El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-16

Glmes anu W Keep uis "eh 10 readiness
"Colonel, 1 can prevent the Indians
surprising you," said Carson, ''but ]
can't prevent an attack"
The next evening we camped on the
head of q small ravine In q cluster Of
timber, Carson selecting the place al
some protection against an attack. just
as were sitting down to supper we
heard loud yell down the ravine, and
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 close on the
heels of the picket came about sixty
Indians, in war paint. The colonel
waited until their arrows begun flying
into the camps and then came the Or
der to fire. When the smoke cleared
away there were eighteen "good In
disns" on the ground. The remainder
fed back into the caynon, leaving th cir
dead behind. 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 eighteen ponies.
It was Carson's business not only to
seek q route to travel, but to see that
| we were not surprised by the Indians,
either day or night. Three days after,
while the command was eating q meal
Carson and I rode out from camp to
turn when we heard a whoop to our
right and looking that way saw about
twenty redskins coming towards US on
their gallOping ponies. Well try to
keep out of reach of their arrows, said
Carson, land draw them into q trap If
we can"
We rode into camp, and there WAS
not a gun fired at the savages. and I
believe we were unseen by them until
they were in 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
Tucson, of the Apaches, and q small
band of his warriors. He knew Car
son, however, and as his band was q
small one he thought 1t bette- to
pretend friendllness. He had never
speak good Spanish, and so could Car
son. They had q short conversation,
after which Carson turned to Col.
Fremont and asked if some of his men
wouldn't shoot at mark, so the In
dams could see the effect of the gun.
The colonel ordered one of his men,
Charlie Savage, to shoot at q bird In q
tree. He was a good shot. and the
birds head was cut off. 1t was anus
ing to see the Indians put their fingers
to their ears to deaden the report and
to hear their questions as to what be-
came of the arrow. Carson told Tue
son that the white man could kill an
Indian as far as he could see him.
About five days afterward we reach
ed the Colorado River. Here, we were
detained several days building q raft to
ferry plumber across the river. Up to
the time we had begun ferryinE we
had not seen an Indian on either eide
of the river, but the first load that
went across had an escort of four men,
and about the time the craft reached
out side for the second load we saw
small tribe of redskins stealing up the
side of q ravine toward our friends on
the other bank. If was a mystery
where they came from. The river was
too wide to allow US to do any damage
with our guns, and I had never seen
Col. Fremont as excited as he was at
this time, but he, Kit Carson and SIX
and six our men jumped on board the
raft and started for the relief of our
friends. They did not reach the shore
second too soon, for the Indians
we're within 20 feet of our friends when
the raft reached the shore.
They Immediately fred into
the band of Indians, numbering about
twenty, killing q small numb Der. The
uuinjured fed. We stayed 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
Angeles, Cal. When we arrived here
we found it to be an adobe village of
forty houses, with but two men in the |
whole fowl who could speak English. |
The second night after our arrival the |
Mexicans gave Col. Fremont landau |
go, and there was not q Spanish WON an |
old or young, who was not present.
We left Los Angeles in the morning
and set out for Monterey, which was |
then the capital of the territory. Here
were made between Col.
Fremont and Kit Carson that Carson
should start at once for Washington
alone, and carry Important dispatches
Il took over two months to make the
trip. He made it on three horses, lead
Ing Two and riding the third. Myself
and man named West started the
same day for New Mexico, and we
back over nearly the same
route, but, strange to say, met with no
trouble from the Indians.
I lived with Carson about twelve
years, and I never have met with q
better man. He was honest to fault,
strictly truthful, and 1espised the
lusrreling that was 30 common among
,he scouts and the early western men.
At the close of the Mexican war he be-
came indebted to man named Reed
or 5000. He gave his note, pay
bile in twelve months. When the
tote came dne Mr.. Reed
lad left the country, and Carson could
lot find any trace of him. Two years
Ifter that, however, he heard that
Reed was in the City of Mexico, and,
,eing engaged in work be could not
cave, he sent me, in company with a
young Spanish lad, 900 miles across