Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1896-03-06

became unbearable. Four of the pros
pectors decided, come what might, to
start up the valleys, leaving one OF
their numbers TO guard tho provisions
in the cabin. They set out at dawn one
morning and returned in the evening
with many quarts specimens incrusted
with visible gold. Elated with success,
they started out again the next day,
| but never came back. That was the
last ever seen or heard of them.
For two and a half months the soli-
tary prospector was, in the main, i'm
prisoned in his hut by his four-footed
foes, and the terrible experience, to-
gether with the mystery surrounding
the fate of his comrades, told on his
mind to SUCH an extent that when
found and rescued his reason had al
most deserted him.
But there is still later intelligence
of another fatal trip. About the mid
die of February this year small
schooner sailed from San Francisco,
carrying. besides her crew, band of
eight men. They had with them the
necessary provisions for several
months, a plentiful supply of arms and
ammunition, and all the needful para.
phernalia for gold hunting; and more,
the necessary timber for the erection
of strong hut. Thus equipped, they
looked forward with impotence until,
at length, one bright morning they
sighted the island, and later went
ashore. The vessel, having deposited
her living and other freight, set sail
and departed, the Captain promising
to call upon them on his return.
No time was lost. The men at once
went about their respective duties,
and before shutdown a strong cabin
stood In the shelter of massive,
rugged rock. Casks were then filled
to overlooking and large fire erected
hard by the door OF the hut. BY
nightfall oil was in readiness, and the
hunters, sitting down to the evening
meal, awaited the coming of the
enemy.
They were greeted sooner than they
anticipated. For very soon the hill
side and the lower slope appeared to
be alive with numbers of strange,
ghostly things. At present the flame
of the fire was holding them at bay;
but it could not do so much longer.
owing to tho scarcity of fuel. Tho
hunters, realizing this unfortunate
circumstance, took up their rifles and
banged at every object in the shape of
polar bear. But it could not last.
The fire went out, and the enemy,
quick to note this fact, shuflled down
the hillside and forced the prospectors
TO retreat to the shelter of the cabin.
Throughout the night the suspense
to the inmates was horrible. The
monsters were shifting and scratching
on allsides of the structure. At other
times cr'osb on tho roof, threatening
to stave it in, wou1d tv1. chem of the
arrival of additional forces, ana at
other periods the grooming of the walls
suggested that with little more rough
handling they would topple down.
Thus, excepting to sally ont and fire
shots in the broad daylight, they were
kept imprisoned for five or six DAYS.
AT length they Awoke one morning
to find the enemy gone. Leaving one
man at the hut to act in the capacity
of cook, the whole band set out up the
small valleys to explore. On rounding
bend In the rivers course, all intent
in their quest of the yellow" they
were suddenly attacked by number
OF the ferocious bears. They seemed
to spring up from the bowels of the
earth on all sides, and, before they
could be either killed or dispersed.
bore two of the prospectors to the turf
in death.
II
Returning to camp with their lifeless
burdens, the hunters were further dis.
mayed. The cook was missing. and u
bear shufiled about the interior of the
hut. 1t is needless to state that they
filled his carcass full Of holes. 4
search was at once made, but with no
happy result. Nothing was ever seen
of their comrade again.
After this, as the days rolled bv in
peace, the men gradually relaxed their
vigilance and set about prospecting in
a moro businesslike way. One morn
ing they went out in two parties. Two
OF the band started In one direction
and the remaining three IN another.
They hoped thus to economic time.
their object being to find some suita-
BILE spot where later all might work
together. Vain hope. They were
never TO meet again. Toward sun
down the larger company returned to
camp. tired, but happy in the knowl-
edge in having found an alluvial patch.
But as the hours wore on and their
comrades came not thew became
anxious and went in quest of them.
Daylight the next morning found them
still out searching the valleys; night
came on the scene and still thew
hunted. But nothing of the missing
men was ever found.
The island seemed full of mysterv-~
nothing less than a veritabie death
trap. A gloom only too terrible crept
over the hunters, and they desired to
go back TO civilization as soon as some
vessel should come within Mailing dis.
lance and speed them over the waters.
The chance was soon afforded them.
A few days later the schooner that
brought them hither arrived in the
anchorage, and at once sent a boat
ashore. The hunters, with their out
ft, were taken on board, and the YES
I