resist. They sent a volley from their rifles among the thieves,
which threw them into such a panic that they dashed off at full
speed without giving the least thought to their valuable property.
The latter as a matter of course was taken charge of by the trappers,
who were glad of the opportunity to chastise the cowardly marauders.

Under the circumstances, however, the animals were of little value
to the hunters, who had all they needed. It was beyond their power
to return them to their owners, but the best were selected, several
of the plumpest killed and cured, and the rest turned loose to go
whither they chose.

The trappers continued up the Gila until near the copper mines of
New Mexico, where they found a party of white men trading with the
Indians. The peltries were cached and placed in charge of their
friends, while Carson and his companions continued on until they
reached Santa Fe. There their employer bought a license to trade
with the Indians who lived near the copper mines. Then they went
back and procuring their furs, returned once more to Santa Fe,
where they were sold for more than twenty thousand dollars. This
being equitably divided among the hunters, furnished each a goodly
sum. Like so many sailors just ashore from a long voyage, most of
the trappers went on a prolonged carousal, which caused their money
to melt like snow in the sun. When their pockets were empty, they
had aching heads, weak frames and only the memory of their feverish
pleasures.

Kit Carson did not go through this trial unscathed. He drank and
spreed with the rest, but he awoke to the folly and madness of
his course sooner than they and the sad lesson learned at the time