CHAPTER XXVIII--THE RETURN
In spite of the efforts of the scout, two days elapsed before any signsof the immediate presence of the thief were discovered. And even thenhe was not positive that the huge Rat was near at hand.
"I think he's gone," suggested Reuben.
"Did you have any question about that?" laughed Kit Carson quietly."That he had 'gone' was the reason why we started after him."
"Yes, but I think he's gone where we can't find him."
Carson smiled as he shook his head, but made no response to thediscouraged lad.
An Indian village was located in the valley not far ahead of them. Thesigns which had aroused the interest of Kit Carson had been thediscovery of the bones and part of the hide of a horse which had beenleft on the sands by its border. "That's one of our horses," said thescout quietly to Reuben.
"Is it?" inquired the younger scout as he quickly jumped from his horseand began to investigate the remains of the unfortunate animal. "Icould not say," he said at last when he arose and resumed his seat inthe saddle.
"I am sure it is," said Kit Carson in a low voice, "and we shall findthat the Indians either are having a feast on horseflesh, or that theyhave just finished one. The best plan, Reuben, will be for you to stayhere while I go alone into the village."
Reuben glanced nervously about him, for his confidence in his ownability to protect himself in case he should be attacked was notstrong. However, he made no reference to his own feelings and watchedhis companion as he slowly rode toward the wigwams, the tops of whichcould be seen in the distance.
Two hours passed before Kit Carson returned to his companion. At firstthe scout was not inclined to relate what had befallen him in hisvisit. In a brief time, however, he said: "I found the Indians allfriendly."
"Did you?" inquired Reuben. "Were they having a feast?"
"Yes."
"Didn't they object to your interrupting them?"
"No. I found them all friendly, as I said. Indeed, the chief of thevillage is a cousin of my wife. What horse do you suppose they havebeen eating?"
"Not Black Jack?" demanded Reuben, startled by the suggested question.
Kit Carson nodded his head to indicate that the beautiful animal hadindeed been the one which had provided the feast for the Indians.
"Why did they do that? How did it happen?"
"It seems that when Rat came into the village the black horse hadbroken a leg. It was just able to drag itself along."
"Was Rat there?"
"He was, but he isn't now."
"What has happened to him?"
Kit Carson smiled slightly as he looked keenly into the face of hisangry friend, and then he said: "I advised him to leave."
"And he left?"
"He did."
"Did you do anything to him?"
"Nothing except to advise him to depart. I am glad to say that to allappearances he seemed to be willing to follow my advice. He decided,however, to leave our furs behind him."
"Where are they now?"
"They are in the village and I can get them any time I want them."
"What did Rat have to say for himself?"
"Nothing much. He tried at first to explain that it was all a mistake,that he didn't know the skins belonged to us, and when he found them hethought it was a great find and he would make away with them himself."
"What did he have to say about Black Jack?"
"He claimed that Black Jack was outside the camp and that he didn'tintend to run away with him. He was going to bring him back just assoon as he disposed of the furs. I have just come back to tell you,Reuben, that I'm not going back to camp just now. Do you think you canfind your way alone?"
"Yes. Why don't you want me to stay with you?"
Kit Carson shook his head as he said in a low voice: "It will bebetter, Reuben, for you to go back to camp. Tell the men that I shallbe there some time to-morrow."
Reuben looked suspiciously into the face of the scout, but there wasnothing in his expression to betray what his intentions were. Convincedthat there was nothing more to be said, Reuben reluctantly spoke to hishorse and started on his journey back to the camp. Occasionally heglanced behind him, but after a few minutes had elapsed he was unableto discover the scout anywhere on the plains. Doubtless he had returnedto the village, though just what his purpose in doing so Reuben wasunable to conjecture.
Steadily Reuben continued on his way, and the return, inasmuch as hewas able to proceed directly and was not compelled to stop in order tostudy the signs in the sand as to the course which Rat had followed,did not require as much time as had been consumed in the journey inpursuit of the thief.
Near noon of the day following that on which he had left his companionReuben entered the camp. In response to the eager questions of hisfriends he related what had befallen him and Kit Carson in theirefforts to overtake Rat. There were exclamations of anger over the fatewhich had befallen Black Jack and many expressions of wonder as to whyKit had permitted the braggart to depart from the Indian village beforesevere punishment had been inflicted upon him. Nor did Kit Carson offerany explanation when he returned two days later.
