunteers in the war against Mexico.
The journey westward was marked by no stirring incident until hereached the eastern declivity of the Rocky Mountains, where a company ofUnited States Volunteers were overtaken. They had in charge an enormoustrain of wagons on the way to New Mexico. On the morning after theencampment of Carson near them, the Indians made an attack upon thevolunteers, capturing all their cattle and more than twenty horses. Themountaineer and his men dashed to the rescue, recaptured all the cattle,but were unable to retake the horses.
Shortly after, Carson and his company reached Santa Fe. There heparted from the volunteers and hired sixteen others with which hecontinued the journey, thereby obeying the instructions received at FortLeavenworth.
Pursuing the even tenor of his way, he arrived at a tributary of theVirgin River, when he abruptly came upon an encampment of several hundredComanches, who, as Carson happened to know, had massacred a number ofsettlers only a short time before. Understanding as thoroughly as he didthe treacherous nature of these people, he made a bold front, and, whenthey attempted to visit his camp, peremptorily ordered them to keepaway.
He added that he knew all about them, and the first one who movedcloser would be shot. Furthermore, if they did not depart, within aspecified time, he notified them that they would be fired upon. Thesewere such audacious words that the Comanches doubted their sincerity. Totest it, some of them overstayed their time. Not wishing to break hispledge, Carson ordered his men to fire, One of the warriors fell, whileseveral others, who were badly wounded, came to the conclusion that whenthe great mountaineer made a statement there was likely to beconsiderable truth in it.
Food soon became so scarce that mule meat formed the only diet untilthey reached Los Angeles. Carson pushed on to Monterey where he deliveredthe despatches to the proper officer, and then returning to Los Angeleshe was assigned to duty in Captain Smith's Company of United Statesdragoons. He was given command of twenty-five dragoons and directed toproceed to Tajon Pass, through which marauding Indians were accustomed topass when returning from their raids in California. It was an importantpoint, and the winter of 1847-48 was spent in the performance of theduties thus placed upon him. In the spring, he was once more ordered tocarry despatches to Washington, an escort being furnished him as in theprevious instance.
In crossing Grand River, one of the rafts became unmanageable, upset,losing considerable valuable property and endangering the lives of anumber of the company. A large force of Utah and Apache Indians wereencountered, but Carson managed them with the same skill he had shownthem so many times before.
On arriving at Taos, he spent several days with his family andfriends, after which he proceeded to Santa Fe. There he learned that theUnited States Senate had refused to confirm his nomination as lieutenantin the army. Many of his friends were so angered over this slight thatthey urged him to refuse to carry the despatches further; but his reply,as given by Dr. Peters, is so admirable that we quote it:
“I was entrusted with these despatches, having been chosen inCalifornia, from whence I come, as the most competent person to take themthrough safely. I would try to fulfill this duty even if I knew it wouldcost me my life. It matters not to me, while I am performing this servicefor my country, whether I hold the rank of lieutenant in the UnitedStates Army or am known merely as an experienced mountaineer. I havegained some little honor and credit for the manner in which I have alwaysconducted myself when detailed on any special and important business, andI would on no account now wish to forfeit the good opinion formed of meby a majority of my countrymen because the United States Senate did notdeem it proper to confer on me an appointment which I never solicited,and one which, had it been confirmed, I would have resigned at thetermination of the war.”
Having determined to perform his duty, he made careful inquiries as tothe state of feeling among the Indians through whose country the trailled. The reports were of the most alarming character: the Comanches wereon the war path with a vengeance. They were swarming all along the oldSanta Fe Trail, on the watch for parties whom they could overwhelm anddestroy.
Such being the case, Carson resorted to the bold artifice of making atrail of his own. He reduced his escort to ten experienced mountaineersand then struck out upon his new route. He rode northward from Taos untilwithin a region rarely visited by hostiles, when he changed his course bythe compass several times. By this means, he reached Fort Kearney on thePlatte and finally arrived at Fort Leavenworth. Not only had he avoidedall trouble with Indians, but by following the new route, had foundabundance of game so that the entire trip was but little more than apleasure excursion.
All danger was over at Fort Leavenworth, where he parted from hisescort and went alone to Washington. Previous to this, the war withMexico had ended, the treaty of peace having been signed February 2,1848, and proclaimed on the 4th of July following.
Carson tarried in Washington only long enough to deliver hisdespatches to the proper authorities, when he turned about and made hisway to Taos, New Mexico, where he joined once more his family andfriends.
Hostility of the Apaches —Colonel Beale Sends an ExpeditionAgainst Them —Nothing Accomplished —Colonel Beale Leads anExpedition with Carson as Guide —Capture and Release of Two Chiefs—March to the Arkansas —Another Failure —Carson andMaxwell Build a Ranche —Fremont's Fourth Expedition —TheMurderous Apaches — A Fruitless Pursuit.
Kit Carson was one of those whose destiny seems to be that of stirringincident and adventure. No man possessed such an intimate knowledge ofthe manners, customs and peculiarities of the tribes in the southwest,and with his exceptional woodcraft, skill and high courage his serviceswere always indispensable.
While he was at Taos, the Indians around him were restless until thewhole country was seething and on the verge of a general revolt. ColonelBeale, commanding officer of the district, had established hisheadquarters at Taos. The Apaches committed so many outrages that hebelieved the only course open was to administer a thorough chastisement;but it was tenfold easier to reach such a conclusion than it was to carryit out. A strong force having been despatched to bring them to account,pursued them to the mountains from which they were compelled to returnwithout accomplishing anything at all. The subsequent history of theseApaches and of General Crook's campaign against them are familiar enoughto all to justify the declaration that they have proven themselves thebravest and most formidable tribe that has defied the United Statesgovernment during the past half century.
Disappointed that the officer whom he sent failed to do anything,Colonel Beale took command himself and employed Kit Carson as guide.Instead of stopping in the mountains because they were blocked with snow,as the former expedition had done, Colonel Beale forced his way withgreat difficulty through them. The search for the Indians was long butfruitless. The cunning red skins were at home in their fastnesses and nota solitary warrior was bagged.
As the supply of provisions was running low, Colonel Beale was forcedto return and retrace his steps. On their return, they came upon avillage of Apaches into which the soldiers charged; but the nimblewarriors easily got away, with the exception of a couple of chiefs whofell into the hands of the Americans. Hoping to rouse the chivalry andgratitude of their nature, Colonel Beale lectured them kindly and aftertheir promise to behave themselves, allowed them to depart. As soon asthey were beyond rifle shot, they must have grinned with exultation, forit was not their nature to repay kindness with anything but cruelty.
As Colonel Beale could not accomplish anything during the wintermonths, he returned to Taos, where he remained until February, when,learning that a large force of Indians were congregated on the Arkansas,with a number of Mexican captives, he went thither intending to retakethem by force, if they could not be secured by peaceable means. He hadtwo companies of dragoons, and as before, engaged Carson as guide.
When he reached the Arkansas, he found himself confronted by twothousand Indians who had gathered to meet their agent and probably toconsult as to their future movements. The agent was present and was a manof practical sense and experience. He told Colonel Beale that it wouldnever do to demand the prisoners, for the Indians were in ugly temper andif aroused, would massacre the whole command. Colonel Beale himself wasresentful, and very much disposed to give the red men battle, but hesuffered himself to be dissuaded from carrying out his originalpurpose.
When Carson returned once more to Taos, he reflected that he wasapproaching middle life, and as he now had quite a family, he was anxiousto provide something for them. Though he had rendered services beyondvalue to the United States government, and to different individuals, hehad not received enough compensation to place them above want should hebecome disabled. About this time, his old friend, Maxwell, proposed thatthey should build a ranch in a beautiful valley some distance north ofTaos. The site was a most charming one, though it was so much exposed tothe attack of Indians that until then no one had dared to settlethere.
Handsome, roomy and substantial structures were erected, and many ofthe most enjoyable days of their lives were spent on this famous ranche.It would be a pleasant farewell to leave them there to end their days incomfort and peace, but it was to be far otherwise with both andespecially with Carson.
