The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1893-10-28
FALLING UP A TREE.

Drought me to the shores of Puget
sound. After q few weeks work all
my arrangements had been made, moth
ing remained but to wait four or five
months till a rise in the price of land
at Gray's Harbor should increase the
business of the syndicate I represented,
and complete the chain Of circum-
stances upon which the success Of the
venture must depend.
During this time of idle waiting I'fell
in with several old friends from the
East, who also had not much to do,
and were tired Of the few amusements
the little towns had to otter. With
them 1 set out On what Is called by the
lumbermen a timber cruise" or ex-
ploring expedition into the woods, usu-
ally made with a view to selecting
claims.
We soon found that the art Of timber
cruising, which combines woodcraft
with some knowledge of surveying, was
too arduous for. u enjoyment, and
somewhat beyond Jul abilities as
woodsmen. Moreover, we learned that
nearly all the good timber claims We're
taken up already. So we devoted the
rest of the time to hunting, and fishing
the trout streams that brawl down
from the Olympics.
We occupied a cabin in q little clear
ing, round which lowered huge trees OF
the northwestern w~oods,-ir, balsam
and c~edar,-each tree round, straight,
and for a hundred and fifty feet devoid
of branches. Occasional openings
among the tops let in glimpses of the
sky, and gave the forest. aisles a sub
dued and gentle light, reflected perhaps
from the calm waters of a tiny lake.
We found good sport, though for
some time the really big game" eluded
all our hunting. Shut of as we were
from the world, in a place where we
saw only our W company and heard
only familiar voices, the drowsy roar OF
the river, the occasional cry Of some
wild creature and the wind far about
us in the swaying tops, life seemed a
dream. The heavy odors Of the cedar
invited us to rest, so we easily forgot
business, care and the flight of time.
One evening the nearest settler came
to our open door, bearing a telegram
for me which had been forwarded by
stage from Shelton to Union City, and
there had reposed in the postofice for
several days. The telegram bore this
startling message:
Boom at Gray's Harbor. Lose no
time in returning"
This meant that the price Of land al
that place was rising fast, and that q
short delay in going there and finishing
my deal might occasion serious loss
To tho Svn6icato and mvSolf
The message had already been de-
layed some days. 1t would take more
than a week to reach Gray's Harbor by
any travelling facilities then available.
No M there understood my business
fully, or could act for me without a
power of attorney.
I stated the case to my friends, and
| we considered 1t in every phase. At
last the settler said, III you want to
get to Gray's quick, I can show you a
way. I know a pass over the noun
tains that will get III there, If We hus-
tie, in five days."
I was glad to avail myself of the set
tiers offer. The time gained by the
| short cut would make up for that lost
by the delay of the message, and I
| might still be in time.
So early the next morning u guide,
my three friends and l, with packs en-
| our backs and rifles in hand, were
climbing the foot hills.
1--WE got to go by the elk trail,' said
the settler. There amt no other way,
| and it's hard travelin' because the elkN
can jump where we have to climb"
Elk came down every winter from
the mountains to the lowland by regu-
lar runs which, from centuries OF use,
/ have been worn into what would be
excellent bride paths IL hcIses were as
sure-footed as elk. The trail served us
well the fist day.
But in the afternoon Of the second
| day the elk seemed to have Jumped in
/ good earnest. The trail ended without
apparent cause, and we could find no
| continuance of it. Evidently the crea-
lures had been In the habit at this point
of scattering and browsing in the woods
and meeting farther on.
I'VE must find our way along this
SHELF" said our guide. THE trail will
likely begin again on the other side
of the ridge"
The "shelf' in question was a broad
strip of level which lay just below
lowered snow-topped crags, perfectly
inaccessible. Below, a dangerous de-
scent fell steeply away toward the
canon of the river that separated the
main divide from a range Of foot
hills.
Along this 81 elf we tough III way
for some time through thick and tan
gled brush, and over and under the
| hugo trunks of fallen trees. BY that
| time the SHELF had narrowed very
much, and was little more than a con
| siderably blockaded path winding along
the side of an immense precipice.
As we turned a bend we came upon
a little open space, where q black bear
sat munching berries. Our guide was
| the first to fire. The bear, with an
angry grunt, rushed away along the
mountain-side, leaving a trail Of blood,
and followed by a futile and scattering
fire from the rest of the party.
We followed the animals track, which
kept along the shelf q little way, then
crossed the divide by a gap in the
rocks, and went into the deep woods
on the other side. Having less inter-
est in the chase than in making prog
ress toward Gray's Harbor, I fell some
What behind the rest Of the larty, who
followed the bear regardless Of the
way, the time, or the reason of our
journey.
The evening darkened, and the trail
glew fainter in the twilight. I called
to my friends, but they were on the
other side of the divide by this time,
and lower down than I. They could not
hear me, though there was a t,1mult of
echoes. Every rock and every peak
seemed to have a voice to mock me
with. -
I followed in the thickening dusk by
such signs as I could find, now a broken
bush, now q track in the wood-mold,