Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-06-16
AN OUTING IN IDAHO.
Campipe Ont In che Depths Of . Forsss.
lnssrvsew With IN Old f'rospestor--A
Drsam u Aliilisns-An Unweleoms vtsi-
tns-A kl,ot.

uS0aO - MssAAs~1s-A" V"wose~hS vsss-
tos-A shot.
A jpurnsy of about thirty-dvs MIS-
brought us 70 Boise Basin, . trough like val
10y, that wss 1T one time the richest gold
Held IN tho world. The small forest sot cave
tave " ~ .uU0,OD8 Of ths prsct0us dust In .
single year Where. the thrvng Of ninsrs
haetbesi tthe strife In those palfny days y
now . silent shaded waste, reminding one Of
IN ancient isataromb The trunks Os giant
trees 2rs rAting where they were uprOoted
by the hydraulic force that removed noun
tntuA The cstek that furnished tire water to
wort the desolation and wasa out the gold
stiil grumLles and sighs and splashes In it,
mad rush. It winds among tho limbs Of
treea forty feet ai,ove its old bed where It
has been raised BY the debriA We jolted
along over . road bed Of rock washed bare
By the stream that had been drawn from its
channel hundred times by tho changing
sal,ds, till cooler breath warned ~ night
was coming on and that we must choose .
camp ground We passed beyond the most
desx,late part Of the abandoned gold field
There was evidence Of later work in all the
gMlches leading up the hill side, where water
could not be conducted from the large
creekA
w Q CUIl0 10 kTcSu pAtsu tA<7A1 0A OsNA S$sOsAs
and decided to camp for the night We were
20 deep in the heavy forest that no wind
famed ua 1t came to us in q murmur TINT
added to the solitude The signing Of =
waterfall came up from Morre's creek In
swells that mingled with tho music Of the
treea We wondered who could be the occu-
paut Of the tumble down log cabin-who
could have buried himself In such a living
tomb. We soon learned that II was the home
Of Mr.. B., well known prospector, who had
lived in those mountains since ~ He came
out and introduced himself. A gray, unkempt
beard and long hair seemed to crowd upward
to the sluuched hat that held them IN bounds
a. the binders hold loose hay. lie was
dressed in soileti canvas clothes, but he acted
the host with the air Of one who knew his
inheritance In his element The rude struct-
ure he called a home was a pile of round logs,
and 20 low was the door that We had to
vtoop to pass through. We could not resist
his invitation, however, and soon were 10
tween the rough sooty walls. A broad fire
place, built Of stones and dirt, set OIL from
one end OF the single room. A mattress OF
pine boighs covered with fur ski IS and Old
blankets was held In a framework to the logs
aud was his bed. A side of bacon hung from
the low raftera His chair was block sawed
from a round log; and it stood on end by 9
shelf that was used for y table, cupboard
and a pantry.
He told us his claim yielded gold dust
enough in two or three weeks, while the
snow was melting rapidly, to supply his
wants for year. The balance of his tin,t
he spent IN making prospecting tours far int
the most rugged mountain regions. IL
searched for quartz mines exclusively
Every inch Of the old house was a cabine
Of mineral specimens. He conversed wisel,
Of sulphurets, copper stains, galena ant
lodges with walls and dips, OF assays and o
various grt,des of ore. He told us of pros
pects ON 1000 hills that by any process O
reasoning would have made him ten times I
millionaire. He was 80 absorbed in his sub
iect-his dream Of millions-that we re
treatesi> through the doorway before he be
came aware Of our Intentions
The tirst night out In a lonely woods, on
cannot sleep soundly. That night two ladies
three gentlemen and two small children
who constituted our party, were restless evel
at the still hour of midnight The ladies am
the children were In the tent, the gentlene
we're tossing about on q hard, improvise
couch under the wagon. The slightest nois
seemed TO be annoying. The horses snorte
restlesssly sometimes a. though they ha
seen some strange object. An owl hoote
near by. and his doleful notes awakene
answers that came like strange voices fror
the other world. The fire had not burne
out, and IL fiickered up unsteadily and mad
weird figures on the tent wall& Our mos
timid friends were by that time in q mood
be easily frightened A stealthy football wa
heard. Something was sneaking around th
camp II pAssed between the tent and th