The night passed slowly on; nothing disturbed the hunters except their anxiety for their lost comrade.  At the faintest intimation of the coming dawn, ten of the party, including the two who had been with the missing man the previous afternoon, set out on their quest for their lost companion.  They first went back to the spot where they remembered having last seen him, but there was not a sign of him; not even the track of his horse’s hoofs could be seen.  The men fired off their rifles as they rode along, and occasionally called out his name, but not a sound came back in response.  At last they were rewarded by the sight of a horse standing in a bunch of willows.  As they approached him, they were welcomed by his neighing.  They then halted, and continued their shouting and calling by name, but not an answer did they get.  They were now confirmed in their belief that their comrade had been killed by the Indians, who were in possession of his horse, and at that moment hidden in the bunch of willows before them.  They were determined to know positively, so they approached the spot very cautiously, with their fingers on the triggers of their rifles, ready to repel an attack.  When they had approached sufficiently near, they saw that the horse was carefully fastened to the brush, and a short distance away was Carson[7] lying down with his head resting on the saddle!  At first the men thought him dead, but found out that he was only in a profound sleep, indeed, really enjoying the most delightful dreams.  When they aroused him he appeared bewildered for a moment, but soon recovered his normal condition, and related his story to his now happy companions.  He said that in his eagerness to get the elk he lost his bearings, and wandered about until midnight.  He hoped that he might catch a glimpse of their camp-fire, but failing in that, being tired and hungry, he laid himself down and tried to sleep; but pondering upon his danger he lay awake until daylight, and had just dropped into a deep slumber when they found him, and he slept so soundly that he failed to hear them call.  He said that he saw the Indians on horseback seen by the other men; they passed by him within a hundred yards, but did not see him, as he was already hidden in the willows where he was found.

The lost man being found, the party returned to camp and resumed its journey, exercising renewed caution, as the signs of Indians grew thicker as they moved on.  Tracks of the savages’ horses and the remains of their camp-fires were now of frequent occurrence, and the game along the trail was easily frightened, another sign of the late presence of Indians.