The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-03-14

Which is printed the word, HUneX'
plored."
1t is a tract rs 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
ley of a small tributary nov known
as McDOugal's Creek.
Along the creek for a distance Of sew
eral miles there are grassy plats OF
alluvial meadows Of such fertility and
such sylvan beauty that in the summer
of 1894 one Roscoe .McD0ugal was
tempted to settle here. having it in
mind to keep cattle and sheep. Lofty
crags sheltered the valley on the west
side: and against the almost perpen-
dicular face of one Of these McDougal
constructed a comfortable shack of
pine logs and splits" and adjoining it
built 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-
mer Of 1895, he brought his wife and
two little boys, Donald and James,
aged ten and eight. Potatoes and tur-
nips are said to have grown we'll here,
and McDougal might perhaps have
made a home for himself and family
and done well. But be seems to have
lacked the patience to work and wait;
and during the season of 1897, having
heard glowing accounts Of the gold
found in the Klondike region. he grew
disocntented, and left his family. He
cannot be said to have deserted them.
for he left them a good stock of flour in
sacks. and other supplies; the COWS.
too, afforded milk and butter in abun-
dance. Yet it was little less than fool
hardy to leave a woman and two boys
at such a distance from human aid and
companionship. They appear. how
ever. to have passed the following win
ter without accident or trouble, but i'll
all that time did not see a human be-
ing, except an Indian squaw, who came
occasionally to beg.
But in April calamity fell on them.
Mrs. McDougal suffered a serious in
jury while at empting to lead n of
the cows. Inflammation ensued, from
which she died on the fourth night
after, without medical aid, and attend
ed only by the boys and the squaw,
who Glanced to come to them. The
grief and terror of the poor lads knew
no bounds.
The sQuaw. a saturnine, hideous old
creature, took up her abode with them.
Perhaps the dying mother had asked
her to do so. She cooked their food
after q manner, but was very wasteful
and dirty. At times, however, she
went off TO snare ptarmigan and hareS.
and once fetched home a beaver. the.
tail of which she cooked with curious
ceremonies and devoured with much
gusto. Her name was Mizzkook-at
least, that was what little Jimmy and
Donald called her. Sometimes she slept
over a 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 a
kind Of -four pone for themselves,
which they ate in milk, during these
long periods Of slumber.
After this fashion they lived through
the summer, the boys hoping every
day that their father would come
back. Donald got out the scythe and
put up a little lay 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.
Neither Indians o 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 q
frightful manner at a distance up the
meadow, and on running to learn the
cause of the commotion, beheld a ter
rible spectacle.
An enormous animal, the like Of
which they had never seen, had killed
n Of the COWS. and was carrying it
away to the woods. The calf fol-
lowed after, belating pitifully. The
other two COWS stood at a distance,
believing loudly.
To Donald and Jimmy the huge an
imal seemed to be white, or nearly so.
It was probably q "Silver-tip" grizzly
bear. 1t seemed to them to be larger
than any one of the COWS, and its
strength must have been p%rodigious,
for it carried the body of the cow, q
large one, with apparent ease.
The fear inspired i'll Jimmy and Don
aid by this savage incursion cannot
be easily described. AWeStruck, they
stared at the white monster, then ran
back to the shack to call old Mizzkook.
The latter, rousing from her slumbers
Of repletiOn, issued forth, and on see
ing the great tracks of the bear in the
black loam of the meadow, was at nc
loss to comprehend what had hap
pened.
"Neesquoom! Neesquoom" she NUT,
tered, lin some excitement. and bade
the boys drive the COWS to the shed
and shut them up.
Nor would she permit them to be
turned out the next day, but assisted
the boys to cut and fetch dry grass and
water from the creek for them. The
calf had not come back.
Nothing further vas seen of the bear
for a week or more, and they turned
out the COWS again when the silver
tip made a second descent on them