The steady routine of the camp life continued during the weeks thatfollowed, and when at last the entire party once more made its way backto Taos every one was well satisfied with the success which hadattended their combined labours.
With Kit Carson now went the young Indian girl who was his wife. Thelong journey at last was completed and preparations were made for thequiet weeks that must ensue at the little Spanish settlement. The weeksran into months, and a baby girl that had been born to Kit Carson andhis wife had grown into a laughing, though quiet, dark-eyed littlebeauty. She was the pet of every one in the settlement, and the prideof Kit Carson in the little maid was apparent to all his friends.Indeed the unusual demonstration of affection which the scout displayedas he played with the little girl was the cause of much comment amonghis friends.
One day, however, there came a sadness upon all who knew the scout. Hisyoung Indian wife had been taken ill, and despite all the efforts ofthe people in the little settlement to help her, their work provedunavailing. In a brief time the dark-eyed wife of Kit Carson was dead.Not long after her death the scout came to Reuben and said: "I'm goingto start for Pain Court. Do you want to go with me?"
For a moment Reuben was silent. He recalled the circumstances underwhich he had departed from the place years ago. His mother was dead andhis father, either made unfeeling by the death of his wife or hardenedby the conditions of his life, had become indifferent to Reuben. He hadinsisted that he would no longer be responsible for the care of thelad, and it was partly because of the hardships which in this mannerwere thrust upon him that Reuben had started with Jean Badeau acrossthe long plains.
Not a word in all the months that had intervened had been heard fromhis father. Whether or not he was living now he had no means ofknowing. And as for Jean, he had strangely disappeared, as we know, andwhether or not the harmless insane man whom Reuben had seen at SanGabriel and in the Indian village, where Kit Carson had found his wife,really was the lost trapper he had no means of fully knowing.
These thoughts passed quickly through Reuben's mind, but he wasaccustomed to quick decisions, and in a moment he said: "Yes, I willgo."
"I am going to take my baby with me," said the scout.
"What?"
"I am going to take the baby with me. I don't dare leave her here to bebrought up by the squaws. I am going to take her back among my ownpeople and have her looked after as the daughter of her father ought tobe, for I am a man of means now," added Kit Carson quietly, smiling ashe spoke. "A few more skins and I shall have enough to make me rich, orat least some time ago I would have thought I was rich if I had had anysuch amount of money."
"She'll die on the way," protested Reuben.
"Well, she will have to die some time. It's no worse to die on theplains than it is in a town. I think she would die here at Taos if Ileft her, an
d I'm going to take my chances and see if I cannot take herback with me."
"But she'll starve. You cannot get any milk for her."
Kit Carson smiled, but said no more, and Reuben was surprised when twodays later, after arrangements had been completed for the departure, hediscovered that an Indian brave and his wife whose baby had died twodays before were to accompany them.
Of the long journey that followed Reuben retained many vividrecollections. There were nights when their camp was surrounded by thehowling coyotes; there were times when they were unable to see farbefore them because of clouds of dust which passing herds of buffaloeshad raised. Several times, too, they were visited by Indians from thevarious tribes. Twice there were delays of two or three days eachbecause Kit Carson was fearful that his little girl was becoming weakerunder the stress of the long journey.
At last the scout insisted on turning aside from the immigrant road fora visit to the old settlement on the borders of Missouri where he hadbeen born. His visit, however, was not prolonged. He found that the oldcabin in which his family had lived was now a deserted ruin. As herecalled the place it had been filled to overflowing with the largefamily which had made it its home. Now, not one member of his familywas to be found in the region. Whither they all had gone or what hadbecome of them he was unable to discover.
Disappointed by the results of his visit, the scout renewed his journeyto Pain Court, and at last the travellers found themselves within thelimits of the place they were seeking.
But what a change had come over all things there. The littletrading-post had become a large town. Streets had been laid out whichto the trappers seemed to be crowded with people passing to and fro. Inamazement the strangers looked all about them as they entered, unableto recognize any familiar faces.
It was not long, however, before Reuben decided that he would leave hiscompanions for a time and do his utmost to discover whether or not hisfather was still living.