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24 - Life and Adventures of Kit Carson by DeWitt C. Peters · Life and Adventures of Kit Carson

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Speaker 1: Section twenty three, Chapter fourteen, Part two of the Life
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Speaker 1: and Adventures of Kit Carson. This is a LibriVox recording.
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Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
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Speaker 1: by Lynn Thompson. The Life and Adventures of Kit Carson
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Speaker 1: by de Witt C. Peters, Section twenty three, Chapter fourteen,
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Speaker 1: Part two. At the time we now speak of several years,
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Speaker 1: as the reader can readily compute, had elapsed, since Kit
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Speaker 1: Carson was a hunter at Bencefort and then well known
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Speaker 1: to most of the Cheyenne nation. But these few years
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Speaker 1: had so altered him, together with his new style of dress,
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Speaker 1: that it is no doubt that at first not one
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Speaker 1: of the Indians remembered ever having seen him before. Kit
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Speaker 1: Carson remained quiet and allowed the Indians to open the talk,
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Speaker 1: as he was watching to find out what had so
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Speaker 1: suddenly aroused their anger. And he well knew that if
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Speaker 1: they supposed that he and his men did not understand
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Speaker 1: what they were conversing about, they might refer to the
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Speaker 1: Court of the Trouble, and thus give him a clue,
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Speaker 1: whereby he might take advantage and form a line of conduct.
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Speaker 1: It was clear to his mind that the Indians were
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Speaker 1: resolved to have revenge on his party, and that there
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Speaker 1: was time enough to let himself be known to them, which,
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Speaker 1: in their present excited state, would serve him but little.
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Speaker 1: The Indians had at first conversed in the Sioux tongue.
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Speaker 1: The reason for this was to conceal their own nationality,
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Speaker 1: and thus, if necessary in the future, they could shield
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Speaker 1: themselves by laying the massacre which they were about to
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Speaker 1: commit on the shoulders of that tribe. This is a
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Speaker 1: ruse often employed by the Indians, but in this case,
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Speaker 1: in their heated state, they forgot their native cunning and
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Speaker 1: commenced conversing in the language which was most familiar to them.
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Speaker 1: A Frenchman called in the mountains Pete, who spoke English
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Speaker 1: fluently and who was with Carson during these trying scenes,
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Speaker 1: informed the writer on one occasion that he never fully
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Speaker 1: knew or appreciated Kit Carson until this occurrence. Why, said he,
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Speaker 1: in his enthusiasm, Kit knew just what was to be done,
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Speaker 1: and did it too. With any other man, we would
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Speaker 1: have gone under footnote a trap of phrase for being killed.
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Speaker 1: End of footnote. The Indians were more afraid of him
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Speaker 1: than all the rest of us put together. There were
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Speaker 1: red fellows enough there to eat us up. And at
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Speaker 1: one time I could almost feel my hair leaving my head.
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Speaker 1: We had two women traveling with us, and their crying
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Speaker 1: made me feel so bad that I was certain there
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Speaker 1: was no fight in me. Women, he added, are poor
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Speaker 1: plunder to have a long when going out on a
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Speaker 1: war party. But Kit talked to them, and then to
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Speaker 1: the Indians, and put them both finally on the right trail. Whah,
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Speaker 1: but them were ticklish times. As soon as the Indians,
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Speaker 1: in their excitement, began to speak their own language, they
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Speaker 1: became very violent, and so unguarded were they in expressing
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Speaker 1: their individual sentiments that they treated Kit and his party
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Speaker 1: with perfect indifference and openly, though secretly, as they thought
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Speaker 1: arranged for the massacre. Little did they imagine that Kit Carson,
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Speaker 1: whom they had at first sight selected as the leader
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Speaker 1: of the company, understood every word that was said. Kit
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Speaker 1: listened attentively to their plans and heard them decide that
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Speaker 1: the time to kill him was when he again took
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Speaker 1: the pipe to smoke, for in so doing he would
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Speaker 1: lay down his weapons. They could be instantly seized, and
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Speaker 1: therefore he would be prevented from doing them any harm.
