The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1849-05-19
An Episode in the Life of Kit Carson.

/ IN Inc New I Ork riOuue, written Oy LA
vid l.. Brown; and we extract an achieve
ment given 10 Kit Carson. We had never
heard of it; but the life of the celebrated
guide has been too full OF facts stranger
than fiction to justify any question of the
matter.
Kit and his party had a severe fight with
a band of Btackfeet.
As was returning back to where the wo
men and children belonging to our camp
were stationed, under charge of some half
dozen of our men who had not participated
in the affray, for the purpose of procuring
something in the shape of a horse or mule
on which TO mount myself, was startled
by female shrek, and, on looking sudden
iy mp, had barely time to spring aside as a
Blacktoot, whom recognized to be chief,
few past, the loose ends of the buffalo robe
I on which he was riding brushing me Ia the
face He had one of our women before
him on his horse, who was writing IN his
arms, and making vain and Intellectual en-
deayors to free herself from his powerful
grasp. | raised my rife instinctvely to fire,
but the utter impossbility of shooting The
savage without at the same time periiling
tie life of his captive, compelled me TO des.st.
/ was giving up all hope of succor for the
! poor girl, when, at the distance of about a
mile, at a point or elbow formed ny sud
| den turn OF the river, | discovered one of
our men dashing at full speed, for the pur-
pose, apparently of interceptiDg the Black
! foot before he could gain the Madison at the
1 Quly available point where he could cross
l overs and Join the rest of his tribe. 1t was
a moment of intense aud even agonIzing in
,erest 10 me, for this woman was, and de-
servedly, Il very great favorte with US all.
J IL,
one Of our best men, and had endeared her
self to the whole camp by her intelligence,
kindness of heart, and native feminine deli
cacy of feeling. to say nothing Of her good
looks, which were nearly Of the highest type
OF ludan beauty.
! On attehtWeiy observing the .horseman,
who had all at once become al, object of
absorbing interest, the hopes which had been
Fast waning in me, sprang into instant and
rigorous life, for in that figure, moving with
The ease and velocity of the wind, | saw
one whose very name has since become the
lsynonyme of desperate adventure and ro-
mantle courage. This was my bosom friend
! Kit Carson, who wa, mounted on a superb
blood horse, which had been presented TO
him some two years previous, by Sir Will
t.iam Stewart, with his head guiltle>s of a
hat-a filiet heng simply bound around it
his inng light brown, nr aubu.a hair, streani-
fing in the wnd-his slight bur Muscular
form, swaying and bending with iuinitahIe
grace, to every motion OF the noble animal,
as it few rather than dashed over the undu-
Eating prairie that interviewed between him
EaDd the Indian chief, increasing at every
bound, the chance Of rescue, and being
seemingly conscious of the infinite ,npOr-
tance Of its present eXertionS. The Black
foot, who had quickly seen tue hunter, aud
OWNED bis int alton to cut him off at the
Fpoint above referred to, made the most in
tense exertions TO accomplish his purpose.
But Carson was too quick for him. They
were about twenty yards apart when the
latter discharged his gun, but apparently
with little effect, as the former did not
sWerve from his course IN the ightest de-
gree. They were now within hundred
yards of the spot, where a narrow and steep
buffalo track formed the only practicable
descent to the River Madison, when Carson,
who had hitherto carried his rifle in the hol-
low of his left arm, brought it suddenly
round to his shoulder, and fired. | knew
that the shot had taken effect, as could
perceive the Indian straighten himself IN the
saddle and in the next moment his knife
was cleaning aloft, and descended upon the
form Of his helpless captive. Both fell
nheavily to the earth, and the horse Of the
Blacktoot chief, freed from its double bur-
then, bounded wildly forward, and disap-
Ipeared down the sleep and rugged pass
(which its master mad striven in vain to reach.
1t was the work of a moment for Carson
TO spring from his horse, and dlsengage the
woman from the death-grasp of the savage.
She was badly but not mOrtally wounded,
the knife of the savage having struck upon
the bone of the fleshy part of the arm, from
which it glanced, and passing entirely thro1,
inflicted an ugly hut not dangerous wound
upon her side. With the assistance of some
Of our men, who arrived Immediately after
this fortunate termination OF the. conflict,
Kit carried the poor girl TO the camp, where
she was given in charge OF the we;nen, who
always act as surgeons on such occasions,
who incontinently dressed her wounds, and
made her as comfortable As the circumstan-
ces of the case would admit of.
The conduct of the Indian woman on this
irving occasion was so characteristic, and at
the same time so dissimlar to that which
would in all probability have been displayed
in like situation by a civilized woman, that
it is worthy of remark 10 those curious IN
human nature. From the time she was
isnatched from her horse until she was re-
lieved from her periIous position by the he
roic and timely interference of kit Carson,
the Indian girl had given but one scream,
which was produced more by surprise than
fear, and from that instant silently submit
ted to her fate, with the quiet determination,
however, to avail herself of any possible
means of escape that chance or accident
might present.
When Kit overlook her ahductor, and for
some time hesitated about firing, fearful of
liniuring her whom he had come to save, she
Iresolutey told him to ~shoot. and never to
mind her; and when the Blackfoot raised
his knife, it was only by quickly. shifting her