Telegram-herald., 1890-08-01
KIT CARSON FOOLED.
rudians D.syaissd as Wolves De-
os,yo ths Famous Scout
sasss..a tuEAn Repeats Tale rsld ~ sAs
Ga FroAusxssa~s-hSS = as-na Il
Iasa.ss saFprassa . h0ay 81
Uzcts s4ns Ir0oPs-

EzStz e&1s AFS@Fs
oas Might. nearly twenty-five years
49, was csmped wish Kit Carson.
lea z. Maxwell. GeBersl Carleton ot
ths regular army and . couple of
Anaehe Indians. half way gp Ihe rugged
sisss Of the Rston Range, Ia the Rock
t,... srlses Colonel inm4n Ia tho Kansas
Caty ss.r. Ii was terribly cold. al
though midsummer, and we hgddIod
around little ire Of piae knots, many
thousand feet above the sea level, close
70 the timber lint. We had no blank
cts. and. OF course, were compelled 20
SIT ID through the long hours. smoke
and tell stories to k@ep awake.
The night Was very dark. there was
no moon. and fortunately Carson was in
g. good humor for talking-usaally be
was the most retieent OF men concern
ing himself Maxwell made casual re-
mark in relation 20 some isolated peak
near by. just disoerniois In the dark
ness. connecting the locality with some
trouble he had with the Utes ten or a
dozen years before. and his story opened
Kits mouth. who said il reminded him
Of one of the worst ''dinlcults" he ever
got into. and the only time when the
Indians really fooled" him. Kit al
ways called bis troubles with the saw
ages "iificults." SO Kit rolled fresh
corn-shuck cigarette. while the rest Of
Us flied our briar-woods and listened at
tenuyely 70 the famous old man--&tz-
well. of course, was already familiar
with his early lifo. but the story was
new 20 the General and myself
1t was In ls4S; both he and Maxwell
wore principal guides and hunters with
General John @. Fremont on his expe-
dition TO the mouth OF the Columbia
When In the Sierra Nevadas, the Gen
eral sent Carson one day in advance OF
the main column 10 select q suitable
campaign place. whero the expedition
was % remain several days for the pur-
pose of taking some astronomical obser-
vations. Tho essentials we're good
water, timber and game, yet near an ell
evated point where there were not
too many trees to shut out g fair view OF
the heavens. Kit started on his mission,
moving SO that he would not be more
than two or three days in advance of the
General. blazing" his way, and setting
up other signs agreed upon, by which
his trail could be easily followed. The
second afternoon out, it must have been
near the crest OF the Snowy range that
marks the boundary between what Is
now Nevada and California according
TO Carson's description. he found spot
that fulfilled the Generals REQ uirements
perfectly. 1t was heavily timbered bot
tom, through which ran pebbly brook.
above which, at an elevation of only a
few hundred feet, was hill almost de-
nuded by trees, with q fat prairie OF
several acres in extent-just the place
to use instruments to advantage.
Kit camped in the timbered bottom on
account Of the intensely cold nights of
the high altitude, making big fire of
logs, by which all the men slept, feet
towards it, rolled up in their blankets,
he volunteering to stand guard the first
portion Of the watch. He walked
around, smoking cigarettes, until he got
warmed through, then he would stand
in the shadow CT one OF the big trees
near the men, keeping his eye skinned,
as he called it. Some time after the
men were all asleep-perhaps an hour
and q half had elapsed since the last
smoker had knocked the ashes out of
his pipe, rolled himself up and was
snoring lustily-the wolves commenced
10 make terrible noise in tho timber.
Kit said he could hear them growl and
snap their jaws and fight and run
through the brush, apparently coming
J nearer TO the fire as they cavorted
around. Pretty soon, Kit said he cosld
see them playing together, but he did
not want to shoot at them and drive
them away; he knew the report of his
rife would only wake up the men who
were sleeping so nicely after their hard
days march; besides he know they were
harmless, and were only attracted by
the fire and the game the men had hung
up in the trees; that the animals would
play around there until the camp was
abandoned in the morning and then
come in to pick up what scraps they
could find.
So Kit paid no moro attention to the
wolves, only TO see them play and snap
their teeth as be stood in the shadow OF
a big pine tree, where they couldn't see
him. Presently, Kit said. they came
nearer. and "all Of suddint them
wolves riz right up and fred a shower OF
arrows into the sleeping men; they was
Indians, dressed in wolves. skins, and
they made the snaps OF the jaws with
two bones held in their hands"
Kit said he was never deceived tha,
way before nor afterward: he thong ht
they we're wolves surely, and If it had
been daylight, "spect be could "a seen
'em just frothin'." One or two OF the
mon werc hit, but not seriously II the
Indians bad had rifles the result would
have been disastrous. probably. The
men all jumped up, of course. but could
not draw q bead on the Indians ION ac-
count OF the darknessl. who scampersd
away safely in the nignt; yet there was
not more sleep.