The next morning when I rode off, and different ones were waving
me adieu, Mrs. Elliott told me to be sure and pay them a visit
when I came to the city.
CHAPTER XVIII.
TRAPPING ON THE GILA.--THE PIMAS IMPART A SECRET.--RESCUE OF A
WHITE GIRL.--A YOUNG INDIAN AGENT.--VISIT TO TAOS.--UNCLE KIT
FAILS TO RECOGNIZE ME
The same day that I left the Fort, Jim Beckwith came down to the
boat bringing my horses, twelve in number, and after buying our
outfit for camping, provisions, and so on, we bought quite a lot
of beads, blankets, cheap rings and such goods as we could trade
to the Indians for furs.
The following day we pulled for the trapping region, by way of the
old San Jose mission, and from there to the old mission of San
Gabriel, thence across the Mojave desert. From there we struck out
for the mouth of the Gila river, and crossed just where it empties
into the Colorado. We then traveled up what is known as Salt
river, some distance from where we crossed the Gila. This was
early in January, and we found plenty of beaver that were easy to
catch.
No trapping had been done in that region for several years.
Besides, we thought at the time, and it so proved, that we were
entirely out of the way of hostile Indians.
Here we put in two months trapping, with splendid success. Then,
as it was getting too late in the season to trap, Jim proposed
that we take our little stock of goods, or a portion of it, and
visit the Pima tribe of Indians, which we found to be not as great
a distance away as we had supposed, it being only about forty
miles to their village.
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