Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1870-04-29

tie party. Thus allied we had nothing
to fear. We rode ON for another hour
without seeing living object, when our
guide suddenly stopped his mule, pulled
out his revolver and fred. Mr. Chapman
and myself quickly rode up to him, and
learned that our eEemy was not very
dangerous one, it being nothing but
grouse perched on tree 200 feet above
us. We quietly dismounted, took good
aim, and fred, Mr.. Grouse didn't come
down, but set looking down upon us, with
all the sang. .froid Of war scared vete-
ran, we fired again, this time Mr.. Grouse
remained just where we last saw him.
In short 10 make our story short, we all
three empted the contents Of our "six
Shooters" and Mr.. Grouse still looked
doacn, Upon us, as unconcerned as ever,
whereupon, we came to the conclusion,
that zoe didn't a0ant him, and mounted
our horses (excuse me, our mules,) we
rode of, hoping that the Northwestern
Fur Co., would not be jealous of our
craftsmanship.
Twelve miles from Hoopa Valley, we
arrive at the summit of very high
mountain, down which we rode at
break-neck pace. Our mules being sure
footed and used to the trail we had moth
ing to do but hang on, and shudder as
we looked down into the yawning chasm
FIVE hundred feet below us the trail in
many places being not more than two
feet wide.
The mountain scenery along this trail
is sublimely grand. 1t is wild in the ex-
treme Rocks, trees, rivulets, cascades,
rivers, mountains, valleys, chasms and
lakes are here piled together in chaotic
confusion, forming one grand exhibition
of chaos and disorder. The mountains
are literally piled one against the other,
without order or system, and the noun
tains are higher, the trees taller, the val
leys lower and the chasms deeper, than
any we have seen before. There are al
SO splendid forests Of pine, spruce, red
wood, fur and ash. Along this trail,
some of the pines measuring nearly ff
teen feet in diameter, and four or five
hundred feet in highth; a log from ons
of these trees only twelve feet in length
actually turned out 1872 feet of inch
lumber! This one is an exception, but
there are thousands of them eight or ten
feet in diameter and 200 feet high, but
unfortunately this timber grows in q
country so rough and hilly that it is i'm
possible to turn it into timber.
Down, down the mountain side We
ride, across crystal brook, through {
narrow canyon, when We suddenly emerg'
into a beautiful valley of the Hoopa
This valley is about ten miles long b.
one mile wide. 1t belongs to the gov
ernment and is used as an Indian Reser
vation.
Camp CASTOR is situated near the up
| per end of the valley, latitude 410 10'
longitude 1899 10, on a beautiful plot 0
level ground nearly one halfmile square
1t is built in quadrangular form, will
the parade in the center. covered witt
shade trees. 1t has all the parapherna
liza of war that belongs to tour compa
ny's Post, besides which there are two l.
pound mountain howitzers, which hav
rendered good service several times dur
ing the difficulties with Indians. Th
Trinity river runs along one side of tn
Camp, beyond which the mountains ris
to the height of five or six thousand fee
on the top of which there is snow eieve1
months in the year, while down in tn
valley the thermometer reaches 115 de
grees above zero,-and that time is fas
approaching, for spring has already sen
her skirmishers of green far up tn
mountain sides, and summer is upon u:
we watch and wait. U. S. A.
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