In 1848-49, Colonel Fremont made a fourth exploring expedition acrossthe continent, he bearing all the expense, as he did in the case of hisfifth expedition made in 1853. The fourth was an appalling failure,marked by an extremity of suffering that is incredible. The guideemployed was wholly ignorant and the command became entangled among thesnows of the mountains, where some of them lived not only on mules but oneach other. The strongest lay down and died, and the horrible features ofFremont's fourth expedition were only approached by that of LieutenantStrain on the Isthmus of Darien. When the few ghastly survivors staggeredout of the mountains they tottered to Carson's ranche, where theyreceived the kindest treatment from him who had served Fremont sofaithfully on his former expeditions.
Carson had been on his ranche but a short time, when news reached himof a most atrocious murder by the Apaches. A wealthy merchant wasreturning in his private carriage with his wife and child from the UnitedStates to Santa Fe. He was accompanied by a small escort and the wagontrain carrying his goods. When he believed all danger past, he hurriedforward with his family, who were becoming tired of the journey.
At a point where there was no suspicion of danger, the Apaches firedupon the carriage, killing every one who accompanied it, including themerchant himself. The wife and child were made prisoners and carriedaway. Shortly after the little one was tomahawked and thrown into theriver.
When news of the outrage reached New Mexico, a party was hastilyorganized and started out in the hope of saving the woman and punishingthe wretches who had committed the murders. When Carson learned of whatwas contemplated, he offered his services. They were accepted, but muchto the surprise of his friends, he was given an inferior position. It wascharacteristic of the splendid scout that he did not show by word or lookthat he felt the slightest resentment on account of the slight.
With a less skilful leader than himself, Carson galloped with thecompany to the scene of the murder. The sight was frightfully suggestive:pieces of harness, band boxes, trunks, strips of blood stained clothing,and fragments of the carriage attested the untamable ferocity of theApaches who had swooped down on the doomed party like a cyclone.
From that point the trail was taken and the infuriated mountaineersurged their steeds to the utmost, knowing the value of every hour andthat in the case of a fight with the Indians a surprise is half thebattle.
Day after day the pursuit was maintained until nearly two weeks hadgone by, before the first glimpse of a warrior was obtained. The trailwas one of the worst imaginable, and, had the pursuers been less skilful,they would have been baffled almost from the first. At certain points,the Apaches would break up into parties of two or three that would takedifferent routes, reuniting at some place many miles beyond where waterwas known to be. This was done repeatedly, with a view of disconcertingany avengers who might take their trail, and it is a tribute to theability of the mountaineers that the cunning artifice failed, so far asthey were concerned, of its purpose.
At last the Apaches were descried in the distance. Carson was thefirst to discover them, he being some distance in advance. Knowing hownecessary it was to surprise them he shouted to his companions to chargeat once. Not doubting he would be followed, he dashed ahead with hishorse on a dead run, but looking over his shoulder when he had gone partway, he saw to his consternation he was alone.
Angered and impatient, he rode back to learn what it meant. The chiefguide had directed the men to wait as there was no doubt the Apachesdesired to hold a parley. It meant the next moment in the shape of abullet from the Indians which struck the leader in the breast andrendered him senseless. As soon as he recovered, he ordered his men tomake the attack and leave him to himself.
He was obeyed, but the delay was fatal. On charging into the camp theywere able to kill only one warrior. The body of the woman was found stillwarm, showing that she had been slain only a brief while before.
All those acquainted with the particulars of this sad affair agreedthat had the advice of Carson been followed the poor lady might have beensaved.
The Wounded Herder —A Successful Pursuit —An AtrociousPlot —How it was Frustrated —Gratitude of the Gentlemen WhomCarson was the Means of Saving From Death.
Carson returned to his ranche where he spent the winter. One day inspring a wounded herder managed to reach the place with the news that heand his companion, stationed a few miles away, had been attacked byApaches, who wounded both, and ran off all the horses and mules.
A squad of ten dragoons and a sergeant were on guard near Carson'sranche. They and three settlers, including Carson, started at once inpursuit. It was so late in the day that when they came to the place wherethe outrage had been committed, it was dark and they went into camp; butthey were astir at the earliest dawn, and soon striking the trail of thethieves, put their animals to a keen gallop. Some twenty miles further,the Apaches were described a long distance away. As it was upon the openprairie the contest at once resolved itself into an open chase.
It was no time to spare the animals, whose rapid gait was increaseduntil it became a killing pace. The pursuers were steadily gaining, whenfour of their horses succumbed and their riders, much to their chagrin,were shut out from the impending fray. The others had no time to stop:they could simply shout goodbye to them and spur their steeds to greaterexertions. Fortunately the pursuers were better mounted than thefugitives who numbered a full score. With a bravery characteristic oftheir tribe, they clung to their stolen property, preferring to beovertaken and forced into a fight rather than abandon it.
As soon as the parties were within rifle range, the battle began andbecame of the most exciting character. The Apaches were splendid horsemenand displayed great skill. They threw themselves on the far side of theirsteeds, firing from under the neck, and keeping their bodies so wellconcealed that it was a difficult task to bring them down.
But the white men were accustomed to that sort of work, and theApaches learned a lesson they never forgot. Five of their best warriorswere killed, several badly wounded and nearly all the animals recaptured.Kit Carson directed every movement of his men and to that fact theirgreat success was due.
The mountaineer was favored with prosperous times on his ranche. Heand a companion drove fifty head of mules and horses to Fort Laramie,where they were disposed of at a liberal profit. The round journey of athousand miles was attended with much danger, but it was accomplishedwithout mishap.
He reached home just in time to learn that the Apaches had visited thelittle settlement and run off all the animals. But as enough soldierswere within call, a pursuit was soon organized and very nearly all thestock was recovered.
Some months later an officer of the United States Army in Taos learnedof a most atrocious plot that was on foot. Two wealthy gentlemen,travelling leisurely through that section of the country, had engaged anAmerican named Fox to hire enough men to escort them across the plains.This Fox was one of the most conscienceless wretches and desperadoes thatever lived. He formed a scheme to murder the two gentlemen at a certainpoint on the plains and to divide their money among him and hiscompanions. Those whom he secured were taken into his confidence andagreed to the crime before hand.
Among those to whom he applied was a miscreant in Taos, who, for somereason, refused to go with him. However, he kept the secret until surethe entire party were so far out on the plains that nothing could preventthe perpetration of the crime. He then told it to several associates, oneof whom made it known to the officer of whom we have spoken.
This gentleman was horrified, and uncertain what could be done, ifindeed he could do anything, hastened to Kit Carson, to whom he madeknown the story. The mountaineer listened eagerly, and, as soon as hegrasped the whole plot, declared there was reason to believe it was nottoo late to frustrate it. With that wonderful intuition which was such amarked characteristic of his nature, he fixed upon the very place whereit had been decided the crime was to be committed. Knowing the entireroute, it was easy to determine the spot most likely to be selected,which was more than two hundred miles distant. Instead, therefore, offollowing the trail, he struck directly across the open prairie by themost direct course to his destination.
Ten finely mounted dragoons accompanied, all ready for any deed ofdaring. The route led through a country where the Indians were veryhostile, but they were avoided with little difficulty. The second nightout, they came upon the encampment of a detachment of United Statestroops, whose captain volunteered to take twenty of his soldiers and helpbring the desperadoes to justice.
The expedition was a complete success. They overtook the party at thevery spot fixed upon, and Fox was arrested before he suspected thebusiness of the strangers in camp. When the overthrow of the wretches wascomplete, the gentlemen were told the story. They were speechless for amoment and could not believe it; but the proof was complete, and theyturned pale at the thought of the fate they had escaped.
Their gratitude was unbounded. Taking the hand of Carson they beggedhim to name some reward he would accept, but the mountaineer shook hishead.
“I am more than repaid in being able to help frustrate such acrime as was contemplated; I cannot think of accepting anything of thekind you name.”
The gentlemen, however, could not forget that under heaven, they owedtheir lives to Kit Carson. The following spring a couple of splendidrevolvers arrived at the mountaineer's ranche addressed to him.Beautifully engraved on them were a few sentences expressive of thefeelings of the donors and the special occasion which called forth thegift.
It is easy to understand how much more acceptable such anacknowledgement was to Kit Carson than any sum of money could havebeen.
Fox was lodged in jail, but though there was no doubt of his guilt inthe minds of every one, yet the meditated crime was so difficult toestablish that ultimately he was set free.
