Other editions of book Wild Life in the Far West: Personal Adventures of a Border Mountain Man

"At Bent's Fort, Hobbs went out trapping under the leadership of Kit Carson, and they became lifelong friends. In a short time Hobbs earned the reputation of being an excellent mountaineer, trapper, and as an Indian fighter he was second to none, his education among the Comanche having trained him in all the strategy of the Indians." - Colonel Henry Inman (1897) As detailed by Hobbs in his 1872 book "Wild Life in the Far West, Personal Adventures of a Border Mountain Man," in 1835, when only 16 years-old, he joined a fur-trading expedition under Charles Bent, destined for Bent's Fort, Colorado on the Santa Fe Trail over Pawnee Fork. On this trip Hobbs and his companion Batiste were captured by Comanches after becoming lost. Hobbs grew to be a great favorite with the Comanche; was given the daughter of Old Wolf in marriage, became a great chief, fought many hard battles with his savage companions, and at last, four years after, was redeemed by Charles Bent, who paid Old Wolf a small ransom for him at the Fort, where the Indians had come to trade. In describing an Apache raid, Hobbs writes: "We saw the Indians coming towards us, when they were quite a distance away, and, as we had no natural shelter, it became necessary to devise an artificial one. The baggage was hastily removed from the mules, when they were cast and their feet securely tied. This served a double purpose, as it effectually prevented a stampede and enabled us to use them for purposes of shelter. The cast mules and baggage were arranged in a circle, within which we placed ourselves, and behind this novel breastwork we awaited the attack of the Indians." At Bent's Fort, Hobbs, now known as "Comanche Jim" went out trapping a party of mountain men led by Kit Carson, and which included Peg-Leg Smith. While living the life of a trapper, Hobbs earned the reputation of being an excellent mountaineer, trapper, and Apache fighter; thus his life with the Comanche prepared Hobbs well for a life in the wilderness of the Great West. In describing a grizzly bear attack on their party, Hobbs writes: "I saw the bear rushing down the hollow, chasing after Mclntire who was only about ten steps in advance of the beast, and he was running for dear life, and making as much noise as a mad bull. The truth is Mclntire was scared and I hastened to the rescue, first sending my dog forward to help him. Just as the dog reached the bear Mclntire darted behind a tree and flung his hat in the bear's face…." After going through the Mexican War with an excellent record, Hobbs wandered about the country, now engaged in mining in old Mexico, then fighting the Apache under the orders of the governor of Chihuahua, and at the end of the campaign going back to the Pacific coast, where he entered into new pursuits, such as commercial game hunting, ranching, and mining. Sometimes he was rich, then as poor as one can imagine. He returned to old Mexico in time to become an active partisan in the revolt which overthrew the short-lived dynasty of Maximilian, and was present at the execution of that unfortunate prince. Finally he retired to the home of his childhood in the States. In his conclusion Hobbs reflects, "In looking back over my life, I find that although I have not, perhaps, always obeyed the Golden Rule, yet it is a great satisfaction to me to think of the numbers of my fellow beings I have been instrumental in saving from death and misery at the hands of savages, and from the horrors of starvation." About the author: Capt James “Comanche Jim” Hobbs (1819-1880) had been born in the Shawnee nation, on the Big Blue River, about 23 miles from Independence, Missouri. His early childhood was entrusted to one of his father's slaves. Reared on the eastern limit of the border, he very soon became familiar with the use of the rifle and shot-gun;he was the principal provider of game for his family.

This work is an account of the personal adventures of the author during a long and wild life in the far West. He belongs to that class of pioneers and trappers, now become nearly extinct, of which the famed Kit Carson, who was for many years the companion of the author, has been considered the most perfect type.In addition to his experiences as a hunter and trapper, we have an account of his life as a prisoner among the powerful and warlike Comanches, his adventures as a trader in Mexico, his services as interpreter and guide, under Doniphan, in our war with Mexico, and with the Liberals in the Franco-Mexican war as Captain of artillery, as well as his experience in mining in the days of the “forty-niners” in California, and elsewhere.Probably no man living has passed through so varied and exciting a life as this one. At times he has seemed on the high road to fortune, when by a turn of the wheel he would find himself penniless. But in what ever condition he was, he was always ready to respond to any call for aid from the famishing emigrant train who were lost on the great plains, or the settlers who were in peril from the remorseless cruelty of the savages.

