ELDORADO 75 



ing a narrow trail among the pines of the foothills 

 of the Sierras he observed a huge grizzly bear coming 

 directly towards him in the same footpath. It was a 

 mutual recognition and unpleasantly near, especially 

 from the standpoint of Captain Smith. Both stopped 

 at the same instant. Mr. Bear raising himself in a 

 perpendicular attitude upon his haunches. After gaz- 

 ing at each other with more or less admiration (prob- 

 ably less) for a couple of minutes, the grizzly dropped 

 upon all fours, turned tail to and quietly took his back 

 track, occasionally looking around as he retired. When 

 fairly out of sight the Captain remarked that he, too, 

 took his back track and "did not stand upon the order 

 of his going." 



After reaching the Upper Humboldt river I again 

 came in contact with the celebrated Kit Carson, who, 

 with his wife and several Spaniards in his employ were 

 on their way to California from Taos, IM. M., with 400 

 sheep intended for that market. They were of the 

 coarse wool variety and only suitable for mutton. 



On one occasion while camped near a party of emi- 

 grants a number of horses were stolen from the latter 

 by the Indians. The company included several women 

 and children, and their condition at once elicited the 

 sympathy of "Kit," as he was familiarly called. Tak- 

 ing three of his men, he soon struck the Indians' trail 

 and followed it until nightfall, when upon ascending a 

 low elevation, he discovered the Indians in camp but 

 a short distance away. Their fires were burning 

 briskly, and one of the stolen animals was already 

 killed, with which they were preparing to regale them- 

 selves. The party consisted of about 20 braves. Kit 

 and his men concealed themselves until they began 



