Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1886-12-30
ABOUT CAMPING OUT.
PRENTICE MILFORD TELLS ABOtr
LIFE IN THE SIERRA NEVADAS.
shooting a Sage Hen and Suffering from
demonstrating the Art of Camp
Ing Out-The Solitude of the Noun
tains-Indian Fashion of Sleeping.
Especial Correspondence

tains-Indian Fashion of Sleeping.
Especial Correspondence
BOSTON, Dec. 6.-I was little more than a
boy in years when l strohed off into the wilds
Of the Sierra Nevadas all alone on a "pros-
pecting" expedition after silver. A rancher
lent me horse and agreed to take his pay
in shares of whatever mines | might find.
l managed from one and another to scrape
together saddle and bride on similar terms.
Some one gave me dog, bought cheap
gun, and with a few dollars worth of provi-
sions rode out of the settled portion of the
country into the mountains
went for stroll the first evening of this
outdoor life, leaving my camp in charge of the
dog Put. found on returning that he had
made a supper of my whole stock of meat,
which | expected would last three days
After that | hung my meat out of Puts
reach, and l had always to hang it pretty
high too. The next morning 1 had nothing
for breakfast but robin. That robin 1
couldn't eat until shot it-and it was full
hour before could get sufficiently near the
bird to do So
Bloody business, l thought, this killing
ones fellow creatures to skin and eat. Is not
robin ones fellow creature? 1t has intelli-
gence to build its nest, love for its mate, love
for its young, and its song is cheerful morn
ing melody in those solitudes Certainly it is
| fellow creature
Once on this trip, while camped on one of
the sage brush plains of Nevada, 1 passed
and repassed for three days a sage ben sitting
on her nest. was short Of provisions For
two days resisted the temptation to shoot
her; but my needs were pressing, and on the
third day did shoot her and have accused
myself of murder ever since. had no tent.
| On the California plains for seven months of
the year l needed none, since no rain falls
there for that period. On the mountains there
We're occasional showers. If one lasted too
long could generally contrive a shelter of
pine bark, always plentiful and to be stripped
from the trees in large sheets. Camping out
is an art by itself, and was obliged to learn
it by myself. learned never to pass an in
viting spot for camping-furnishing wood and
water and grass for my horse-after o'clock
in the afternoon, for the chances would al
ways be against my finding such another be-
fore dark, if | found any at all. learned
to look carefully about before choosing
camping spot, to see that no dead trees were
near enough to reach me should they fall
Because in these forests, never touched by
man. dead and rotten trees are numerous
very large ones, too, and they are as liable to
come down in a calm as in storm. Often
did on still nights in those soltudes hear the
crash Of their fall miles away. More than
once, after making my arrangements for the
night, have found rotten pine over 100 feet
in height close to me and inclined in my di-
rection, and therefore would move off that
ground. Once, after my fire was made and
my supper nearly ready, on looking up l saw
suspended by mere splinter in the branches
over me dead limb weighing hundreds of
pounds. 1t was in another shape repetition
of the sword of Damocles l moved off that
location.
Twice during my absence my camp-or
rather all that could burn in my camp-came
near doing SO through the dry grass catching
from my fire. After few such alarms and a
run back home of mile or so on seeing the
danger, learned to cover up the fire well or
remove the dry grass foot or two from it,
During the summer the grass and weeds in
California wither and dry to the roots, and so
take fire very easily.
kept my tea, coffee and sugar in canvas
bags holding about pound each. Pepper
and salt in smaller bag. l had bread bag
and meat bag Butter l carried in a tin
box, inclosed by another bag. On packing
rolled up these bags in my blankets, which
were strapped behind the saddle. On unpack-
ing, placed all the bags in a row together
on the ground. That row was my larder and
kitchen, and l could put my hand on any
article as soon as it was wanted.
Before so arranged my groceries in this
system of bags, 1 took them from the blankets
as they were needed, laid them anywhere in
the tall dry grass about me when | had done
with them and then spent good deal Of time
and strength hunting them up. Just so with
knife, spoon or fork / found it paid in many
ways to arrange all my kitchen furniture and
groceries in regular order on the ground as
soon as my blankets were unstrapped.
My cooking apparatus consisted of fry
ing pan and coffee pot Bread bakes very
nicely in frying pan. when propped up
nearly upright before the fire or better still
heap of glowing Goals. Imagine the predica-
ment found myself once in on discovering
had left my matches at the last camp, then
ten miles off and no grocery or settler within
twenty miles, There was nothing to do but
return and hunt them up. Without matches
meant being without fire, and being without
fire meant being without cooked food Acct
dents like these beat at last something like
order into my head and much l needed it.
1t was the custom in those days for people
70 carry a revolver slung at the hip. In the
forest for a revolver l substituted hatchet
The weight in iron was about the same, but
the batchet was far more useful for chopping
firewood and many other purposes. l found
il a very good plan to keep secure from the
possibility of wet or dampness little bag
full of dry shavings or whittlinss, for often
in the forest it is difficult to get any perfectly
drv fuel for kindling They laughed at me
in n certain cabin where l was staying on see
ing me preparing my bag OF kindling wood,
ord called me granny" Some two years
ofterward l met one OF these men
nth all his toes frozen off, and among other
things he said: II wouldn't have frozen my
feet had taken pains, as you did' 10 havea
haO of dry shavings about me.