estimated that the tribe possesses thirty thousand head of horned cattle, five hundred thousand head of sheep, and ten thousand head of horses, mules and asses. * * They manufacture excellent coarse blankets, and coarse woolen goods for wearing apparel. *** They have in their possession many men, women and children, taken from the settlements of this territory, whom they hold and treat as slaves. ** The Moques are neighbors of the Nabajos, and live in permanent villages, cultivate grain and fruits, and raise all the varieties of stock."

The Nabajos numbered from seven to twelve thousand souls, the Moques between two and three thousand. The two tribes were for many years at war with each other, which, more than any other agency reduced their numbers. It is said of these tribes that the men were of the common stature, with light, flaxen hair, light blue eyes, and that their skin was of the most delicate whiteness.

It should be stated, in concluding this chapter, that it is impossible to give any satisfactory classification of the Indian tribes of the Far West. I have already mentioned all the great nations that inhabited that extensive region, and attempted to present some of the more prominent tribal divisions, but as we proceed to the narrative of the wars between them and the whites, the reader will meet with many new names, and will no doubt wonder to what tribe they belong, or why they were not mentioned in this brief review of the Western Indians. As this occurs, I shall remember to mention to which of the nations these new names belong.

23

CHAPTER XLVI.

COLONEL FREMONT AND KIT CARSON-KIT GOES AS GUIDE WITH FREMONT'S EXPEDITION - THE BUFFAFO HUNT · ADVENTURES IN A PRAIRIE DOG - VILLAGE CROSSING THE SOUTH FORK -- IMMENSE BUFFALO HERDS.

THE FIRST train of adventure and border warfare of the Far West, which I have selected as proper to constitute the opening chapters of the second part of this volume, is that which surrounds the remarkable lives of Col. Fremont and Christopher (Kit) Carson. In following the current of these adventurous lives I shall be obliged to pass over, for the present, many important events, but in the course of the narrative we shall return to bring these forward.

The reader will require no introduction to these men. The name of the latter is already familiar throughout America, while that of the former, who has rendered his country valuable services, is not less treasured by the American people.

Kit Carson had spent sixteen years of his life in the wilds of the West, among the fiercest Indian tribes, as hunter, trapper, guide, or scout, or each in turn, and had returned to feast his eyes once more upon the scenes of civilization. This was in 1842. He visited his relatives in the frontier settlements of Missouri, where he found the scenes of his boyhood days vastly changed. On all sides the famous mountaineer was greeted with new faces. The only relic of his childhood was the old log-cabin where his father and mother had resided, and its rude walls were already crumbling into decay. The family had been scattered by death and ill-fortune, and the brave hunter felt that he had no longer any endearments among civilized people. Having satisfied his curiosity, he turned his face once more towards his mountain home. He

took passage upon a steamboat bound up the Missouri. On this boat he fell in with Col. J. C. Fremont, who had left Washington in May, agreeably to the order of Col. J. J. Abert, chief of the corps of topographical engineers, to explore the country between the frontiers of Missouri and the South Pass in the Rocky Mountains. While on the steamer Kit Carson was engaged as guide to Col. Fremont's company. The party consisted of about twenty-one Creole and Canadian voyageurs; Charles Preuss, Fremont's assistant; L. Maxwell, of Kaskaskia, as hunter, and, as I have already observed, Kit Carson, as guide. In addition to these, Fremont was accompanied by Henry Brant and Randolph Benton, two respectable young men who attached themselves to the expedition for the development of mind and body.

This train was only The latter consisted of

Upon their arrival in Kansas, preparations were made for a long and dangerous journey, which was commenced on the tenth of June, 1842. They pursued the trail of a party of emigrants bound for the Columbia river. about three weeks in their advance. men, women and children. There were sixty-four men and sixteen or seventeen families. They had a considerable number of cattle. They were transporting their household furniture in large, heavy wagons. There had been much sickness among them, and they had lost several children. One of the party, who had lost his child, and whose wife was very ill, had left them about one hundred miles hence on the prairies, and as a hunter, who had accompanied them, visited Fremont's camp on the twenty-seventh of June. As this man was returning to the States, Fremont availed himself of the opportunity of writing letters to his friends.