Carson Visits St. Louis on Business —Encounter with Cheyenne onhis Return —His Sagacity Does not Fail Him —Carson's LastBeaver Expedition —His California Speculation.
Maxwell, the mountaineer and intimate friend of Carson, was quitewealthy and was of great assistance in several schemes which theyundertook in partnership. One of their enterprises was that of sending atrain of wagons belonging to the two to the States. Carson took charge,and, jogging along at a comfortable rate, they reached in due time theMissouri, where he went by steamboat to St. Louis. There he purchased alarge amount of merchandise which was taken up stream on the boat,transferred to his wagon train, and the faces of all were then turnedtoward New Mexico.
Everything went well until they approached the fording of theArkansas, when they came upon a large village of Cheyenne Indians.Unfortunately some days before, a company of recruits had shown suchcruelty toward several warriors belonging to that tribe, that they wereroused to the highest point of fury, and were only waiting an opportunityto visit punishment on the first whites that came in their way.
Carson knew nothing of the occurrence nor did he know of the bitterhostility of the Cheyennes, but when they went into council, and heoverheard some expressions, he saw that something was wrong. He warnedhis men to be ready for instant attack, never permitting the Indians tocatch them off their guard for a single moment.
The warriors fell behind, but after awhile, a number rode up onhorseback. They were in their war paint and there could be no doubt oftheir hostility. Carson spoke in a conciliating manner and invited theminto his camp to have a smoke and talk. The invitation was accepted. Thehypocritical ceremony continued some time, when the warriors begantalking among themselves.
They spoke in Sioux at first, their purpose being to lay the impendingmassacre against those people, but in their excitement, they dropped backto their own tongue and the whole appalling truth became speedily knownto Carson and through him to his companions.
He sat on the ground with the furious warriors, and heard them agreethat at the moment the leader (as they recognized Carson to be), laiddown his arms to take the pipe in his mouth, they would leap upon andkill him. They would then massacre all the rest. Inasmuch as they werepowerful enough to carry out this diabolical plan, it will be admittedthat Carson's nerves were pretty thoroughly tested, when the pipe passingfrom one to the other was within a few minutes of reaching him.
Most of the men with the mountaineer were Mexicans, very deficient incourage and in a hand to hand encounter, the Cheyennes could overcome theparty in the space of a few minutes.
It was in such crises as these that the remarkable fertility ofresources possessed by Kit Carson displayed themselves. He seemed toperceive by intuition the wisest course to adopt and that perception cameto him the instant the demand for it appeared.
Rising to his feet and grasping his weapons, he strode to the middleof the group and astounded them by beginning his address in their nativetongue. He reminded them that that was proof he comprehended every worduttered by them. He spoke as if grieved by their course, for he insistedhe had never wronged any one of their tribe, but on the contrary had beentheir friend. He then commanded them to leave the camp without delay orthey would be riddled with bullets.
Carson's blue eyes flashed and his face was like a thunder cloud. Itwas the Cheyennes who were surprised and they could but obey orders,though from their manner, it was clear the trouble was not yet ended.They withdrew and went into council, while Carson and his friends pushedrapidly forward.
The peril in which this little command was placed could not beoverestimated. There were not twenty men all told and except two orthree, were Mexicans who in no respect were the superiors if indeed theywere the equals of the Cheyennes. Had Carson been absent a score ofwarriors could have charged into camp and slain every one. Instead of ascore there were several hundred of them: if they chose to make theattack he knew there was no escape.
The horses, therefore, were lashed to do their utmost. The trainpushed forward with all speed, while the apprehensive leader continuallyglanced back over the prairie, almost certain of seeing the Cheyennesgalloping toward them. When night came, there was little sleep in camp.Nearly every one stood on guard, but the night and the following daypassed without molestation.
Convinced beyond question that the attack would be made unless someextraordinary means was taken to avert it, Carson took one of thefleetest footed Mexican boys outside the camp, and, pointing in thedirection of the ranche of himself and Maxwell, nearly three hundredmiles away, told him he must make all speed thither, and tell thesoldiers that unless they hurried to his help he and all his companionswere doomed to certain death at the hands of an overwhelming war party ofCheyennes. Everything depended on the quickness with which the Mexicanyouth brought assistance. The latter being promised a liberal reward,bounded away with the fleetness of a deer, and quickly vanished in thegloom. He went on foot because he could travel faster and last longerthan could any animal in camp that he might ride.
Carson went back to his friends and kept watch until morning. As soonas it came to light, the animals were hitched to the wagons and urgedforward again to the fullest extent of their ability.
Some hours later, several Cheyenne horsemen were seen riding rapidlytoward them. When a hundred yards distant, Carson compelled them to halt.Then he allowed them to come closer and told them he had lost patiencewith their annoyances, and the night before had sent an express to Rayado(where his ranche was built), asking the troops to see that thepersecution was stopped. Should it so happen that the soldiers came andfound the party massacred, they would take the trail of the Cheyennes andpunish them for what they had done.
The cunning Indians, before accepting the statement of the leader,said they would examine the prairie for the trail of the messenger.Carson assisted them in the search, and it did not take long to find themoccasin tracks. A brief scrutiny also satisfied the warriors he hadstarted so many hours before, that it was useless to try to overtakehim.
The result was the attack and massacre were not made, and, though theassistance which was asked was sent, yet it was not needed. One of thetwo experienced mountaineers with Carson on that eventful journey,declared afterward, that had any other living man than he been at thehead of the party not one would have escaped. The achievement certainlyranks among the most extraordinary of the many performed by a mostextraordinary man.
It would be thought that after such an experience, Carson would becontent to settle down and give his entire attention to his ranche. Whileit cannot be said that he neglected his duties as a farmer, yet he lovedthe mountains and prairies too well ever to abandon them altogether.
He and Maxwell, his old friend, determined on having one more oldfashioned beaver hunt, such as they were accustomed to a score of yearsbefore. They did not mean it should be child's play and they admitted noamateur hunters and trappers: all were veterans of years' standing, and,when the party was fully made up, they numbered about a score.
The expedition was a memorable one. They fixed upon one of the longestand most dangerous routes, which included many Rocky Mountain streams andinvolved every possible kind of danger.
In one respect, the party were pleasantly disappointed. Years beforethe beavers had been so effectively cleaned out that they expected tofind very few if any; but because the business had been so littlefollowed for so long a time, the animals had increased very fast andtherefore the trappers met with great success.
They began operation on the South Fork of the Platte and finally endedon the Arkansas. They were gone many weeks and when they returned totheir homes, nearly if not all felt that they had engaged on their lasttrapping expedition.
Carson had not wrought very long on his ranche, when he learned of thescarcity and high prices of sheep in California. He at once set aboutcollecting several thousand, hired a number of men and drove the herd toFort Laramie: thence he made his way by the old emigrant trail toCalifornia where he disposed of the sheep at prices which brought him aprofit of several thousand dollars.
While in San Francisco, he visited a prominent restaurant where heordered a good substantial dinner for six persons. When it was ready hesurveyed it for a moment with satisfaction, and, seating himself at thetable, disposed of it all. His journey across the plains had given him asomewhat vigorous appetite.
In San Francisco —The Return Homeward —The Mormon DelegateGives Carson Some Interesting Information —Carson's First StirringDuties as Indian Agent —The Affection of the Red Men for FatherKit.
Kit Carson's old friend, Maxwell, who had been his companion in somany stirring adventures, joined him in San Francisco, whose marvellousgrowth even at that remote day was a continual surprise and delight. Asthe two veteran mountaineers made their way through the streets, wherebut a few years before all was a wild, untrodden wilderness, they pausedand indulged in many wondering exclamations as though they were a coupleof countrymen visiting the metropolis for the first time in theirlives.
The couple concluded to make their way home by the southern route,passing in the neighborhood of the Gila; but the distance could beshortened so much by taking the steamer to Los Angeles that Maxwelldecided to adopt that course. When he asked Carson to join him themountaineer shook his head.
“I got enough of that in 1846,” he said, alluding to hisbrief voyage, when serving under Fremont in California, at the beginningof the Mexican war; “I never was so sick in all my life.”
“You ain't likely to be sick again,” plead Maxwell;“and, if you are, it don't last long. You'll save two or threeweeks in time and enjoy yourself much more.”
