I laughed and answered, "There may be lots of gold in Colorado, Capt., but you or anyone else will never find enough gold in Cherry creek to make you rich."
He said, "Well, the way to find it is to go there and look for it. We surely never will if we stay away."
From the way the people talked, one would have thought that everybody in
Dallas was going to the gold fields.
After it was known that I had been through the country where the gold mines were reported to be, a great many men came to me to make inquiries about the country, and some of them seemed surprised because I took the news so coolly and did not seem anxious to go there.
The excitement did not last more than a week before it commenced to die away.
By this time we had about disposed of our horses, and the wounded men were able to go to their homes.
The Capt. settled up with the men, and he and I divided the remainder of the money.
After we were square, the Capt. asked what I was going to do. I told him that I was going back to Bent's Fort. He said, "Well, won't you wait a few days until I can organize a company to go with me to Colorado, and we will go with you as far as Bent's Fort?"
I said I certainly would, for the journey would be very lonely for me to go alone, and I liked company, and besides I was in no hurry to get there.
The Capt. worked steadily to get recruits for his company for two weeks, and he succeeded in getting ten men in all that time.