"At Bent's Fort, Hobbs went out trapping under the leadership of Kit Carson, and they became lifelong friends. In a short time Hobbs earned the reputation of being an excellent mountaineer, trapper, and as an Indian fighter he was second to none, his education among the Comanche having trained him in all the strategy of the Indians." - Colonel Henry Inman (1897) As detailed by Hobbs in his 1875 book "Wild Life in the Far West, Personal Adventures of a Border Mountain Man," in 1835, when only 16 years-old, he joined a fur-trading expedition under Charles Bent, destined for Bent's Fort, Colorado on the Santa Fe Trail over Pawnee Fork. On this trip Hobbs and a companion his companion Batiste were captured by Comanches after becoming lost. Hobbs grew to be a great favorite with the Comanche; was given the daughter of Old Wolf in marriage, became a great chief, fought many hard battles with his savage companions, and at last, four years after, was redeemed by Charles Bent, who paid Old Wolf a small ransom for him at the Fort, where the Indians had come to trade. In describing an Apache raid, Hobbs writes: "We saw the Indians coming towards us, when they were quite a distance away, and, as we had no natural shelter, it became necessary to devise an artificial one. The baggage was hastily removed from the mules, when they were cast and their feet securely tied. This served a double purpose, as it effectually prevented a stampede and enabled us to use them for purposes of shelter. The cast mules and baggage were arranged in a circle, within which we placed ourselves, and behind this novel breastwork we awaited the attack of the Indians." At Bent's Fort, Hobbs, now known as "Comanche Jim" went out trapping under the leadership of Kit Carson, and they became lifelong friends. In a short time Hobbs earned the reputation of being an excellent mountaineer, trapper, and as an Indian fighter he was second to none, his education among the Comanche having trained him in all the strategy of the Indians. In describing a grizzly bear attack on their party, Hobbs writes: "I saw the bear rushing down the hollow, chasing after Mclntire who was only about ten steps in advance of the beast, and he was running for dear life, and making as much noise as a mad bull. The truth is Mclntire was scared and I hastened to the rescue, first sending my dog forward to help him. Just as the dog reached the bear Mclntire darted behind a tree and flung his hat in the bear's face…." After going through the Mexican War with an excellent record, Hobbs wandered about the country, now engaged in mining in old Mexico, then fighting the Apache under the orders of the governor of Chihuahua, and at the end of the campaign going back to the Pacific coast, where he entered into new pursuits, such as commercial game hunting, ranching, and mining. Sometimes he was rich, then as poor as one can imagine. He returned to old Mexico in time to become an active partisan in the revolt which overthrew the short-lived dynasty of Maximilian, and was present at the execution of that unfortunate prince. Finally he retired to the home of his childhood in the States. In his conclusion Hobbs reflects, "In looking back over my life, I find that although I have not, perhaps, always obeyed the Golden Rule, yet it is a great satisfaction to me to think of the numbers of my fellow beings I have been instrumental in saving from death and misery at the hands of savages, and from the horrors of starvation." About the author: Capt James “Comanche Jim” Hobbs (1819-1880) had been born in the Shawnee nation, on the Big Blue River, about 23 miles from Independence, Missouri. His early childhood was entrusted to one of his father's slaves. Reared on the eastern limit of the border, he very soon became familiar with the use of the rifle and shot-gun;he was the principal provider of game for his family.

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Excerpt from Wild Life in the Far West: Personal Adventures of a Border Mountain Man; Comprising Hunting and Trapping Adventures With Kit Carson and Others, Captivity and Life Among the Comanches, Services Under Doniphan in the War With Mexico, and in the Mexican War Against the FrenchIn writing out the incidents Of this strangely event ful life, no attempt has been made to put them in glow ing colors, but we have the account in few words. There are many incidents and descriptions that occupy but part of a page, which could easily have been spread over several pages; but the fact is there. Had as many words been used to say as little as there are in many books, it would have required several volumes the size Of this to have contained the account of the author's experiences.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

{Size: 13.34 x 21.59 cms} Lang: - English, Pages 534. Reprinted in 2017 with the help of original edition published long back [1872]. This book is Printed in black & white, sewing binding for longer life with Matt laminated multi-Colour Soft Cover {HARDCOVER EDITION IS ALSO AVAILABLE}, Printed on high quality Paper, re-sized as per Current standards, professionally processed without changing its contents. As these are old books, we processed each page manually and make them readable but in some cases some pages which are blur or missing or black spots. If it is multi volume set, then it is only single volume.We expect that you will understand our compulsion in these books. We found this book important for the readers who want to know more about our old treasure so we brought it back to the shelves. (Any type of Customisation is possible). Hope you will like it and give your comments and suggestions.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.