But it was no use: Carson said he never would venture upon salt wateragain, and he would rather ride a thousand miles on the back of a mulethan to sail a hundred in a ship. Accordingly, the party separated forthe time and Maxwell took steamer to Los Angeles, where he arrived fullytwo weeks in advance of Carson, who rode into the quaint old town on theback of a somewhat antiquated mule.
They were soon ready for their long ride, when they struck a leisurelypace and all went well until they reached the Gila. There they entered aregion which had been visited by one of those droughts which continuesometimes for many months. The grass was so dry and parched that itcontained scarcely any nourishment, and the friendly Pimos told them ifthey pushed on their animals were sure to die of starvation. It wasimpossible to doubt these statements and Carson therefore proposed a newroute, which though very rough and difficult in some places, wouldfurnish all the forage that was required.
The course led them along the Gila to the mouth of the San Pedro, andfinally with little difficulty they reached the copper mines of NewMexico. Shortly after Carson encountered the Mormon delegate to Congress.During the exchange of courtesies, the gentleman conveyed the interestinginformation that he —Carson —had been made Indian Agent forNew Mexico.
The news was a surprise and a great pleasure to the mountaineer. Hehad no thought of any such honor and with all his modesty could not butfeel that he was eminently fitted for the performance of its duties. Noone had travelled so extensively through the west, and no one couldunderstand the nature of native Americans better than he. A hundredtribes knew of “Father Kit,” as he soon came to be called,and they referred to him as a man who never spoke with a “doubletongue,” and who was just toward them at all times. He had venturedamong the hostiles more than once where the bravest white man dared notfollow him, and had spent days and nights in their lodges without beingoffered the slightest indignity. Kit Carson was brave, truthful, kind andhonest.
Aside from the gratification which one naturally feels, when receivingan appointment that is pleasant in every respect, and which he holdsthoroughly “in hand,” as may be said, the honest mountaineerwas especially delighted over the thought that his government conferredit without any solicitation on his part.
But the man who accepts the position of Indian Agent andconscientiously attends to its duties has no sinecure on his hands. Manyof them use it as such while others do still worse, thereby sowing theseeds which speedily develop into Indian outrages, massacres andwars.
When Carson reached Taos, he had his official bond made out, and sentit with his thanks and acceptance of his appointment to the properauthorities in Washington.
The Indian Agent for New Mexico had scarcely entered upon his newduties, when trouble came. A branch of the Apaches became restless andcommitted a number of outrages on citizens. Stern measures only wouldanswer and a force of dragoons were sent against them. They dealt them asevere blow, killing one of their most famous chiefs, besides aconsiderable number of warriors.
Instead of quieting the tribe, it rather intensified their anger,though they remained quiescent for a time through fear. Not long after,Carson was notified that a large party of the tribe were encamped in themountains, less than twenty miles from Taos. He decided at once tosupplement the work of the sword with the gentle arguments of peace.
This proceeding on the part of the Indian Agent is one deserving ofspecial notice, for it shows no less the bravery of Carson than it doesthe philanthropic spirit which actuated him at all times in his dealingswith the red men. Alas, that so few of our officials today deem hisexample worth their imitation.
The venture was so dangerous that Carson went alone, unwilling thatany one else should run the risk. When he arrived at their encampment, hemade his way without delay to the presence of the leaders, whom hesaluted in the usual elaborate fashion, and then proceeded to state theimportant business that took him thither.
Nearly every warrior in camp recognized the short, thickset figure andthe broad, pleasant face when they presented themselves. They knew he wasone of the most terrible warriors that ever charged through a camp of redmen. He had met them many a time in fierce warfare, but he always foughtwarriors and not papooses and squaws. He was the bravest of the brave andtherefore they respected him.
But he was a truthful and just man. He had never lied to them, as mostof the white men did, and he had shown his confidence in them by walkingalone and unattended into the very heart of their encampment. They wereeager to rend to shreds every pale face upon whom they could lay hands,but “Father Kit” was safe within their lodges andwigwams.
Carson made an admirable speech. He at first caused every serpent-likeeye to sparkle, by his delicate flattery. Then he tried hard to convincethem that their hostility to the whites could result only in injury tothemselves, since the Great Father at Washington had hundreds andthousands of warriors whom he would send to replace such as might losetheir lives. Then, when he made known that the same Great Father hadappointed him to see that justice was done them, they grinned withdelight and gathering around, overwhelmed him with congratulations.
The Agent insisted that they should prove their sincerity by pledgingto follow the line of conduct he had lain down, and they did so with suchreadiness that a superficial observer would have declared the mission acomplete success.
But Kit Carson thought otherwise. He knew the inherent treachery ofthe aboriginal nature, and his estimate of Apache loyalty was the trueone. The most that he was warranted in feeling was the hope that thosefurious warriors would be less aggressive than had been their custom.Though they had expressed a willingness to make any agreement which hemight propose, yet it was their very willingness to do so which causedhis distrust. Had they been more argumentative and more tenacious oftheir rights, their sincerity might have been credited.
The Agent could have secured their consent almost to any agreement,but the sagacious official asked as little as he could.
“And I don't believe they mean to keep even thatagreement,” he muttered, as he bade the effusive sachems andwarriors goodbye and made his way back to Taos.
Trouble With the Apaches —Defeat of the Soldiers —ColonelCook's Expedition Against Them —It Meets With Only Partial Success— Major Brooks' Attempt to Punish the Apaches —A ThirdExpedition.
Just as Carson suspected, the Apaches were insincere in theirprofessions of good will toward the settlers. He had scarcely reachedhome, when they renewed their outrages. The sinewy horsemen, as daring asthe Crusaders who invaded the Holy Land, seemed to be everywhere. We havealready referred to those extraordinary warriors, who, for many yearshave caused our Government more trouble in the southwest than all theother tribes combined, and it is not necessary, therefore, to say thatwhen any branch of the Apaches went on the war path the most frightfulscenes were sure to follow.
Carson knew when to be gentle and when to be stern. If the formermeasures failed, he did not hesitate to use the latter. Coercive meanswere taken, but, in the first encounter between the red men and theUnited States troops, the latter were decisively defeated.
As a consequence, the Apaches became more troublesome than ever.Colonel Cook of the Second Regiment of United States Dragoons, was sentagainst them. He selected Kit Carson for his guide. The Agent's wish, itmay be said, was to learn whether any other tribe was concerned in theoutrages, and in no way could he do it as well as by accompanying theexpedition, which was fully organized by the selection of a number ofPueblo Indians to act as scouts and spies. These were placed under theimmediate command of the well known James H. Quinn, who died some timelater.
The force proceeded northward from Taos to the stream known as theArroya Hondo. This was followed to the Rio del Norte, which being veryhigh, was crossed with much difficulty. As an illustration of the ruggedwork which such expeditions were called upon to undergo, Dr. Peters saysthat when they struggled to the other shore, they found themselvesconfronted by a mass of solid and almost perpendicular rocks, fully sixhundred feet high. This was ascended, after the most exhausting labor, bymeans of a zigzag trail, and the journey was pushed over a rough anddiversified country. Grass and water could not be found until theyreached a small Mexican town where they were enabled to buy what was sosadly needed. Men and animals were so worn out that they rested for anentire day.
The next morning the line of march was taken up, and they had not gonefar when Carson discovered a trail. This was followed with renewed vigorand a couple of days later the Indians were overtaken. They did notattempt any stand against such a strong force, but took to flight atonce. The Apaches used their utmost endeavors to get away and they werehelped by the roughness of the country. They were pressed so hard,however, that they lost most of their horses and plunder besides a numberof warriors.
Two Americans were wounded, one of whom shortly died; but the soldiershaving “located” the Indians, as may be said, did not giveover their efforts to punish them. Pursuit was resumed at earliestdaylight and men and animals did everything possible. Over mountains,through ravines, around rocks, up and down declivities, the chasecontinued, until the cunning Apaches resorted to their old tricks: theydissolved, as may be said, into their “original elements”—that is, they began separating until there were almost as manydifferent trails as there were warriors. Then in their flight, theyselected the worst possible ground. Being familiar with the country andpossessing far more endurance than the ordinary Indian, it soon becameclear that the marauders were beyond reach.
