He was equally vigilant and consequently equally fortunate on his return.
Carson found when he met the Indians in council that they had good cause for discontent.

One of their leading warriors had been waylaid and murdered by a small party of Mexicans.

The officials who were with Carson promised that the murderers should be given up.

It was the intention of all that justice should be done, but, as was too often the case, it miscarried altogether.

Only one of the murderers was caught and he managed to escape and was never apprehended again.
To make matters worse, some of the blankets which the Superintendent had presented the Indians a short while before, proved to be infected with small pox and the dreadful disease carried off many of the leading warriors of the tribe.