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Speaker 1: As to the Mexicans who accompanied him, they said they
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Speaker 1: could kill them as easily as they could buffalo. Already
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Speaker 1: enough had passed among the Indians to arouse in kit
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Speaker 1: Carson's breast the greatest feeling of alarm as to what
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Speaker 1: would be the result of the position in which he
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Speaker 1: was placed. He had with him fifteen men, two only
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Speaker 1: of which number were men on whom he felt that
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Speaker 1: he could rely. The other members of the party, who
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Speaker 1: counted thirteen in all, were Mexicans, of whom he had
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Speaker 1: a poor opinion as to their bravery. Nothing daunted by
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Speaker 1: such an accumulation of unfavorable circumstances, he at once saw
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Speaker 1: that a bold face was to be put on in
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Speaker 1: order to extricate himself from the grasp of the Indians.
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Speaker 1: Springing to his feet with his weapons ready for immediate use,
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Speaker 1: kit Carson, as he advanced into the center of the
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Speaker 1: seated warriors, gave directions for his men to be ready
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Speaker 1: to defend their lives, then turning to the Indians who
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Speaker 1: sat rooted to the earth, as it were, with astonishment
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Speaker 1: at the suddenness of such actions, and such coolness he
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Speaker 1: commenced addressing them, He informed them that they might readily see,
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Speaker 1: from the fluency with which he spoke their language, that
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Speaker 1: he had comprehended all that they had been talking about.
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Speaker 1: What puzzled him most, however, was the cause of their
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Speaker 1: wishing to have his scalp. Never said he, to his knowledge,
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Speaker 1: had he been guilty of any wrong to their tribe. That,
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Speaker 1: on the contrary, there were braves among those present, who,
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Speaker 1: if they turned to their memories, would recognize his face
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Speaker 1: as that of an old friend in years gone by,
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Speaker 1: and who could testify to the many acts of kindness
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Speaker 1: which he had performed in their behalf. He reminded them,
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Speaker 1: how that even now he had received them into his
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Speaker 1: camp and treated them with all the hospitality in his power,
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Speaker 1: and yet they persisted in repaying him by taking his life.
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Speaker 1: In the end, he wound up his discourse by giving
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Speaker 1: peremptory orders for them to leave his camp, and should
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Speaker 1: any one refuse, he would be shot. The Indians were
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Speaker 1: completely nonplussed and not feeling inclined to risk a fight
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Speaker 1: without their usual accompaniment of surprise. After saying something about returning,
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Speaker 1: to which they were answered that if they did, they
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Speaker 1: would be received by a volley of bullets. They departed
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Speaker 1: to join their friends, who were in swarms upon the
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Speaker 1: neighboring hills. It is supposed that a grand council was called,
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Speaker 1: in which the proceedings that had transpired in the camp
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Speaker 1: of the white men were fully reported, and perchance many
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Speaker 1: of the braves, in refreshing their memories, began to recollect
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Speaker 1: some of the daring deeds which kit Carson had performed
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Speaker 1: when he lived in their country. This doubtless led them
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Speaker 1: to the conclusion that they had caught an experienced traveler.
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Speaker 1: For certain, it was that afterwards their actions became somewhat
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Speaker 1: disconcerted and not so rash as they had been. No
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Speaker 1: sooner had the savages retired from the camp, and kit
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Speaker 1: Carson ordered his men to harness their animals to the
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Speaker 1: wagons so that they could resume their journey. As the
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Speaker 1: train moved on, the Indians were once more left behind.
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Speaker 1: Although they had by no means formed the idea of
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Speaker 1: allowing the white men to depart in peace, they were
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Speaker 1: busy concocting some scheme whereby they could accomplish their ends
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Speaker 1: without loss to themselves. The Mula tears as they walked
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Speaker 1: beside their teams. By order of kit Carson held in
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Speaker 1: one hand their rifles, while in the other were their whips,
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Speaker 1: which from time to time they were obliged to apply
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Speaker 1: freely to their animals in order to keep the caravan
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Speaker 1: in compact order. Mounted on a fine horse, with his
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Speaker 1: rifle and pistols so adjusted that he could lay his
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Speaker 1: hands on them at a moment's notice, kit Carson rode
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Speaker 1: from one end of the line to the other, inspiring
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Speaker 1: his men with his own courage. He felt that upon
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Speaker 1: him was rested the responsibility of saving the lives of
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Speaker 1: his companions, and that it was to him they all
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Speaker 1: looked to be rescued from the perils that surrounded them.
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Speaker 1: As he rolled along, his eyes were busy scanning the
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Speaker 1: prairies in every direction. Now and then he rested from
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Speaker 1: this duty as his mind became somewhat relieved when he
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Speaker 1: could discover nothing except bands of antelope, or here and
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Speaker 1: there a hungry wolf, who, with his white canine looking teeth,
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Speaker 1: seemingly spoke volumes of the empty condition of his stomach.
