The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1870-05-05

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and looked suspiciously on strangers.
No encouragement was given to immi-
grationj and to make their seclusiOn
more perfect, the land on either side of
the mountain. wall that surrounded the
camp they duly pre-empted. This, and
a reputation for singular proficiency
with the revolver, kept the reserve of
Roaring Camp inviolate. The express
man-their only connecting link with
the surrounding world, sometimes told
wonderful stories of the camp. He
would say, @They have a street up at
'Roaring' that would lay over any
street in Red Dog. They've got vines
and flowers. round their houses, and
they wash themselves twice a day.
But they are mighty rough on strang-
ers, and they worship an Injin baby"
With the prosperity of the camp
came a desire for further improvement.
1t was proposed to build hotel in the
following spring, and to invite one or
two decent families to reside there for
the sake of "The Luck" who might
perhaps profit by female companion
ship. The sacrifice that this concession
to the sex cost these men, who were.
fiercely sceptical in regard to its gen
eral virtue and usefulness, can only be
accounted for by their affection for
Tommy. A few still held out. But
the resolve could not be carried into
effect for three months, and the mi
nority meekly yielded, in the hope that
something might turn up to prevent
it. And it did. @
The winter of '51 will long be re-
membered in the foot hills. The snow
lay deep on the Sierras, and every
mountain creek became a river, and
every river a lake. Each gorge and
gulch was transformed into a tumul-
tuOus water course that descended the
hilIsides, tearing down giant trees and
scattering its drift and debris along the
plain. Red Dog had been twice under
water, and Roaring Camp had been
fOrewarned. "Water put the gold into
them gulches," said Stumpy. otis
been here once, and will come again :"
And that night the North Fork sud-
denly leaped over its banks, and swept
up the triangular valley of Roaring
Camp.
In the confusion of rushing water,
crashing trees and cracking timber,
and the darkness which seemed to flow
with the water and blot out the fair
valley, but little could be done to col
lect the scattered camp. When the
morning broke, the cabin of Stumpy,
near the river bank, was gone. Higher
up the gulch they found the body of
its unlucky owner, but the pride-the
hOpe-the joy-the Luck-Of Roaring
Camp had disappeared. They were
returning with sad hearts, when a
shout from the bank recalled them.
1t was a relief boat from down the
river. They had picked up, they said,
man and an infant, nearly exhausted,
about two miles below. Did anybody
know them, and did they belong here?
1t needed buta glance to show them
Kentuck lying there, cruelty crushed
and bruised, but still holding the Luck
of Roaring Camp in his arms As
they bent over the strangely assorted
pair, they saw that the child was cold
and pulseless. "TIe is dead" said one
Kentuck opened his eyes. "Dead?"
he repeated feebly. ayes, my man,
and you are dying, too" A smile lit
the eyes of the expiring Kentuck.
"Dying?" he repeated; "he's a-taking
me with him-tell the boys Eve got
the Luck with me, now! and the
strong man, clinging to the fraiI babe
as a drowning man is said to cling to
straw, drifted away into the shadowy
river that flows forever to the unknown
sea.