CHAPTER III.


The Trapper's Life -- Indian Horse Thieves -- Carson's Skilful
Pursuit and Surprise of the Savages -- Arrival at Los Angeles --
Trouble with the Authorities -- A Singular Escape.

The trappers being in the heart of the Indian country, with hostile
on every hand, were cautious in all their movements. When one of the
grizzled hunters in the depths of the wilderness fired his gun at
some deer, antelope or bear, he hastily reloaded his rifle, listening
meanwhile for sounds of the stealthy footprints of his enemy. He
knew not when the treacherous shot would be sent from behind the
rock or clump of bushes, but he had learned long before, that, when
he penetrated the western wilds and followed the calling of trapper,
he took his life in his hands and he was ready to "go under,"
whenever the fate so decreed.

The most flagrant crime on the frontier is horse stealing. He who
shoots one of his fellow men has a chance of escaping punishment
almost as good as that afforded in civilized communities, but if he
steals a horse and is caught, his case is hopeless. It may be said
that the value of the animal to the hunter or trapper is beyond all
calculation, and, inasmuch as the red man is equally appreciative,
Carson always warned his friends to be on the watch against the
dusky thieves. Sentinels were on guard while others slept, but the
very calamity against which they thus sought to protect themselves
overtook them.