Accordingly Colonel Cook ordered the pursuit discontinued and theyheaded toward the nearest Mexican village, where forage and rest could besecured for the animals. When the place was reached, Colonel Cook learnedof a serious mistake made by the party who were transporting the soldierwounded several days before. They discovered an Indian whom, after somedifficulty, they captured. His horse and arms were taken from him underthe supposition that he was one of the hostile Apaches. He was nottreated very gently and watching his opportunity, he made his escape. Itwas afterwards learned that the warrior was a Utah, with whom the whitemen were at peace.
The Utahs were of a war-like nature and Colonel Cook was apprehensivethey would use the occurrence as a pretext for joining the Apaches intheir attack upon the settlers. He therefore sent Carson to theheadquarters of his agency to do what he could to explain the matter andmake all the reparation in his power.
As soon as he arrived at Taos, Carson sent a messenger with a requestthat the Utah chiefs would come and have a talk with him. They werealways glad to meet Father Kit face to face. The agent told how themistake was made, expressed the regret of himself and Colonel Cook andended by restoring the property and by distributing a few presents amongthe chiefs. The business was managed with such tact that the sachemsexpressed themselves perfectly satisfied and their affection andadmiration for Father Kit became greater than before.
Colonel Cook was unwilling to return without striking a more effectiveblow against the Apaches. Pausing only long enough, therefore, to restand recruit his men and horses, he resumed the hunt. He had not gone far,when he struck another trail which was followed with great vigor; butbefore anything of the Indians could be discovered, it began snowing. Ina few minutes the flakes were eddying all around them, the wind blowingso furiously that the men could hardly see each other, as they bent theirheads and rode slowly against it. This rendered pursuit out of thequestion, because the trail was entirely hidden. Much against his willColonel Cook was forced to give up the pursuit.
He made his way to a small town lying on his route, where he met MajorBrooks, who was marching to his help with reinforcements. The latterofficer instead of returning with Colonel Cook, decided to take up thehunt himself for the hostiles.
With little delay, a fresh trail was found and an energetic pursuitbegan. It was plain the Indians were making for the Utah country, andthey were pursued without difficulty; but, when that section was reached,the soldiers came upon so many trails, which crossed and recrossed somany times that all individuality was lost. The most skilful scouts inthe company were unable to identify or follow any one with certainty.
The situation was exasperating, but there was no help for it and thecommand was compelled to turn about and make their way home, having beenin the field more than two weeks without accomplishing anything atall.
But it was known that the Apaches would speedily reorganize and thesoldiers had but to wait a short while, when an opportunity would bepresented for striking an effective blow. When a sufficient period hadelapsed, another expedition was sent out under the command of MajorCarleton, of the First Regiment of United States Dragoons. He engaged KitCarson to act as his guide.
The force marched northward about a hundred miles to FortMassachusetts, where all the arrangements were completed. The party wasdivided, the spies under Captain Quinn being sent to examine the countryon the west side of the White Mountains, while the Major decided toinspect the territory to the eastward of the range.
Captain Quinn with his skilful trailers moved up the San Luis Valleyuntil he reached the famous Mosco Pass, which was often used by theApaches when hard pressed. They were perfectly familiar with all itsdiverse and peculiar windings, and, when they once dashed in among therocks, they felt safe against any and all pursuers.
Making their way through this pass, Captain Quinn and his scoutsreached Wet Mountain Valley, where he had promised to meet and report tohis superior officer.
Discovery of the Trail —Prairie Detectives.
Meanwhile, Kit Carson, who was with Major Carleton, had discovered atrail made by three of the enemy. Carefully following it up, it was foundto join the principal path, a short distance away. When Quinn arrived hehad also some discoveries to report, and the scouts held a consultationover the question. It was agreed by all that they were on the track ofthe enemy they were seeking.
The general reader is not apt to appreciate the skill, patience andintelligence shown by the scouts and hunters in tracing the flight of anenemy through a wild and desolate country. As an evidence of thewonderful attainments of border men in woodcraft, the following lettermay be given, written by the surgeon at Fort Randall in Dacotah in1869:
“The most extraordinary skill that is exhibited in this part ofthe country, either by the white man, or red native, is in the practiceof trailing. Here it may be accounted an art as much as music, paintingor sculpture is in the East. The Indian or trapper that is a shrewdtrailer, is a man of close observation, quick perception, and promptaction. As he goes along, nothing escapes his observation, and what hesees and hears he accounts for immediately. Often not another step istaken until a mystery that may present itself in this line is fairlysolved. The Indian trailer will stand still for hours in succession, toaccount for certain traces or effects in tracks, and sometimes gives tothe matter unremitting attention for days and weeks.
“The trailer is not a graceful man. He carries his head muchinclined, his eye is quick and restless, always on the watch, and he ispractising his art unconsciously, hardly ever crossing the track of manor animal without seeing it. When he enters a house, he brings the habitshe contracted in the practice of his art with him. I know a trailer assoon he enters my room. He comes in through the door softly, and with anair of exceeding caution. Before he is fairly in, or at least has satdown, he has taken note of every article and person. Though there may bea dozen vacant chairs in the room, he is not used to chairs, and, likethe Indian, prefers a more humble seat. When I was employed by GeneralHarney last summer to take charge temporarily of the Indians that weregathered here to form a new reservation, one day a guide and trailer cameinto the General's headquarters. I told him to be seated. He sat down onthe floor, bracing his back against the wall. The General saw this, andin vexation cried out, 'My God, why don't you take a chair when there areplenty here not occupied?' The man arose and seated himself in a chair,but in so awkward and uncomfortable a manner that he looked as if hemight slip from it at any moment. But when this uncouth person came totransact his business with the General, he turned out to be a man of noordinary abilities. His description of a route he took as guide andtrailer for the Ogallalas in bringing them from the Platte to this placewas minute, and to me exceedingly interesting. Every war party that forthe season had crossed his trail, he described with minuteness as totheir number, the kinds of arms they had, and stated the tribes theybelonged to. In these strange revelations that he made there was neitherimposition nor supposition, for he gave satisfactory reasons for everyassertion he made.
“I have rode several hundred miles with an experienced guide andtrailer, Hack, whom I interrogated upon many points in the practice ofthis art. Nearly all tracks I saw, either old or new, as a novice in theart, I questioned him about. In going to the Niobrara River crossed thetrack of an Indian pony. My guide followed the track a few miles and thensaid, 'It is a stray, black horse, with a long, bushy tail, nearlystarved to death, has a split hoof of the left fore foot, and goes verylame, and he passed here early this morning.' Astonished and incredulous,I asked him the reasons for knowing these particulars by the tracks ofthe animal, when he replied:
“'It was a stray horse, because it did not go in a direct line;his tail was long, for he dragged it over the snow; in brushing against abush he left some of his hair which shows its color. He was very hungry,for, in going along, he has nipped at those high, dry weeds, which horsesseldom eat. The fissure of the left fore foot left also its track, andthe depth of the indentation shows the degree of his lameness; and histracks show he was here this morning, when the snow was hard withfrost.'
“At another place we came across an Indian track, and he said,'It is an old Yankton who came across the Missouri last evening to lookat his traps. In coming over he carried in his right hand a trap, and inhis left a lasso to catch a pony which he had lost. He returned withoutfinding the horse, but had caught in the trap he had out a prairie wolf,which he carried home on his back and a bundle of kinikinic wood in hisright hand.' Then, he gave his reasons: 'I know he is old, by theimpression his gait has made and a Yankton by that of his moccasin. He isfrom the other side of the river, as there are no Yanktons on this side.The trap he carried struck the snow now and then, and in same manner aswhen he came, shows that he did not find his pony. A drop of blood in thecentre of his tracks shows that he carried the wolf on his back, and thebundle of kinikinic wood he used for a staff for support, and catching awolf, shows that he had traps out.' But I asked, 'how do you know it iswolf; why not a fox, or a coyote, or even a deer?' Said he: 'If it hadbeen a fox, or coyote or any other small game he would have slipped thehead of the animal in his waist belt, and so carried it by his side, andnot on his shoulders. Deer are not caught by traps but if it had been adeer, he would not have crossed this high hill, but would have gone backby way of the ravine, and the load would have made his steps still moretottering.'
