The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-12-14
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!, N3& UgII about the head waters Of
the Peace River, across
which is printed the word, "Unex-
. plored"
1t is tract as large as the State Of
Maine, walled round to the south by
that transverse range of the Rockies
IN which the Fraser River rises: and
the scene of this narrative is the val
hey of small tributary now known
as McDoIgars Creek.
Along the creek for distance 81 s2y-
eral miles there are grassy platS of
ailuyiaI meadows OF such fertility and
such sylvan beauty that III the summer
of 1894 one Roscoe McDoUgal WAS
tempted to settle here. having it in
rnind to keep cattle &Gd Sh2cp. Lofty
crs~s sheltered the valley on the west
side; and against the almost perpen-
dicuiar face Of one of these McDouSal
constructed comfortable shack Of
pine logs and splits" ald adjoining it
baih a log shed for the three COWS.
which one by one he led up here from
the nearest human habitatiOn. fifty
, miles lower down the river.
To this remote spot. during the sum-
@~ner OF. 1895. he brought his wife and
stwo little boys, Donald and James,
ased ten and eight. Potatoes and tur-
nlps are said to have grown well here.
and McDougal might perhaps have
made home for himself and family
and done we'll. But he seems TO have
lacked the patience to work and wait;
6 and during the season of 1897. having
heard glowing accounts of the gold
found in the Klondike region, he grew
discontinued, and left his family. He
cannot be said to have deserted them.
Cor he left them good stock OF -four III
sacks. and other supplies; the COWS.
too. afforded milk and butter in abun-
dance. Yet it was little less than fool
lsarly to leave woman and two boys
At such distance from human aid and
companionship. They appear. how.
ever, TO have passed the following Will
+ ter without accident or trouble, but i'll
! all that time did not see human be-
Sng, except an Indian sQuaw, who came
Occasionally to beg.
But in April calamity fell on them.
Mrs: McDougal suffered serious in
jury while attempting to lead one Of
the COWS. Inflammation ensued, from
which she died on the fourth night
after, without medical aid. and attend
cd only by the boys and the squaw.
who CHANGED to come to them. The
s grief and terror of the poor lads knew
no bounds.
The sQuaw. . saturnine. hideous old
creature, took up her abode with them.
/ Perhaps the dying mother had asked
Iher to do so. She cooked their food
after & manner, but was very wasteful
and dirty. At times, however. she
:xent of to snare ptarmigan and hareS,
and once fetched home a beaver. the
tail OF which she cooked with curious
ceIemonies and devoured with much
gusto. Her name was MiZzkook-at
least, that was what little Jimmy and
Donald called her. Sometimes she slept
over 4 day or two and would not get
up TO prepare food. When she had
cooked, she gorged herself, then slept
again. The lads learned to make
kind Of -four pone for themselves.
which they ate in milk: DUNG these
long periods of slumber.
After this fashion they lived through
che summer, the boys hoping every
rifsy that their father would come
. back Donald got out the scythe and
Put up little hay in the meadow.
They also planted a patch Of potatoes.
Their cows now gave but little milk;
but as the season advanced they gath
cred berries.
vAyNeither Indians nor wild beasts had
= troubled them thus far, in summer or
winter; but one day in September of
that autumn they heard their three
COWS and their calves bawling in 4
friShtful manner at distance up the
meadow, and on running to learn the
cause o. the commotion, beheld ter
1ihle spectacle.
An enormous animal, the like of
which they had never seen, had killed
one Of the COWS, and was carrying it
away to the woods. The calf fol-
bowed after. belating pitifully. The
other two COWS stood at distance.
believing loudly.
To Donald and Jimmy the huge an
imaI seemed to be white, or nearly so.
1t was probably ''silver-tip" grizzly
scar. 1t seemed to them to be larger
than any one of the COWS, and its
Z strength must have been prodigious,
for Ii carried the body Of the cow, a
large one, with apparent ease.
The fear inspired in Jimmy and Don
aid by this savage incursion cannot
be easily described. Awestruck. they
Stared at tile white monster, then ran
Back TO the shack to call old MiZzkook.
The latter. rousing from her slumbers
pf repletion. issued forth. and on sec
ing the great tracks Of the bear in the
biacl loan OF the meadow. was at no
loss 10 comprehend what had hap
pencl.
'NccsGuoo:r. NecSquoom:" size nut
tered. i'll some excitement. and babe
the Logs. drive the COWS to the shed
ami Shut them UP.
Nor would She permit them ID be
tErEed out the Next Gay. bu; assisted
the boys 10 cut and fetch dry grass and
wafer fron the creek for thcn. The