The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-02-01
KIT CARSON
A. D. 1S43

Once Colonel Inmgn, an old frontiers
man, bought a newspaper which had
full page picture of Kit Carson. The
hero stood in a forest, gigantic fig
ure in buckskin suit, heavily armed.
embracing a rescued heroine, while at
his feet Sprawled six slain Indian
braves, his latest victims.
What do you think of this?" said
the colonel, handing the picture to
delicate little man, who wiped his
spectacles, studied the work of art.
and replied in gentle drawl, THAT
may be true, but / hain't got no recol-
lection Of it." And so Kit Carson
handed the picture back.
He stood five feet six, and looked
frail, but his countrymen, and all the
boys of all the world think Of this
mighty frontiersman as giant.
At seventeen he was a remarkably
green and innocent boy for his years,
his home log cabin on the Missouri
frontier Past the door ran the trail
to the west where trappers went by
In buckskin, traders among the Indians,
and soldiers for the savage wars of
the plains.
One day came Colonel S. Vrain,
agent of a big fur trading company,
with his long train Of wagons hitting
the Santa Fee trail Kit got job with
that train, to herd spare stock, hunt
bison, mount guard and fight Indians.
They were three weeks out in camp
when half a dozen Pawnee Indians
charged, yelling and waving robes to
stampede the herd, but a brisk fusil-
lade from the white men sent them
scampering back over the skyline.
Next day, after sixteen-mile
march the outfit corraled their wag-
ons for defense at the foot Of Paw
nee Rock beside the Arkansas river.
II had not slept any Of the night be-
fore" says Kit, "for l stayed awake
watching TO get shot st the Pawnees
that tried to stampede our animals,
expecting they would return; and /
hadn't caught wink all day, as was
out buffalo hunting, so I was awfully
tired and sleepy when l was posted
at my place at night. must have gone
TO sleep leaning against the rocks; at
any rate, was wide enough awake
when the cry of Indians was given by
one of the guard. l had picketed my
mule about tW enty PAGES from where
1 stood, and I presume he had been
lying down; all / remember is, that
the first thing l saw after the alarm
was something rising up out of the
grass, which l thought was an Indian.
pulled the trigger; it was center
shot, and 1 don't believe the mule
ever kicked after he was hit y
AT daylight the Pawnees attacked
in earnest and the fight lasted nearly
three days, the mule teams being shut
IN the corral without food or water.
AT midnight of the second day they
hitched up, fighting their way for thir-
teen miles, then got into bad trouble
fording Pawnee fork while the Indians
poured lead and arrows into the teams
until the colonel and Kit Carson led
terrific charge which dispersed the
enemy. The fight cost the train four
killed and seven wounded.
1t was during this first trip that Car
son saved the life of wounded team
ster by cutting off his arm. With
razor he cut the flesh, with a saw got
through the bone, and with a white
hot king-bolt scared the wound, stop
ping the flow of blood.
In 1885 Carson was hunter for
Bent's fort, keeping the garrison of
forty men supplied with buffalo meat.
Once he was out hunting with six 9TH
ers and they made their camp tired
out II saw" says Kit, ''two big
wolves sneaking about, one of them
quite close to u.s. Gordon, one of my
men, wanted to fire his rifle at it, but
I would not let him for fear he would
hit a dog. l admit that / had sort
of idea that these wolves might be
Indians; but when l noticed one of
them turn short around and heard
the clashing of his teeth as he rushed
at one of the dogs, l felt easy then,
and was certain that they were wolves
sure enough. But the red devil fooled
me after all, for he had two dried
buffalo bones in his hands under the
wolfskin and he ratified them together
every time he turned TO make dash
at the dogsl Well, by and by we all
dozed off, and it wasn't long before
I was suddenly aroused by a noise
and big blaze. / rushed out the first
thing for our mules and held them.
If the sayages had been at all smart,
they could have killed us in a trice,
but they ran as soon as they fired at
u.s. They killed one of my men, put
ting FIVE shots in his body and eight in
his buffalo robe The Indians were
band of snakes, and found US by sheer
accident. They endeavored to ambush
US the next morning, but we got wind
of their little game and killed three
Of them, including the chief"
1t was in his eight years as hunter
for Bent's fort that Kit learned to
know the Indians, visiting their camps
10 smoke with the chiefs and play
with the little boys. When the Sioux
nation invaded Comanche and Arap-
ahoe hunting grounds he persuaded
them to go north, and so averted war
In 1912 when he was scout to Ere
mont, he went buffalo hunting to get
meat for the command. One dav he