The Life and Adventures of Kit Carson, the Nestor of the Rocky Mountains, from Facts Narrated by Himself

by De Witt C. Peters

CHAPTER XV.

Kit Carson's last Trapping Expedition—He embarks in a Speculation—His Trip to California with a large Flock of Sheep—The Method employed by Mexicans in driving Herds and their Dexterity—Kit Carson goes to San Francisco—Its wonderful Growth—Maxwell joins Kit Carson at Sacramento City—The Lucky Speculation—The Return Trip to New Mexico and its Adventures—The Mormon Delegate to Congress informs Kit Carson of his Appointment as Indian Agent—Kit Carson enters upon the Duties of his Office—Bell's Fight with the Apaches on Red River—Kit Carson's Interview with the same Indians—High-handed Measures on the Part of the Apaches—Davidson's desperate Fight with them—The Soldiers defeated with severe loss—Davidson's Bravery is unjustly questioned—Kit Carson's Opinion of it—The Apaches elated by their Victory—Their Imitations of the Actions of Military Men.

The expedition into the United States which terminated with the last chapter, proved to be valuable in its results so far as the parties engaged in it were concerned. Kit Carson was once more trying hard to keep quiet in his comfortable home at Rayado. But his restless spirit was not proof against this inactivity. His stay at home therefore was short. The memories of other days came upon him, and he longed once more to enjoy, in company with the "friends of his youth," the scenes, excitements and pleasures of his old life as a trapper. Throughout his eventful life, as the reader has been able clearly to see, Kit Carson seldom spent his time in idle thinking. His thoughts almost invariably take form in actions. This eager longing resulted, therefore, in the forming of a regular trapping expedition after the olden style, shape, etc, which he organized with great care and attention. The members of the party were selected by himself chiefly with great exclusiveness, and numbers who wished to join the party were refused, on account of their inexperience. After a good deal of inquiry, Kit succeeded in collecting eighteen of his old companions. No one among them was not entitled to be called a mountaineer. Kit looked upon this party of men with an eye of real affection. The meeting previous to the start was a scene to behold. Such a greeting of old friends, well tried and true, will not soon be again seen on the American continent. The day when men went trapping was "long time ago." Kit Carson, as he stood among this band of friends, the acknowledged leader of the party, every man of whom he knew would have periled his life for either one of the company, felt that, indeed, the days of his youth had returned unto him.

Everything preliminary was arranged in the most approved style. When all was complete, Kit Carson, mounted on his magnificent charger Apache, riding to the head of the line, gave the order to march. Kit had put it to vote and the result was unanimous, that the expedition should be no boy's play. On the contrary, the boldest and one of the longest of the routes, known to their experienced footsteps, was selected. It comprised many of the mighty rivers of the Rocky Mountains, every one of which was almost a hunting ground by itself. Onward, over the wild and broad plains, this band of stalwart men, brave and kindred spirits, dashed. They soon put many a mile between them and the comfortable firesides at Rayado. But these miles, Kit Carson has often said, were the shortest he ever traveled. The way was beguiled by many a recollection in which every man present could participate with a relish, keen as disuse alone can render the palate of enjoyment. In a short time the well-remembered waters of the South Fork of the River Platte were descried. Their practised eyes soon discovered the oft-noted "signs of the beaver." The camp was formed and the traps set. The beaver, so long left to mind their own business, had increased in great numbers. The hunt proved correspondingly successful. The party continued working down this stream through the plains of Laramie to the New Park; and from thence, on to the Old Park. We cannot follow them through this long and enlivening hunt. They trapped a large number of their old streams until, finally, the expedition was terminated on the Arkansas River. Throughout the whole course the hunt proved to be very successful. With a large stock of furs they returned in safety to Rayado, via the Raton Mountains, which are spurs of the great Rocky chain.

The fact that most of the old trappers had given up their vocation furnishes the reason why the beaver were found, along the entire route, to be so plentiful. We desire that the reader shall paint for himself the enjoyment which these men gathered in this renewal of a pursuit rendered congenial by the experience of long years of activity in following it. It has been our purpose to enable the reader to gather a spark of this same enjoyment by the endeavor to make of him an amateur trapper. He has followed Kit Carson throughout the trapping expeditions of his earlier life. It is to be supposed that with Kit he has acquired some experience. With Kit therefore he shall now receive his final polishing, and if he does not in the end catch a beaver, he shall at least learn how they are caught, and all the necessary minutiæ of toil which he must expect to encounter and undergo.

On striking any river, when on the hunt, the trappers are accustomed to keep a bright lookout for signs, often heretofore referred to. The word "signs" conveys but a vague idea of its all-important meaning, as it was received by the trappers. The news of the presence of "signs" sent a thrill of joy through the hunters of the olden time only equalled on board of whale-ships when the man at the lookout cries "there she blows". It rarely happens that this cunning, amphibious animal can be seen moving free, either on the river banks, or in the water; for nature has given him no powerful weapons with which to defend himself when surprised and attacked; but, what is better, she has endowed him with exceedingly sensitive eyesight and hearing, which enables him to detect the approach of danger in time to escape. The marks, however, which he leaves behind are, for a time, ineffaceable. These were only to be detected and used for his own purposes, by the superior intellect of man. The unequalled industry of gnawing down trees and cutting twigs, peeling off the tender cuticle of the willow bushes, digging away banks, and carrying on their shovel-shaped tails the earth, together with innumerable foot-prints and sometimes dams, were the items which filled up the catalogue of "signs" on which the trappers' vision was regaled after long and dangerous tramps in search of them. These "signs" were not always found together; but instead, they each could exist separately and thus would arouse the hunter's suspicions of the game near by. The little twig, as it floated down the stream, half denuded of its bark, would go unheeded by the casual observer, but, to the experienced trapper, it was a prize to be obtained; for, by its freshness, it indicated to his mind how near he was to the chance of obtaining and adding another pound or so of valuable fur to his stock on hand. To him, this small event, or one like it, as for instance, a fresh footprint, with its neatly defined claw-tracks, as moulded in the moistened earth or sand, was of a greater importance than the wonderful and striking workmanship exhibited in a dam; for, the latter might be old and deserted, whereas, the former was too recent to cause him to be deceived with such a sign; and in such a vicinity, he hesitated not to set his trap.

