Show TWO DAYS WITH KIT CARSON N A Story of the Overland Route in the Fifties 13j W Thompson While crossin the plains en route to California in the summer of 1S50 we had after a long hard journey from St Louis I entered the northeastern edge of Arizona One forenoon TVO were plodding slowly I along a little to tho south of whero now runs the AtlanticPacific railroad when a half mile or so ahead on the trail we saw I a single horseman riding swiftly toward I ward usA I us-A white man hy thunder and alone boys exclaimed our guide Sam Lount A mighty risky trick for these parts 1 i And why for these parts particularly particu-larly asked John Scott who drove the leading team Because rejoined Lount wereon the stamping ground of the Apaches and theyre always on the warpath ravening for scalps By this time the lone rider had reached the head of our line and sincling out the guide he courteously saluted him You had better bring your wagons close together to-gether and be ready to form a corral at a moments notice he said including us all Theres a big band of Apaches led by that young villain Geronimo laying for you behind Baby flange about eight miles fnrther on They Intend to stay there till you get into the pass but nay change their minds and attack in the openMuch obliged stranger said our guide < My name is Sam Lount might 1 ask yours and how you got clear of the reds yourself Well smilingly replied the man my Sunday name is Christopher but Im generally called KitKat Carson at your service Kit Carsonl Kit Carson the fa P CliP GENEHAUCY CALLED KIT CARSON nilinr name ran down our extended ranks like a cheer Wo all hurried to tho front to shake hands with the famous scout Canon was at this time in the prime of life about 40 years old I think A casual cas-ual observer noting his rather under hired form peaceful appearance andmod est unassuming manners would never have dreamed of selecting him from out a crowd as the most daring rider fearless explorer and successful Indian fighter known to western time A closer look however might have detected in the clear gray eyes the resolute mouth and in a certain air of reserved power indications indi-cations of the qualities which had earned g for him the hatred of all the bad Indians Ind-ians on the plains Carson went on to answer the guides question 4 Ive got men and horses camped down on the LitJe Colorado but I have been riding ala ic for a week trying to select the shorlest and easiest wagon route i through ibis part of the country Three days ago I ran on Geronimos ivariors just after theyd wiped out a party of emigrants emi-grants The remains of four wagons were j still smoking and as nearly as I could < judge sixteen bodies had been piled up with them Eight mules lay deadnround Looking down on their camp yesterday I discovere i they had five American horses and men he added slowly theyve got a young white woman prisoner At this point in Carbons narrative Alec Fraser a young fellow from Kentucky said to mb with n shudder Im glad mj sister is safe in California by this time Her husbands party left St Louis a month before methe journey was her wedding trip How many Indians are there in the band and how are they armed asked Sam Lount There were a hundred and six Carson Car-son replied with a grim smile there tm > ninetynine now Most are armed with bows and arrows tomahawks lances and knives about thirty carry old smoothbore flintlock gnns And you think they know that were coming asked Lount Im sure of it answered Carson II And now continued the scout becoming be-coming serious it must neer be said that thirtysix American men allowed a countrywoman of theirs to be carried off to a fate worse than death by a band of savage If youll join in and do exactly as 1 say well rescue that girl before tomorrow to-morrow morning Who says yes I shouted every man of us Very well then said Carson with n sudden sunny smile Unhitch for dinner now and we shall not start again until the middle of the afternoon The plan is to reach Baby Range just before sundown and camp a little this side Carson managed so that we arrived seemingly in the ordinary course of travel at the appointed spot shortly after the sun had disappeared behind the rang In order to avoid all chanco of his dreaded presence being descried by the Indians he had dismounted when within a mile of the mountain placed his famous horse in the rear among our led animals and concealed himself in one of the covered wagons Everything in the vicinity was quiet as the grave but the redoubtable scout assured as-sured us that lying behind the frowning heights were fivescore savages and that probably one or two were looking down upon us After forming corral in tho leisurely manner of men unsuspicious of danger we picketed the stock out to graze as usual and then coolly sat down to our evening meal After supper Carson gathered around him and said in his peculiarly soft low voice Near the south