The Life and Adventures of Kit Carson, the Nestor of the Rocky Mountains, from Facts Narrated by HimselfPeters, De Witt C. (De Witt Clinton)
History
The Life and Adventures of Kit Carson, the Nestor of the Rocky Mountains, from Facts Narrated by Himself
Peters, De Witt C. (De Witt Clinton)
Carson Kit, 1809-1868; Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.)
found that we had struck the theme which pleased him. In reply, he
told us that in his younger days he himself was a famous hunter; and
that, on one occasion, while on the chase, he met _Adam_, who, he
informed us, was the greatest hunter of his age. We were somewhat
surprised to hear this old man thus annihilate time and space, but
not more so than when we heard him relate the conversation that passed
between himself and Adam. It was both short and sweet. The Mexican
demanded of Adam what was the particular game he was seeking in these
parts, and the reply was deer. He said that he wished to kill a few
choice bucks, in order to get their skins to clothe _Eve_ with, and
hence he had come to the Rocky Mountains. The flavor of this yarn
was so good, I attempted to try the old man on another adventure, by
asking him if he ever, by chance, in his travels, met the _Evil One_.
Immediately, he informed me that at one time, that gentleman lived in
a salt marsh, which is to be found in the valley of _San Louis_. The
object of his staying there was to watch a very fine band of horses
which he was raising near by. The Indians and Mexicans one day
determined to deprive Satan of his stock, and arranged things
accordingly; but, on coming upon the horses, they were surprised
to find that they could not overtake them, and that the horses ran
directly into the swamp and vanished by easily sinking out of sight.
While looking for a path that led into this marsh, they were all
at once scared nearly out of their senses by seeing the devil raise
himself up in the midst of the bog. The sequel was, that the Mexicans
and their Indian friends retreated as fast as possible, and never
stopped until they had reached a place of safety. My companions became
vexed to think any man could perpetrate such a story on travelers, who
considered they knew a thing or two, and commenced quizzing the old
gentleman by asking him what the Indians knew of Satan; but the old
Mexican evaded the answer by taking down the little wooden cross which
hung on the wall of the room and expressed the desire to confirm the
truth of his story by swearing to it; this, of course, was said to be
entirely unnecessary. From it, we had learned the lesson never to try
to impress on the minds of the ignorant too weighty matters. This is
true with the Indian also; for, he is incredulous of anything beyond
the grasp of his own mind; which fact is illustrated by the following
incident. An American had some business to transact with a certain
band of Indians, who were celebrated as being very treacherous. Being
a bold man, he thought he would beard the lions in their den, and
accordingly, traveled alone to where the band was located; but,
instead of being received with open arms, as he expected, he was made
a prisoner, and so held until it could be decided what was to be done
with him. At last, a council was formed, before which he was to be
tried. The first question asked by the head chief was, "How do your
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account