Scouting with Kit Carson

by Everett T. Tomlinson

The young trapper was still compelling his horse to walk. His arms were aching from the strain of the pull upon the bridle, and he was nearly as wet as the horse he was riding. Several times he glanced back, but the pursuing mountain lion was not to be seen. Could it be possible that the beast had abandoned the pursuit?

The attitude of the animal when last it had been seen was not such as to convince Reuben that there was any ground for such a hope. Suddenly he recalled a statement he had heard made by Kit Carson. One time when the young scout had been relating an experience which he had had with one of the savage mountain lions, he had told how the beast after following its victim for a considerable distance, sometimes disappeared within the forest and later was seen far in advance when the unsuspecting party it had been following had relaxed his watchfulness, believing himself to be safe because the pursuit had been abandoned. The thought was not reassuring, and instantly Reuben gave rein to his sturdy little pony.

The terror-stricken horse dashed forward. The ground was uneven, and several times the little animal nearly fell as it bounded ahead. It was a wild and a mad flight, and Reuben not only did not hold back the pony, but continually urged it to a swifter flight. In this way he rode forward for a half-mile or more until the heaving sides of his horse gave evidence that its strength was nearly exhausted.

At the time he was entering a narrow passage in the valley. The light was becoming dimmer, but he was able to see that still about one hundred feet of the defile was before him.

Soon after he had given a brief breathing spell to his pony he was startled when the horse suddenly emitted a snort of terror and once more bounded forward. Glancing swiftly behind him, Reuben’s fears all returned when he saw approaching from among the trees on the mountainside the same mountain lion which had pursued him and whose savage attack he had hoped had been abandoned.

Yelling loudly, Reuben once more urged his horse into its swiftest paces. There was a scream of anger from the pursuing lion, and Reuben’s heart almost ceased to beat when he saw that the animal already was leaping forward in swift pursuit.

Abandoning his grasp on the bridle, Reuben seized his gun by the barrel and turning partly around in his saddle, with his uplifted gun he awaited the attack. The snarling beast advanced until it was within a few yards of the terrified boy. The pony, meantime, was running swiftly, snorting with terror and groaning with every breath it drew.

Abruptly Reuben turned still farther about in his seat, and yelling in his loudest tones shouted: “Get out! Clear out! Get away from here!”

He followed his words with a hissing sound, and to his delight the beast suddenly stopped, gazed in surprise or alarm at what he had evidently believed was a terrified victim, and then with long leaps instantly turned, bounded into the forest, and disappeared from sight.

Whether or not the pursuit had been abandoned Reuben did not know. He quickly gave all his attention to the horse he was riding, and as he passed beyond the border of the defile and was unable to discover any signs of the presence of his recent pursuer, he decided to continue the flight and do his utmost to escape from the savage animal.