The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1893-09-16
A THRILLING INCIDENT.
One of Kit Carson's Many Daring
Adventures.

IN the summer OF 1901 our party was
crossing the great plains cn route to
California. We numbered thirty-eight
men in all, and our outfit, with its
eight wagons, teams and necessary sup
plies. was very valuable one In those
days overland emigrants hau literally
to fight their way. Eternal vigilance
was the price at which life and proper
ty were preserved.
Nevertheless we had reached well
Into Arizona without Il serious mishap,
having lost neither man nor an ami
NAL on our long journey.
One day we were toiling along be-
tween Mogollor mountains and Black
Butte when far away to the left, riding
diagonally across our course, we saw q
single horseman whom, even at that
distance, we knew to be white man.
Splendiily mounted on Il jet-black
horse he was making rapid progress,
but we could not at first imagine why
he pressed on so furiously, nor why, as
he could plainly see our white-topped
wagons, he did not make directly for
us. Our surprise at his apparent avoid
ance of us was increased when our
guide, Joe Carroll, riding in advance of
the train, presently called out:
."Close up, boys, and form corral.
Well likely have a fight before long.
There's sixty or more Apache chasing
that lone rioer, and they'll have him,
surel See how they're spreading out,
the numbering villainsl They know
the ground ahead of them"
Sure enough, we could now see, just
coming over the ridge of distant rise
in the plain, band of mounted In
dians, who, as they advanced, gradually
extended their line as If to prevent the
hunted man from swerving to the right
or left.
''Why in thunder don't the blamed
fool ride straight for us?" impatiently
exclaimed Tom Ross, our captain.
*"For mighty good reason" replied
Joe. Between us and him, right in
the middle of that smooth-looking
plain. and running square across his
path, lies Devils gulch. It's more than
three miles long, very wide in places,
and no living thing has ever seen the
bottom of it. The reds say it has none.
There's no rise on either side of it, and
1t can't be seen till one gets close up;
but those devils and that poor fellow,
too, know it's there. He's opposite the
center of it now and the bloodthirsty
brutes see that he won't have time to
clear either end before they overhaul
him. So they're sure of his scalp, but
they'll have to ride around the gulch to
get at u.s."
They'll pay dearly for that scalp.
then,' savagely shouted Capt. Ross.
"Grab your rifles, boys, and thirty of
you come along. Let the others stick
to the corral. I'm afraid we can't
save the man, but if lot of you can
get to the gully before the reds retreat
beyond rife-shot we'll have revenge,
anyhow"
We had no saddle horses except three
ridden by Ross and Carroll, and as we
We're barely half mile from the ra-
vine, no time would be gained by un-
Harvesting and mounting the draught
animals. So our leaders spurred on
ahead and we followed on foot as fast
as our legs could carry us.
At the moment we started the beset
horseman was about as far from one
side of the gulch as we were from the
other. He was still riding at top speed,
but to our amazement, as we judged
within four hundred yards of the bar
rier he brought the pace of his horse
down to hand-gallop, thus enabling
the yelling, exultant savages to gain
rapidly on him.
1t seemed strange that the apparent
y doomed man should deliberately, in
this manner, shorten his brief span OF
life. 1t must be, we conjectured. only
because he wished to sell it more dear
", for now we saw him half turn in
the saddle and throw up his rifle. A
puff of smoke, report, almost inaudi-
ble to us, and the foremost warrior,
who had come within q hundred and
fifty yards of his hoped-for prey, reeled
in his seat and pitched headlong to the
earth, his trained pony remaining mo-
tionless by the dead body.
Never checking the easy lope of his
horse the white man reloaded with in
credible speed, turned once more and
brought down another of his pursuers,
while the scattering volley fred at him
IN return proved harmless.
Our mounted comrades had by this
time nearly reached the gulch. Sud-
denly one of them. Joe Carroll, turned
back and. galloping toward us,
ehouted:
otis Kit Carson, boysl And sure as
you live he's letting his horse gather
himself for an attempt to leap the gully
In one particular spot where it's only
twenty feet wide. Hurry along like
lightning. so as to get within shot of
the reds II they're fools enough to fol-
low him to tho edge"
Loud cheers greeted this startling
revelation, and every man of us ran as
II the worlds fate depended upon his
individual speed. But strain as we
might, we were still over three hundred
yards from the to Us invisible ra-
vine, when Kit Carson twisted about,
fred again with unerring aim, and a
third savage fell Then no dropped his
rifle, threw his heavy holsters and pis-
tolls to the ground, and sitting we'll
down in his saddle, rode straight for
the yawning chasm.
Tom Ross had gained the hither-s,de
OF the gulch, and tho guide was hurry
ing back to join him; but we, now that
the crisis had come, were 80 fascinated
by the sight OF Carson's sublime daring
that we involuntarily came to a full
stop. breathlessly awaiting the result
On, with short springy bounds,
came the black stallion, and Ross, as
he afterward told us, was close enough
toMark how his mighty muscles seemed
IN h,,noh ou1 rokha. to-