Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1906-09-26


he'd be afraid to let Us ride that ami
NAL, for he reckoned it was that ugly
bucker from down the valley. But
summoning all the bravery possible,
gritting our teeth to prevent them
keeping time with the striking to-
gether OF our knees, we managed
s. mellow, to this day we don't know
how, to get onto the animal. He
started to sidestep a bit, but we
clung to the bride rein with one
hand and the saddle horn with the
other for dear life, and it was not
long before we were able to draw a
deep breath, for we had started off
again on the weary caravan.
Everything went well enough until
Mr. Barber said that we had better
hurry along or we wouldn't get to
Swain's, where we were to leave the
wagon, pack the horses and hit the
trail, before dark. What happened
for the next hour we are unable
to relate. At any event, the rest of
the party started off on gallop, and
we followed, somehow. We pound
ed every spot on that saddle time
and time again until we thought we
would wear it out, and the blamed
broncho seemed to delight in pitching
us about, but we managed to hang
on and learned by dear experience to
ride the stirrups," so that by the
time we reached Swain's. about
four O'Clock, we had steadied down
pretty we'll and gave more atten.
tion to our sore limbs than the fears
of the broncho pitching us off.
At this point our experience COM
menced in real earnest. Here we left
the wagon, and packed in huge bum
die on the back of our pack horse in
true western style the bulk of our
Supplies. The remainder we managed
to tie on behind our saddles. Engag-
ing one of the Swain boys, a typical
mountaineer who knew scarcely any
thing besides the. mountains, horses
and cattle, to guide us up the trail to
the point where we hoped to camp
the first night, we started out, the
guide ahead and the rest following in
single file, Mr.. Mckay and the
writer already pretty tired and sore,
but with our minds made up that
we wouldn't show the white feather,
and would keep up our spirits as long
as possible. After an hour or more
spent trudging along across barren
sandy desert which led out of the val
ley towards the mountains, with great
hills of abode on each side, we came
to point where the wagon road
ended, and started upon a sharp as
cent up the side of the mountains.
Pointing to a deep gulch on the noun
tain side, torn out by the rushing
waters from mountain reservoir
whose dam had broken out. our
guide asked us if we could see that
grove of quaken asp trees beside it.
Assuring him that we could plainly
see it, we replied to another question
that we thought we could make that
in a couple of hours at the most.
1t took us almost two days, however,
steady climbing, before we reached
it, We thought we had already been
having pretty tough time of it, but
soon found that the real article was
still in store for us. Slowly climbing
path, jumping over large rocks and
logs, squeezing through openings be-
tween the trees scarcely wide enough
to pass through, bruising our limbs
against the trees, ducking our heads
and dodging overhanging limbs,
climbing off after our hats which had
been scraped from our heads and fall
len perhaps long distance down the
mountain side. leaping precipices
which made our hair stand on end,
wading through mountain streams.
scaling fearful trails overhanging
mighty precipices, up one side of
great foothill and down the other to
get across stream, crossing and re-
crossing the mountain side, we finally,
weary and sore as we had never been
before, about nine O'Clock at night
reached little green spot beside
sparkling stream where we were to
camp for the night. The physical
relief which came on alighting from
those horses, TO say nothing of the
fear, is beyond description. They
were each hobbled and turned loose
for the night, grazing as best they
could on the mountain side. 1t had
already become dark, and in helping
to turn out the horses Mr.. Schuck
got away from the rest of the party
and became lost. The roaring of
the mountain stream prevented our
hearing him call. and we searched
anxiously for half hour before find
ing him, wandering constantly away
from camp. Mrs. Barber, who by
the way could outride any of us and
seemed to stand the fatigue of the
hard trip better than any of the party,
hastily prepared supper over camp
stove made from stones, which we
eagerly devoured and appeased our