34 ELDORADO 



While at Laramie we met Kit Carson, the noted 

 hunter, trapper, Indian fighter and chief guide to Gen. 

 John C. Fremont in his explorations in the Far West. 

 Three years later T traveled with him for several 

 months, of which I will speak hereafter. Most of his 

 life had been spent in the Indian country, and at that 

 time his home was at Taos, N. M. A book entitled the 

 "Prairie Flower" had been published, giving an ex- 

 aggerated and highly colored account of his life and 

 exploits, embodying more of the features of a novel 

 than a truthful narrative. Being of a modest, retiring- 

 disposition, and not seeking notoriety, he was not at all 

 pleased with the publication. He was best and widest 

 known of all the old mountaineers, many of whom, 

 from Lewis and Ck/ke to Bridger and Shambo, will 

 always have an honorable place in the history of the 

 frontier life that has led American civilization. 



We found the Sioux tribe of Indians in manv re- 

 spects to be far superior to the Pawnees. Intellectually 

 and physically they were the finest body of Indians we 

 met with on the plains. They were more cleanly in their 

 habits and possessed large bands of horses and a few 

 cattle, and showed more evidences of some of the better 

 habits of civilization than any other tribe. Occasionally 

 a white man was seen among them with a numerous 

 family. It was a noticeable fact that the Indians near- 

 est the borders of our western settlements acquired the 

 worst vices of the whites and retrograded instead of 

 advancing by the contact. Only under these conditions 

 is it strictlv true that "the only good Indian is a dead 

 Indian." The Sioux w^ere brave, adventurous and re- 

 served, neither manifesting nor encouraging familiar- 

 ity. The males dressed in their native costumes, but 