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Speaker 1: For the remainder of that day, the train traveled on
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Speaker 1: in apparent safety, when the shades of evening had fairly
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Speaker 1: set in. A camping ground was selected on a small stream.
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Speaker 1: The wagons were formed in a circle, in which were
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Speaker 1: huddled the men and animals, so that both could be
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Speaker 1: protected by the weapons of the former. Grass was cut
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Speaker 1: with the butcher knives belonging to the members of the party,
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Speaker 1: and was laid before the mules. In this day time
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Speaker 1: just locality, they could not be allowed to procure this
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Speaker 1: food for themselves. As strong a guard as their forces
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Speaker 1: would permit of was posted. The remainder of the party
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Speaker 1: gathered some wood that had floated down the stream from
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Speaker 1: the mountains and were sparingly scattered along the shores of
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Speaker 1: the river near to the camp. This was brought in
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Speaker 1: when small fires were made, over which their frugal meal
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Speaker 1: was prepared, after which the men lay down to rest.
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Speaker 1: Many persons there are who would think that, after escaping
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Speaker 1: such perils once, it would take very great inducements to
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Speaker 1: make them thus expose themselves a second time. Nevertheless, there
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Speaker 1: exist in our land hundreds upon hundreds of men who
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Speaker 1: take delight in returning into the midst of these dangers.
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Speaker 1: A life on the prairies of the far West has
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Speaker 1: its good chances as well as its counter chances, and
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Speaker 1: no man can be happier than the true mountaineer. At first,
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Speaker 1: to one accustomed to lucuies and modern refinement, nothing can
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Speaker 1: be more unpleasant than a journey over the plains. But
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Speaker 1: each day thus spent hardens the traveler until meals that
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Speaker 1: a beggar in our towns or cities would hardly deign
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Speaker 1: to touch are by him eaten with a relish to
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Speaker 1: which he has long been a stranger. It is on
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Speaker 1: these long tramps that the despectac and the melancholic man
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Speaker 1: becomes the liveliest of the party. His sociability often increases
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Speaker 1: to such a degree that he soon can spin a
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Speaker 1: yarn in a true baron Munchausen style kit carson. As
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Speaker 1: he rode silently along all the following day, had been
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Speaker 1: meditating over the scenes through which he had so recently passed,
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Speaker 1: and also the most practicable means to be employed for
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Speaker 1: the future. When the knight had fully set in, without
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Speaker 1: saying one word to the other members of the party,
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Speaker 1: he called to a young Mexican whom he knew to
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Speaker 1: be very fleet of foot, and whose powers of endurance
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Speaker 1: were wonderful on his coming to him, he led him
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Speaker 1: to one side. When, after he had depicted to the
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Speaker 1: boy their fearful situation in its true colors, he told
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Speaker 1: him that he held the power of saving the lives
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Speaker 1: through the whole party. The New Mexicans of the North
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Speaker 1: are famous as being very fleet of foot, and the
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Speaker 1: great distance which they can run in a short period
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Speaker 1: of time is astonishing. As a general rule, they are
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Speaker 1: very partial to horses, but when they have no riding animal,
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Speaker 1: they will start on a journey of hundreds of miles
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Speaker 1: and accomplish it in an incredibly short time. A journey
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Speaker 1: of forty or fifty miles in a day is an
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Speaker 1: ordinary circumstance with them, even when the inducement for making
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Speaker 1: it has in its behalf only a minor consideration. Owing
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Speaker 1: to want of mail routes, it sometimes becomes necessary to
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Speaker 1: despatch them on express duty, such as carrying one or
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Speaker 1: several letters to some distant point. Their charge is wrapped
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Speaker 1: up in a handkerchief and tied about their waists to
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Speaker 1: prevent being lost. Then on a jog trot they will
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Speaker 1: start out, and over mountains and broken country, they will
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Speaker 1: not alter the pace for many consecutive hours, and this
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Speaker 1: for a reward of one or two dollars per d m.
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Speaker 1: It is not uncommon to meet traveling companions where one
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Speaker 1: is on horseback and the other on foot. But notwithstanding,
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Speaker 1: they will keep together for an entire journey, and complete
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Speaker 1: it as quickly as if the horsemen had undertaken it alone.
