Los Angeles herald., 1892-08-14
rHE HOUSE pwELLERs


tamaracks above us crooned out their
lullaby and left us departing to the land
of Nod. Next morning Tony shot three
with the huckleberries that Dan and
Charley had picked, the repaat was a
toothsome one. At Z O'Clock the dishes
were all washed, and Dan and I were
seated on the box seat of the old wagon,
while Tony and Charley rode ahead. 1t
was steady up grade all the way till
noon, when we entered small valley
called Brunswick Flat, where we
halted for a luncheon and to rest
the horses, which were beginning to show
signs of fatigue. The party had kept
pretty busy with shotguns all the way
along the road, and there were half
dozen fat young grouse awaiting their
final disposition to pot or gridiron, when
| we halted. But it was no time for
cooking anything. Gold meat, beer,
bread, cheese, cigars and pipes, made
up the noon meal, and the jaded nags
once more resumed the march. The
last seven miles we're all up steep
| grade, 30 much so that on two occasions
the saddle-horses and riatas were
PRESSED INTO THE SERVICE
LII oIuoI " pun buo WdkOn Out VI
muddy places on the road. But at 3 AS
p m. the little party had halted at the
grassy banks of Olive lake, 1924 feet
above sea level, and as pretty sheet OF
mountain water as ever Law out of doors,
| being oval in shape, about q mile and d
half long, and from 400 to 800 yards in
width. The water was intensely cold,
| for there were still small patches OF
snow in the dense tamarack thickets on
the hills on the north and east sides of
the lake. To the westward, there was
small brook that fell out with roar
over ledge of rocks, and ran away
down into valley about two miles
away, where it formed mucky bog.
There the deer struggled in during the
heat of the day. and there the snipe and
maftards Matched out their infant
broods. From the dense pine woods
across the lake we could hear the
pheasants drumming on the logs, while
the dull "woof" of some great spruce
grouse broke the stiffness of the soft
summer air.
'sIN CAMP AT LAST"
Said Dan, as he began to stack up the
guns and rods against vast monarch of
cedar, whose sturdy old trunk had
defied the winter storms OF century.
Near it was another cedar whose trunk
had been burnt out with q big FIRE some
years before. Dan looked at it, and
said: "Fellows, here's our kitchen and
smoke house." Down on the lake we're
two tiny white skiffs, that had been
hauled out there from Baker City year
before. The first thing Charley and Tony
did was to take full possession Of these
to,d frs fSara %s
of fishing till after the sun had got down
behind the hills. They whipped the
lake for half an hour and then came
ashore, cursing Dan and me for bring
ing them there. After letting them ex-
haust their breath, Dan said: swell,
you never shoot anything but rifle,
Charley, 60 there's no use of your going
with me. You can take to the woods
for deer or bear; Tony and I will 60
down to the marsh after some young
'flapper' ducks and az for old Tom, he
can stay here and keep camp or fish till
supper time. But you know that has
always been our invariable rule, that
''soMEBoDY MUST KEEP CAMP"
This rule grew out of the fact that one
of our party had his watch stolen from
camp that we had two years previ-
ously on Silvey's river, near the NAL
heur Soda springs. So the boys went
off and left me reclining against the tall
cedar, where fell asleep and slept till
about 4:20, when was awakened by
the banging of guns down in the marsh.
got up and took skiff, with which
hunted around the lake, till I found
an old raft, which I then mounted
and let the skif drift back
towards the camp. Memory of Dame
Juliana! What picnic it was, TO be
sure. Four flies on my leader and about
every cast fish. They were never
above eight inches in length, but every
fish meant fight. At last began to
see that it was about supper time, and
| padding in shore I struck out for camp
and began to clean my fish. / had
barely done go. when in came Dan and
Vony with two grouse and five fat young
ducks. We sat down that night to
| what was
| HUNTER s FEAST,
Consisting of trout fried, ducks roasted
in the clay and grouse broiled, with
plenty OF cornbread and good coffee.
But Charley was absent-what had be-
come of him? When I cleared away
the supper dishes put by half dozen
fish, q half grouse and the breast of a
| duck for him. Darkness came down on
the lake and could hear the beavers
splashing in the crystal food, while the
angry cries of a cougar came wailine
across the dark and desolate waters.
The pipes had glowed about the campfire
for two hours and still no signs soi
Charley. The mattress of fir boughs had
been laid down for hours and the
blankets, were spread over it, as VIC
lay down to rest, but not to sleep
4 What if that venturesome devil had
wounded bear and then been torn tc
pieces2 The thought was agonizing
At last, there came through the dark.
ness cheerful cry of .sWoohoo!" and
the muscular figure. of our, absent rifle
man lowered in the glare of the fast
waning fire. "What kept you SO late r.
was the simultaneous question, but his
only answer was, Don't talk to me, ole
man, I've got the boss I" r
THE DAWN CAME, COLD AND GRAY,
As we woke and went out to feed tbs
! horses, one OF which Charley mounted
barebacked and rode OFF three miles to 3
dairy ranch, whence he brought back 9
gallon Of milk and dozen eggs, in the
crown of his hat. Egg-nog was the pre-
lude to hearty breakfast, and ther
| Charley began to rig pack-eaddle
"Say. what are you making that saddle
rlse