CHAPTER XX.

Carson quits the trail.—­Buffalo robes for ten cents.—­“Pike’s peak or bust.”—­The new city of Denver.—­“Busted.”—­How the news got started.

Uncle Kit Carson pulled out for home and when he was starting he said he had done his last trapping and he was going home to his sheep ranch and take things easy.  “For,” said he, “I had the wust luck last winter that I ever had in my life, when I had ’lowed to have the best.  I’m gittin old enough to quit.”

Before he left he told me that whenever I felt like it he wanted me to come to his place and make my home as long as I pleased.

Col.  Bent fitted me out with twenty-five pack animals and two Mexican boys to assist me, and I started for the Arrapahoe country, one hundred and twenty-five miles distant.  I was supplied with beads, blankets and rings to trade to the Indians for furs and buffalo robes.

On my arrival at the Arrapahoe village I learned that there were not many furs on hand, as the Sioux had been so hostile the past fall and winter that the Arrapahoes had not been able to trap or hunt much, consequently we had to visit all the little hunting parties belonging to that tribe, in order to get furs and robes enough to load our pack train.

After remaining about two weeks I got a fair load and started on my return, making the round trip in little over one month, having had no trouble whatever with Indians or otherwise.  On my return to Bent’s Fort I found John West, who had been trapping in the Windriver mountains in company with two other men I did not know.  They had been successful the past winter and had sold their furs for a good price, and now Johnnie had plenty of money and was having what he termed a glorious good time, spending from ten to forty dollars a day.

After I had settled up with Col.  Bent and Mr. Roubidoux I went to Taos with the determination that I would take it easy the balance of this season.

Col.  Bent offered to bet me a horse that I would not stay in Taos one month.  He told me that if I would go to Taos and rest up a month and return to the fort and hunt for them the balance of the season he would make me a present of a better horse than the other one he gave me, but I told him that he was mistaken, and that he never owned a better horse than Pinto.  I knew that Pinto was getting old and had had many a hard day’s ride, but I could get on him to-morrow morning after breakfast, and be in Taos before sundown, which was a distance of eighty miles.  I made a bargain with them to return to the fort in a month from that time and hunt for them until something else turned up.

On my arrival at Taos I found Jim Bridger stopping with Uncle Kit, and he made me a proposition that we go and stop with the Kiowa tribe that winter and buy furs and buffalo robes.  I agreed to that provided that Col.  Bent and Mr. Roubidoux would agree to buy the furs and robes of us.  They were the only traders in that country since Joe Favor had retired from business.