e when he detected the trails of his
enemies, showing they were numerous and liable to be encountered at
any moment. When night came, he picketed his horses and lay down on the
prairie or in some grove, ready to leap to his feet, bound upon one of
his steeds and gallop away on a dead run. Where the hunter has no friend
to mount guard, he is often compelled to depend upon his horses, who
frequently prove the best kind of sentinels. They are quick to detect
the approach of strangers, and a slight neigh or stamp of the foot is
enough to give the saving warning.

A large portion of the country over which he rode, was a treeless plain
and the keen blue eyes of the matchless mountaineer were kept on a
continual strain. A moving speck in the distant horizon, the faint
column of thin smoke rising from the far off grove, or a faint yellow
dust against the blue sky, could only mean one thing--the presence of
enemies, for he was in a region which contained not a single friend.

One afternoon Carson discovered an Indian village directly ahead of him
and on the trail which he was following. He instantly withdrew beyond
sight of any who might be on guard, and, hunting a sparse grove of
timber, kept within it until dark; then he made a long circuit, and came
back to the trail far beyond it. He travelled a long distance that night
and by daylight was in no danger of detection.

By using such extreme caution and watchfulness, he succeeded in passing
the entire distance without exchanging a hostile shot with anyone. He
reached Taos, where he waited as agreed upon, until his message could
be sent to the Governor at Santa Fe. While in Taos he learned that
one hundred men had been sent out to meet the caravan and the Governor
himself was about ready to follow with six hundred more. It may be
stated in this place that the smaller company, while looking for the
train was attacked by the Texan rangers and with a single exception
every man was killed; but venturing into American territory, the rangers
were disarmed by Captain Cook and his dragoons, and the wealthy wagon
train, with its valuable cargo reached its destination in safety.

Having accomplished his mission, Carson set out on his return to Bent's
Fort. This time he took a Mexican boy with him. The mountaineer had
become strongly attached to the youth, who was a noble, high minded lad,
the fit companion of the prince among plainsmen.

Two days out from Taos, both were surprised to