Life of Kit Carson, the Great Western Hunter and GuideBurdett, Charles
History
Life of Kit Carson, the Great Western Hunter and Guide
Burdett, Charles
Carson Kit, 1809-1868; Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.)
"Ferguson and Beadle had remained together behind. In the evening,
Rohrer came up and remained with Kern's mess. Mr. Haler learned
afterwards from that mess that Rohrer and Andrews wandered off the next
day and died. They say they saw their bodies. In the morning Haler's
party continued on. After a few hours, Hubbard gave out. They built him
a fire, gathered him some wood, and left him, without, as Haler says,
turning their heads to look at him as they went off. About two miles
further, Scott--you remember Scott--who used to shoot birds for you at
the frontier--gave out. They did the same for him as for Hubbard, and
continued on. In the afternoon, the Indian boys went ahead, and before
nightfall met Godey with the relief. Haler heard and knew the guns which
he fired for him at night, and starting early in the morning, soon met
him. I hear that they all cried together like children. Haler turned
back with Godey, and went with him to where they had left Scott. He was
still alive, and was saved. Hubbard was dead--still warm. From Kern's
mess they learned the death of Andrews and Rohrer, and a little above,
met Ferguson, who told them that Beadle had died the night before."
Such is a portion of the brief, but thrilling narrative of this
extraordinary and disastrous journey, as detailed in a familiar letter
by Col. Fremont to his wife; but Mr. Carvalho gives in detail some of
the particulars of the horrors which overtook them, all through the
unfortunate error of engaging as guide, a man who either knew nothing,
or had forgotten all he had ever known, of the localities which the
party designed and hoped to reach.
CHAPTER XXXII.
We quote now from the closing part of Mr. Carvalho's narrative:
"At last we are drawn to the necessity of killing our brave horses for
food. To-day the first sacrifice was made. It was with us all a solemn
event, rendered far more solemn however by the impressive scene which
followed. Col. Fremont came out to us, and after referring to the
dreadful necessities to which his men had been reduced on a previous
expedition, of eating each other, he begged us to swear that in no
extremity of hunger, would any of his men lift his hand against, or
attempt to prey upon a comrade; sooner let him die with them than live
upon them. They all promptly took the oath, and threatened to shoot the
first one that hinted or proposed such a thing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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