The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1901-07-10
I BILL CROSS AND ,
HIS PET BEAR. !
BY JOAQUIN MILLER.


When my father settled down Mt the
foot of the Oregon serras with his lit
tie fnmily long, long years ago, 1t was
10 miles from our place TO the nearest
civilized settlement.
People were very scarce In those
days and bears We're very plenty. We
also had wolves wildcats. wild cattle.
Wild hogs and n good many long tailed
aud big headed yellow California lions.
The wild 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 Ind gradually helped them out
In these weapons of defense. They
had grown to be slim and trim of body
and We're ms supple and swift as deer.
They We're the deadly enemies of all
Wild beasts, because all Wild beasts
devourcd their young.
When fat and saucy, in warm sum-
mer weather, these cattle would hover
nlong the foothills In bands, hiding
IN the hollows, and would begin to
below whenever they saw bear or
wolf or even man or boy, II on foot,
crossing the wide valley of grass and
blue camas blossoms. Then there
would he music! They would start up,
with head and tails In the air, and
broadening out left and right they
would draw II long, bent line, complete
ly shutting off their victim from all
approach to the foothills.
If the unfortunate victim were II
man 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 chase. But II 1t were
n wolf or any other Wild beast that
could not get UP n tree the case was
different Far away on the other side
of the valley. where dense woods lined
the hanks of the winding willamette
river, the wild, believing herd would
he answered. out from the edge of the
Wu"ds would stream right and left two
long, corresponding, surging lines, bel
tnGn their heads 10 G2f6- RfdUir0,. 'rfeir'I
tails always IN the air and their eyes
nhame, as If they would set fire TO the
long gray grass. With the precision
ana discipline of well ordered army
they would close In upon the Wild
beast. too terrified now to either fight
or fly, and, lcaplng upon him one after
another with their long hoofs, he would
in little time be crushed into an I'M
recognizable mass. Not Il bone would
be left unbrokcn. 1t Is n 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-
ceNlng the enemy on their horns, much |
ms the Old Guard received the enemy |
In the last terrible struggle at Water |
loo.
Bill Cross was II "tenderfoot" Mt the |
time Of which | write. and sailor Mt |
that Now, the old pilgrims who had |
dared the plains In those days of 40, !
when towards did not venture and the |
weak died on the way, had not the !
greatest respect for the courage or en-
durance of those who had reached Ore |
gon by ship. But here was this man. n |
sailor by trade. settling down In the |
interior of Oregon and, strangely |
enough, pretending to know more about |
In general and bears in par |
ticular than either my father or any of |
his boys.
lie had taken up piece of land
down 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 natured and self compla-
cent old sailor liked to watch the way
Ing grass 1t reminded him of the sen,
l reckon. He would sometimes sit on
our little porch MS the sun went down
and tell us boys strange, wild sea sto-
ries, He had Travelled far and seen
much, rs much rs any man can see ON |
water, and maybe was not very big |
liar, for sailor, after all. The only |
thing about him that we did not like
outside of his chronic idleness was his |
exalted opinion of himself and his UNI |
concealed contempt for everybody's
opinion but his own.
"Bin,' said my father one day, those
black Spanish cattle viii get after that
red sash aud sailor Jacket of yours
some day when you go down in the val.
ley to your claim, and they won't leave
A grease spot. Better go horseback or
at least take a gun when you go down
next time"
"Pshaw, Squire. wish had as
many dollars rs | amt afeard of all the
black Spanish cattle In Oregon Why, |
If they're SO blasted dangerous how did |
your missionaries ever manage TO drive |
them up here from Mexico, anyhow"
still, fer NIL that the very next time
that he saw the old sailor setting out
1t his snail pace for his ranch below,
slow and indoleut as II on the deck of /
a ship. my father insisted that he
should 80 on horseback or AT least take
1 gun.
Pooh, pooh! wouldn't be bothered
With horse or gun. Say, I'm goin to
,ring your boys a pet bear some day"
And so, cooking his little hat down
,ver his right eye and thrusting his big
lands into his deep pockets almost to
he elbows, he slowly and lazily whls-
led himself down the gradual slope of
he foothills. waist deep in the waving
.rass and delicious wild flowers, and
Don was lost TO sight in the great way
ne sea
Two things may be here written
Iown lie wouldn't ride n horse, be-
ause he couldn't. and for the same
eason he wouldn't use gun. Again,
IT il be written down also that the rea-
on he was going away that warm au-
umn afternoon was that there was