Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1898-12-09

lty men we naQ
old Joe Bruette a French-Canadian ex
voyageur, and his grown son, Peter,
both thoroughly efficient, pleasant fell
lows, and so warmly attached to each
other that nothing less than ineXorable
necessity could keep them apart for
twenty-four hours; nor would either of
them ever engage with a party of tour
lists or sportsmen unless the other could
go along, even If both had to work for
one mans pay.
After spending a day or two at Hot
Sulphur Springs, we moved our camp
down to Williams River, almost under
the shadow of Williams River Noun
tains, where fish and game were at that
time plentiful.
The trout however, did not take kind
ly to our artificial flies, so, early one
morning, while his son was doing the
camp chores, Joe, taking a couple of
empty pickle bottles along, went out
toward the foothills to gather grasshop-
pers for bait.
He had no more than half a mile to
go, and as the night-chilled insects
would be easily caught we expected
him to return within an hour. But he
did not come, nor had he done so when
Peter, already, as we thought, absurdly
anxious announced breakfast.
About forty-five minutes after Joe
left we had heard several rifle or pistol
shots echoing among the foothills, but
such sounds were so common that at
the moment we paid no attention to
them. While we were at breakfast one
of us, calling these reports to mind,
carelessly asked Peter If his father had
taken his revolver along.
"Why, yes for sure; he never goes
anywhere without that" replied the
young man, "but I'm afraid he's got In
to some trouble this time, or he'd been
back long ago. Maybe, though, he's
wounded an elk and has followed 1t in
to the mountains"
After waiting another half hour in
the vain hope Of his fathers return,
Peter became 50 distressed that, at his
earnest request DR.. Lewis, Fred Reid
and l agreed to accompany him on a
search for the missing man.
Arming ourselves with rifles and re-
polvers, we set out at once and, on
coming to a particularly green stretch
of grass at the base of the foothills,
found the two pickle bottles both duly
corked and full Of grasshoppers, but no
sign whatever Of Joe.
Then we three began to circle around,
looking, but quite uselessly, over the
matted grass for footprints, while Peter
struck out for grove of young cotton
woods, bounding one side of the mead
ow. He had not been gone five min
utes when from out the thickest depths
rang Mortified shrek, followed by
frenzied cry Of;
"Here, men, here! Hurry! Oh, for
Heavens sake, hurryw
Dashing like madmen across the lit
tie plain, we reached the distressed
youth In few moments, and then saw
a fearful sight, indeed. In the midst
of patch of trampled. blood-stained
bushes lay the seemingly lifeless form
Of poor Joe. The scalp was stripped
from the front part Of his head and
hung down over his eyes. His left
shoulder was frightfully lacerated, and
the arm on that side badly mangled.
and broken In two places; the clothing
was torn from the upper part of his
body, and on his naked breast gaped
four ragged furrows, evidently plough
ed by single stroke from the claws of
some giant wild beast. Whatever the
enemy, 1t was obvious that the old
hunter had made n desperate fight. for
oil the chambers Of his revolver were
empty, and his knife encrusted with
gore, while the underbrush around was
beaten fiat and the ground trodden in
to blood-moistened dust.
Peter, dry-eyed, but piteously moan
ing, was lying by the senseless body,
tenderly clasping 1t In his arms, and on
seeing us, exclaimed: "My poor father
has been killed by a grizzly bear; and,
90 help me Heaven; I'll never taste food
till I've destroyed the brute. Life Is
no use to me now."
"Why, Pete, my boy" said DR.. Lew
Is, who had knelt by the old mans side
and was holding pocket flask of bran
dy to his lips, "your father Is not dead.
He'll regain consciousness directly.
Meantime, you run to the camp for my
instrument case and tell our friends
there to hurry along with the spring
wagon, few blankets and such other