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Speaker 1: When by chance they come to and stop at a
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Speaker 1: village where there is a fandango or other festive scene
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Speaker 1: in full blasts, they will, notwithstanding their long tramp, join
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Speaker 1: in and dissipate as hard as any member present. Their
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Speaker 1: healthy climate, coarse but plain diet, and the great amount
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Speaker 1: of exercise which they take in the open air make
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Speaker 1: them capable of a wonderful amount of physical inning endurance,
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Speaker 1: under which they seemed never to grow weary. In this respect,
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Speaker 1: the only successful rivals which they have are the Indians.
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Speaker 1: This was the kind of material Kit Carson had in
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Speaker 1: the Mexican boy whom he was now about to part with.
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Speaker 1: Having detailed him for a very important duty. That youth
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Speaker 1: had long been known by, and had the full confidence
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Speaker 1: of his employer, he was ready at his bidding to
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Speaker 1: undertake anything. Therefore, on hearing the mission which Kit proposed,
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Speaker 1: sending him on. He promised to use every exertion in
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Speaker 1: its accomplishment, and at once set about its execution. Having
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Speaker 1: obtained a few rations of provisions, he soon rejoined Carson.
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Speaker 1: Then they proceeded outside of the camp, where he was
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Speaker 1: to receive his final instructions. By the dim light of
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Speaker 1: the moon, Kit pointed in the direction of Riado, where
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Speaker 1: he was to travel, and after warning him of the
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Speaker 1: dangerous places that lay on his route and giving him
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Speaker 1: the message that he was to deliver to the commanding
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Speaker 1: officer at Riardo, he bid him good bye with the
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Speaker 1: words be sure and leave a good many miles between us.
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Speaker 1: By tomorrow's sunrise, the distance to the settlement of Riardo
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Speaker 1: from Kit Carson's camp was between two and three hundred miles,
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Speaker 1: yet this runner was capable of traveling it in as
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Speaker 1: short a period of time as could any ordinary horse.
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Speaker 1: Kit now returned among his men, not to sleep, but
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Speaker 1: to watch this he did until the break of the
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Speaker 1: following day, when he summoned all hands to hitch up
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Speaker 1: the teams and proceed. Until twelve o'clock, no Indians were visible,
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Speaker 1: but at about that hour five of the savages were
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Speaker 1: seen approaching on they came, and when within speaking distance,
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Speaker 1: kit Carson ordered them to halt. They obeyed his command.
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Speaker 1: On scanning them closer, he bade them come nearer when
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Speaker 1: he informed them that the night before he had sent
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Speaker 1: an express to Riado for the purpose of letting the
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Speaker 1: troops then know of the annoyances their tribe were causing him.
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Speaker 1: Among the soldiers, he said he had many friends who
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Speaker 1: would be certain to come to his relief, and if
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Speaker 1: they should find that his party was massacred, which he
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Speaker 1: let the Indians know, could only be accomplished by his
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Speaker 1: men being overpowered, they would be already informed by whom
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Speaker 1: it was done, and would be sure to visit upon
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Speaker 1: the perpetrators of the crime a terrible retribution. The Indians
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Speaker 1: said that they would look for the moccasin tracks made
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Speaker 1: by the messenger and thus decide whether that which they
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Speaker 1: had just heard was true or not. Kit Carson, hearing
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Speaker 1: this at once, considered it as the turning point in
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Speaker 1: favor of the safety of his party. The Indians immediately
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Speaker 1: went to look for the trail. Shortly afterwards, the entire
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Speaker 1: Indian village passed within sight and were evidently making the
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Speaker 1: best of their time in seeking some safe hiding place.
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Speaker 1: The five warriors had therefore evidently found the expressman's trail,
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Speaker 1: as they had been informed that they would, and that
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Speaker 1: the boy had proceeded too far on his journey to
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Speaker 1: think of pursuing him. On his way to Rayado, the
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Speaker 1: messenger overtook the detachment of recruits to which was attached
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Speaker 1: the officer who had caused the trouble. To the commander
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Speaker 1: of these men, the young Mexican reported the position as
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Speaker 1: he left them of his employer and companions, but that gentleman,
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Speaker 1: for some unaccountable reason, would not then grant the desired aid. Therefore,
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Speaker 1: the boy pushed on to Roardo, where he found a
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Speaker 1: warm hearted and brave soldier in the person of Major Greer,
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Speaker 1: who commanded the post. The Major, on hearing the message
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Speaker 1: sent by kit Carson, immediately ordered Lieutenant R. Johnston, his
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Speaker 1: subaltern officer, to take a squad of dragoons and proceed
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Speaker 1: to the assistance of his countrymen. While on his march,
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Speaker 1: Lieutenant Johnston met with the command of recruits of whom
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Speaker 1: we had before spoken. In the course of the conversation
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Speaker 1: which ensued, Johnston was asked by the officer in charge
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Speaker 1: of the recruits, what was the service he was engaged on,
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Speaker 1: and being informed that gentlemen probably gave the subject deeper thought,
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Speaker 1: and it may have occurred to him, And such is
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Speaker 1: the opinion of kit Carson, that if the affair was
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Speaker 1: properly managed, there might be some glory accruing from it.
