Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1875-05-31
A CALIFORNIA STORY.


sWin6eld Scott. then lying At the
zharf in San Francisco. became imhued.
IS @any others before Us had. and have
since been. with the pervading gOld-fe-
yer. Resigning cur positions in the
goo4 ship. NE started for the famous
gold-mines Of .'Carson's Greek" Our
journey vas accomplished on foot. We
carrying our loads Of provisions on our
j haeks-the sun in the middle ofthe day
terribly hot. The nights being cold. we
would build IRE. and wrapping our
6ankets around Us. put Us in our lit
tieksds.s and then compose ourselves
to sleep. soon TO be awakened BY the
disnal bark Of the thousand cSyotes.
bears. md other insects" that would
quick, surround Us A brand from the
IRE would cause them to scamper OF in
q hurry shaking the ground rs they
/ went.
Pursuing our course in the daytime.
our only guide through the forests being
the innunerable 'sardine boxes" that
literally paved the way, and constantly
In dread Of meeting the noted eut-thrOat
and rObbeL San Joaquin" and his
hand. who we're then roaming round the
country. the terror of all miners. we fn-
ally. at sunset Of the ninth day. reached
Carson's Creek. and took up our quar-
ters in . deserted log cabin. standing
apart some distance from any other.
Building Ere and sending up to the
store in the miners camp on the hill for
some beef. We soon felt IS if we were ca
pable Of meeting San Joaquin, bears. or
''any ether man"
On locking round in the one room Of
the cabin. We discovered platform rails
ed ab0ut three feet from the ground
there being no fOoF which evidently
had been used for bedstead. and three
Of Us took our blankets and laid down
70 get some sleep. myself in the middle;
the fourth one. whose name was Jack
Davis, having been wise enough to bring
his hammock along with him. hung it
high up 60 the rafters. Sometime dur
ing the middle Of the night. the Are hay-
ing gone out. We were awakened BIZ Jack
Davis yelling. sJump up. feIIers. jump
up There's -grizzly' under the bed
He viii soon have yOu - The intelli-
gzuce Of our dangerous position for q
tine paralyzed rs. and neither ofus pos
sessing the requisite amount Of courage
to get up. We soon became engaged with
each other in desperate struggle for
the middle Of the bed. but being the
strongest. managed to hold nv own.
Meanwhile Jack Davis from his eompar-
ativelF secure position high up On the
rafters. relied necessarily for Us to get
. up and attack the bear-ealling Us COW
ards. sojers. and threatening to come
down and lick Us. bear and all. which
brilliant Performance be had no idea Of
attempting, Ny two bed-felloEs. falling
in their attempt to get the middle of the
bed. agreed with ne TO jump for the
door, which We did But now another
dihculty presented itself-n0 one knew
how to open it Our situation becoming
desperate. We turned to face the animal.
and ftn under the bed two large red
eyes gEared On Us, while from the rzfters
came the eonsoling yeIls from Jack !:
Nov he's coming, lock out ! You're
all gone Amt you nice set? Sail
ors! blast you you're sojersl' Go
home :" which last advice every moth
er's son Of Is would then and there have
gladly consented 70 act upon Another
struggle now ensued between Us three,
as % which should be In frunt. or rzth-
e. who should be behind. when they En-
ally succeeded In thrgstiug ne In front.
and At the same tine the animal sprzng
cut. striking ne in the breast aud face.
knocking ne down. aud in ny fall tax
ing the others with ne. Each one think
ing he had h0d Of the animal while on
! the grognd. we gave one another the
most unmercifsi pending that any NOR
tai ever received being encouraged in
CIR good work BY Davis yelling 70 Is.
'GiEe i 70 him. boys. Sog you're got
. him !" Until. after exhzussiOn. ne fo1nd
I cut cur mistake, the animal having g.
csped through large hole IN the bot
tan Of the door. that ne lad not obssrT-
J. ed before.
Striking light ve presented . fOr-
lsrn aud ragged sPpearznee, and cOuclud-
: I'd Ee we're not much AZ mining life, Il
: that which we had just passed through,
: vss = specimen Our tho1ghts were dis
+ turbsd by Dzvis asking u where the
| bear vas. and If xe had killed hin Ne
; zaae NJ reply; BAT neatsIly sEOns tia;
: ne EoaId be even vita klm- The op-
$ porsunity presented itsef sooDor than
0 expsstsd Ii the morning ws we're IN
; sitsd By some sf the minsrs 70 eOsas "a
: their camp and give theu the --latest
! Bezz fron hone. We started IN th<
2 eEeuing. having Jack behInd. ~ &c pre-.
fsrEed . sleep in his hsntzock
( Relating cur terrific eonhat. It eams
Q CO.. that Instead q : bear, it vzs . pool