An idea prevails which ought to be exploded. It is boldly asserted that the beaver builds his dam for the purpose of having a nice swimming pond in the neighborhood of his residence, which is always located in the river's bank. This is not true; for, in every stream which he inhabits, if this was his sole object, he could select many natural places where the water is without a ripple and where it is both deep and broad. The animal has a wiser object in view; and, it consists in providing against the pinching wants of hunger during winter, when nearly everything green has lost its sap and nutrition, and is, as a body, without blood and animation. He therefore chooses a place favorable for obtaining food, and also where his labors will be assisted by natural formations or accidents in the river's course and construction. Having pitched upon the right section to build, he sets to work with his fellows and falls giant trees. In this he again exhibits his wonderful instinct; for, while one party is cutting with their sharp teeth the hard wood of one side of the tree, another division is actively employed on the other side, never forgetting to make, like unto the woodman, the lowest incision on the side the tree is to fall, which, to suit their purposes, is always directly into and across the stream. When a tree is thus fallen, it is attacked in its branches, which are so turned and woven together in the outline of the dam as to catch in their meshes any floating material, or receive the tail-loads of soil and rubbish which they carry to it. Another and another tree are then systematically fallen and arranged as is the first, until the work is finished as completely as if it had been planned and executed by a reasoning mind. The finishing stroke is the transporting of the mud and laying it. In this labor, they show themselves to be excellent masons. They now act in concert. A large gang marches in a line to the bank where they load each other's tails and swim with their cargoes elevated above and free from the water. When they arrive at an unfinished point of the dam they dump the mud and mould it in place. Their houses they have previously built in the river banks. These consist of holes which lead into large and airy subterranean rooms, and which are above the water-mark. In these houses they are said to sleep and live in pairs; and, if we could believe the story of the trapper related many pages back, they imitate human beings in managing their household and in keeping house. The main object they have in staying the progress of the current of the river is to afford a deep place where, having fallen numbers of trees, the deep water will preserve tender and fresh the limbs and shrubs on which to subsist during, not only time present, but also time to come. It is well known that fresh branches of trees and young willows, when placed in water, will keep up partial life for a considerable length of time. On this principle, the beaver acts in submerging his food deep in the water where it will retain its verdure and where the freezing process that is going on at the surface of the river will not bar his efforts in getting at his store of provisions during the winter season. It is said that the beaver goes so far as to bundle up small branches of trees and willows which he stows away in the muddy bottom of the river. The trapper, in his wondrous yarns, insists that there are grades of society among beavers the same as among men; and he will have it that they have their "head chiefs," and that often individuals among them roll in wealth and that they have slaves who stand ready to do their master's bidding at a moment's warning; for instance, to bring them a bundle of green twigs on which to feast. According to their imaginative stories, the life of a beaver cannot be rivaled in happiness; and if we could put full credence in their descriptions of the pastimes of the animal, his palaces and luxuries, we could only compare a beaver to a citizen of Venice in her most palmy days—the difference between the two being, that the former enjoyed himself more in the water than the latter did on it in his favorite gondola.

The beaver, when captured young, can be sufficiently domesticated to make him a pet; but their unattractive form is anything but an ornament to the house. With young children, they are very friendly, though their disposition is amiable to any one. They are very neat in their person and, when moved from their comrades and domiciled with human beings, nothing do they so much like as being allowed the daily privilege of taking a clean bath. When thus engaged, they are a curiosity to look at, as they are very agile and particular in removing every particle of dirt. We remember seeing one of these pets in the Mexican town of Culebro thus enjoying himself. His owner hesitated not in taking the animal to the river, which was close by, and giving him his freedom. On finishing his ablutions the beaver returned to where his owner was standing, without making an effort to escape, and by a look as much as said, "I am ready to return to your home."

The signs having been discovered, the trappers next select a suitable location for a camp, which they soon occupy. After the pack animals are unloaded, a part of the men start out to set the traps, while the remainder busy themselves in looking after their wants and in cooking and guarding their property, etc. The trap is very much like the same instrument used in different sections of the United States for catching foxes, wolves etc, excepting, that it is smaller and perhaps made with more skill. Old trappers were very superstitious in regard to the makers of their traps, for they entertained the idea that much of their good or bad fortune depended on the tools they worked with; hence, they always had their favorite makers, and would pay more for their traps than for those of any other maker. This is true also with their rifles. For many years a rifle was condemned at first sight if it did not have the name of Hawkins[²³] stamped on it, and it was not uncommon for them, when boasting of the good qualities of their riding animals, if they considered them of the maximum degree of superiority, to style them "regular Hawkins horses", thereby showing how far, in this respect, their predilections grounded their opinions.