been at work so as to recognize it again, and then takes his departure
to return early the following morning. The beaver, during this
interim, is attracted by the peculiar scent of the bait, and, as a
reward for his curiosity, he generally is caught by one of his paws
and thus falls a prey to the hunter's pleasure. The traps, when
visited, are relieved of the contents and then set again. The game is
put out of its misery and carried to camp, where it is skinned, and
where all of the pelts recently taken are stretched out, dried, cured,
and packed in small bales, whenever a sufficient quantity is obtained
so to do with it. The trapper, when in _full dress_ for an expedition,
and especially after having been on one with its concomitant
hair-breadth escapes, Indian and bear fights, etc., cuts, to all
appearances, a sorrowful figure. His wardrobe is meagre in the
extreme, yet it answers all of his purposes and the man would have
no other. When summed up, it would be found to consist usually of
two pairs of moccasins, one (or two pair) of buckskin pantaloons, two
woollen shirts, a loose, fringed buckskin coat and an old slouched
hat (usually made of some kind of skin with the fur on). His baggage,
limited to a very small bundle, comprises his blankets, a buffalo robe
or two, a spare hide of dressed buckskin, his extra garments above
spoken of, and a little tobacco (when it can be had). These, with his
camp kettle and outfit of powder, lead, extra traps, scanty allowance
of provisions, guns, pistols, horses, bridles,[24] saddles, etc. make
up his traveling and working kit; it may be only for a few months or
it may be for years. With them he was ready to penetrate the loftiest
mountains and unexplored regions. This is but a true picture, in a
brief space, of the appearance of Kit Carson and the resources of his
earlier days, the tools he had to work with, the mode of doing his
labor, and the habits of the animal he diligently hunted for several
years in order that his fellow man might convert into a luxury the