The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-02-01
CAPTAINS OF
ADVENTURE
Copyigh hy Bobbs .MeriuCo npany
By ROGER POCOCK

's-heFEln AolRAu%
was cutting up beast newly killed
when he left his work In pursuit of a
large bull that came rushing past him.
His horse was too much blown to run
well, and when at last he got near
enough to fire, things began to happen
all at once. The bullet, hitting too
low, enraged the bison just as the
horse, stepping into prairie dog hole,
shot Kit some fifteen feet through the
air. Instead of Kit hunting bison, Mr..
Buffalo hunted Kit. who ran for all he
was worth. So they came to the Ar
kansas river where Kit dived while
the bison stayed on the bank TO hook
him when he landed But while the
bison gave Kit swimming lesson,
one of the hunters made an unfair at
tack from behind, killing the animal.
So Kit crawled out and skinned his
enemy.
One of his great hunting feats was
the killing Of FIVE buffalo with only
had to cut out the ball from number
four, then catch up, and shoot num-
Der five.
One night as the expedition lay in
camp, far up among the mountains,
Fremont sat for hours reading some
letters just arrived from home. then
fell asleep to dream of his young wife.
Presently a soft sound, rather like the
| blow of an ak, made Kit start broad
awake, to find Indians in camp. They
fled, but two Of the white men were
lying dead in their blankets, and the
noise that awakened Carson was the
blow of tomahawk Draining his own
chum, the voyageur, La Jeunesse.
In the following year Carson was
serving as hunter to caravan west
ward bound across the plains, when
he met Captain Cooke In camp, with
four squadrons of United States cav
airy. The captain told him that fol-
lowing on the trail was caravan be-
longing to wealthy Mexican and so
richly loaded that hundred riders
had been hired as guards.
Presently the Mexican train came up
and the majordomo offered Carson
three hundred dollars IL he would ride
TO the Mexican governor at Santa Fe
and ask him for an escort of troops
from the point where they entered New
Mexico. Kit, who was hard up, gladly
accepted the cash, and rode to Bents
fort. There he had news that the
Utes were on the war path, but Mr..
Bent lent him the swiftest horse in
the stables. Kit walked, leading the
horse by the rein, to have him perfect
ly fresh in case there was need for
flight He reached the Ute village,
hid, and passed the place at night
without being seen. So he reached
Taos, his own home in New Mexico,
whence the alcalde sent his message
to the governor at Santa Fe.
The governor had already sent a
hundred riders but these had been
caught and wiped out by force of
Texans, only one escaping, who, dur
ing the heat of the fight, caught sad
died Texan pony and rode off.
Meanwhile the jo-
sent his reply for Carson to carry to
the caravan. He said he was march
ing with a large force, and he did
so. But when the survivor of the
lost hundred rode into Armijo's camp
with his bad news, the whole outfit
rolled their tails for home.
Carson, with the governors letter,
and the news of plentiful trouble,
reached the Mexican caravan, which
decided not to leave the protecting
American cavalry camped on the
boundary line. What with Texan raid
ers, border ruffians, Utes, Apaches,
Comanches, and other little draw
backs, the caravan trade on the Santa
Fe trail was never dull for moment.
Here, for example, is a description
of the American army of the Bear
Flag republic Selling California In
1916. "a vast cloud of dust appeared
first, and thence, long file, emerged
this widest wild party. Fremont
rode ahead-a spare. active-looking
man, with such an eye! He was
dressed in blouse and leggings and
wore felt hat. After him came five
Delaware Indians, who were his body
guard and have been with him through
all his wanderings; they had charge of
the baggage horses. The rest, many of
them blacker than the Indians, rode
two and two, the rifle held in one hand
across the pommel of the saddle. Thir-
ty-nine of them are his regular men,
the rest are loafers picked up lately I;
his original men are principally back
woodsmen from the state of Tennessee,
and the banks of the upper waters
of the Missouri. The dress of
these men was principally a long loose
coat of deerskin, tied with thongs in
front; trousers Of the same, which
when wet through. they take off,
scrape well inside with knife, and
| put on as soon as dry. The saddles
were of various fashions, though these
and large drove of horses, and a
brass field gun, were things they had
picked up about California. They are
allowed no liquor; this, no doubt, has
much to do with their good conduct
and the discipline, too. is very strict"
One of these men was Kit Carson,
sent off in October to Washington on
| the Atlantic, three thousand miles
away with news that California was
conquered for the United States, by a
party of sixty men. In New Mexico,
| Kit met General Kearney, and told
| him that the Californians were pack
| of towards. So the general sent back