safe Arrival—­Amijos’ advance Guard massacred by the Texians—­The one Survivor—­The Retreat—­Kit Carson returns to Bent’s Fort—­His Adventures with the Utahs and narrow escape from Death—­The Texians disarmed—­The Express Ride performed.

It has already appeared that Kit Carson was now at Bent’s Fort.  Also, that his occupation as a trapper of beaver had become unprofitable.  His services were however immediately put into requisition by Messrs. Bent and St. Vrain, the proprietors of what was called Bent’s Fort, which was a trading-post kept by those gentlemen.  The position which he accepted was that of Hunter to the Fort.  This office he filled from that time with the most undeviating fidelity and promptitude for eight consecutive years.  During all of this long period not a single word of disagreement passed between him and his employers, which fact shows better than mere words, that his duty was faithfully and satisfactorily performed.  It is but seldom that such a fact can be stated of any employee, no matter what the service.  Here, however, was an example in which, the nature of the employment would of itself, at tunes, present cause for discord, such as scarcity of game, bad luck, and men hungry in consequence.  But Kit Carson was too skillful in his profession to allow such reasons to mar his fortunes.  With the effort the game always was at hand; for, it was not his custom to return from his hunts empty handed.

Of course Kit Carson’s duties were to supply the traders and their men with all the animal food they wanted, an easy task when game was plenty; but, it would often happen that bands of Indians, which were always loitering about the trading post, would precede him in the chase, thereby rendering his labors oftentimes very difficult.  From sunrise to sunset and not unfrequently during the night, he wandered over the prairies and mountains within his range in search of food for the maintenance, sometimes of forty men who composed the garrison of the Fort and who were dependent on the skill of their hunter; but, rarely did he fail them.  He knew, for hundreds of miles about him, the most eligible places to seek for game.  During the eight years referred to, thousands of buffalo, elk, antelope and deer fell at the crack of Kit Carson’s rifle.  Each day so added to his reputation that it is not to be wondered at, considering the practice of his previous life, that he became unrivalled as a hunter.  His name spread rapidly over the Western Continent until, with the rifle, he was the acknowledged “Monarch of the Prairies.”  The wild Indians, accustomed to measure a man’s greatness by the deeds which he is capable of performing with powder and lead, were completely carried away in their admiration of the man.  Among the Arrapahoes, Cheyennes, Kiowas and Camanches, Kit Carson was always an honored guest whenever he chose to visit their lodges; and, many a night, while seated at their watch-fires, he has narrated to them the exciting scenes of the day’s