American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-09-16
A FRONTIER ADVENTURE.

Six or seven miles from where we
first settled on the east fork of the
Umpqua, in Oregon, there lived an In
dian trader named Huelder. He dealt
in old Government muskets, powder,
lead, ETC., and used also to keep axes
shockingly poor ones. I suppose they
may have been defective ones, cheaply
purchased at the factories. Often the
temper would be SO high, that on strik-
ing one into hard, dry log, the bit
would break and fly like glass. But in
those days there was not another place
where an ak could be bought within
sixty miles of us. So it was " Hobson's
choice" those, or nothing. We bought
not less than a dozen of these axes of
Huelder during the first four years. 1
remember that his price for an ak with
out the handle was three dollars and
fifty cents. Father could generally pick
out those blades which were the best
tempered; but the traders Indian Gus
toners could not tell a good ak from a
poor one. And SO he went on swindling
them year after year; selling whisky
only fit to poison coyotes, axes as brit
tie as glass, and guns all rusted out at
the breech. But the Indians took dead
ly revenge on him at past. Another l.
lustration of the fact that if man sows
wickedness, bitter harvest follows.
Towards the last days of October of
the third fall, my brother Samuel, IA
Their and I,set off one morning to go up
to Huelder's to get couple of his axes
and lay in a stock of powder for the
winter. The road, or trail, ran along
the fork (east branch of Umpqua). We
went horseback, or rather muleback,
for we kept three mules to work on the
farm One of them, old Tige, was the
most vicious beast and the worst kicker
I ever saw. Every body in Oregon
used to ride mule in those days.
About four miles above our place, the
river runs through a rocky ravine, such
as the lower country folks call a canyon,
a fearfully craggy, rough hollow, the
sides of which were fifty or sixty feet
in height Great rocks, as large as
car, had rolled down, and here and
there trees, which had toppled over
from above, lay across the lodges. The
stream filed the most of the bed of the
ravine. The trail was on the north
side. It wound in and out among the
rocks, sometimes running close to the
water, then back among the powders
and drift-logs, which lay piled up on
the rocks ten and twenty feet high,
where the freshets had lodged them. 1t
was terrible hole.
As we had started early, it was scarce
ly sunrise when we reached the canyon,
father riding the mule, Tige, in advance
of my brother andyme some forty or
fifty yards. At turn among the rocks,
he all at once came face to face with a
big grizzly bear. 1t was probably sur
prise on both sides. But the old bear
was the first to recover his wits. With
q growl and roar, he sprang at the
mule. Tige whirled about, fairly
pirouetting on his hind heels, deposited
father fiat in the path, and took the
back track like a fox. Sam and 1 were
in sight, and caught glimpse of this
maneuver. Then Tige tore past us,
Squeezing like a pig. Our two mules
had heard the bears roar, and perhaps
smelled him. They squealed, whirled
about, and ran away with us after Tige
Sam had only a halter on his mule. We
could neither hold them nor turn them
about. 1t was regular stampede
Down the canyon they went at full gal.
lop, over and among the great rough
rocks and logs, Sam and 1 holding or
for life.
As soon as we could master them, we
pulled up, and, jumping off, tied them
to the dry branches of fallen pine
Then, although we had not sign of q
weapon, we ran back to see what had
become of father. We thought the bear
certainly had caught him. He had the
rifle, and we had not heard him fire. II
would be impossible to describe what
we two boys suffered in our feelings
during those few moments. Back We
went, all in tremble. On coming with.
in hundred yards or so of the place
Sam said that we had better call out
for we did not care to run upon the
bear. So we called softly at first, then
little louder.
Yes, yes!" said fathers well known
voice, from somewhere up the side OF
the canyon. "Don't come another step
Stay where ye are!"
We drew a great breath Of relief.
where's the bearP" quavered San
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