Uncle Kit accompanied us to Bent’s Fort; and all the trappers were anxious to get in his employ from the fact that the report had gone out that the Sioux and the Utes were on the war path, and all the trappers knew that these two tribes were the strongest hostile tribes in the west, and when fifty miles from Bent’s Fort we never knew that we were safe and the trappers all had confidence in Uncle Kit’s judgment that he seldom made a mistake in locating his trapping ground, and further more he had more influence with the Indians than any other man in the country, so they worked rather for him than take chances with any one else.

The next morning after we reached Bent’s Fort I heard Mr. Bent and Mr. Roubidoux talking with Carson in regard to the trappers.  Mr. Bent said, “Carson, I wish you would take as many as you can handle, for they all have an Indian scare on them and are afraid to go out, and every one of them is indebted to us for board now; and we can not afford to support them if they loaf around here all winter,” to which Carson replied, “I can handle five or six of them, and that is all I want, I can not afford to take men out in the mountains and board them all winter for nothing.”  After thinking a minute Carson asked, “How many of the men have their own traps and blankets?”

Mr. Roubidoux said, he thought nearly all of the trappers at the Fort had their own trapping outfits with them.  Carson said he would think it over and see what he could do for them.  That afternoon Carson and Bridger had a talk with regard to how many men they should take with them.  Uncle Kit said, “We haven’t horses enough to carry more than three or four besides us three.”  Bridger said, “That will not make any difference, if they want to go they can foot it from here to the head of South Platte as that’s where we are going to trap this winter; and when they are through in the spring they can foot it back again.  We have nine pack horses besides our saddle horses, and we can pack out to the trapping grounds, an outfit for five or six men besides our own all in good shape.”

That afternoon Uncle Kit and Bridger made arrangements with six men to go with us to the head of South Platte to trap Beaver that winter.  Carson and Bridger agreed to furnish them with flour, coffee, salt, and tobacco for which Carson and Bridger were to have half of the furs that each man caught, Carson and Bridger to pack the grub and every thing else out to the trapping ground and also to pack the furs and all their other things back to Bent’s Fort in the Spring.  After Carson and Bridger had selected the six men they wanted, it seemed as though all the trappers at the Fort wanted to go with them.  Carson told them he had engaged all he could handle.  The next two days we spent in getting ready to go to our trapping grounds.  On the morning of the third day every thing in readiness we bid farewell to all the people at the Fort and struck out for the trapping grounds and our winter’s work.  The men that had to walk did not wait for us but started as soon as they had breakfast.