Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-27
Kit Carson's Ride.
BY JOAQUIN MILLER.

Joaquin Miller. 1s41-1913, was an
American poet author Of Of
etc Kit Carson. 1905 ssS, was a ia
nous American frontier heroO
Run? Now, you bet yuo! I rather
guess so. But he's blind as badger.
Whoa, Pachee, my boy, whoa. No, you
wouldn't think SO to look at his eyes,
but he Is badger-blind, and it hap
pened this wise:
We lay low in the grass on the broad
plain levels, old Revels and I, and my
stolen brown bride.
Forty full miles If a foot to ride,
40 full miles if foot, and the devils
of red Comanches are hot on the track
when once they strike it. Let the sun
go down soon, very soon," muttered
bearded old Revels, as he peered at the
sun lying low on his back, holding
fast to his laSSo.
Then he jerked at his steed and
sprang to his feet and glanced swiftly
around and then dropped, as if shot,
with his ear to the ground-then again
to his feet and to me, to my bride,
while his eyes were like fire, his face
like a shroud, his form like a king,
and his beard like a cloud, and his
voice loud and Shrill as If blown from
a reed:
pull, pull in your lassos, and bride
to steed, and speed, If ever for life you
would speed. And ride for your lives,
for your lives you must ride, for the
plain is aflame, the prairie on fire; and
feet of wild horses hard flying before,
I hear like a sea breaking high on the
shore. While the buffalo come like
the surge of the sea, driven far by the
flame, driving fast on us three as a
hurricane comes, crushing palms in his
ire"
We drew In the lassos, seized saddle,
and rein, threw them on, cinched them
over again, and again drew the girth,
cast aside the macheer, cut away tapa-
deroS, looSed the sash from its fold,
cast aside the catenaS red and Spangled
with gold, and gold-mounted Colts, true
companions for years cast the red
silk SerapeS to the wind in a breath,
and so barred to the skin sprang all
haste to the horse, as bare as when
born, as when new from the hand of
God, without word, or one word OF COM
mand, turned head to the Brazos in a
red race with death, turned head to
the BRACES with a breath in the air
blowing hot from a king leaving death
in his course turned head to the
Brazos with a sound in the air like
the rush of an army, and flash in
the eye of red wall of fire reaching
10 the SKY, SLreCCI1lL1B IleECe III pursuit.
of a black rolling sea rushing fast upon
us as the wind sweeping free and afar
from the desert, bearing death and
despair.
Not a word, not a wall from a lip
was let fall, not kiss from my bride,
not a look or low call of love-note or
courage, but on DER the plain so steady
and still, leaning low to the name,
with the heel to the flank and the
hand to the rein, rode we on, rode we
three, rode we gray nose and nose,
reaching long, breathing loud, like a
creviced wind blows. Yet we broke
not a whisper, we breathed not a
prayer - there was work to be done,
there was death in the air, and the
chance was as to 1000 for all.
Gray nose to gray nose and each
steady mustang stretched neck and
stretched nerve till the hollow earth
rang, and the foam from the flank
and the Group and the neck few around
like the spray on a storm driven deck
Twenty milesl Thirty milesl A dim
distant speck-then long-reachins
one, and the Rrazos in sight, and
rose in my seat with 4 shout Of delight