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Speaker 1: At any rate, he suddenly changed his mind and ordered
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Speaker 1: a detail of men to go with the lieutenant. The
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Speaker 1: relief party, as thus reinforced, again started and found kit
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Speaker 1: Carson and his train of wagons at a point that
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Speaker 1: is some twenty five miles below Bence fought under the
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Speaker 1: escort of the soldiers, Kit and his men traveled in
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Speaker 1: safety to Rayado, where he had the pleasure of thanking
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Speaker 1: Major Greer for his praiseworthy and prompt action in succoring
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Speaker 1: him and a few other American citizens who had thus
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Speaker 1: been exposed to the barbarities of savages made hostile by
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Speaker 1: the overbearing conduct of a man whose double blunder was
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Speaker 1: shielded by power. Although the fighting qualifications of the soldiers
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Speaker 1: were not called into requisition, yet they performed a meritorious
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Speaker 1: service by coming. They might have been instrumental in saving
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Speaker 1: lives while protecting commerce. And their frequent visits to remote
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Speaker 1: Indian countries always leaves salutary impressions on the minds of
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Speaker 1: the Red men. Kit Carson's thorough knowledge of Indian character
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Speaker 1: and his established bravery and integrity ought it appears to
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Speaker 1: us to have been a sufficient guarantee to this officer
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Speaker 1: that he was acting in good faith when he asked
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Speaker 1: through the proper channel that protection to which he was
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Speaker 1: certainly entitled while pursuing the necessary, though hazard business connected
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Speaker 1: with the commerce of the plains. Never throughout his eventful
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Speaker 1: career had kit Carson refused to offer his services in
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Speaker 1: the cause of a countryman who stood in need of them.
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Speaker 1: And now, when the first time came that he felt
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Speaker 1: it necessary to make the call for assistance, he could
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Speaker 1: not understand why two valuable days were allowed to pass
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Speaker 1: by an officer who could have aided him without some
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Speaker 1: notice being taken of his urgent requisition. It is true
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Speaker 1: that by some, especially those who are not acquainted with
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Speaker 1: the character of kit Carson, he is regarded as being
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Speaker 1: ever anxious for an Indian fight. But had this been
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Speaker 1: the case, he would have long since paid the forfeit
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Speaker 1: with his life. To contradict such a statement. We have
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Speaker 1: but to appeal to the reader of this narrative and
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Speaker 1: ask him to bear testimony of the marked discretion that
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Speaker 1: has so far coupled itself with kit Carson's fame. An
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Speaker 1: amusing incident which came under the eye of the writer
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Speaker 1: is to the point in the early part of the
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Speaker 1: so called gold Fever of California, when parties were organizing
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Speaker 1: in the city of New York to proceed overland to
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Speaker 1: the Pacific. We chanced to be present at a meeting
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Speaker 1: held by one of the companies. As most of those
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Speaker 1: present were entirely unacquainted with the country to be passed over,
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Speaker 1: and as they were anxious to place themselves in a
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Speaker 1: safe position, some one proposed that Kit Carson should be
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Speaker 1: employed as a guide, provided his services could be had.
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Speaker 1: This was ruled out. The amusing part of this incident
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Speaker 1: consists in the reason which governed this judgment. It was
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Speaker 1: on account of the fear that he might lead them
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Speaker 1: out of their way in order to engage in some
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Speaker 1: bloody Indian fight. It being generally represented and believed that
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Speaker 1: he was sanguinarily inclined. Chief literature had so ferociously made
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Speaker 1: the man that he of all men most experienced could
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Speaker 1: not be trusted, showing thereby how little had been known
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Speaker 1: of the real kit Carson. End of Section twenty three,
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Speaker 1: Chapter fourteen, Part two,