end of this little range there is as yonr guide knows a deep ragged ravine winding around to the west and finally running out on the open plain quite close to the trail Geronimos men wont make a move while this wind is blowing to carry a sound to us but they know that it will dienway just before daybreak They propose then to steal through tho pass form up on this side make a rush and take us by surprise they could do that not a man of you would escape to tell the story I Now I propose about midnight when the horses will all be in the corral to take twentj men ride straight dow the east side of the rantro to the ravine pass through it like shadows and come out on the trail in their rear Hero the real trouble will begin as we shall then navo to sneak downwind over a mile of open ground I Under ordinary circumstances attempting at-tempting to surprise a band of Indians in this way would be childish but these fellows arc gorged with stolen food are intent only upon wiping out this party I will never dream of being attacked from tho west and if they keep watch at alit al-it will bo only for a short time and in I this direction I feel confident of being able to cain their rear without discovery and if we do so a complete victory and the rescue of the prisoner Is certain One hour after we leave here ten of YOU must silently saddleand mount your horses The instant you hear our first volley dash like lightning through the pass passYoull Youll see the woman tied up close to the rocks on the left of the pass as you to out Two of you appointed beforehand before-hand must snatch her up and fly back while the other eight join in the ficht wont last ten minutes for theres not a band of Indians on the plains that will stand that lone when unexpectedly attacked tacked at night on both sides at once And now concluded the intrepid and experienced Carson we may rest for a few hours in absolute security At 11 oclock the horses having eaten heir fill of the rich buffalo grass were rougnt within the cordon of wagons An hour afterward Carson and his selected party > left so stealthily that some of us who were dozing did not notice their departure de-parture Precisely at 1 Lount having previ viously let us draw lots to determine who should accompany him directed the mount Both joung Alec Fraser and myself were of this number The whole enof us silent as statues sat motion G59 for spine time in our saddles At that early day repeating rifles and fixed ammunition had not come into gen oral use We were armed with l pcrcus f ez rI k ionlock muzzleloaders Each man carried besides his belt knife a heavy Colts revolver then a rather rare and costly weapon At last when nearly hall an hour had gone by the old guide whispered All goes well boys If the redskins have no logs along Carson 11 surprise them He had hardly spoken when out upon the night air rang a volley of rifle shots 1 and simultaneously from the Indian I I camp rose a pandemonium of yells and shrieks I Ride men ride cried Lount The corralkeepers whirled one of the encamping encamp-ing wagons aside and we flew into the I pass five abreast As we thundered headlong over its two hundred yards of liagth Leant hurriedly added You two Prescott and Adams seize the prisoner You others follow me and boys dont throw a bullet away The next instant we flashed out upon I the Apaches camping ground and immediately i imme-diately caught sight of the captive She was sitting with her back to us bound to a spear shaft driven into the earth Never I drawing rein we dashed past her leaving Prescott and Adams Ve spurred on where fight was raging a hundred yards I to tho west The savages ready to fly when a score Of warriors failed to rise after the rifle volley had now correctly estimated the number of their assailants and were rallying ral-lying Most were on foot but some had scrambled to their ponies bareback Just as we came out upon them I saw two mounted braves charge furiously down with leveled lances ou Carson Before either came within striking distance the unerring marksman had fired twice lightninglike and both fell So eagerly were they pressing forward in the hope of crushing the whites by mere numbers they never noted our approach I I ap-proach and when we fired upon the rear the whole body broke and led Then Carsons voice no longer soft and I I low but ringing out trumpettoned rose above the din Reload your guns and pistols Follow up We eight men had aimed only at the I I six ponies in tho melee and we had brought them down so that among the rush of flying savages there was not now a single mounted man The sixtyfive Apaches were straining I I every nerve to reach tho shelter of the dark ravine and as they had but one mile 1 to cover it seemed possible that we might not overtake them Carson Lount and Scott superbly mounted gained an thom and came within half rifle shot while the other six of us were still 150 yards in the rear Suddenly Sud-denly