“Another Indian track which we saw twenty miles west of this heput this serious construction upon: 'He is an upper Indian —aprowling horse thief —carried a double shot gun, and is a rascalthat killed some white man lately, and passed here one week ago; for,'said he, 'a lone Indian in these parts is on mischief, and generally onthe lookout for horses. He had on the shoes of a white man whom he had inall probability killed, but his steps are those of an Indian. Goingthrough the ravine, the end of his gun hit into the deep snow. A week agowe had a very warm day, and the snow being soft, he made these deeptracks; ever since it has been intensely cold weather, which makes veryshallow tracks.' I suggested that perhaps he bought those shoes. 'Indiansdon't buy shoes, and if they did they would not buy them as large asthese were, for Indians have very small feet.'
“The most noted trailer of this country was Paul Daloria, a halfbreed, who died under my hands of Indian consumption last summer. I havespoken of him in a former letter. At one time I rode with him, andtrailing was naturally the subject of our conversation. I begged to trailwith him an old track over the prairie, in order to learn its history. Ihad hardly made the proposition, when he drew up his horse, which was ata ravine, and said, 'Well, here is an old elk track. Let us get off ourhorses and follow it.' We followed it but a few rods, when he said, itwas exactly a month old, and made at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. This heknew, as then we had our last rain, and at the hour named the ground wassofter than at any other time. The track before us was then made. Hebroke up here and there clusters of grass that lay in the path of thetrack, and showed me the dry ends of some, the stumps of others, and bynumerous other similar items accounted for many circumstances thatastonished me. We followed the trail over a mile. Now and then we sawthat a wolf, a fox, and other animals had practised their trailinginstincts on the elk's tracks. Here and there, he would show me where asnake, a rat, and a prairie dog had crossed the track. Nothing hadfollowed or crossed the track that the quick eye of Daloria did notdetect. He gave an account of the habits of all the animals that had lefttheir footprints on the track, also of the state of the weather since theelk passed, and the effect of sunshine, winds, aridity, sand storms, andother influences that had a bearing on these tracks.”
The Pursuit and Attack —Two O'clock.
When Kit Carson and the other scouts found the main trail, theyeagerly took up the pursuit. They had not gone far when all doubt wasremoved: they were upon the track of a large hostile body of warriors andwere gaining steadily; but so rapid was the flight of the marauders thatit was not until the sixth day that the first glimpse of the Indians wasobtained. They were encamped on a mountain peak, devoid of trees, andseemingly beyond the reach of danger; but such was the energy of theattack that they reached camp before the Indians could collect theiranimals and make off. The fight was a hot one for a few minutes duringwhich quite a number of warriors were killed and wounded.
When night came a squad of men hid themselves near the camp, fromwhich the Indians had fled, in the expectation that some of them wouldsteal back during the darkness to learn what had been done. The dismalhours passed until near midnight, when one of the soldiers made the callwhich the Apaches use to hail each other. The sound had hardly died out,when two squaws and two warriors appeared and began groping silentlyaround in the gloom. The soldiers were cruel enough to fire upon theparty, but in the darkness only one was killed.
Dr. Peters states that on the morning of the day when the Apacheencampment was discovered Kit Carson, after diligently studying thetrail, rode up to Major Carleton and told him that if no accidentintervened, the Indians would be overtaken at two o'clock in theafternoon. The officer smiled and said if the Agent proved a genuineprophet, he would present him with the finest hat that could be bought inthe United States.
The pursuit continued for hours, and, when the watches in the companyshowed that it was two o'clock, Carson triumphantly pointed to themountain peak, far in advance where the Indian encampment was in plainsight. He had hit the truth with mathematical exactness.
Major Carleton kept his promise. To procure such a hat as he felt hehad earned, required several months; but one day the Indian Agent at Taosreceived a superb piece of head gear within which was the followinginscription:
AT 2 O'CLOCK.
KIT CARSON, FROM
MAJOR CARLETON.
Dr. Peters adds that a gentleman who was a member of the expeditionsubjected Carson some years later to a similar test, and he came withinfive minutes of naming the precise time when a band of fugitives wasovertaken.
Having done all that was possible, Major Carleton returned with hiscommand to Taos and Carson resumed his duties as Indian Agent. Somemonths later, another expedition was organized against the Apaches but itaccomplished nothing. In the latter part of the summer Carson started ona visit to the Utahs. They were under his especial charge and he heldinterviews with them several times a year, they generally visiting him athis ranche, which they were glad to do, as they were sure of being veryhospitably treated.
This journey required a horseback ride of two or three hundred miles,a great portion of which was through the Apache country. These Indianswere in such a resentful mood towards the whites that they would havebeen only too glad to wrench the scalp of Father Kit from his crown; buthe knew better than to run into any of their traps. He was continually onthe lookout, and more than once detected their wandering bands in time togive them the slip. He was equally vigilant and consequently equallyfortunate on his return.
Carson found when he met the Indians in council that they had goodcause for discontent. One of their leading warriors had been waylaid andmurdered by a small party of Mexicans. The officials who were with Carsonpromised that the murderers should be given up. It was the intention ofall that justice should be done, but, as was too often the case, itmiscarried altogether. Only one of the murderers was caught and hemanaged to escape and was never apprehended again.
To make matters worse, some of the blankets which the Superintendenthad presented the Indians a short while before, proved to be infectedwith small pox and the dreadful disease carried off many of the leadingwarriors of the tribe. More than one Apache was resolute in declaring theproceeding premeditated on the part of the whites. The result was thebreaking out of a most formidable Indian war. The Muache band of Utahs,under their most distinguished chieftain, joined the Apaches in waylayingand murdering travellers, attacking settlements and making off with theprisoners, besides capturing hundreds and thousands of cattle, sheep,mules and horses. For a time they overran a large portion of theterritory of New Mexico. Matters at last reached such a pass, that unlessthe savages were checked, they would annihilate all the whites.
The Governor issued a call for volunteers. The response was prompt,and five hundred men were speedily equipped and put into the field. Theywere placed under charge of Colonel T. T. Fauntleroy, of the FirstRegiment of United States Dragoons. He engaged Kit Carson as his chiefguide.
The campaign was pushed with all possible vigor, but for a timenothing important was done. The weather became intensely cold. On thesecond campaign, Colonel Fauntleroy surprised the main camp of the enemyand inflicted great slaughter. A severe blow was administered, but thereader knows that the peace which followed proved only temporary. TheApaches have been a thorn in our side for many years. General Crook hasshown great tact, bravery and rare skill in his dealings with them andprobably has brought about the most genuine peace that has been known fora generation.
It would not be worth while to follow Kit Carson on his round ofduties as Indian Agent. He had to deal with the most turbulent tribes onthe continent, and enough has been told to prove his peerless sagacity insolving the most difficult questions brought before him. He rodethousands of miles, visiting remote points, conferred with the leadinghostiles, risked his life times without number, and was often absent fromhome for weeks and months. While it was beyond the attainment of humanendeavor for him to make an end of wars on the frontiers, yet he avertedmany and did a degree of good which is beyond all calculation.
“I was in the insignificant settlement of Denver, in the autumnof 1860,” said A. L. Worthington, “when a party of Arapahoes,Cheyennes and Comanches returned from an expedition against the tribe ofmountain Indians know as the Utes. The allied forces were mostbeautifully whipped and were compelled to leave the mountains in thegreatest hurry for their lives. They brought into Denver one squaw andher half dozen children as prisoners. The little barbarians, when theother youngsters came too near or molested them, would fight like youngwild cats. The intention of the captors, as I learned, was to torture thesquaw and her children to death. Before the arrangements were completed,Kit Carson rode to the spot and dismounted. He had a brief, earnest talkwith the warriors. He did not mean to permit the cruel death that wascontemplated, but instead of demanding the surrender of the captives, heransomed them all, paying ten dollars a piece. After they were given up,he made sure that they were returned to their tribe in themountains.”
This anecdote may serve as an illustration of scores of similar dutiesin which the agent was engaged. It was during the same year that Carsonreceived an injury which was the cause of his death. He was descending amountain, so steep that he led his horse by a lariat, intending, if theanimal fell, to let go of it in time to prevent being injured. The steeddid fall and though Carson threw the lariat from him, he was caught byit, dragged some distance and severely injured.
When the late Civil War broke out and most of our troops werewithdrawn from the mountains and plains, Carson applied to PresidentLincoln for permission to raise a regiment of volunteers in New Mexico,for the purpose of protecting our settlements there. Permission wasgiven, the regiment raised and the famous mountaineer did good servicewith his soldiers. On one occasion he took 9,000 Navajo prisoners withless than 600 men.
