The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-12-16
An Adventure in the Northwest

EsTuNILLE, SCOTT Co., VA, Nov 25
From the Spring of 1865 until August, 1871,
| lived in Northern Minnesota, was one of
the first settlers of Todd Co., some IS miles
N. W. from st. Cloud.
There were thousands of game, fish and
waterfowl in that country, and plenty of
Chippaway Indians Many were the adyen-
lures l had hunting, trapping and fishing
while l lived in the land of "Clear water
"Ma'ane' is water and "sotG" is clear in Indian
dialect. Hence we have Minnesota. l entered
Prairie Homestead, ON the edge of the timber,
and subsequently bought 100 acres more of
good timber two and half miles back in the
woods.
In August, 1885, left home one afternoon
to hunt deer. l went along the edge of the
timber, some half mile east, until | came to
Fairy Lake, a beautiful sheet of clear water,
up it north.to Lilly Lake, up it to Prospect
Lake, and along it to near the head Thence
up ravine on deer trail to small lake,
some miles from Prospect Lake, west, where |
sat down, commanding the view of the little
lake. In less time than have been telling the
foregoing, beautiful deer came plunging in
the edge OF the water, some thirty steps from
me-. AS had the wind all right" / waited
until its side was fair and clear of the rushes,
and shot it through the heart 1t ran out
III the timber few steps and fell dead "a deer
shot in the heart will run while the breath is
III it,. skinned it, took the saddle (hind-
quarters) and "lit OUT for home. | returned
few hundred yards the way | came, and as
the sun was setting | thought would save
time by turning off at right angles through
the woods and get at least one mile lower
down on the lakes before dark. But | had
not gone far before / struck windfal of
downtown saplings, interlaced with new
growth which was almost impossible. But |
had no alternative but to go on | had not
proceeded far before the small underbrush be-
gan to rustic. and coarse growls saluted my
ears right in front of me, and apparently
right at me. My first thought was that had
caught Tartar" in the shape of an old
she-bear and her cubs. So down went nv
venson and | cooked my rifle, yet | could
see nothing for the wild pea-vne weeds and
brush. | thought the growing was on the
yauling or cat order though coarse as bear
might make. Well, l did not wait long I
noticed small sapplmg moving some ten
or twelve feet in 'front.' and then saw an ami
NAL | did not know at the time, crawl up
and begin to splutter and spit at me. fred
at it and blew its head nearly off, when it
seemed that the whole woods were alive with
them. They were crawling up on the br.sh
and dead sapplings all round me, some not
more than gun length of me. To say was
excited is no name for it, but went to shoot
lIS ouOt seven vi IIein anu IL got uark,
and l got over my fright and picked up the
dead Jones, though there were plenty more
around, and the coarse growing went on, but
dark ended the fight and unnoticed by me
hard rain came up. How got out of such
place with those animals my venison and
gun shows what a man can do under great
mental excitement. / got five of them down
to the lake and dropped two which were
found next day, and by the glare Of the light
ming on the lakes to my left, and the dark
timber on my right was enabled to get home
late in the night.
The animals had my encounter with were
lynx, an animal between q wild cat and pan
Their and said to be dangerous The ones /
killed were about halfgrown, while the old
ones remained on the ground and put up the
growing.
I had another adventure with large he
lynx, after that a year or So. In that case
there was no back out in him till a bullet set
DIS HALE.