seeing only three were close upon them a dozen warriors turned and delivered j de-livered their fire Scott fell and his trained horse came to a dead stop In the hope of securing at least one scalp the braves rushed up with tomahawks and knives As we pressed forward we could see in the brilliant moonlight close on each side of tho riderless horse Carson on the right and Lount on the leftthe two veteran plainsmen sitting calmly in their saddles awaiting the onset We did not dare to discharge our rifles for fear of hitting our leaders I Carson had said calmly Their pieces are empty Sam Wait till they almost touch us The Apaches finding the whites did not fire evidently supposed that their shoot allday little guns were not loaded With exultartt yells they came recklessly on They had reached within fifteen feet of the impassive horsemen when six shots so rapidly discharged that the report I re-port of one overlapped another blazed out and as many braves went down I Then before the remaining could I turn and run Carson giving way to a fit of rage drove the spurs into his horses flanks and with an appalling shout fairly rode two of the miscreants down and the others skurried away but our rifles finished fin-ished them I All this which has taken so long to tell Occupied scares a minute in the doing We found Scott with but n scalp wound I and we set off back to the Indian camp a jolly j party The approach the attack tho rescue I the skirmish the pursuit the destruction I destruc-tion of the camn had been crowded into less than three hours Nothing could I exceed our comrades delighted astonishment astonish-ment when the whole twentyeight of us rode in with Carson all practically unscathed I un-scathed Cheer after cheer burst from the home guard until we ourselves caught the cry and swelled the ovation in our I own honor But Carson neither shouted norcheered This was only one among the daring necessary I nec-essary deeds which made his name a I I c2AJ CARSON GAINED RAPIDLY ON TUE1I household word throughout the length I and breadth of his native land With modest dignity ho Sat on his horse and watched the scene around him I fn after years when at his own home in Taos I came to knw Christopher Carson I well he assured me and his history bears I him out in thisthat never once in his long career of battle had he needlessly i killed a single red man though in those times among the pioneers of the west 1 i ern plains the life of an Indian was I considered ot no more account than that I i of a noxious beast When the jubilation had quieted I down Carson inquired for the prisoner I Safe here but utterly worn out and nearly starved plied Prescott The Indians would offer her nothing but horeoflesh We gave her a good supper with plenty of hot tea and she is asleep in Scotts wagon fast asleep if not awakened awak-ened by our noise Day was now dawning One by one we stole over to the wagon and peeping behind the canvas flip saw the poor creature lying on a cornhusk mattress in a sleep deathlike and profound Apparently Ap-parently she was not over nineteen years of age Alec Fraser was the last man of us to approach the wagon For a moment in the broadening light he gazad upon the pale sleeper I Then came the startling cry Tis my sister Instantly wo gathered around him ins I in-s and amazed incredulity for I none could imagine how this strange thing could be I Are you sure Alec asked Carson i I I Is it not some chance resemolaace Your sisters party you said left St Louis a month before yours I No no Tis thy own sister Belle and oh heavens what she must have j gone through Her young husband and all those brave fellows neighbors of oUra II in Kentucky ull slain before her eyes Through it all the exhausted girl neer I stirred Neither tho bustle of breaking corral nor the motion of the wagon after xve resumed our journey disturbed her liferestoring sleep j Noonday came and stopped for dinner din-ner but our guest slumbered rjeacef ully on Carson advised young Frazer to take his place in the wagon byhis sisters side She will waken soon 1 now that the motion has ceased he said Let her see you on first opening her eyes Nothing i will BO soften the agony of returning consciousness con-sciousness I will pass over the meeting of tho brother and sister and the horrible story she related later of tae massacre of tho whole Kentucky train I Carson left us next morning with the gratitude of our whole party not one member of which in all probability with the exception of myself ever saw him again In due time we reached California Mrs McDonald who had now regained some degree of her cheerfulness and her beauty went at once to the gold fields with her brother and I never again met either but I accidentally heard some years afterward that Fraser had realized a little fortune on the diggings and alter al-ter being only ten mouths IP the country had returned with his sister to their old I home I Kentucky |