Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-08
Fundo ad in
Leading 'FnreRp aAe

the girl,faced lad that had the iron
nerve TO operatc without other instru-
ments than Il hunting knife. small
, saw and n red hot iron for cauteriZa-
| ton.
| 1t was as IL the boy had Mt last
| found the thing that he had been
waiting for all his life. Leaving his
party at Santa Fe. Kit went north by
himself. driving IA pack mule before
| him. with only his rifle to furnish pro-
| lection and food. but sublimely happy.
Somewhere and somehow he fell in
with lone Spaniard, and this solitary
trapper took the wanderer into his
! cabin for the Winter. teaching him
/ all that he knew of wood and stream.
! drawing maps at night on the dirt
| floor and drilling him in Spanish. The
/ lad grasped the language with the
same facility that was TO give him
| French and a half-dozen Indian
! tongues at a later time.
STARTING back home In the
~ Spring. Kit met party OF traders
on the way and leaped ut the chance
to act as guide and interpreter. Once
! again in Santa Fee. he Joined another
band and travelled clenr to FL Paso.
| Chihuahua. crossing the dreaded
| tornado del Muerto. But he did not
| like Mexico or the Mexicans and the
| Winter season found him back in the
| Taos country. trapping along its swift
streams. Always. however. the Hn-
! known drew him az magnet. and
| when the winds blew warm he cast his
| lot with some rovers who had heard
great tales of California rivers black
| to the very brim with beaver.
1t was in the days when the old
! Spanish mission still fiourished. and
at San Gabriel and San Fernando the
adventures saw hills and plains
covered with horses. cattle and sheep;
glowing gardens, great vineyards and
| whitehead monks moving like kings
through fields where thousand In.
dams worked for the greater glory of
| the Lord. A golden land, an Eden.
| but a few weeks exhausted its charm
| for the driving Americans, and they
turned to the north following the san
| Joaquin Valley to the upper reaches
| of the Sacramento.
On every hill burned the signal fires
Of the Indians. and when il was seen
| that the savages meant war carson
urged the wisdom of a bold stroke thai
would instill n wholesome fear. Pick.
| u
fell on an Indian village in the night.
wiping it out. Then. following with
the tenacity OF a hound. he gave sue
cessful battle to the broken remnants
of the tribe in a mountain gorge.
| Trapping in peace. the Americans
went from stream TO stream, and when
they returned 10 Santa Fe in the
| Spring of 1880, the sale OF furs gave
! them $4,000 to divide.
| Now 1t was the North that called
| Kit Carson, and Winter found him In
the Wyoming country, pierced by the
! bitter mountain winds, buffeted by ter.
rife Billiards, but happy 10 be in a
| new land. Again the Indians lowered
| near both nigh, and day, hopeful OF
picking of a straggler or stealing
bunch Of horses, and again young Car.
son was selected to lead one or those
fierce reprisals in which the trappers
delighted.
For 10 miles he followed the trail
| OF the thieves. and coming 10 their
| camp In the dead Of night. crept like
a snake to where the stolen ponies
| were tethered, and brought them oil
without waking n redskin.
| Kits compan MONS were eager TO be
away, for the Indians outnumbercd
| them ten to one. but Carson insisted
/ that this very fact made holiness I'M
| perative.
They will foiiow US In the morn
| ing" he said, land have lis at their
mercy. We must weaken them while
| surprise gives us the advantage"
! Putting his men behind rocks and
trees. he gave his battle yell, and as
| the startled savages lesped from sieen.
| IL rifles cracked. All through the
| night and well beyond the dawn the
struggle waged, but finally the Crows
retreated.
Sometimes with a party. Oftentimes
with only two or three chosen compan.
ions. Carson roamed the north. al.
ways In love with virgin trails. photo.
graphing pa sses and streams with the
| eye OF born ge0gfapher.
Ii was now that he came To know
| Jim Bridger. Widest Of all that wild
| crew, for he had been among the IRE
| To fight the Indians for mastery oi
the land. and the mountain life had
stripped him down to stark elemental
| instincts. The two cOmpa nioned II on
| many lonely hunting trip. fought
| back 10 back against the Indians. and