I did not know the lady but was acquainted with
some of her brothers. I told Uncle Kit that I would surely be
there.
Uncle Kit and Jim Beckwith now started for Taos, and Johnnie West
and I began making preparations to start in hunting for Col. Bent
and Mr. Roubidoux, as per contract nearly one year before.
Col. Bent said that he was very glad that we were ready to start
in hunting, as they had been out of fresh meat at least half of
the time that spring.
In that country bacon was high, being worth from twenty-five to
thirty cents per pound, and early in the spring higher even than
that.
This spring, as usual, there were some thirty trappers congregated
at Bent's Fort, apparently to eat and drink up what money they had
earned during the winter.
CHAPTER IX.
MARRIAGE OF KIT CARSON.--THE WEDDING FEAST.--PROVIDING BUFFALO
MEAT, IN THE ORIGINAL PACKAGE, FOR THE BOARDING-HOUSE AT BENT'S
FORT.
Johnnie West and I started with a saddle-horse each and four pack-
mules for a buffalo hunt; I still riding Croppy, the pony Uncle
Kit had given me at St. Louis, but he was getting old and somewhat
stiffened up in his shoulders.
We traveled up the Arkansas river to the mouth of the Purgatoire--
pronounced in that country Picket Wire--which was about thirty
miles from Bent's Fort. Seeing a small band of buffalo some
distance away, we took the pack-saddles off of the mules and
turned them out to graze, mounted our saddle-horses and were off
for the herd; but the wily beasts got wind of us and started off
before we got within gunshot of them.
Pages:
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125