The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1897-12-11


the rough shed Of the old blacksmith
shop which. like a big bat clings to
the mountain side just where the great
North Y0ba makes a sharp bend and
Toars down the canyon towards CHM
minis point. Before him, at his feet,
there are q few yards of almost level
ground-a sort Of platform, in fact
ding out Of the steep mountain side, on
which stands the shop. From the outer
edge Of this platform it is a sheer drop
Of 3 hundred feet to the bed of the
river below, and above il the mountain
rises e steeply and woodedly that
one cannot see its top From one side
the platform a narrow, twisting
trail leads down to the river; and from
the other side a rutty wagon road winds
MP at a very steep grade and disappears
from view among the gray nut pines
and the green poison-oak bushes that
cover the hills. 1t was down this mar
row road that Clark and his outfit came.
Two wagons and four horses, to say
nothing Of a dog and a rou~gh-looking
boy, comprise Clark's ''outfit,' and
Clark is a peddler who runs fruit and
vegetable wagons between Marysville
and Browns valley.
"A mile or so down the river, at CHM
MINIS point, there are Indians at work
ia the gravel, and once a week Clark
ome down here to sell them fruit.
On the little platform in front of the
old shop he camps, and the Indians,
in parties of two, three, and half
dozens. come up the twisting trail
from the river and dicker with him for
an sorts of fruit. They are not stingy,
these Indians-what to them are the
little particles Of bright stuff they
wash from the river bed, when they
are hungry for watermelons and such
things, and Clark shows them how
much he win give them in exchanged
And Clark weighs the dust in the little
scales that never lie" and they go
back to their rude windbreak, or
rough shanty, minus their weeks ear
nirgs, but enriched by boxes of plums
and other fruits.
Once ia awhile Clark camps over
night at This old shop. and whenever he
does an the Indians near there, some
two or three dozen. come up and camp
him. Wild times they have then;
%iaF always brings a big jug OF
e%e WHISKY Rhen he comes, and some
lne 4naiana get hold Of it, Clark
has not told me this-Clarlx
Hfe
EAcet Diet from b peaceabl|
citizen to the Terror Of the Hills" 81
brought TO The Ynba in bottles ans
dratn FROM q barrel which reposes be
hind The bar 81 saloon ia French Cor
rl five Of sig miles away But how
ever this may be, whisky the Indians
set; and the more whisky they get, tn,
trade Clark enjoys. Guileles'
Ciafls
Clark has made his sales, and hi
wagon is almost empty. The boy ans
the dog and one team have gone up tn.
valley, and Clark is only waiting t,
smoke a hit before he also pulls out
And 80, while he rests. lying on tn,
soft, smooth pine needles that hav,
sifted in under the shed, his pipe il
his mouth and his long legs out
stretched, he is telling a story to a MAJ
who is ~deyouring some big blue plumi
ms though he had been tramping owe
the hills for two long hours. And thi
IS the story he tells:
There's somethin' goin' on dow1
here among the Iniuns. 1 don't know
exactly what it is, but l think it's some
thin concernin' old Potts. Who
Potts? Well, I'll tell you who Pott
is- Potts is a squaw-man; but tina
amt all, Potts is crazy. But before h
became a lunatic-who was he? Well
Re was Potts, that's all-Levi Potts, o
Ohio. He came out to California in tn,
early days and he went into mining
He didn't pan out much at it-didn'
get into the savvcy Of it, I guess; any
way, he didn't get rich, and so he wen
To work for people up here in the hills
You know Charley Coles ranch d
Bridgeport? Well, you've noticed then
stone walls, one on each side o. the roat
there BY the house? Potts built them
He put all them big rocks in place witt
his hands, one on top the other, til
be had a fence made that / reckon viii
last a good while longer'n he will. /
was no picnic to build them walls
either, for them rocks was pretty hefty
II tell you. But Potts was strength
strongest mar at liftin' that ever cam
into the hills, Did you ever see him
NOT Well, he's a ~six-footer, broad
~ahouIdered, straight, and with arm
long and jist big punches of muscle.
He not as strong now as he was once
but in spite of the life he's led and tn
years he's passed, he's strong enougl
to handle two or three ordinary men.
eWelE, after Potts was in the hill
here for awhile he got to teamin' on tn
road. It was while he was teamin' tina
he began to git looney. The long, heav,
grades. the hot summer, the sweat ant
the dust, seemed to break him down
don't much wonder at IT, for it aim
very pleasant work-teamin' amt. Go
in up them steep grades with tw,
wagons loaded with all they'll, carry
and - or "a horses and mules to han
dlZand sometimes balkin'-it ain.
cheerful work. In the first place, tn,
road Amt straighf--it's as full of crook
and turns IS the Yuba there waviD,
his pipe. "0f course you drive with
srinne-though the team general,
Mtrrre AZ much nhouf hrinpfn, then