Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-04-20


goes clare away to'ards dc head Of de
ravins whar dar amt anybody been.
You see, bout two mile up de raVine dar |
sat in de awfules' canyon in all dem |
parts. On bof sides dar wur mous'us
great cliffs. De cliff stan noas' straight
as de walls Of er brick house. Desc walls
amt only bout forty to fifty foot apart, !
an betwixt dem de watah Of de crick
dash an roar along like de tailrace of er
mill. So de men OBJ de Scotchman crick
dey all say wen dey came up dat fur,
"'Tain't no use lookin in dar fur gold.
All de gold been swept outen de trof OBJ
dat canyon same as VIII a broom"
Well, de miners OBJ Scotchman dey all
gives up an turns back wen dey strikes
dem big rocky walls. So on de sly
tackles dat big canyon. goes up froo
it mo- dan a mile. Lots OBJ places dar
KANT be foun path dat's ober foot
wide-not room to turn roun-den for
good piece dar tol'ble wide kline oh shelf.
At las / wucks my way clean above
all de rocks, an den comes to some nice
bars an flats ON de crick. l finds some
mons'm rich diggins. | say muffin to no.
body. De mex Sunday goes up dar VIII
hatchet to blaze out my claim an put
my location notice on her.
gifts up froo de canyon all right. !
sees no kline obvarmint 'cept lot er big
hoot owls. PLACES my claim on de
trees, cuts an drives big stakes, den puts
up de location notice. make all plain
an strong. kaise / wants no 'sputes about
her.
Dis job done all safe an sure, starts
home down de canyon. l creeps along
de little narrer shelves, sometimes fifty
an oder times hundred foot hove de
roarin watah, an dem walls may be still
mo- dan dat high 'bove my head. All
dat time l amt t'inkin oh no bar. /
sometimes looks cross to de oder wall
an sees de big hoot owls. Dey settin
a-winkin an blinkin in de aize OBJ de dark
holes an cabberns OBJ de wall.
Well, while wur a-wuckin my way
down the canyon-sometimes hangin on
to de bushes an rocks-I happens to look
way ahead. Oar, a-slouchin roun o
pint of de wall at er bend, sees er big
cinnamon bar. 1t wur ober tree hun
dred yard away an a-comin bout on
lebel wifi de shelf l am on. He don't
see me yit, and de mex mint he swing
roun de pint an go out OBJ sight. But /
know he is comin-comin a-slouchin
right along.
don't feel oberly contented. Once l
t'ink I'll turn an go back. Den | say,
obertake me. Mex look at the wall.
1t is straight up. Jis' by whar stan,
on little patch of sile, dar stan four or
five spruce trees, but all too big to Cline
hain't got no gun, no pistol-nuffin but
er jackknife an de hatchet in my belt.
don't want no close tightin in sich
place like dat. One lick of dat bars
paw will send&me down hundred foot
inter de roarin millrace.
i Outen de little bunch OBJ spruce trees
one has got blowed down. L lays right
cross de canyon. De top end rest on a
fiat ledge OBJ rock dat stick out OBJ de
oder wall like er shelf. Dat log makes
er bridge bout sixty foot long ober de
awful ,roarin canyon.
l looks at it an l say: "Dar is my
on'y chance. fze gotter stay hyar an fight
de bar, or Ize gotter tackle dat log an git
ober to de oder side oh de canyon. De
log goes!''
No sooner said dan done. mounts
de log. De log is not berry big, an de
watah way down below dash dis side an
dat side, an rush an splash an roar at
SIGH rate dat done lose my head right
away. Darfore in self defense | wur
bleeged ter straddle dat log an try fer
ter coon it ober | amt seen de bar
sence he roun de pint. an say, 'Brese
de Lord, Pll git ober fore he comes in
sightr'
wr1r bout de middle OBJ de log wen
say dis. Habinstill consid 'bul cur'os'ty
} bout de bar, l halts, turns roun an
looks. Fore de Lord, dar wur de bar
! ON de mex pint OBJ rocks, bout fifty foot
r below my log. He wur r'ared up on hif
! hind feet an a-starin straight at me vii
: de moas' sprized spression oh counte.
nance dat eber saw a bar divulge.
Feelin like dat one look gwine ter sat
erfy me pooty well till git ober to de
oder shore, resume de march an hump
myself tol'ble libely. Quick as l an
! ober on de shelf take anoder look, an
de bar is comm for de butt OBJ de log
, says: "Guess I'll jis' light outer hyar
} Dar's no sense in standin hyar to 'tice ds
, critter ober."
But de mint begin ter look bout my
r heart turn to dish watah. Den mex my
kneepans rattle togedder. am on {
little shelf OBJ rock bout seben foot wide
an ten foot long. At boff ends of dt
shelf dar comes de straight, smoovt
walls, an cberhead de same smoove rocl
stan forty foot high. Benin me is 1
sorter cabbern dat's all dark-a kline oil
den fur de hoot owls. "Oh, de hebenly
fader!" sez |, 81 am cotch in er trap!'
Den t'ink maybe de bar got no business
on my side. look, an de bar is at d,
butt end of de log wifi his nose in de ali
a-snuffin ober at me. Still don't Sc,
dat he's got any call to come ober to m.
side. l t'ink he is on'y amusin hisse'
wifi lookin at me an waitin to see wa
I'm gwine ter do mex.
Den de bar reaches up an puts hi
paws on de log an gives snort. Der
dar he stan. Oh, de Lord above, an
amt got no gun! Den he gives anode1
snort. Den he turn to, an he make d.
awfulest faces wifi his nose. i nebbe
afore or since see de like OBJ de bar. Der
he start in an bawl. Jis' stan dar al
bawl. "'Fore the Lord" sez |, sis d,
bar a-goin crazy?"
But don't AK dat question twice, fo
jis' den hears a-whimperin an a-whinii
. hahn fna I fllrns an laT in de dIlSlkN