The Shasta courier., 1864-01-16
NUMBER 46,
How 1 Found The Grizzly Lead.


lay down to sleep. 1t was nothing wonder
full that he should make his pile" on an
unknown silver vein by accident. But all
your scientific notion Of processes seem to be
Knocked when tas the story goes) the peon
got up IN the morning and found, where the
ire had been, smelted mass of pure unad
ulterated silver. That was the wav in which
the famous Tajo mine was discovered. You
think that was one of most wonderful stories
you ever heard. Wait till you hear mine;
Jim Waters and lit was only last weekl
were out prospecting for silver leads, up in
the mountains-7I must wait until all the
claims are located for my particular friends
before | tell you the exact latitude and lon.
| gitude of the place. say, Jim Waters and
myself were prospecting for silver, and l. be-
| ing an old hand at the business, was duly
charged with test tubes and pocket flask Of
nitric acid. One morning. after breakfast,
we started from camp, leaving our traps in
tent, guns, pistoles and all, excepting the
flask of acid, which was never absent fIom
my pocket.
Well, in a little we separated, Jim taking
one side Of a range of hills, and the other,
In about halt an hour heard Jim scream
ing at the top of his bent, .'Mikel Oh,
Lord, Mike" Mikes my name.) "Hpr-
rah ~ | exclaimed ''Jim's found it, by
golly! he's found something rich, no mis-
take this time Jims not easy excited.
Jim's got il at last y and started in full
run towards the voice, l paused to take
breath. 9 Nike Mike y re-echoed Jim.
Mike Mike ~ louder | ran ON | gained
the summit of the bridge and looked down.
Jerusalem and General jackson what did
see? Mike, twenty yards below, on the
tip-top OF scrub oak tree, and the biggest
grizzly out of doors underneath, contempla-
ting him with the most profound satisfaction.
Mike Mike ~ roared Jim. tH-ll and
Halifax ~ | responded, and l made for the
timber on my side of the hill, grizzly in full
chase.
l had no time to choose my bush, but
made for the nearest, and up / ran like
squirt. Grizzly made grab at me. and car
ried away the better half of nv coat tail.
and after tearing it to shreds, sat down to
consider. 1t was wonderful how intelligent
he looked. He measured the tree at a sin
gle glance. The verticle distance was aw-
fully short Grizzly felt sure of his game.
tie laughed; d-n me if he didn't laugh
Just as plain as Mr., Jefferson does at the
theater /! He was in no hurry, having a
dead sure thing of it. He waited only to
enjoy my horror. This gave me time to col.
lect my senses. | thought of nv flask of
acid-it was safe, the pocket of my coat re.
manned. | uttered cry of joy my cour-
age and GOODNESS returned on the instant.
Grizzly growled and looked puzzled.
got secure and steady footing on proiec.
ting limb, and taking my flask from my
pocket, | uncorkcd it and held it firmly ia
my right hand--I knew it was worth a doz.
en- pstoles. Facing old grizzly and looking
him steadily in the eyes, | exclaimed in .
defiant tone, Come on you Internal grizzly
varmipt; you're just the specimen I've been
looking for. Come en-; I'll assay you,-.
d-n you |"
Grizzly growled again, shook himself,
growled louder and louder, and looked at
me quizically, The next instant be was on
his way up the tree. He reached the fork,
and then slowly stretched himself upward
until his smiling face was within six inches
OF my hand, when | emptied the vial of my
wrath directly in his eyes. Jehosaphatl
Grizzly tumbled down with roar that soun.
ded like gutteral thunder. He roared and
be tumbled, he ripped and he tore. A
thousand mad buffalo bulls were nothing to
it. It was my turn to laugh, and you reckon
did. | went into frs and out of them a
dozen times | knew the varmint was stark
blind ! shouted for Jim he only Rugged
his tree the tighter, He thought that / was
IN the last agony, and that Grizzly was ma.
king a meal of me.
Finding that Jim wouldn't come. / ran
over the hill to him; and it was sometime
before | could recall him to his senses and
persuade him to come down. | could not
induce him to go towards the bear, until we
went back to our tent for our rifles, for
which he set out in double-quck time. and /
was obliged to follow. Arrived at our tent.
We refreshed ourselves, and, armed to the
teeth, we retraced our steps leisurely to the
scene of my triumph and what o scenei
grizzly was lying motionless: he had ex..
pended all his fury and l wish NAV die
if he hadn't ripped up seventeen acres and
a quarter of the roughest ground ever YOU
saw-true as gospel. | measured it myself.
Bushes we're torn upiby their roots rocks
weighing tons were rolled from their bed.
But what interested US most was a silver
vein laid bare for hundred yards, the pure
virgin silver glistening in the sun, Talk of
your Baily leads, your Russ lodges. YOUR
Mexican Tajos Here was vein of solid
silver, one hundred feet wide Il measured
it!( We stuck up notices, finished grizzly.
and came away and | am down here after
tools sand provisions. Don't tell anvbodv
who | am or I'll be watched and followed
when | 60 back. I'll sell in private wav
a few hundred feet Of the extension. to be
located by myself.
..WoopEN WEDpIvcs'r ara ,e,,;nn.oL