In those days hunters never took along anything to eat, for a man
that could not kill what he could eat was considered worthless.
The following morning we loaded our meat on the mules, lashed my
saddle on top of one of the packs and started for Bent's Fort. I
being bruised and crippled up from the effects of my fall, Johnnie
let me ride his horse and he walked almost the entire way home.
Mr. Roubidoux on learning that I had left old Croppy dead on the
prairie, said: "I have got the best buffalo horse on the plains,
and I will make you a present of him;" and turning to his herder,
he said, "go and bring Pinto in."
When the spotted horse was brought in, Mr. Roubidoux said: "Now,
Will, I am going to make you a present of this horse, and I want
you to keep him to remember me by."
I thought this the prettiest horse I had ever laid eyes on, and he
proved to be as good a buffalo horse as Mr. Roubidoux had
represented him to be.
On the third day of July, Johnnie West and I having enough meat
ahead to last several days, we pulled out for Taos to attend the
wedding of Kit Carson. Arriving there, Uncle Kit took us to his
house.
He brought my new buckskin suit, and I know it was the handsomest
of the kind I had ever seen. On the front of the trousers was the
finest of bead work, representing horses, Indians, buffalo, deer
and various other animals; and on the coat the same, except they
were worked with beads and porcupine quills.
Pages:
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127