The daily critic., 1890-10-17
Strange Animals That Iaest the
FIovory Olympic Mountains
EllURbL WALL OF TIE STATE OF TEXAS.
The Demon Of the LAKE." Arnoul is at
Dinner'---Facts About the Territory
Of New Mexico

the stream where IL spread out over
the meadow in a dozen different chan
nels, says a writer In the Whatcom
R6reale. Charlie wanted to stop and
take up 100 acres, but Campbell told
him Too much plenty snow In win
ter, and after vainly trying to drink
the creek dry we passed on. Another
tu1n brought us to the foot of steep,
bare, stony mountain. Skirting this
and climbing over some big rocks, we
suddenly came into a lovely grass coun-
try. Like the prairie in summer, every
conceivable flower seemed to bloom
and blossom In the grass; the place was
ablaze with red, blue, yellow aud
white.
We must have passed through 500 or
600 acres Of II, and every here and there
ripping stream ran widely through
u. The place was a perfect paradise
and thank goodness we had got out of
the dark valley, and stood in the bright
warm sunshine. We were now close to
the head of the Quilcene, and we
e8garly pressed on. Presently we met
a dog, and close behind him mis- master,
who turned out to be Mr.. Ransom,
going from the head of Dungeness to
Port Townsend. He gave us cheerful
accounts Of the elk, and also kindly
took letter into town for us. At $50
we camped under Sentinel Rock, about
n mile from the divide. This rock
stands boldly ont alone like a massive
fortress guarding the entrance TO the
valley Of Dungeness.
Suddenly the mountain sides seemed
10 be alive with men whistling to one
another, when-and one would turn
sharp round only To- hear another and a
ihriller whUw-On the other sides and
soon we saw lots Of animals about the
tize Of fox, with long. bushy tails.
running about from rock 10 rock, some.
times lying down, but more often
tilling bolt up, erect. like a ferret does.
We shot couple of small ones that
night and alt,rWard shot several more,
larger onts. Campbell called them
whistlinC dogs, ana declared they were
coed 10 rai, but the smell was enough
for us. Their odor Is peculiar, but not
fragrant. They have two long teeth In
front like a beaver. and feet almost
shaped Ike squirrels feet | believe
their right name Is mountain beaver
Wherever We went afterwards 10 the
mountains, as long as there was grass,
we saw these whistllng dogs. as we got
TO call them. liked 10 see them; they
seemed to make the place cheerful and
lively, and were very amusing 10 watch
In the winter they have long burrows
under the snow. and their coats get a
dark gray; In summer they are yellow.
Their skins should make good fur, and
think would pay for being trapped In
the winter months. Our altitude this
night was ,450 feet, and we christened
the place "StOny Camp" from the ter.
Tible stony ground we had to sleep on.
The night was warm until about 4 a.
m, when II got feaTfully cold. and we
were almost frozen.
-.
There is in the northern part of Texas,
near the Bois d Arc, or East Fork Of
the Trinity, a freak Of nature that has
been the subject of much speculation
ever since its discovery. over forty years
ago. Extending In a northwest and
southeasteTlY direction for several miles
Is a perpendicular seam Of wall OF
coarse limestone, composed Of frag-
ments, irregular in size, yet very similar
In shape. The seam (oT wall. as II Is
called is about two feetin width every
where 1t Is seen. and the stones Of which
il is composed are distributed on top OF
one another, almost with the regularity
Of masonTy-at least, as well as many
ancient builders constructed their walls.
IL Is for the most part undef the earth,
but appears In hillsides ald Tayines,
where the external force of nature
have worn away the sol leaving the
natural wall exposed.
Old settlers say that some sections,
several hundred feet In length, appeared
IS much as three feet In height when
they first went there, and hence they
named their first town R0ckWall, which
name is also borne by the county 10
which the wall Is found From the
fact that no other stone was found III
the immediate vicinity, these pioneers
unanimously agreed that the wall was
the work Of some pre- historic people
who Inhabited the country; but as its
mere resemblance 10 the work OF man Is
all that supports this theory, Il has long
since been given up for the scientific
explanation Of its origin. The presence
of quartz, lava, and other c0ngl0merate
rocks Of igneaus origin belrays he
action Of volcanic forces in is for
nation.
Some mighty internal c0nyulsi0n rent
The earth's surface and left a long
straight iissure, which was filled By the
same agency with fragments Of the
underlying strata Of limestone Ia
some portions, where the wall vas
sufficiently c0mpacl, Il has stood alone,
while air and water have worn aWay
the surrounding earth Thus Il Is
found al intervals, keeping one direction,
straight as d surveyors line for about
six miles, uniform Ia width. and al.
Bays composed Of stones resembling an
elongated brick, some larger and others
smaller
Years ago an inquiring well digger
sunk bis spade beside the wall He fol.
lowed il down thirty feet. aud found
abundant water, but not the base of the
wall SO We may Concede the work to
DC a freak Of the fire gods who, iu
some past age, remote and dim pushed
up the wall from beneath % serve IS a
model Ion future man
A frightful story has just come %
light which confirms an old Indian ira
dition. says . dispatch from Denver %
he St. Louis Republic About six miles
southeast Of Mullen. Idaho, and within
2 stone throw Of the Montana line, Is q
small lake, which for beauty grandeur
ana tradition Is unsurpassed by any
point Of interest IN the sid West i.
10 te found a tie head Of willow
Creek q north branch of the CeuT
dAlene River ST. Stevens Feaks the