n camped for the night, the wagons were corralled, and
the men and mules all brought inside the circle. Grass was cut with
sheath-knives and fed to the animals, instead of their being picketed
out as usual, and as large a guard as possible detailed. When the camp
had settled down to perfect quiet, Carson crawled outside it, taking
with him a Mexican boy, and after explaining to him the danger which
threatened them all, told him that it was in his power to save the lives
of the company. Then he sent him on alone to Rayedo, a journey of nearly
three hundred miles, to ask for an escort of United States troops to be
sent out to meet the train, impressing upon the brave little Mexican
the importance of putting a good many miles between himself and the
camp before morning. And so he started him, with a few rations of food,
without letting the rest of his party know that such measures were
necessary. The boy had been in Carson's service for some time, and was
known to him as a faithful and active messenger, and in a wild country
like New Mexico, with the outdoor life and habits of its people, such a
journey was not an unusual occurrence.

Carson now returned to the camp, to watch all night himself, and at
daybreak all were on the Trail again. No Indians made their appearance
until nearly noon, when five warriors came galloping up toward the
train. As soon as they came close enough to hear his voice, Carson
ordered them to halt, and going up to them, told how he had sent a
messenger to Rayedo the night before to inform the troops that their
tribe were annoying him, and that if he or his men were molested,
terrible punishment would be inflicted by those who would surely come
to his relief. The savages replied that they would look for the moccasin
tracks, which they undoubtedly found, and the whole village passed away
toward the hills after a little while, evidently seeking a place of
safety from an expected attack by the troops.

The young Mexican overtook the detachment of soldiers whose officer had
caused all the trouble with the Indians, to whom he told his story; but
failing to secure any sympathy, he continued his journey to Rayedo, and
procured from the garrison of that place immediate assistance. Major
Grier, commanding the post, at once despatched a troop of his regiment,
which, by forced marches, met Carson twenty-five miles below Bent's
Fort, and though it encountered no Indians, the rapid movement had
a good effect u