The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-17

saw the picket guard coming double quick
up the canyon. Every man sprung for
his gun, and they were none too quick,
for close on the heels Of the picket came
about sixty Indians, In war paint. The
colonel waited until their arrows began
flying into the camp, and then came the
order to fire. When the smoke cleared
away there were eighteen good Indians"
on the ground. The remainder fled back
into the canyon, leaving their dead be-
hind. Every scalp was worth a horse to
the COmanches, to whom, we would sell
| and let them exhibit the scalp at their
annual scalp dance. We received eight
cen ponies.
1t was Carsons business not only to
seek route of travel, but to see that
we were not surprised by the Indians,
either day or night Three days after,
while the command was taking a meal,
Carson and 1 rode out from the camp to
look for signs. We were ready to re-
turn when we heard Whoop to our
! right and looking that way saw band
of about twenty redskins coming toward
us on their galloping ponies, well try
to keep cut of reach of their arrows
said Carson, land draw them into a trap
| If we can" - rS-F
We rode into camp, and there was not
a gun fired at the savages, and 1 believe
we were unseen by them until they were
within range Of our guns. The colonel
ordered US to fire. Seven were killed and
| their ponies we captured.
The next hostiles we met were old Tue
son, of the Apaches, and a small band Of
his warriors. He knew Carson, however.
and as his band was a small one he
thought 1t better to pretend friendliness.
He had never seen any firearms. Tue
son could speak good Spanish and so
could Carson. They had a short con-
versation, after which Carson turned to
| Col. Fremont and asked if some of his
| men wouldn't shoot at a mark, so the
| Indians could see the effect Of the gun.
Tho colonel ordered one of his men,
Charlie Savage, to shoot at bird In
a tree. He was a good shot, and the
birds head was cut off. 1t was amusing
| to see the Indians put their fingers to
| their ears to deaden the report and to
| hear their questions as to what became
of the arrow. Carson told Tucson that
the the white man could kill an Indian
as far as he could see him.
| About five days afterward we reached
| the Colorado river. Here we were detain-
ed several days in building a raft to ferry
plunder across the river. Up to the time
We had begun ferrying we had not seen
| an Indian on either side of The river, but
| the first load that went across had an
| escort of four men, and about the time
| the raft reached our side fer the Sec
| ono load we saw a small tribe of red
| skins stealing up the side of a ravine
toward our friends on the other bank. 1t
was mystery where they came from.
The river was too wide TO allow US 10
do any damage with our guns, and [ had
| never seen Col. Fremont as excited as
| he was at this time, but he, Kit Carson
| and six of our men jumped on board the
raft and started for the relief OF our
| friends. They did not reach the shore a
! second too soon, for the Indians were
within twenty feet Of our friends when
| the raft reached the shore. They inme-
diately fired into the band OF Indians,
| numbering about twenty, killing small
| number. The uninjured fled We stay
! ed here two days after the fight, but had
no more trouble with them.
| Our next camping place was on the edge
of Death Valley, where no grass or any
kind Of vegetation is to be found.
The next place we struck was Los An
| geleS, Cal. When we arrived here we
| found it to be an adobe village of forty
| houses, with but two men in the whole
| town who could speak English. The sec
| ond night after our arrival the Mexicans
gave Col. Fremont fandango and there
was not Spanish woman, old or young,
| who was not present
We left Los Angeles the next morning
ana set out Tor Monterey, which was
then the capital of the territory. Here
arrangements were made between Col.
Fremont and Kit Carson that Carson
should start at once for Washington
| alone, and carry important dispatches.
1t took him over two months to make
! the trip. He made it on three horses,
leading two and riding the third. Myself
and man named West started the same
day for New Mexico, and we Travelled
back over nearly the same route, but,
| strange to say, met with no trouble from
| the Indians
lived with Carson about twelve years,
and 1 never have met with a better man.
| He was honest to a fault, strictly truth
| full, and despised the quarreling that was
| so common among the scouts and the
| early Western men. At the close of the
| Mexican war he became indebted to a
man AIMED Reed for 5000. He gave his
note payable in twelve months. When
the note came due Mr.. Reed had left the