The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1893-02-20
A NIGHT ATTACK.
An Adventure with Hungry Beasts
Ia the Rockies


ing party with my brother, has asked
me 70 put on record the experiences Of
that fearful night I undertake. the
task with reluctance. because In the
first place there Is little or no instruc-
ton or moral weight in such work,
and In the second place recall that in
cident only with a feeling Of horror
and an unpleasant beating Of the
heart However, BY noting one or two
peculiar phenomena Of nature thing
or two may be set down worth rcmem-
bertng, and BY Fastening over the
horrible part much Of the latter may Be
avoided
The winter of 1862, IN which Idaho
and Montana were born, was the most
terrible that has ever been experienced
west Of the Rocky mountains for forty
years There has been but one winter
that az all approached Il in length and
breadth and awful battling Of the ele-
ments That was the winter Of 1851,
when the indians, made desperate by
hunger, rose up one night In Pitt river
valley. butchered all the white people
and then helped themselves TO the cat
tie.
But the winter OF G2l II simply tore
down mountains To this day as you
sail up the Oregon coast you see great
gray and white blotches On the face Of
the black mountains fronting the ocean,
where the forest was melted loose and
was sent plungfng BY sections down
into the sea.
rfsNa.- .,.ll 4bnr, III, h,,ffalr ,rS1.-.s
why. don't know. ! never saw this
gaunt and hungry black phantom in
the buffalo lands think he belongs
entirely to the snow and only crosses
the Canada line when driven down by
such terrible winters as tho ono re-
ferred To- Ny notion Is TINT the fa-
NOUS buffalo wolf was or is but little
better than the coyote; better bred, be-
cause better fed. perhaps stronger In
limb and lung, but at best only dog
Of wolf Anyhow. II Is an insult to
the whole wolf family to call coyote
n wolf He is only an Indian dog He
Is no more wolf than is prairie dog
canine.
But there is gray wolf with rs that
even the foster mother Of Romulus and
Remus would not have been ashamed
70 acknowledge as Of kin. He is born
and bred Of the woods, Yes, know
you may find him ip the midst Of the
plain, miles, hundreds Of miles, away
from his habitat He will calmly sit
By and let the Indian dog, the coyote,
chase down deer. elk or buffalo, and
then step in and preside, master of the
feast
The snow had blocked the wheels 81
the world The civil war was booming
and raging along the whole line Of the
eastern states, and the boys in the
mines, showed In, frozen M, they
wanted TO know; they must know,
don't you see had spent winters In
the SHOWS Of Mount Shasta. Yes, /
could and would walk from Walle
Walla to Miilersville In idaho, with a
load OF letters and papers ON my back
tor the snow bound boys Over two
hundred miles! Ike Mossfnan, my
partner, now in Oakland, walked with
me the first one hundred miles, to
Lewiston, and could go no further. A
lot OF men were waiting there 70 go
with the express, as usual They
dropped behind, IN fragments, and
when night fell and still kept on, the
last two Of the LOT touched match toa
resinous bark. Of tamarack that stood
BY the cleaning, glittering trail Of
snow on the mountain side, and shook
their hats and shouted in manly admir-,
!. alton, though they could so not foot
farther
You see. had to cross Camas prairie
that night eighteen miles, while the
slow's crust was like steel An hour
OF sun on this vast and cleaning sea q
traekless snow-it IS great wheat
field DOW and you would sink ii the
snow to your knees
made it without 4 nnishap or strur.
gle Of any sort; came Up 10 the noun
tain station at3the base 81 Mount Idaho
with the morning star and awalsened
tue men buried down there iii tine lit.
tie cabin ten feet under the snow viii
the Medoc warwhoop.
Only twenty miles more and i woult
be with the boys Ia the miacs. The.
had been good to me, and thanlsee
God that ! had strength and skill X
serve them no%a What welcome
should receive, W was more than gole
to them, as they Offer used is say
They had only gold for Elc. bnt fol
they ] had the world letters: love
The fellows at the station took ths
greatest care. No, should eat moth
ing at all al FIRST; oaly coffee. then |
crust then beef broth and onions
meat At last; and d the great roaring
fire fell asleep as ate. and aid Indian
with open palms rubbed my swoller
feet and legs
Hours and hours and hours az sleep
and then, half awake. lying full length
with feet 70 the fire on the bearskins
Half awaken a9e, more than wide
awake, and the sun, settiel his acconni
with the world and went Bis way. i
too, must he o3f NH b,y leather baa
of1etters, fitted me like 4Ihnae Jacket
good armor against cold, h-Iiets. WIND
wolves2
mad SIX shooter Il nj Jeff hand
and small derringer nestied down II
each flank had encountered notbina
at all the night before 4o alarm me
True. band Of coyotes Blocked ths
trail at the edge 81 the woods. eatinf
some carcass in-the snew: tut has
gone aroundl and saved time ak
trouble was ready u ,do tie sans
now. fer the old hunter who left th.
station told rae more thar. once ina
thy hard weather had aNed Tie wood
WITH an unusual numbAr III strang.
beasts All wanted XVIII to re
through, deliver my letters and receix,