giving him the message that he was to deliver to the
commanding officer at Rayado, he bid him good bye, with the words, "be
sure and leave a good many miles between us, by to-morrow's sunrise."
The distance to the settlement of Rayado, from Kit Carson's camp, was
between two and three hundred miles, yet, this runner was capable
of travelling it in as short a period of time, as could any ordinary
horse. Kit now returned among his men, not to sleep, but to watch.
This he did until the break of the following day, when he summoned
all hands to hitch up the teams and proceed. Until twelve o'clock no
Indians were visible; but, at about that hour, five of the savages
were seen approaching. On they came, and when within speaking
distance, Kit Carson ordered them to halt. They obeyed his command. On
scanning them closer he bade them come nearer, when, he informed
them, "that the night before he had sent an express to Rayado, for the
purpose of letting the troops there know of the annoyances their tribe
were causing him. Among the soldiers," he said, "he had many friends,
who would be certain to come to his relief, and, if they should find
that his party was massacred, which he let the Indians know could only
be accomplished by his men being overpowered, they would be already
informed by whom it was done, and would be sure to visit upon the
perpetrators of the crime, a terrible retribution." The Indians said
they would look for the moccasin tracks made by the messenger, and
thus decide whether that which they had just heard was true, or not.
Kit Carson hearing this, at once considered it as the turning point in
favor of the safety of his party. The Indians immediately went to look
for the trail. Shortly afterwards the entire Indian village passed
within sight, and were evidently making the best of their time in
seeking some safe hiding-place. The five warriors had, therefore,
evidently found the expressman's trail, as they had been informed that
they would, and that the boy had proceeded too far on his journey to
think of pursuing him. On his way to Rayado, the messenger overtook
the detachment of recruits to which was attached the officer who had
caused the trouble. To the commander of these men, the young
Mexican reported the position, as he left them, of his employer and
companions, but that gentleman, for some unaccountable reason, would
not then grant the desired aid; therefore, the boy pushed on to
Rayado, where he found a