Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1892-11-11
BITS OF LIFE IN CAMP. AND
CABIN

w men the whites hrst came L
Nevada, after the discovery @
silver, there were everywher
found little animals called
mountain rats" The little ro
dents differed from the rats known
to civilization in that they were
adorned with bushy tails, IN tina
resembling the squirrel tribe; bu
about the head they had { gooG
deal of the rat look.
The mountain rats, as found by
the early miners, lived in houses
constructed of heaps of twigs
stalks of weeds and grass, strips OF
cedar bark and the like litter, the
structures resembling the houses
of the muskrat. These little
houses of the rats were generally
built under the shelter of spread
ing scrub pine or cedar tree,
though often found beneath a lean
ing rock.
When the miners came and
erected their cabins the mountain
rats saw in them fine shelter in
which to build their stick houses,
and accordingly they moved in
with the miners and set to work to
make themselves at home and
comfortable. Their intentions
being good, the little creatures
were quite fearless and inclined to
live in peace with the miners.
But with the miners a rat was still
a rat, even though sporting a
bushy tail, and they made such
vigorous war uyon the little ro-
dents that they were presently ex-
terminated. They disappeared be-
fore civilization instead of fol-
lowing its march and preying upon
it, as is HE habit of the ordinary
rat, Not single mountain rat is
now to be found in or near to any
town or settlement. All have
either been destroyed or have fled
to the wilds of distant mountain
ranges. Prospectors and others in
the early days were in the habit Of
setting on fire the houses of the
little animals, practice that must
have greatly disgusted them with
the arts of civilization
At first, when the rats came to
lodge with the miners, hrping to
be well treated in their cabins,
there was great fun in studying
the queer ways of the little fel-
lows-so different from those of the
common rat-yet most men killed
them at every opportunity. The
quantity of sticks that a pair of
rats would carry into cabin in a
single night was astonishing. And
also many of the sticks were
astonishingly large. The animals,
small as they were, would of en-
drag IN sticks a yard in length and
as thick as r mans thumb.
Sometimes the object of the rats
in bringing in the sticks appeared
to be house-building and at others
the catching of some article in the
provision line, Let pan IN which
bread had been mixed be left
standing right side up on floor or
table over night, and the next
it would be almost buried
out of sight under pile of sticks
and strips OF cedar bark. The
object of the rats appeared to be to
secure the food as a supply for
winter. A can containing sugar or
q plate of bread would be buried in
the same way. At times corner
Of the cabin or a nook near the
chimney would be selected as a
site for a house and night after
night would be carried to the spot
\ pile of sticks. In the summer
Of 1860, / had cabin at Silver
City, at the south end of the Com
stock lode, which | occupied with
brother. We had a rat that we
encouraged as pet and which
afforded US great amusement in
various ways. One morning l
awoke and was sstonished at the
appearance of my brothers hesd.
It scanned to have been wonderfully
elongated during the night.
Calling to him he swoke and arose
With a conical structure upon the
summit of his crnnium," sbous
light inches in height, which was
of hair and feathers. l
shouted with laughter. l.
"What is lt?' "What is the
'un2" asked my brother, gazing
about the cabin.
"Go aud look in the glass,
said |. L
He looked, and then he came for {
ne with war in his eye. He I
thought l had given him his
ridiculous topknot We found I
hat during the night our rat had