Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1901-10-25
|, BILL CROSS AND
! HIS PET BEAR.
BY JOAQUIN MILLER.

When my father settled down at the
FOOT OF the Oregon sierras with his lit.
tie family long. long years ago, It was
10 miles from our place to the nearest
civilized settlement.
Heople were very scarce In those
Gays and bears were very plenty. We
also had wolves, wildcats, wild cattle.
Wild hogs and good many long tailed
and big headed yellow California lions.
.Tberwild cattle, brought there from
Spanish Mexico, next to the bear were
most to be feared. They had long.
sharp horns and keen, sharp hoofs. Ma
ture had gradually helped them out
In these weapons OF defense. They
had grown.to be slim and trim of body
and were us supple and swift as deer.
They were the deadly enemies of all
wild beasts, because all wild beasts
devoured their young.
When fat and saucy. IN warm sum-
MGR weather. these cattle would hover
along the. foothills In bands, hiding
In the hollows, and would begin TO
below whenever they saw a bear or
wolt or even man or boy, II on foot,
crossing the wide valley OF grass and
blue ean1aS blossoms. Then there
would be musicl They would start up.
With head and tails in the~a air. and
broadening out left and right they
would draw a long, bent line. complete
ly shutting of their victim from all
approach TO the foothills.
III the unfortunate victim were a
NAH or boy on foot, he generally made
escape up one: OF the small ash trees
that dotted the valley in groves here
and there. and the cattle would then
soon give. UP the chases- But II II were
a. wolf or any other wild beast that
could not get up tree the case WAS
dluerent. Far away on the other side
or the valley. where dense woods lined
the banks Of the winding Willamette
river, the wild, believing herd would
De answered Out from the edge OF the
WOODS would stream right and left two
long corresponding. 7surging lines, bel.
lowing and plunging forward now and
then, their heads to the ground their
tails always IN the air and their ewes
ahame, as If they would set fire to the
long gray grass. With the precision
and discipline of a well ordered army
they would close In upon the wild
Oeast, too terrified now to either fight
Or ny, and, leaping upon him one after
another with their long hoofs, he would
IN little time be crushed sinto an IN.
recognizable mass. Not a bone would
DE Ieft unbroken. 1t Is mistake to
suppose that they ever use their long.
sharp horns in attack These were
used only In defense, the same as elk
or deer; falling on the knees and re-
celVing the enemy on their horns, much
as the Old Guard received the enemy
In the last terrible struggle at Water
loo.
blil cross was a ''tenderfoot" at the
time of which write; and n sailor at
that. Now, the OLD pilgrims who had
dared the plains In those DAYS of 40
"hen towards did not venture and tie
weak died on the way, had not the
greatest respect for the courage or ep-
uurance OF those who had reached Ore
gon by ship. But here was this man. a
sailor by trade, settling down in the
interior OF Oregon and, strangely
enough. pretending to know more about
everything in general and bears in par
tlcular than either my father or,any of
his boys.
lie had taken up a piece Of land
oown in the pretty Camas valley.
where the grass grew long and strong
and waved in the wind. mobile and
beautiful as the mobile sea:
The, good natufed and self compla.
cent old sailor liked to watch the wav-
ing grass. 1t reminded him Of the sea.
reckon. He woald sometimes sit on
our little porch as the sun went down
ana tell us boys strange. wild sea sto-
Tles. lie had Travelled far and seen
mueh, as much as any man can see on
water, and maybe was not very big
uar, Tor a. sailor, after all. The only
lhlng about him that we did not like
outside OF his chronic idleness was his
exalted opinion Of himself and hts, nm,
concealed contempt for everybody's
opinion but hIs'own.
=; BILL" said my father one day: ssthoss
Diack Spanish cattle will get after tina;
req sash and SALON jacket OF yours
some day when you 60 down In the val.
icy 10 your claim, and they won't leave
a grease spot Better go horseback OF
ut ieast take gun when you 90 down
next time" 81
hsnnwl;r Squire. wish bad as
many dollars as amt afeard OF all the
Dieek Spanish cattle In Oregon. Why,
IL lhey're so blasted dangerous, how did
your missionaries ever manage to dive
them uD here from Maxtro onvbcxzr 81 4