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

by De Witt C. Peters

All things being in readiness, the command entered upon the pursuit of the Indians. They marched from Taos, ten miles north, to a stream called the Arroya Hondo. Thence, following the banks of this stream down through its deep and rocky cañon, they came to the Rio del Norte.

On the first-named stream, there is a small and unattractive settlement, which bears the same name. Several years since, there was a large distillery in full operation at this place. This establishment was owned by an American, and was very extensive. The building was celebrated as being the place where several Americans were slaughtered by the Mexicans during the revolution, in which Governor Bent lost his life, heretofore spoken of. On the plain which is contiguous with the south bank of the Arroya Hondo, there are to be found the remains of a large Aztec town, which was, at some remote period, the largest settlement inhabited by that interesting people to be found in northern New Mexico. At the present day, can be seen the size and almost the number of houses which formed the town—which are very numerous. The building material, as here used by the Aztecs, was small cobble-stones which undoubtedly were mixed with mud and thus formed the structure. Pieces of pottery, flint arrow-points; stone pipe and rude tools have been, from time to time, found on the site of the town, going to prove that the people were not wandering in their habits, but that instead, they occupied their time in farming, raising cattle and mining. The wild Indians may have murdered the inhabitants, and then destroyed the town; or, civil war and pestilence might have caused it to become deserted, when, as a natural result, it fell to decay. The most plausible theory to entertain is the former, as every old Mexican town of the north contains relics which could not have been designed merely in case of an emergency. Not one of these towns in olden times was without a large well, which, in most instances, was bountifully supplied with water. In time of peace, these extensive reservoirs were covered over and concealed from view, and therefore, but few strangers could be made aware of their existence. On the breaking out of war, these wells were thrown open for public use, and, being located in the centre of the towns, the inhabitants escaped that danger in procuring water which necessarily would have surrounded them in case they had been obliged, as they are now, to bring it from the neighboring streams. As time rolled on, and danger was lessened, these wells were almost forgotten, until the timber which covered them rotted and allowed their fragments and the earth to cave in, when the object of the digging these reservoirs became apparent. It is an established fact in history, that the town of Taos once withstood a long and fearful siege, but finally escaped, as did its people, uninjured. The besieging party, in this instance, was composed of the Indians of the plains; they were present to the number of many thousand, and were at last compelled to depart, as is supposed, in consequence of their provisions giving out. Reasoning from analogy, it is no more than proper to suppose, that if the early settlements of the Mexicans were thus annoyed, the case of the Aztecs must have been still harder, and that being overcome by numbers, they were necessitated to succumb; and hence, were swept, by the Indians of the plains, from the face of the earth, leaving but a dim outline of their ancient grandeur.

The party found the stream very much swollen by the melting of the snows in the mountains. When they arrived at its fording-place, notwithstanding a torrent rolled before them, the command was, of a necessity, given to cross. There was no shrinking. Without a single murmur, the entire command set themselves about the perilous task. The bed of the river at this place is rocky and shelving. At low water, these facts offer no great obstacles in crossing. The case is very different when the torrent has reached high-water mark—then, a single step will often plunge horse and rider into the angry waters beyond their depth. Kit Carson boldly took the lead, and before the infantry had all passed, the horses of the dragoons had to be sent back to assist them. To facilitate this fording, Kit Carson crossed and recrossed the stream at least twenty times. No serious accident occurred, although three of the dragoons came near being swept down the current, which, at the time, was very swift and strong. Had they gone below the fording-place, they would most assuredly have been drowned, as the river there takes a fearful leap through a cut in the rocks. Having safely gained the opposite shore, the men found that their labors had but just commenced. In front of them stood a precipice that was, at the least calculation, six hundred feet in height, of solid rock, and almost perpendicular. Up this ascent the command had to mount, by following a zigzag trail. With much trouble and toil, the summit of the height was reached, when they once more commenced their journey over a diversified country, made up of plains and ravines. No grass or water was found until the expedition arrived at a small Mexican town called Sirvilletta. Here an encampment was formed for one night, and here their animals were to have their last rations of corn and forage. The sale of these latter articles proved a windfall to, and made glad the hearts of the inhabitants of the settlement; for the money which they received, in exchange for their produce, was the largest sum they had ever possessed. Thus, in more ways than one, these campaigns in the mountains caused good results.

These settlements on the remote frontiers of the territory of New Mexico are composed of very poor people, who, for many years succeeding their first efforts on establishing their small farms, find great difficulty in doing more than to feed themselves. Their distance from markets such as Taos affords, prevents them from transporting thither more than their small surplus of grain; but, as in this case, on thus finding many hungry horses and mules to feed, their corn-stalks and wheat-straw come into demand, and bring them in a remuneration in ready money, in sums which they have not even dreamed of before. The only difficulty in trading with such people is to fix a fair price on their produce; for they are so fearful of not receiving enough, that they often overshoot the mark, and charge so much as to prevent other expeditions of the same sort from visiting them. With the few dollars in their pockets thus gained from the party, these Mexicans for once felt themselves rich men.

