River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-06-02

EARS nAaNA " aALA AAAE So nus Nt@AN -
ala-miug. noises of the woods nerves
overstruug, it is truly fearful As there
IS something overawing about the
oce7r. so there Is about tie great
woods hut the awful sensation Of
being lost ON the one or in the other
can be known only by experience.
Charley Barnum was twice lost in the
Ohio forests before he was fifteen years
old One If these incidents / will re-
late To You.
Ii was away back in the days when
the settlers were so few that they j ;
not materially lessened the number OF
wild animals or decreased the extent OF
the forests. and miles interviewed he
tween ncichburs. In the winter the
cattle were fed chiefly on what was
termed browse" that i the tender
twigs of trees felled for that object.
But in summer the cows rOamCd at Will
for pasturage anywhere through the
woods. and at shutdown were driven
home and shut over night in a yard sur
rounded by high log fence IL was
the bows business IL get the cows as
night drew near. and often II was a
long. perpleNing search. Every herd
large or small had a bell COW, and
the tiuzle. tinisle Of the bell was the
first th.ug 20 i've found when boy went
after the cows II Is queer expert
ence. searching with ones ears for a
mere sound; that found and traced. the
cows were soon discovered Charley
Barnum usually got cut about an hour
before sunset. generally pursuing a
certain beat through the woods. mp and
down, round and round. where he had
learned that the drove were ras>t apt To
roam
One afternoon he started on this
search "a little later than common. going
first down the brook distance. then
across the black ash bottom then
over the beech ridge, names describ-
ing 70 him and the family a familiar
route: but no tones Of the bell were dis
covered tangled among o. trees Next,
he took around by the big wind fall'
and followed another brook hut still
without success. Then he turned south
ward, and for half a mile or more.
skirted the edge OF a large swamp
where occasionally the cows were
found but where Charley did not like
10 90. n II was reported 70 he a haunt
Of pauthers and bears. and once he had
seen "A couple of big. gray wildcats
crouct.ins on a moSSy tussOck Just
within the marsh. But this time he
did not see even a squirrel or cow
track. At length the sun had ceased 10
gid chc tree tops and it began 10 grow
duslsy in the woods Charley was
about two miles from his log-cse1in
home. and il was a foggy evening
Still he was an energetic lad and did
not relish failure; 50 he turned 10 the
nOrthward and pushed on, keeping ears
and ewes liked on his quest. until il be
came 80 dark that he could hardly see
his hand before his face. And vet no
sound or sign Of the cows did he dis
cover.
This state Of things compelled him 10
1--WE MP the search and II possible make
his way home. But here vas the puz-
zle IL ,!svlight he would have known
WHITTIER q 90. but II was another thing
IN the night tie knew he was some
where @ the southwest Of the imper-
feet road that led to his home; II. there
fore. he could 90 toward the northeast
he would strike that road after a time
and finally reach his home. But which
way was north. south. east or west2