For a moment Reuben was silent. He recalled the circumstances under which he had departed from the place years ago. His mother was dead and his father, either made unfeeling by the death of his wife or hardened by the conditions of his life, had become indifferent to Reuben. He had insisted that he would no longer be responsible for the care of the lad, and it was partly because of the hardships which in this manner were thrust upon him that Reuben had started with Jean Badeau across the long plains. Not a word in all the months that had intervened had been heard from his father. Whether or not he was living now he had no means of knowing. And as for Jean, he had strangely disappeared, as we know, and whether or not the harmless insane man whom Reuben had seen at San Gabriel and in the Indian village, where Kit Carson had found his wife, really was the lost trapper he had no means of fully knowing. These thoughts passed quickly through Reuben’s mind, but he was accustomed to quick decisions, and in a moment he said: “Yes, I will go.” “I am going to take my baby with me,” said the scout. “What?” “I am going to take the baby with me. I don’t dare leave her here to be brought up by the squaws. I am going to take her back among my own people and have her looked after as the daughter of her father ought to be, for I am a man of means now,” added Kit Carson quietly, smiling as he spoke. “A few more skins and I shall have enough to make me rich, or at least some time ago I would have thought I was rich if I had had any such amount of money.” “She’ll die on the way,” protested Reuben. “Well, she will have to die some time. It’s no worse to die on the plains than it is in a town. I think she would die here at Taos if I left her, and I’m going to take my chances and see if I cannot take her back with me.” “But she’ll starve. You cannot get any milk for her.” Kit Carson smiled, but said no more, and Reuben was surprised when two days later, after arrangements had been completed for the departure, he discovered that an Indian brave and his wife whose baby had died two days before were to accompany them. Of the long journey that followed Reuben retained many vivid recollections. There were nights when their camp was surrounded by the howling coyotes; there were times when they were unable to see far before them because of clouds of dust which passing herds of buffaloes had raised. Several times, too, they were visited by Indians from the various tribes. Twice there were delays of two or three days each because Kit Carson was fearful that his little girl was becoming weaker under the stress of the long journey.