The order observed in the march of Fremont's party was about the same as that adopted by expeditions to the great West in early times: The animals were turned out to graze at daybreak every morning; six o'clock was the hour for breakfast, and as soon as it was over the march was resumed. At noon the party generally came to a halt for about two hours. At sunset the order was given to encamp. The tents were erected, the horses turned out to graze, and supper prepared.

When darkness closed in the horses were picketed and a mounted guard stationed around the carts, which were generally set up for a defense in case of an attack.

On the twenty-third of June the party had a specimen of false alarms to which all such expeditions in these wild regions were subject. As they proceeded along the valley, objects were seen on the opposite hills, which disappeared before a glass could be brought to bear upon them. A man who had been a short distance in front came spurring back in great haste, shouting, "Indians! Indians!" He had been near enough to count them, according to his report, and had made out just twenty-seven. Fremont at once halted; the arms were examined and put in order, and the usual preparations made. At this juncture the brave Kit Carson mounted one of the best horses, crossed the river and galloped off over the prairie for the purpose of gaining some intelligence respecting the enemy. Of Kit's appearance in this brave adventure we have Colonel Fremont's own words: "Mounted on a fine horse, without a saddle, and scouring bareheaded over the prairies, Kit was one of the finest pictures of a horseman I have ever seen. A short time enabled him to discover that the Indian war party of twenty-seven consisted of six elks, who had been gazing curiously at our caravan as it passed by, and were now scampering off at full speed. This was our first alarm, and its excitement broke agreeably on the monotony of the day."

Proceeding along in this way the party was soon in the land of the buffalo, as will be seen by the following from Fremont's own pen:

"A few miles brought us into the midst of the buffalo, swarming in immense numbers over the plains, where they had left scarcely a blade of grass standing. Mr. Preuss, who was sketching at a little distance in the rear, had at first noted them as large groves of timber. In the sight of such a mass of life, the traveler feels a strange emotion of grandeur. We had heard from a distance a dull and confused murmuring, and, when we came in view of their dark masses, there was not one among us who did not feel his heart beat quicker. It was the early part of the day, when the herds are feeding; and every

where they were in motion. Here and there a huge old bull was rolling in the grass, and clouds of dust rose in the air from various parts of the bands, each the scene of some obstinate fight. Indians and buffaloes make the poetry and life of the prairie, and our camp was full of their exhilaration. In place of the quiet monotony of the march, relieved only by the cracking of the whip, and an "avance donc! enfant de garce!" shouts and songs resounded from every part of the line, and our evening camp was always the commencement of a feast, which terminated only with our departure on the following morning. At any time of the night might be seen pieces of the most delicate and choicest meat, roasting en appolas, on sticks around the fire, and the guard were never without company. With pleasant weather and no enemy to fear, an abundance of the most excellent meat, and no scarcity of bread or tobacco, they were enjoying the oasis of a voyageur's life. Three cows were killed to-day. Kit Carson had shot one, and was continuing the chase in the midst of another herd, when his horse fell headlong, but sprang up and joined the flying band. Though considerably hurt, he had the good fortune to break no bones; and Maxwell, who was mounted on a fleet hunter, captured the runaway after a hard chase. He was on the point of shooting him, to avoid the loss of his bridle (a handsomely mounted Spanish one,) when he found that his horse was able to come up with him. Animals are frequently lost in this way; and it is necessary to keep close watch over them, in the vicinity of the buffaloes, in the midst of which they scour off to the plains, and are rarely retaken. One of our mules took a sudden freak into his head, and joined a neighboring band to-day. As we were not in a condition to lose horses, I sent several men in pursuit, and remained in camp, in the hope of recovering him; but lost the afternoon to no purpose, as we did not see him again. As we were riding quietly along the bank, a grand herd of buffaloes, some seven or eight hundred in number, came crowding up from the river, where they had been to drink, and commenced crossing the plain slowly, eating as they went. The wind was favorable; the coolness of the morning invited to exercise; the ground