The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-05-20
O Y
A Wounded Hunter Lives on Raw Meat fol
Seven Weeks, Dresses His Wound with

A Wounded Hunter Lives on Raw Meat for
Seven Weeks, Dresses His Wound with
Snow and Gets Well.
The Vallejo (Cal.) Chronicle contains
the following singular story:
About fifty miles from Virginia City,
as the crow flies, is a little mountain vale
known as Gravelly Valley. La the sum-
mel season it is a beautiful spot. green
and lnxuriant, but it is showed in during
most of the winter. In February last
two hunters, named NJ. II. Robinson
and David Knox, were in the nelghbor-
hood looking for game. At night they
camped in O small cabin which had been
used in former years by sheep herders.,
During the day they explored the sur
rounding mountains, looking for bear
and deer. They succeeded in killing a
large cinnamon bear, which they dragged
to the hut. The steaks cut from Its
quarters served as an agreeable change
from their usual diet of cured bacon and
jerked venison. On the morning of
February Is, when twelve miles from
camp, Robinson, in getting on his horse,
accidentally discharged his gun, and the
ball, an ounce in weight, passed through
his right heel, shattering it to fragments.
His companion enveloped the wound in
snow and tied it up in a piece of saddle
blanket, and they started Immediately
for the cabin. Upon their arrival Knox
saw at once that it was necessary to go
for o physician. Robinson was weak
from loss of blood, was utterly unable to
| ride to the nearest settlement, q distance
of forty miles, and the nature of mis- in
jury was such that he must surely die
unless medical assistance was procured.
1t was probable that it would be judged
necessary to amputate the limb to save
his life. They were sworn friends; and
Knox, after placing the wounded man IN
a bunk, covering him with a blanket and
leaving him two days provisions, babe
him be of good cheer until his return.
He rode all that night through a binding
storm, which set in o 10 after his depar-
ture, and arrived in Lake Valley soon
after daylight. The road passed over a
high range of mountains which separates
the two valleys. There was no cessation
in the storm, but having procured the
assistance of a physician who was well
known to Robinson, they started to re-
turn. AS they descended the steep side
of the mountain the determined men
soon found that it was impossible to pro-
coed further. The snow was already
four or five feet. deep, and was aecumu-
lating in great drifts. Half a dozen
times their horses fell into deep ~rayines,
from which they were extricated with
difficulty, and they were at last COM
PEELED to turn ~mournfully back for their
own preservation. The regrets they felt
at Robinson's fate were of no avail; but
all through the winter his untimely end
was discussed by his friends around their
fresides. About ten days ago, when the
snow was pretty well off the ground a
party of men thought it their duty to go
into the deserted valley and bury his
body. They had also some curiosity to
see whether he had left any account IN
writing of his approaching decease, and
ascertain whether he supposed he had
been abandoned without cause. He was
a boon companion, liked by everybody,
and had a host of friends. They crossed
the mountain and came in sight of the
spot where the disaster had occurred,
nearly two months before, with mourn
full feelings. They arrived at the door
of the cabin and were alighting from
their horses when a voice within was
heard joyfully to exclaim: "Well, have
you fellows got here at last?" and Rob-
inson came limping out upon a pair OF
crutches. The amazement of the party
may be imagined. Noticing their sur.
prise he said: "You all thought I wa
dead, did yous I am not, but nm as well
as ever 1 was in my life, except this leg
And SO it proved. He was aware thai
the storm which set in upon Knox's de
parture would prevent his return, and al
once set to work to make the best of the
situation. He kept his wound dressed
with snow, and when his ready provisions
were exhausted, dragged himself to the
carcass of the bear at the door of the
cabin and cut off a slice with his butcher
knife.
Raw bear meat and water from {
mountain stream, which ran near by, was
all the s~ustenance he had for over sever
weeks. This meagre diet no doubt KEEP
his foot from notifying. The fever
subsidized, the inflammation went down,
and it o began to heal. With a wire
which he tore off an old broom, he probeo
the wound and drew out several pieces
of the bone. He then made a pair Of
crutches and was able to get about with
out difficulty. He was o man of inteli
gence, but the only thing in the nature
of literary matter he had was the half Of
an old New York Tribune, which, as he
lay upon his couch during his isolation,
he perused until he said he believed he
could repeat every word it contained
advertisements and all. He considers
the snowstorm a lucky thing, as his leg
would probably have been amputated
had the physician arrived. Upon his re
turn to Lake Valley he was welcomed as
one come back from the dead, and the