Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1861-02-01
PAJARo VALLEY, CAL, Dec. %, 1860.


far as soil and climate " are concerned, but
fortunately we do not have many OF the ma
tiyes of South Carolina here, though we have
several from North Carolina. all Of whom
are Office holders, and one of them is the Re-
publican member of the Assembly from Mon
terey County, Republican of the straight
est sect - The election of the Assemblyman
in Santa Cruz County, considering the ma
jority he got, think is the greatest victory
in the state according 70 the number of votes
polled but the election OF Republican
from Monterey County, when we take into
consideration the number of South Western
Democrats we had to contend with, is truly
astonishing Taking all these things into
consideration, think we shan't +" scccde."
We think we have done gloriously in carry
ing tins state for Lincoln, and are quite sat-
isfed.
The winter, or rainy season has just fairly
set in and we are having plenty of mud,
though it is not accompanied with ice and
snow as in your latitude. We occasionally
have little ice in the shallow puddles, and
once or twice last season our pump refused to
s testify" early in the morning. But five
wish to see snow, we must turn our eyes
eastward after rain storm, and We shall see
the higher peaks Of the Coast range, as they
lift their proud heads into the sky, covered
with purest snow and if we wish to enjoy
a snow storm. we only have to travel into the
mountains. As for myself, though | think
could enjoy New England sleigh-ride,
don t have any particular g hankering y tor
snow storms, and to tell the truth, l had
rather live little nearer the Equator than
the Poles.
The California Spanish names of places are
we'll selected, and each has its appropriate
meaning: this valley was most appropriately
named Pajaro, which in the Spanish Ian
-tlarc means bird. At this season of tho
year there are myrards of wild geese. They
come from the North and stay several
months. At first they are not timid, and
the sportsman can easily shoot dozens of
them They sometimes shoot dozen at one
shot.
There is plenty Of game here of different
kinds Among the fcathercd animals might
be found the goose, duck, and thousands Of
quails though the latter arc not quite 30
plenty as that flock which Moses came across
several centuries ago still, recollect of
4
per. of shower of meat which occurred
near Bcniciu in lS5l. did not learn wheth-
er the meat was cooked or not. The noun
tains abound with deer, coyotes and grizzlies.
have never confronted grizzly, face to face
in the mountains, and don have any pa
tirular desire to- I am some like my "chun"
about the matter; though he has had a lit
tie more experience than have.
We =" took up Ranch in the hills, and
built houses aud corrals and partly stocked
1t with sheep, and the " chum hearing
noisc out around the CORA! one night, seized
his rifle and sGlicd out to see what = was
up" The first thing that particularly at
tractcd his attention was a large grizzly, sit
ting on his launches, laughing and casting
a5,cfioHate gllnccs toward him, when he in
stantly raised his rifle and fred Away went
the bear growing ferccly. " Chum = leis-
urcy returned to the cabin, thinking what
a narrow escape the bear had had The next
morning noticing that tots of blood had been
scattered about, and thinking that he mi sht
have shot the bears :" daylights OUT he
took his rifle and followed the trail, expect
ing to find him if not dead, minus his vision.
But he was disappointed, for just as he had
scrambled up out Of a canon, over bank OF
about twenty feet in height and was regain
ing his feet, to his surprise he saw his bear
ship not ten PAGES distant, rushing to en-
bracc him. He had barely time to level his
rifle on those Z" radiant orbs not yet de-
funct-and pull the tri isger, when the bear
s}qndieuldrig into the air, and with the other
struck him as be came down, and, most for
tunately for him, happened to knock him
over the bank, when his dog commenced
DdThIlE W Hltli ulcN tllt dttNhsioh ia sho
bear, while " chum hastily retired. After
wards on examining bis pants he found he
would be obliged to have new pair. One
little stutiq9 mark of attention from the
bear lac will always carry. lie has since
acknowledged to me privately that he has no
particular .,haAGr,ng" Tor grizzlies. If
some Of the Hancock sportsmen were here
could show them Slms enough in half day,
the mere sight of which would repay them
for the days we have spent rumaging the
forests together and finding nothing larger
than few little rabbits and occasionally
wolf track. The birds are exceedingly tame
here. Why, tried twelve years in Maine to
shoot a crow and did not succeed till near the
close of the last year and should not even
then, had remembered what | had been
taught in childhood mot to rob birds nests.
Here they are so tame that any one can
shoot them with pistol. No one thinks OF
molcsting them, except when they 80 on to
the newly sown fields in large hocks when
they shoot and hang up few, and some
times they give them corn soaked in whisky,
which contains little more strychninc
than that usually sold to ntMainelaw