At the close of the war, he was ordered to Fort Garland, where heassumed command of a large region. He was Brevet Brigadier General andretained command of a battalion of New Mexico volunteers.
Carson did not suffer immediately from his injury, but he found intime that a grave internal disturbance had been caused by his fall. Inthe spring of 1868, he accompanied a party of Ute Indians to Washington.He was then failing fast and consulted a number of leading physicians andsurgeons. His disease was aneurism of the aorta which progressed fast.When his end was nigh, his wife suddenly died, leaving seven children,the youngest only a few weeks old. His affliction had a very depressingeffect on Carson, who expired May 23, 1868.
Letter from General W. T. Sherman, and from General J. F. Rusling.
In closing the life of Kit Carson, it will be appropriate to add twoletters, which were furnished at our request:
912 GARRISON AVENUE,
ST. LOUIS, MO., JUNE 25, 1884.
“Kit Carson first came into public notice by Fremont's Reportsof the Exploration of the Great West about 1842-3. You will find mentionof Kit Carson in my memoirs, vol. I, p. 46, 47, as bringing to us thefirst overland mail to California in his saddle bags. I saw but little ofhim afterwards till after the Civil War, when, in 1866, I was theLieutenant General commanding the Military Division of the Missouri, withheadquarters in St. Louis, and made a tour of my command, including whatare now Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. Reaching Fort Garland, NewMexico, in September of October, 1866, I found it garrisoned by somecompanies of New Mexico Volunteers, of which Carson was Colonel orcommanding officer. I stayed with him some days, during which we had asort of council with the Ute Indians, of which the chief Ouray was theprincipal feature, and over whom Carson exercised a powerfulinfluence.
“Carson then had his family with him —wife and half adozen children, boys and girls as wild and untrained as a brood ofMexican mustangs. One day these children ran through the room in which wewere seated, half clad and boisterous, and I inquired, 'Kit, what are youdoing about your children?'
“He replied: 'That is a source of great anxiety; I myself had noeducation,' (he could not even write, his wife always signing his name tohis official reports). 'I value education as much as any man, but I havenever had the advantage of schools, and now that I am getting old andinfirm, I fear I have not done right by my children.'
“I explained to him that the Catholic College, at South Bend,Indiana, had, for some reason, given me a scholarship for twenty years,and that I would divide with him —that is let him send two of hisboys for five years each. He seemed very grateful and said he would thinkof it.
“My recollection is that his regiment was mustered out ofservice that winter, 1866-7, and that the following summer, 1867, he(Carson) went to Washington on some business for the Utes, and on hisreturn toward New Mexico, he stopped at Fort Lyon, on the upper Arkansas,where he died. His wife died soon after at Taos, New Mexico, and thechildren fell to the care of a brother in law, Mr. Boggs, who had a largeranche on the Purgation near Fort Lyon. It was reported of Carson, whennotified that death was impending, that he said, 'Send William, (hiseldest son) to General Sherman who has promised to educate him.'Accordingly, some time about the spring of 1868, there came to my house,in St. Louis, a stout boy with a revolver, Life of Kit Carson by Dr.Peters, United States Army, about $40 in money, and a letter from Boggs,saying that in compliance with the request of Kit Carson, on his deathbed, he had sent William Carson to me. Allowing him a few days ofvacation with my own children, I sent him to the college at South Bend,Ind., with a letter of explanation, and making myself responsible for hisexpenses. He was regularly entered in one of the classes, and reported tome regularly. I found the 'Scholarship' amounted to what is known as'tuition,' but for three years I paid all his expenses of board,clothing, books, &c., amounting to about $300 a year. At the end ofthat time, the Priest reported to me that Carson was a good natured boy,willing enough, but that he had no taste or appetite for learning. Hisletters to me confirmed this conclusion, as he could not possibly spell.After reflection, I concluded to send him to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, tothe care of General Langdon C. Easton, United States Quartermaster, withinstructions to employ him in some capacity in which he could earn hisboard and clothing, and to get some officer of the garrison to teach himjust what was necessary for a Lieutenant of Cavalry. Lieutenant Beard,adjutant of the Fifth Infantry did this. He (William Carson) wasemployed, as a 'Messenger,' and, as he approached his twenty-first year,under the tuition of Lieutenant Beard, he made good progress. Meantime Iwas promoted to General in Chief at Washington, and about 1870, whenCarson had become twenty-one years of age, I applied in person to thePresident, General Grant, to give the son of Kit Carson, the appointmentof Second Lieutenant Ninth United States Cavalry, telling him somewhat ofthe foregoing details. General Grant promptly ordered the appointment toissue, subject to the examination as to educational qualifications,required by the law. The usual board of officers was appointed at FortLeavenworth and Carson was ordered before it. After careful examination,the board found him deficient in reading, writing and arithmetic. Ofcourse he could not be commissioned. I had given him four years of myguardianship, about $1,000 of my own money, and the benefit of myinfluence, all in vain. By nature, he was not adapted to 'modern uses.' Iaccordingly wrote him that I had exhausted my ability to provide for him,and advised him to return to his uncle Boggs on the Purgation to assisthim in his cattle and sheep ranche.
“I heard from him by letter once or twice afterward, in one ofwhich he asked me to procure for him the agency for the Utes. On inquiryat the proper office in Washington, I found that another person hadsecured the place of which I notified him, and though of late years Ihave often been on the Purgation, and in the Ute country, I could learnnothing of the other children of Kit Carson, or of William, who for fouryears was a sort of ward to me.
“Since the building of railroads in that region, the wholecharacter of its population is changed, and were Kit Carson to arise fromhis grave, he could not find a buffalo, elk or deer, where he used to seemillions. He could not even recognize the country with which he used tobe so familiar, or find his own children, whom he loved, and for whosewelfare he felt so solicitous in his later days.
“Kit Carson was a good type of a class of men most useful intheir day, but now as antiquated as Jason of the Golden Fleece, Ulyssesof Troy, the Chevalier La Salle of the Lakes, Daniel Boone of Kentucky,Irvin Bridger and Jim Beckwith of the Rockies, all belonging to the deadpast.
“Yours Truly,
“W. T. SHERMAN.”
“TRENTON, N. J., June 23, 1884.
“In accordance with your request to give my recollections of KitCarson, I would say that I met and spent several days with him inSeptember, 1866, at and near Fort Garland, Colorado, on the headwaters ofthe Rio Grande. I was then Brevet Brigadier General and Inspector UnitedStates Volunteers, on a tour of inspection of the military depots andposts in that region and across to the Pacific. General Sherman happenedthere at the same time, on like duty as to his Military Division, and ourjoint talks, as a rule, extended far into the night and over manysubjects. 'Kit' was then Brevet Brigadier General United StatesVolunteers, and in command of Fort Garland, and a wide region thereabouts—mostly Indian —which he knew thoroughly. Fort Garland was atypical frontier post, composed of log huts chinked with mud, rough butcomfortable, and in one of these Kit then lived with his Mexican wife andseveral half breed children.
“He was then a man apparently about fifty years of age. Fromwhat I had read about him, I had expected to see a small, wiry man,weather-beaten and reticent; but found him to be a medium sized, ratherstoutish, and quite talkative person instead. His hair was alreadywell-silvered, but his face full and florid. You would scarcely regardhim, at first sight, as a very noticeable man, except as having a wellknit frame and full, deep chest. But on observing him more closely, youwere struck with the breadth and openness of his brow, bespeaking morethan ordinary intelligence and courage; with his quick, blue eye, thatcaught everything at a glance apparently —an eye beaming withkindliness and benevolence, but that could blaze with anger when aroused;and with his full, square jaw and chin, that evidently could shut astight as Sherman's or Grant's when necessary. With nothing of theswashbuckler or Buffalo Bill —of the border ruffian or the cowboy—about him, his manners were as gentle, and his voice as soft andsympathetic, as a woman's. What impressed one most about his face was itsrare kindliness and charity —that here, at last, was a naturalgentleman, simple as a child but brave as a lion. He soon took our heartsby storm, and the more we saw of him the more we became impressed withhis true manliness and worth. Like everybody else on the border, hesmoked freely, and at one time drank considerably; but he had quitdrinking years before, and said he owed his excellent health andpreeminence, if he had any, to his habits of almost total abstinence. Inconversation he was slow and hesitating at first, approaching almost tobashfulness, often seemingly at a loss for words; but, as he warmed up,this disappeared, and you soon found him talking glibly, and with hishands and fingers as well —rapidly gesticulating —Indianfashion. He was very conscientious, and in all our talks would frequentlysay: 'Now, stop gentlemen! Is this right?' 'Ought we to do this?' 'Can wedo that?' 'Is this like human nature?' or words to this effect, as if itwas the habit of his mind to test everything by the moral law. I thinkthat was the predominating feature of his character —his perfecthonesty and truthfulness —quite as much as his matchless coolnessand courage. Said Sherman to me one day while there: 'His integrity issimply perfect. The red skins know it, and would trust Kit any day beforethey would us, or the President, either!' And Kit well returned theirconfidence, by being their steadfast, unswerving friend and readychampion.
