The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-06-12

trails so steep that an unloaded horse had
to stop for breath every 20 steps, we both
fell sick with mountain fever. 1t is call
ed mountain fever because it is brought
on by drinking melted snow. The fever
is something like typhoid with a liberal
mixture of "break-bone" fever. The diff
ference is that in "break-bone" fever you
think your bones are broken. but in the
mountain fever you know they are brok-
en-. They could not be anything else;
they hurt so. We lay upon the sand bar
at Salmon River for six weeks. and would
probably have died there if a doctor had
not happened along with some medicine
in his saddle-bags. During the whole time
we were there we were too sick to cook
and lived mostly on raw or half-cooked
stuff.
When we got into the mountains about
the gold fields we could get plenty of
game, at that time. and got along better.
We were able, however, to Carry in our
wagon and on our horses enough prOvi-
sions for the trip; but if we could not
have done this we should have had n ter
rible time even with game plentiful. You
can imagine the sufferings of a poor pros
pector, trampng into that wilderness with
a few pounds of provisions slung on his
back and with no game to live on. With
in a week, say, or perhaps few days,
he would be destitute and would have to
beg. steal. or fight for something to eat.
He would he certain to find. also, many
other men just as destitute. and probably
more desperate than himself.
Another experience of mine may be of
interest. learned one day that the Cas-
well boys had struck it rich ut certain
point and | wanted more money ut once
to buy claims. ] got on a cayusc and
struck ont for civilization. For five days
and nights / beat through that wilder
ness absolutely alone. At night | lay
down. watching out all the time for wild
animals They say bears and cougars
and other pleasant things out there won't
attack a man when he is awake, so all
You have to do at night is to stay awake
and look out. A bob-cat will jump on
you if you shut your eyes. 1t isn't pleas
ant to he out there alone in the wilder
nesS. with the nearest trapper's hut some
6O miles away, alone in the brush and
gazing into the eyes of cougars and bob
cats who come up to take Il look at you.
Five nights of this was all | wanted
A little more of it. and my claims in the
Thunder Mountain region would not be
any consolation.
Thunder Mountain region has always
had bad name even for Il very bad sec
ton Of the Northwest. There are enough
gold legends hanging about it to run pros
pectOrS crazy. 1T is in the midst of the
richest gold field. with the exception of
California. in the world. If you take
map ard draw Il circle on a radius of 20
miles, with Thunder Mountain as the CEN
ter, you will mark out a region from
which S5G0.0O0.G00 of gold has been TAX
en- since 1869. As so much gold has been
found i'll that section. of course the min
ers al' avs thought that the hills were
packed with the stuff For generations
an alluring legend. known in the North
west as the legend of the Indian god.''
has been told around the campfires of the
miners and prospectOrs. But the terrors
of the region were so great that even the
boldest gold-hunters hesitated to penetrate
the wilderness.
This is the same country that has a
bad reputation in history as being the
only thing in the West that could stop
the march of Lewis and Clark They
passed through or over everything else
but when they reached the gorees OF Sal
mon River they made wide detnur to
avoid them. Prospectors skirted the To-
gion and penetrated it for a few miles in
all directions. but mp to about % years
ago no one had the grit to get in.
INDIAN GOLD"
One day in 1879 Lieut. Farrar was
sitting in a camp near the Salmon River,
where he had been. sent to exterminate
the Sheep-eater Indians. who had acqIir-
ed the unpleasant habit of killing all min
ers and settlers in their vicinity. Nature
had done her hest to make the region in
accessible to white men, but the Sheep
eater Indian finished the job. He deco
rated his belt or saddle with the hair of
anybody who was fool enough to get out
into that portion of the country. Lieut..