“Yes, but I’ve seen a good many men who were willing to start, but that’s as far as they ever got.”
“Well, we started and we came back, and when we came back we had the horses with us. That’s all there is to the story.”
The words of Kit Carson, however, belied the feeling of the camp. There was great enthusiasm among the men, who were loud in their praises of the young leader who had followed the fleeing Indians far beyond the regions where they had believed he would be able to make his way or to discover their trail.
“It’s all right now, anyway,” said Kit quietly. “I’m ready to turn in for the night.”
As soon as the simple supper had been prepared and eaten, all the men in the camp sought their blankets. The horses which had been restored had been hobbled, and the various guards of the camp had been so placed that the approach of any one would be known at once.
The following day, after a long conference between the young scout and several of his men, Carson approached Reuben and said: “Do you think you could find your way to San Gabriel if you were to go alone?”
“Yes,” replied Reuben quietly. “I am sure I can.”
“Through the Sierras?”
“Yes, through the mountains. It is a simple path to find.”
Kit Carson smiled as he said: “I hope you’ll find it so, because we want to send you back to the mission.”