The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1870-11-05
Chr albany 8egister.
Rough Times in Idaho.

aud wincng under the yolleys of pebbles |
that struck the sounding houses with such /
force you might hsve thought an unseen
army was bombarding them. The town
looked as if it had started down from the |
mines In the mountains above, ragged
and discouraged, and, getting to where it
then was, had sat down in the forks of
the river to wait for the ferry. The town
Looked as if it ought to 60 on-as if 1t
wanted to go on--us if it really would go
on, If the wind kept on blowing and the
unseen army kept up the cannonade.
On your left, as you look down the
course of the Columbia, sixty miles
away, the Snake river came tumbl;ng
down, as If glad to get away from the
clouds of dust, sage-brush, and savages
On the other hand, the Clear Water
came on peacefully from the woody re-
gion Of Pen dOreille, and joined CON-
pany for the Columbia. Up this.strc am
little way stood the old adobe wintering
quarters of Lewis and Clarke, exploring
here under President Jefferson, in 1903
and few rods beyond, the board camp
of the Nez Perce Indians tapped and
futtered in the wind-while the sombre
lock offs Black foot warrior streamed from
the war chiefs tent
There is something nsuferably mean in
windy day in the northern territories.
The whole country is cloud OF aikah
dast-you are half suffocated and wholly
blinded-you shut your eyes and COM
press your Gps-yOu hold your hat with
both hands, lean resoluteiy against the
wind, aud bravely wait for it to go by.
But it will not go by; it increases IN
fierceness it fills your hair and your nos
trils with dust; it discharges yolleys of
little pebbles, fints, and quartz into your
face till it smarts and bleeds, and then,
all suddenly, goes down with the setting
sun.
The mines thus far found in the north
had proved Of but little account and the
miners were pouring back, as from
Waterloo l had run fierce opposition
TO Wells, Fargo i Co. and as result,
sat alone in my Office, trying to think,
calmly as could. how many of the best
years of my life it would take to settle the
sssts, when the most ragged and wretch
cd looking individual l ever beheld
looking back stealthily over his shoulder,
entered, aud took 4 seat silently in the
further corner. He had q round, heavy
head, covered with q shaggy coat of half
gray hair, which an Indian the least ex-
pert could have lifted without the trouble
of removing his patched apology for a
hat. He had an enormous chin that look cd
like deformity He seemed to sit behind
it and look at me there, as you would sit
behind redoubt in rifle pit, watching
an enemy. His right hand stuck stub
bornly into his pocket, while his left
clutchcd the bowl of his pipe, which he
smoked furiously, driving the smoke
fercely through his nostrils ike steam
through twin valves. | think his tattered
duck pants wers stuck in the tops
of his boots; but atterthe elapse of near
Il eight years do not remember dis
tinctly. However, this is not SO impore
tant. He looked up at me, pulled busily
at his pipe, then dropped his head and
deliberately fred double-barrelled vol
ley of smoke at his toes, that looked up
wistfully from the gable end of his boots
Then he arose, glanced at the door, and
being sure that we were alone, shuffled
up to the counter, and drew out purse
from his right pocket, half the length of
my arm.
Med cried he, in a harsh, cracked
voice, "don't you know me? That's gold !;
and know where there's bushels of it !"
What! Baboon beg pardon, Mr..
Bablain."
"No! BabOon? Old Baboon !; that's
my name. Old Baboon''
As this man was the fnder of that vast
goid>6eld, including Salmon, Warrens s
Boise, Owyhee, and Blackfoot, It is but
right that the world should have brief
OF his history, as well as his photograph.
Peter Bablain, Esq, Of Easton, North
ampton county, Pennsylvania, reached
San francisco in 1849, as refined and
intelligent gentleman as could be found
A few weeks OF luckless ventures, how
ever, lett him unable to respond to his
iandlady's bill. She said fercely, "You
are NO gentleman" He answered quiet
~, "Neither are you, Mrs. Flanagan"
and quietly left the house. He felt that
he had lost or left something behind him.
He had. The "Esq" had been knocked
from his name as easily as you would
wish to kick hat from the pavement on
the 6rst day of April.
Another week of wandering about
the town in dirty linen, and his ac-
quaintances treated the tail end of his
Christian name as Alcibiades did the
celebrated dog of Athens. He was now
simply sPete Bablain," and thus set out
for the mines. A few months of hard
usage, and he found the whole front of his
name ripped off and lost. "Bablain" was
all that was left.
Ten years now passed. Ten terrible
years, in which this brave and resolute
man had dared more than Caesar, had
endured more than Ney; and he found
the entire end Of his fathers name had
been, somewhere in the Sierras, worn OF
torn away, and hid or covered up forever
10 the tailings. He was now nothing but
ssBab-" Here, while ground sluicing
one night on Big Humbug, and possibly
wondering what other deduction could be
made and not leave him nameless. he
was caught in cave, sluiced out, and
carried head-frst through the fume.
This last venture wore him down to about
the condition of an old quarter coin
where neither date, name, nor nationality
can be deciphsred. His jaws were crush
.3 -~~.I Hm.ha broken till thew Law in