All of Kit Carson's numerous brothers were tall, strapping fellows. But the "runt of the litter," as his father called him, was the only one to bring fame to the Carson name.

At fifteen, Kit ran away from his Missouri home and joined a freighter caravan bound for Santa Fe. From then on his life was a succession of thrilling adventures. He soon displayed a rare gift for leadership and was put in charge of an expedition to punish marauding Indians. He became the most skillful and famous of the mountain men who lived by trapping. 

Because he "spoke with a straight tongue and his heart was white" he wielded a tremendous influence over the Indians and often prevented the fierce Apaches from massacring the white settlers, and he played a major part in the winning of the West.

Few characters in history have led such adventure-packed lives; few have displayed such sterling honesty and courage; few had greater influence in shaping the destiny of their land than Kit Carson, the "Greatest Mountain Man of All."

From the dust jacket