Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1898-06-09


knowled9e OF woodaraft, but also
his wonderful skill with rifle and re.
yolyer. I had thought myseit an ex.
pert in the use of these weapons, but
soon found that, compared with Oar.
son, was a tyro. AT this tinis he
had among his retainers a green
young Irishman, Barney O'Brien
As we killed good deal of heavy
game and supplied many Taos fami.
liss with fresh meat, we generally
took Barney and one or two pack
mules with us OH our more distant
hunts, much to his qualification and
our own entertainment, for the fel.
low was chuck full of fun, though in
the way of shooting he could hardly
have hit a barn ut ten yards. 49,
One night valuable thoroughbred
colt, kept in a small pasture near
Carson's house, was killed, but not
devourcd, the killers probably hav.
ing been scared away by the barking
of the kennel dogs. On investiga.
ton early next morning, Carson
declared that the deed had been done
by pair of mountain lions or cou.
gara, which were kmcwm tc hawH.
the distant foothills. So, without
saying word to any of the neigh.
bors, he and /, followed by Barney
and old Jack, an uncommonly wise
mule, set off on horseback directly
after breakfast to find the brutes
Although on the short grass of the
plain and among the rocks and bould.
ors | could SEQ no signs of q trail, the
old trapper followed it with such
ease and certainty that O'Brien was
moved to oxclaim: "Bedad, thin, the
masters got the eye av hawk an
the nose av fox. Shuro it's him.
self can shmell out q thrack whin
there's nivcr wan at all, at all !"
After penetrating some distance
into the foothills, Carson declared
that the lions must be concealed in 9
great gorge, lying Immediately in
front of us, and so denscly overgrown
with scrubwood that its exploration
on horseback was impossible. We
dismountcd and prepared to proceed
CT foot.
"Now, Barney" said Carson, "sticl,
close to the cattle until We come
back, and don't get scared ont OF
your wits if you happen to see q lion
or two. They're nothing but big
cats, and hardly ever attack man
in daylight"
"Arrah, be aisy, sor; it's ralc
OBricn Oi am, wan av the ould
stock, an no mortal basthc can
troight me, let alone such thrifles as
cats. Faix, Oi'd blow dozen ave
thin Until smithcrecns if they KEN
forninst me gun"
"Wcl!, watch the mule. He'll
give you warning of danger" eau
toned Carson; and we plunged into
the thicket, which was intcrlined by
so many narrow, well-trodden paths
that it seemed utterly impossible to
select any one as that followed by
the cougars. Carson, however, was
not led moment astray. lie at
once fixed upon an almost blind, sinu-
Gus trail which led close along the
side wall of the canyon, though to
me its slightly dusty surface seemed
merely a blurred thread of hope
lessly M vcd tracks of many different
kinds of animals.
On some parts of this path VIC
could walk upright, but on other
parts the overarching bushes obliged
us, through the necessity of making
no rustling, to creep forward on
hands and knees, thus not only rem
dcrlng our progress very slow, but
placing us in a rather awkward posi-
ton for defense in case wild beast
should take q notion to attack us.
But this consideration did not trou.
bic us, as we mad seen no signs of
grizzly bears, and knew that no other
wild creature thercabout would vol
unfairly face two grown men.
For nearly an hour we toiled along
the dark, sweltcring, MINDLESS IA
vine without seeing living creature.
Then we came to a little side gully
which, at first sight, seemed 80 COM
Plctely blocked up by fragments of
fallen rocks that nothing larger than
a rat could harbor there. On COM
ing opposite to its mouth, however,
Carson suddenly sprang to his feet
and said:
Nookout, VIII! There's q grizzly
within fifty feet of us. I smell him
quite plainly"
There is q small omen anoco hero