The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-25
but that two men had tied him hand

Jake picked up club and threw il
at the dog to drive it away; then he
called to the men to know what they
meant by such outrageous acts. One
OF them-the old man-answered back
that they had taken up a man for as
sault and battery, and meant only to
protect themselves and their rights.
Jake told them they had no business
inside the cabin, which belonged to
himself and his brother; that this
claim had been made and held for two
years, and that they were liable to
prosecution for assault on his brother.
The elder man answered back that he
ana MS son had found an Old trappeI
living in the cabin, that they had
bought his right to it, and laid claim
TO the land, and, what was more, they
should hold it against all corners. II
was also stated that colony of settlers
from Illinois had come in some three
weeks before, having crossed the river
at The Portage" and squatted along
on that side; that general meeting
had already been held, and the usual
regulations adopted, and that the
speaker inside the cabin had been
chosen constable until regular cleo
ton was held.
The young fellow was astounded
and chagrined at this intelligence.
The situation was pulling enough,
for he saw that these claim Jumpers
had greatly the advantage over him.
He and Jared could really prove moth
ing; not a settler on the other side
whom they knew had ever visited
them here or knew of the location of
their claim except by hearsay. Their
only callers had been two or three
stray trappers and an occasional Win
nebago Indian who had at various
times spent night with them.
1t was one of those trappers, a ras-
cally looking fellow whom he re-
membered he had disliked, who had
pretended to sell this claim to the pres
ent occupants-an there was a whole
nelghborhood to stand by them in pos
session,
The situation was discouraging even
If Jared had not-according to the
code of the region-been lawfully ar.
rested for an assault. Jake went out
near his own wagon and sat down on a
stump to think.
The night was not dark; the moon
was shining family and light wind
was moving the tree tops, and as Jake
sat with his face between his hands in
a brown study, the figure of a person
came across his range of vision. A boy
emerged from the woods short dis
lance west of the cabin and came to-
ward him. As he approached the dog
ran out and began leaping upon him.
"Hullo, misterl wat ye doin' out
hS-era" The voice was that of lad OF
IA or Is.
Jake answered, warily, that shed
jes' druv up bit ago, an wonderin
where thar might be some water fer
the oxen" He added that he thought
it rather late to wake up people to find
Out-there was no light that could be
seen from the cabin.
"Oh, I'll show ye." said the boy.
Its bout forty rod, though, the way
yell hev ter drive t. git down ter the
creek"
"That don't make any Difference
the distance" said Jake. II want to
camp by water"-which was true
enough as matters had turned out.
Thereupon he united his oxen.
turned his wagon about and drove
after the boy, who had led him back
very nearly over the way he had
come. Jake, looking back as they en-
tered the timber line, saw the cabin
door swing open, and some one come
out and look after them. But fortu-
nately, the boy was straight ahead and
could not be seen, and the man, who
had probably come out to see what
was going ON upon hearing the wagon
rattle, turned again, and entered the
cabin.
1t was fifteen minutes drive down
to the creek, by the nearest approach
for wagon, but, as Jake we'll knew,
the stream.could be approached on the
opposite side of the cabin, which was
situated in a bend of it, by a very
short cut through thick brush. It
was from that quarter, in fact, that he
and Jared had brought their water for
cooking purposes.
However, it just suited 2 plan which
had flashed upon him that the boy
should be at the pains of selecting for
him the best camping place-it got
them out of sight and hearing of the
cabin.
Jake walked well up by the steers
and talked to the boy as they went
forward and learned, as he had ex-
pected, that the Lad was the son of the
man who had jumped his claim. The
boy said he had gone over to neigh
boris who had just moved into a new
log house, one mile west, and was to
have stayed all night, but finding that
a number of land seekers had claimed
the neighbor's hospitality, he had
spent the evening at play with their
boys and returned. He said his IA
Tiers name was Burrel.
They reached the creek, and Jake
having quickly matured a plan of ac-
ton, stopped his oxen and while un-
tying a long, slender lead rope from the
horns of the near" steer at the head
of the team kept the boy near his side
by talking to him.
When he had secured the rope,
however, he turned, flung an arm
around his listener, and with a quick
trip threw him to the ground. The
boy struggled and screamed with
fear and anger, but Jake quieted him
with stern command, and then hold
ing him fest, told him just what had
happened at the cabin, end else gave
him truthful account of his Own
end his brothers labor In making the
claim, which had been jumped re-
gardless of their rights.
AN now, youngster, I'm goin' ter
tie We up, an bring yer ole dad ter
terms, an the more We cut up the wuss
it'll be for ye"
The boy evidently believed bis
story and saw both the point and the