The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1889-06-28

IL +" oo ciihAOoS AAAA POoSA0'ss
THAT a little four-year-old' boy
Ishould have lived so long un-
sheltered and unied, but no one
could rest until they found him,
! living, or cold and still.
The soldiers formed skirmislf
lines, that is, they opened out t1
within about twenty yards of each
other, and Systematically explored
every inch of the country they
thought it probable the boy couiH
have reached. Night and day
they searched, boys and
soldiers together, and the weather.
grew colder and colder and EACH
; minute made the search more
hopeless.
Once they came where a mark
in a sandy bank showed that little
! feet had slipped down it: Theli'
they came to little pond OF
muddy water, where the little
, footsteps had stumbled down lO
tget Il drink. One conld even note'
the prints of tho little dogs feefs
as it faithfully followed its little
master. This pond was twenty
miles from the ranch, Poor weary
little feet. How they must have
wandered in three days and nights
in their pitiful search for home and
mamma!
| Another days search. The
2 pale, haggard, weary father, who
had been in his saddle all this
!, time gave up hope. They looked.
8 now only Tor the boys dead bodys
h The soldiers, slowly riding alongy
h dismounting every now and thels
to look more closely into somT
f hidaen ravinc, began to- get dis
II 1heartened. They all feared that
some wolf OF mountain hon had
Fslain the child. How could hes
have protected himself for so'
q longs
! Two soldiers, toward the end OF,
:, the fourth day, riding together,'
&c arranged to ride up the bed OF n
Idry creek, on either side of whic'l>
q small ravines jutted- out. They
Il were joined by cowboy. They
% were to take sides Of the creeks
" and search each little ravine.
. Further and further up the
J.. creek. they rode, each gulley being;
i. searched in its turn. The evening:
O was coming ON and it was getting'
q dark. One rode nearly to tlie'
q head of the creek. He passed up.
r. a small gully. thickly grown With
o sage brush; He was turning to-
o come back, when he thought
he surely heard some
O thing further up. He listened
d agaid. Soon there came to his
n ears the faint, pitiful whine Of a
e dog. He jumped from his horse
" and made his way over the rocks
II to where the sound came from:
10 There, lying silent in the brush !,
d lay the lost boy, while the little
II dog whined above him. He was
e covered with mud and: dreadfully
at thin and worn, but as the soldier
g lifted,him to the saddle, in front of
l. him, and the dog barked gladly >
all he nestled wearily against the
ct mans breast and moaned weakly:
le aMamma.'
'nl [ should like to end this little
" true story cheerfully, but | cannot.
a The boy was restored to his parents
n alive, after wandering for four
he days and three nights without
to food, and troubled by what fears
Iy and dangers we can only imagine.
But he died soon afterwards from
OF the exposure. We buried him In
nf November in the little cemetery
A OIL the bluff above Fort Supply.
be where lie, on the lonely and desc
rd late prairie, few dead soldiers
to and ranchmen,,
of| So, when, you boys and girls
d, were merrymaking at home, there
ok was very sad Christmas passed
m at the lonely ranch.in.the Nation
he Elk