The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-09-06
FACED A PANTHER.
Exciting Experience of 0. r.
Gaskill in Oregon.
Roseburg, ore, Aug. Is, 1aOO.

Roseburg, Ore, Aug. 20, 1900.
DEAR OLD HERALD:-I have just
returned from an 8 days. camp up on
the mountains, 80 miles from Rose
burg. We had a long, rough ride of
it. The roads are SO rough that the
names jolted off the collars and we
had to rough lock both hind wheels
of our wagon. You don't know what
rough roads are in Iowa. Over logs,
roots and rocks, along sides of steep
mountains, high above swift rum
ming rivers hundreds of feet below
us, which make MS shiver when we
look down, finally arriving in camp
at 8 p. m. We camped ON East Ump-
qua river. After putting up tents,
we started to get supper, when, 10
and behold, we had forgotten to
bring our camping dishes, pots and
tinware. Then you could have seen
some forlorn looking men-not even
a tin cup in camp. We hustled
around and found the only family up
there and they loaned us an old cof-
fee pot, a tin bucket and a frying
pan. The man of the house came up
to camp and eat supper with us; he
was a Mormon, a Mason and a Grand
Army man. He enlisted as a private
in Michigan and rose to the rank of
captain. He invited me home with
him, where he divided his dishes,
knives, forks, plates and tin cups
with us, so we YER pretty well
fixed.
There are deer here, but SO shy
we failed to get one. The fishermen
came to camp with plenty of fine
mountain trout, the finest fish that
swims. Some days they would catch
100 of these fine fish. There is some
elegant scenery along the river and
at the falls here.
One day two of our men coming to
camp came face to face with four
panthers in the thick timber, not
more than 10 steps apart. One man
had a fishing rod and the other n
a small rifle. He shot n panther.
1t fell, then rose again, and he shot
him again and, supposing no had
killed him, he shot at n of the
others. He then ran away and the
wounded n crawled off into the
brush and got away. Three of us
went back to find them but it soon
got so dark we could not see and we
returned to camp. Two of us lost
the trail, when suddenly three of the
panthers came screaming after US.
Stopped and started a fire as we
knew they would not pass that, and
by the light we found the trail again.
1t was SO dark we had to feel the
path with our feet. If my friend had
not led me I would never have gotten
out of there, but we finally arrived
safely at camp three miles away.
You can't imagine what it is. trying to
follow a small trail when it is so
dark you cannot see a foot ahead of
you. l saw two deer but killed none.
Two of our men took their blan-
kets and food and went to the top of
one of the mountains to stay all
night 81 as to be sure of getting a
deer. They were Z hours getting to
the top, and then it rained all night
and was so foggy in the morning
they could not see to hunt. There
were plenty of deer and bear there,
but the brush was so thick they could
not get sight of the game. Talk
about tleas! There are more feas
here at the foot of the mountains
than Mahaska county could ever use.
In coming down the mountains the
roads were SO rough that one of the
nuts came off the axletree four times
and let the wagon fall to the ground.
We were out eight days and got
nothing but fish and fieas Hope to
do better next time. l have increas-
ed in weight from 165 to 1873 pounds
on the fine fruit. We have had no
hot weather here. The last l exper-
fenced was in Oskaloosa July 16. 1
leave here Sept. 1st for Dayton,
Washington. Good by.
o. r. GAsKILL.