Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-04-09
A MONTANA MINER.

=.
Mountains come back to me in q very
leap-tide of asantrecollections.
was alone in the mountains, in the
service of the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company as a mining engineer. l had
been fishing in nameless mountain
brooks, fishing lazily. When l landed
a big trout l generally stretched myself
under the eveTgreens and admired the
fish; or celebrated my success by a
smoke. Lazy as my fishing was, it Kept
me supplied with food. One bright Oc-
tober day / resolved to fix the limits of
the little coal field in the Mullen Pass.
Mounting my horse, rode into the for
est. Soon finding an open space covered
with bunch grass, l decided to camp
there, and from that point study the field
on foot. So, throwing my blanket un-
der tree, unsaddled my horse and
picketed him on the grass with long
rope. l tested its length, and, finding
that he could get water, l knew he would
not suffer if did not return for several
days. Strapping a full cartridge belt
around me, fastening my rifle on my
back, | picked up my trout pole and
walked off. A little after noon l had
finished my investigation of the north
ern edge of the coal field. Being hun
cry, filled pipe and sat under bush
while debated what / should have for
dinner. had choice between trout,
as yet uncaught, and grouse, as
yet unshot. 1 had forty cartridges /;
they were worth four cents each; l
could get no more; might need them
when went North. So l decided to
have trout. They cost nothing. Find
ing a deep pool ! soon landed three
fine fish. Then starting fire, coated
the fish with a thich layer of clay, and
when the fire burned low placed them
in the Goals. Scarcely had 1 done so
when heard light footsteps, the snap
ping Of dry twigs. From out of dense
growth of young evergreens came a
man. Looking at him, summed him
up quickly-mentally checking him off
as though were entering recruit on
a descriptive rol-tawny yellow hair,
large brown eyes, long straight nose,
full red lips, square chin, wide smiling
mouth, full of strong white teeth, COM
plexion of milk and roses under a
brownish hue; six feet four inches high,
slender, erect, weight about 1S0 pounds,
about % years old; Sharps rifle in his
hand, belt full of cartridges; wonder
who he is; nice-leoking chap in his new
suit of buckskin. These observations
were made inaudibly and instantly.
Standing motionless he looked at my
fire; then, seeing me, walked at once
toward me. rose up, looked him in
the face. Our eyes met. Each had
read the other at a glance. Holding out
his hand he said, Howl My name
is Ed Van Thusen." I grasped his
hand and said, " How! Mine is Frank
Wilkeson." 1 liked him from the in
slant our hands clasped. Looking into
my fire with curious eyes, he indicated
with index finger the three wedge-shaped
clays and asked, What are those
thingsP" "Those objects that you
speak disrespectfully of as things are
three trout wrapped in clay. They are
our dinner" replied. Ed looked
amused, and then said, " 1t is a new
way of cooking to me. If it is good
for trout, it should be good for grouse.
Delay the operation. saw some fool
hens few yards back in the forest. I'll
get a couple" He walked back into
the thicket, and soon heard two reports
of his rifle, and in a minute after Ed
came walking to the fire with two head
less tool-hens in his hands. We rubbed
the clay into the feathers and rolled
GOdllUR
of the proper thickness; then the birds
were placed in the center of the fire,
and Ed and 1 lay under the trees talk
ing. He was miner, but, having tired
of the work, had gone hunting and fish
ing in the mountains for a week or two.
His blankets were further up the stream,
Al a little glen where there was good
grass. "Would go up and camp with
himP" l would. So, leaving him to
watch the fire and our dinner, walked
down the stream to my horse, saddled
him, and, throwing my blankets on
the saddle, walked back, the horse
following like a dog. Ed, seeing me
coming, poked the clays out of the Goals
with stick, and cracked them open
with stone, and our dinner lay on the
half shell by the brook when reached
the fire. We ate, and while eating
planned an elk hunt. We smoked after
our meal, and talked until the sun was
low in the West. Then, shouldering our
rifles, we walked up the valley, the horse
following. Ed had pitched his camp
that is, his blankets-in a clump of pines
by the bank of a brook. Across the
water was a little meadow of ten or
twelve acres. His horse was picketed
there. Unsaddling, turned my animal
loose, knowing he would not leave me.
We were high up in the mountains and
in an unfrequented place. Game was
plenty. The trout Bit well. The air
was frosty o'nights. One night as we
lay in our blankets, discussing a won
derful shot had made that day q had
missed All elk at twenty yards), the talk
became biographical, then grew conf
dental. Ed was telling me of a valley
he knew, where he believed there was
plenty of placer-gold, when broke in
on his mining speculations with: 81
see you have had the smallpox. How
did you get that diseasePn The ques.
ton brought him into a sitting posture
and then rising to his feet he rebuilt the
fire and answered. al will tell you a
story" Without other Introduction he
began:
- In 1869 was prospecting for gold
in the streams that flow down the West
side of the Rocky Mountains and empty
into the Flathead River. had no sue
cess, and became discouraged. / re
solved to cross the range by one of the
many passes, and prospect in the val
leys on the eastern slope of the noun
aims, knew this land was secured by