Early on the subsequent day the whole force was again in motion, and continued an active march for two days over a rough country. At last Kit Carson struck the Indian trail. The course was instantly made to suit this trail, when the party marched on two days more at a rapid pace. On the second day's march, the Indians were overhauled. The band of Apaches had been jogging on slowly, and consequently, their animals were in good order. The case was far different with their pursuers; their horses were much used up by overwork and privations. Thus, when their strength was most needed, it was found wanting. The Indians espied the soldiers in time to make good their flight, but not quick enough to save the lives of all their warriors. Several of them were killed and many more were wounded. They also lost a few of their horses, and nearly all their camp equipage. The roughness of the section of the country where they were overtaken, assisted the savages in escaping, notwithstanding every effort was made by the Americans to prevent their leaving so easily. Kit Carson, when describing these events, says: "To Capt. Sykes, who commanded the infantry, is due the greatest amount of praise for the part he acted in our adventures. When his men were almost broken down with sore feet, long and difficult marches, want of provisions, the coldness of the weather, and with their clothing nearly worn out, and when they were on the point of giving up with despair, they were prevented from so doing by witnessing the noble example set them by their captain. He showed them what a soldier's duty really was, and this so touched their pride that they hobbled along as if determined to follow him until death relieved them from their sufferings. Although this officer had a riding animal at his disposal, yet never for once did he mount him; but instead, he lent the horse to some deserving soldier who was on the point of succumbing to overwork. When the Indian village was discovered, he cheered his men from a limping walk into a sort of run, and dashing through a swollen mountain stream, that was nearly up to their arm-pits and full of floating ice, he was, with his company, the foremost in the attack."

Two soldiers of Captain Sykes's company[²⁵] were wounded, and one of them afterwards died. The other man was severely injured, but eventually recovered. The Indians, on being routed, were pursued through a deep cañon for about four miles. A few who had been previously wounded were overtaken and slain. Night now came on; therefore, the men had to give up the chase, and on returning to their own encampment they found their friends had located it on the same ground which the Indians had occupied when they were first discovered. The next morning the surviving wounded man, with an escort, was sent back to the nearest military post, so that he could receive proper attention. The pursuit at an early hour was then resumed, by the soldiers' taking the fresh trail of the Indians. Away went both parties through valleys, cañons, and over snow clad mountains, until, in the end, the Americans saw that it was impossible to overtake the red men, who began to break up into squads of two and three and scatter in every direction. During the latter days of the chase, the routes which the Indians traveled were the worst they could select; their object being, entirely to use up the animals of their pursuers, who were thus vigorously driving them from one haunt to another. Very often, at night, the soldiers would find themselves bivouacked but a short distance from the place which they had left on the previous morning; and this happened, when not once during the whole day, had they missed the trail or ceased travelling; but the fact was, that the enemy were so familiar with the country that they made these crooked trails with impunity. Finally, the Indians saw that in this trial of muscles and nerves they gained nothing, and could not thus shake off their pursuers, but that it was necessary for them to try other expedients; therefore, they separated, to meet again at some preconcerted rendezvous. On this occasion, as so often heretofore, the Apaches did not belie the character formed of them by some of our most experienced military men, and of which we have before spoken: viz., that they have no equals for endurance, and such a thing as overtaking them when once put to flight is almost out of the category of the white man's feats.

There being nothing more that could be accomplished by the pursuit, consequently, Col. Cook ordered his men to face about, and they having done so, he made a direct march to Abiquiu, a Mexican village that is located on the Rio Chamo, a tributary of the Rio del Norte. The design he had in going there was to recruit his men and animals. Their sufferings had been severe. Although performing constantly more than double duty, the entire command was put upon half allowance of food, and that little could not be properly cooked. For this reason, the trials and hardships which they experienced were of no ordinary character.

The town of Abiquiu, where Colonel Cook arrived, is about sixty miles northwest from Santa Fé, and a traveler can make a journey through valleys from one town to the other. It stands next to Taos in point of magnitude and importance in the matter of townships in the north of New Mexico. The scenery about this settlement is very attractive, and, as it lies on the borders of the Utah Indian country, it is frequently visited by these Indians. The neighbors of the Utahs, the Navajoes, occasionally make their appearance in the town. The Mexicans of Abiquiu, from their continued intercourse with bands of the Utah Indians, are more or less linked in with them; and, in time of war, the Americans can place but little confidence in the inhabitants of Abiquiu on this account. The grazing and farming facilities of the country adjacent to this town are quite progressive, and were it not for the Indians, its resources would be much more rapidly developed than they now are.