ake when hotly pursued, as it offers them the
saving of many miles of difficult and circuitous traveling, when they
wish to reach the open prairies.

On reaching the place of rendezvous, Carlton, while in the Sangre de
Christo Pass, by the aid of his guide Kit Carson, discovered a trail
made by three of the enemy, and on following it up, it was found to
join the main path on the Huerfano Creek. On the arrival of Quinn, who
had discovered signs which indicated the direction the Indians were
taking, a conference was called, when all the old guides and spies of
the party agreed in believing they were on the right scent. The skill
shown by men accustomed to the business of tracking Indians, either
for friendly or warlike purposes, is oftentimes truly wonderful, and
especially is it so to a person brought up in a civilized community,
only familiar with the reports of such things. The age of the trail,
the haunts the red men are bound to, their object in going there, the
numbers on the trail, and the tribe, or tribes to which they belong,
can, in the majority of cases, be told with the greatest accuracy. It
is by philosophizing on minute things, which in ordinary life would be
considered mere trifles, and hardly worth a consideration, that this
knowledge is arrived at. Thus, it takes but a minimum amount of
wisdom to realize that a spear of grass, when trodden upon, is usually
crushed to the earth; but, few reflect that the attempt is made by
nature to restore the blade to its naturally upright position, and in
doing so, requires a certain period of time to accomplish the task.
This process, to the trailer, is an index by which he judges the age
of the visit made by the Indians, to that section of country. The
shape of the sole of the moccasin, or the carvings on arrows when they
are found, which not unfrequently happens, and many other like things,
are sure signs in guiding the experienced trailer to the particular
party he is seeking.

Carleton and his men became flushed with the prospects of success on
finding the main trail, and they lost no time in following it up. For
six days they made rapid progress, and at the end of that time espied
the Indians encamped on "Fisher's Peak" in the Raton Mountains.
Although the mountain was none the easiest to climb, yet the soldiers
went at its performance with a determination that brought them upon
the Indians before they could collect their animals and be off, and
the consequence