th congratulations.

The Agent insisted that they should prove their sincerity by pledging to
follow the line of conduct he had lain down, and they did so with such
readiness that a superficial observer would have declared the mission a
complete success.

But Kit Carson thought otherwise. He knew the inherent treachery of the
aboriginal nature, and his estimate of Apache loyalty was the true
one. The most that he was warranted in feeling was the hope that those
furious warriors would be less aggressive than had been their custom.
Though they had expressed a willingness to make any agreement which he
might propose, yet it was their very willingness to do so which caused
his distrust. Had they been more argumentative and more tenacious of
their rights, their sincerity might have been credited.

The Agent could have secured their consent almost to any agreement, but
the sagacious official asked as little as he could.

"And I don't believe they mean to keep even that agreement," he
muttered, as he bade the effusive sachems and warriors goodbye and made
his way back to Taos.

CHAPTER XXXV.

Trouble With the Apaches--Defeat of the Soldiers--Colonel Cook's
Expedition Against Them--It Meets With Only Partial Success--Major
Brooks' Attempt to Punish the Apaches--A Third Expedition.

Just as Carson suspected, the Apaches were insincere in their
professions of good will toward the settlers. He had scarcely reached
home, when they renewed their outrages. The sinewy horsemen, as daring
as the Crusaders who invaded the Holy Land, seemed to be everywhere.
We have already referred to those extraordinary warriors, who, for many
years have caused our Government more trouble in the southwest than all
the other tribes combined, and it is not necessary, therefore, to
say that when any branch of the Apaches went on the war path the most
frightful scenes were sure to follow.

Carson knew when to be gentle and when to be stern. If the former
measures failed, he did not hesitate to use the latter. Coercive means
were taken, but, in the first encounter between the red men and the
United States troops, the latter were decisively defeated.

As a consequence, the Apaches became more troublesome than ever. Colonel
Cook of the Second Regiment of United States Dragoons, was sent against
them. He selected Kit Carson for his guide. The Agent's wish, it may
be said, was to learn whether any other tribe was concerned in the
outrages, a