The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-15
5gle
ENOUGH OF SENTIMENT.
A STORY TOLD or THE TIMES OF
The GREAT KIT CARSON.

A Frenchman's Desperate Plunge Into
Mountain Gorre-Botb " His Legs Were
Broken, and So Was His Weakness for
poor Lo"-Didn't Notice the Evidence.
Thirty or forty years ago, when trap
ping" was the regular occupation OF the
plainsman and mountaineer, varied, per
haps, by an occasional fight with the saw
ages. the expeditions Of the frontiersmen
into the remote regions where the fur
bearing animals 2bounded lasted for year
or two, and sometimes longer. They had
no watches in those days, and to keep
record of the time was no easy matter. Kit
Carson told me that often one man Of the
marty was detailed to keep the almanac"
or the passage Of the days, by that most
primitive of calculations notching stick
Frequently the stick was lost and all their
calculations were mixed up, and it was an
amusing thing when they returned TO the
settlements to disposeof their furs to learn
how far they were off from the true date
or dav OF the week Nearly every man had
his own idea on the subject, scarcely any
two of the outfit" agreeing in the matter.
1t was surprising, too, on those EXTENDED
trips. how severe accidents would occur,
or now ONO Oh bit DilAN NbhAb 10 De'NAAJ
wounded by Indians IN some single handed
fight, when away by himself, and yet get
well where ordinarily the chances for 49,
covery were hundred to one against IT.
Kit told me Of one Of these hairbreadth
recoveries, If | may employ the term IN
this connection, which happened TO one OF
their party when they were trapping way
ND in the "Backfoot" country nearly half
q century ago.
TOUCHED his HEART.
The man was a Frenchman, as were
many of the Ole trappers in those early
DAYS: his name has passed out OF my mind
He was a kind hearted man, fresh in the
country, and a little inclined TO look upon
the Indians with that sort of mistaken
sentimentality which charecterizes the av-
erage New England philanthropIst who
has never seen tie ''untuoored 10" on hs
native heath Late one night, after they
had been camping on one of the many
streams of the region for several weeks. as
he was On duty guarding the camp from
the incursious of too inquisitive grizzly
or the inpertinent Investigations OF the
wolves, his attention was attracted to
something high up in a tree near by, which
seemed restless, changing IS position con-
stantly, like some animal OF prey. The
Frenchman drew bead upon it, and there
came tumbling down ut his feet dead
savage, with his war paint and other Ia
dian paraphernaliR sdorning his body.
The poor man was terribly hurt over the
circumstance OF having killed an Indian,
and it grieved him for long time.
One day, a month after the nights Incl
dent. he was riding alone f6r from his
party and out of sound of their rifles as
well, when band of Blaokfeet discovered
him and started for his scalp. lie had no
possible chance for escape except by the
endurance of his horse, a magnificent ami
NAL, so a race for life began. He had no
trouble in keeping out of the way of their
arrows (the Indians had no guns them, and
he hoped to make the camp before they
could possibly wear out his horse; but just
as he was congratulating himself on his
luck right before him there suddenly APP
peared a great gorge, and, not daring to
stop or to turn either TO the right or left,
the only thing to do was 10 make his ami
NAL lump it, It was his only chance; it
was death If he missed it and death if the
Indians got him. So he drove his heels
into his horses side and attempted the
awful leap His willing animal made
desperate effort to carry out the wishes of
the daring rider. but the gorge was too
wide, and the Indians saw both horse and
rider dash down to the bottom of the fright
full canyon together. Believing that their
Enemy had eluded them forever, they went
back on the trail without even going down
into the gorge.