The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-02-16

dry sticks and picking every sJep, anu
just threw my gun over my shoulder
and tramped along free and easy. l
hadn't gone ten yards when crash
went the brush off to one side and be-
hind me. wheeled about and brought
my rifle down to ready, and there,
within a dozen yards or so, stood u
big bull elk, looking any thing but
friendly.
"Now, I consider myself about as
good an average shot as the next man,
but I'm a ghost if l didn't miss that
elk as clear as a whistle with the best
Remington | ever handled. | never
took much stock in magazine rifles,
but | changed my mind right then and
there. When the old bull snOrted and
came for me | would have given my
horse for Winchester. Not having
one, remembered that kind Provi-
dence had had the foresight to provide
me with pair of legs. and | made
good use of 'em. The timber was my
hope, and 1 made for it on a keen
jump ~ith the elk a good second in
the race. If it had been two yards
farther you'd never have heard this
story.
There was good-sized tree right
ahead, and 1 aimed straight for it,
There was no time to climb or slacken
speed, so 1 ran to pass it on the right
side, and just as l got there l embraced
the trunk with my left arm and swung
around behind it. The bull went
laundering past the tree just as swung
out Of his way, but he made swipe at
me with his horns and caught my left
hand against the tree, giving it rake
that smashed some of the bones. He
was vicious old scoundrel, and chased
me around in the timber for quite
while, but finally / managed to
scramble up a tree and get out of his
way. He made two or three bluffs at
butting the tree down, and | tell you
he made it shake, but l reckon it gave
MIN q headache. and after paving
about a while he gave a disgusting
snort and trotted away clickity-click
down the mountain.
II had hard time with my hand,
and, being practically disabled, | con-
cluded to get out of the mountains, and
pushed along around the western end
of the range. 1t was on that part of
the trip that l struck it rich. Getting
caught in a storm in very rugged
canyon, | hunted about under high
ledge for Il place of shelter, and found
the opening of small cave behind a
clump of thick brush. l crawlcd in and
started a bit of fire to make some tea.
and when the fire blazed up l saw some
bones lying on the floor of the cave.
They were human bones, and by the
shape of the skulls l judged that they
were the skeletons of white men. The
remains were scattered about, as
tn ough animals had fed upon the car
cases. The bones were nearly de-
stroyed by the action of the elements,
and they crumbled easily when l han
died them, showing that they had been
there a great many years, The cave
was not entirely dry, as a large fissure
in the top allowed water from the
mountain side to flow through, and evil
IDENTIFY q great deal of water would get
in there in the winter.
The floor was covered with sand
and dirt varying from few inches to
two feet in depth and the skeletons
were about half buried in the silt.
There were no traces of clothing or
weapons, but in poking about in the
dirt found pick from which the
wooden handle had wholly disap-
peared by decay, and that made me
think that the men had been miners.
I slept in the cave that night and the
next morning [ made q more careful
examination, cutting away the brush
in front of the opening so as to let day.
light in.
Thinking might find in the debris
something that would give clue to the
identity Of the men, began digging it
up and pretty soon Icame upon u piece
of gold as big as pea. That whole day
| spent in carrying the dirt down from
the cave to the stream in the canyon
and washing it out. and | panned out
nearly ten ounces of coarse gold. 1T
all came from one part of the cave floor
near one of the skeletons, and as there
was not even q color in the dirt from
other parts concluded that one of the
men must have had the gold about him
when he died and that his belt or buck
skin bag had rotted away and let the
gold fall into the dirt.
"This satisfied me that the three oc-
cupants of the cave had been pros
pectors of early days, probably the first
white men to penetrate this region.
How they died l can't say, but perhaps
they were surprised by Indians and
killed for their weapons and outfit.
One of the skulls was broken, possibly
by Ratchet. Judging from all the
appearances, it must have been quar-
ter of century or more ago when the
men were killed.
although my wounded hand panied
me-a great deal and was almost useless,
determined to fnd where those miners
got their gold, if possible. and the next