“He talked freely of his past life, unconscious of itsextraordinary character. Born in Kentucky, he said, he early took to theplains and mountains, and joined the hunters and trappers, when he was soyoung he could not set a trap. When he became older, he turned trapperhimself, and trapped all over our territories for beaver, otter, etc.,from the Missouri to the Pacific, and from British America to Mexico.Next he passed into Government employ, as an Indian scout and guide, andas such piloted Fremont and others all over the Plains and through theRocky and Sierra Nevada Mountains. Fremont, in his reports, surroundedKit's name with a romantic valor, but he seems to have deserved it all,and more. His good sense, his large experience, and unfaltering courage,were invaluable to Fremont, and it is said about the only time thePathfinder went seriously astray among the Mountains was when hedisregarded his (Kit's) advice, and endeavored to force a passage throughthe Rockies northwest of Fort Garland. Kit told him the mountains couldnot be crossed at that time of the year; and, when Fremont neverthelessinsisted on proceeding, he resigned as guide. The Pathfinder, however,went stubbornly forward, but got caught in terrible snowstorms, andpresently returned —half of his men and animals having perishedoutright from cold and hunger. Next Kit became United States IndianAgent, and made one of the best we ever had. Familiar with the languageand customs of the Indians, he frequently spent months together amongthem without seeing a white man, and indeed became a sort of half Indianhimself. In talking with us, I noticed he frequently hesitated for theright English word; but when speaking bastard Spanish (Mexican) orIndian, with the Ute Indians there, he was as fluent as a native. BothMexican and Indian, however, are largely pantomime, abounding inperpetual grimace and gesture, which may have helped him along somewhat.Next, when the rebellion broke out, he became a Union soldier, though theborder was largely Confederate. He tendered his services to Mr. Lincoln,who at once commissioned him Colonel, and told him to take care of thefrontier, as the regulars there had to come East to fight Jeff Davis. Kitstraightway proceeded to raise the First Regiment of New MexicoVolunteers, in which he had little difficulty, as the New Mexicans knewhim well, and had the utmost confidence in him. With these, during thewar, he was busy fighting hostile Indians, and keeping others friendly,and in his famous campaign against the Navajos, in New Mexico, with onlysix hundred frontier volunteers captured some nine thousand prisoners.The Indians withdrew into a wild canyon, where no white man, it was said,had ever penetrated, and believed to be impregnable. But Kit pursued themfrom either end, and attacked them with pure Indian strategy and tactics;and the Navajos finding themselves thus surrounded, and their suppliescut off, outwitted by a keener fighter than themselves, surrendered atdiscretion. Then he did not slaughter them, but marched them to a goodlyreservation, and put them to work herding and planting, and they hadcontinued peaceable ever since.
“Kit seemed thoroughly familiar with Indian life and character,and it must be conceded, that no American of his time knew our aboriginesbetter —if any so well. It must be set down to their credit, thathe was their stout friend —no Boston philanthropist more so. He didnot hesitate to say, that all our Indian troubles were caused originallyby bad white men, if the truth were known, and was terribly severe on thebrutalities and barbarities of the border. He said the Indians were verydifferent from what they used to be, and were yearly becoming more sofrom contact with border ruffians and cowboys. He said he had lived foryears among them with only occasional visits to the settlements, and hehad never known an Indian to injure a Pale Face, where he did not deserveit; on the other hand, he had seen an Indian kill his brother even forinsulting a white man in the old times. He insisted that Indians nevercommit outrages unless they are first provoked to them by the borderers,and that many of the peculiar and special atrocities with which they arecharged are only their imitation of the bad acts of wicked white men. Hepleaded for the Indians, as 'pore ignorant critters, who had no learnin',and didn't know no better,' whom we were daily robbing of their huntinggrounds and homes, and solemnly asked: 'What der yer 'spose our HeavenlyFather, who made both them and us, thinks of these things?' He wasparticularly severe upon Col. Chivington and the Sand Creek massacre of1864, which was still fresh in the public mind, said he; 'jist to thinkof that dog Chivington, and his dirty hounds, up thar at Sand Creek!Whoever heerd of sich doings 'mong Christians!'
“'The pore Indians had the Stars and Stripes flying over them,our old flag thar, and they'd bin told down to Denver, that so long asthey kept that flying they'd be safe enough. Well, then, one day alongcomes that durned Chivington and his cusses. They'd bin out several day'shuntin' Hostiles, and couldn't find none nowhar, and if they had, they'dhave skedaddled from 'em, you bet! So they jist lit upon theseFriendlies, and massacreed 'em —yes, sir, literally massacreed 'em—in cold blood, in spite of our flag thar —yes, women andlittle children, even! Why, Senator Foster told me with his own lips (andhim and his Committee come out yer from Washington, you know, andinvestigated this muss), that that thar durned miscreant and his men shotdown squaws, and blew the brains out of little innocent children—pistoled little papooses in the arms of their dead mothers, andeven worse than this! — them durned devils! and you call sichsoldiers Christians, do ye? and pore Indians savages!'
“'I tell you what, friends; I don't like a hostile Red Skin anymore than you do. And when they are hostile, I've fit 'em —fout 'em—and expect to fight 'em —hard as any man. That's mybusiness. But I never yit drew a bead on a squaw or papoose, and Idespise the man who would. 'Taint nateral for men to kill women and porelittle children, and none but a coward or a dog would do it. Of coursewhen we white men do sich awful things, why these pore ignorant crittersdon't know no better than to foller suit. Pore things! Pore things! I'veseen as much of 'em as any man livin', and I can't help but pity 'em,right or wrong! They once owned all this country, yes, Plains andMountains, buffalo and everything, but now they own next door to nuthin,and will soon be gone.'
“Alas, poor Kit! He has already 'gone to the Happy HuntingGrounds.' But the Indians had no truer friend, and Kit Carson would wishno prouder epitaph than this. In talking thus he would frequently get hisgrammar wrong, and his language was only the patois of the Border; butthere was an eloquence in his eye, and a pathos in his voice, that wouldhave touched a heart of stone, and a genuine manliness about him at alltimes, that would have won him hosts of friends anywhere. And so, KitCarson, good friend, brave heart, generous soul, hail and farewell!
“Hoping these rough recollections may serve your purpose, Iremain
“Very respectfully,
“Your obedient servant,
“JAMES F. RUSLING.”
The following tribute to the matchless scout, hunter and guide is fromthe Salt Lake Tribune:
He wrote his own biography and left it where the edition will nevergrow dim. The alphabet he used was made of the rivers, the plains, theforests, and the eternal heights. He started in his youth with his faceto the West; started toward where no trails had been blazed, where therewas naught to meet him but the wilderness, the wild beast, and the stillmore savage man. He made his lonely camps by the rivers, and now it is afiction with those who sleep on the same grounds that the waters in theirflow murmur the great pathfinder's name. He followed the water courses totheir sources, and guided by them, learned where the mountains bent theircrests to make possible highways for the feet of men. He climbed themountains and “disputed with the eagles of the crags” forpoints of observation; he met the wild beast and subdued him; he met thesavage of the plains and of the hills, and, in his own person, gave himnotice of his sovereignty in skill, in cunning and in courage. To the redman he was the voice of fate. In him they saw a materialized forebodingof their destiny. To them he was a voice crying the coming of a raceagainst which they could not prevail; before which they were to be sweptaway.
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