The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-05-22


stood on their hind feet, stretched
themselves and whetted their claws;
then there were headless stalks Of
wild barley, rotting logs overturned
in the search for grubs, rootngs FOR
nuts under the pinon trees and
branches OF Juniper shrubs broken
by the reaching for berries. Occa-
sionally we had seen tracks in the
sandy bottoms OF gulches.
We were chloriding on a promis-
ing prospect i'm Barley Flats up be-
yond the headwaters Of Lyle Creek
on the north sloDe OF "Old Badly"
I'm Southern California. There was
Paystrcak Crawford, Chloride Sam,
Hellfre Pete and myself. Our eX-
perience had taught MS that a grizzly
IS not always looking for fight; nine
times ont Of ten ne will let you alone
If Won do the same by him. Neither
will he always run, and II he hears
a gun shot i'm his vicinity he is quite
likely 10 hunt up the shooter TO
learn II he was shooting at him,
therefore we were not reckless in
the use Of our firearms, besides bear
meat was not good at that season and
we were not hunting bears anyway,
bu, prospecting for gold. The
"Chiuk" saw one first. Now-about
that Chinese.
We had been placer mining on
the Cargo Muchach during the season
OF winter rains, but when the sun
became hot the water scarce and
we had to pack our dirt on burros
It was too much like work, so we
packed ana hiked for the higher
mountains toward the coast. where it
was cooler We stopped at a town
60 outfit with grub, and Camped with
our burros in a horse corral I'm the
suburbs. We ate i'm a restaurant,
bot drew the line at notels: we bad
read OF the danger from fire and be-
sides Hollhre Pete had stayed a week
once I'm the pleasant Home" and the
telling OF his experience caused each
man TO prefer his blankets. We had
been sleeping i'm country OF rattle
snakes, centipedes, scorpions and ta-
rantulas, but
A clean, decent looking Chinese
had been hanging about cur camp
in the corral evidently greatly inter-
eS,ed i'm our outfit. While Paystrcak
was up town at a bank Cashing i'm
our winters dust, Hellnre borrowed
the "makngs" Of the Chnk. and as
they rolled their cigarettes together
they became quite social
Where you go?" says the Chink
1--WE go huntum mine, says He'll
fire.
You ketchum?"
"Mebbe SO, mcbbo so not What
you dor"
"Oh-me go loun'; TAKEN look
sec"
"Look-see. look see-what you
callum. look see?"
"Oh--lust so 'loun'. TAKEN look,
see things"
Then followed n pause while both
pufted, the Chink eyeing the packs
wistlully, then ne said:
''Me likae 80 long; see ketchum
mine; me good clook; clookum good
blead."
Sour dough breod?"
"Sowel dough blead? Me don't
know; clookum least blead and pie"
Hellhre stood up. iii, fellers;
here's a Chink that can make yeast
bread and pie. and he wants to join
as cook Count me i'm. Think Of the
wild strawberry pie and mebbe
shortcake." We caucused and en-
gagged the Chink at $25 per month
IL Paystreak agreed.
Maybe you had all better 60 un-
town and get YOU some feather beds
and spring mattresses" said he, but
he finally agreed and we took the
Chiuk. After the first day he made
such progress he could stick ON a
burro and use only one hand in chok-
ing the saddlehorn. But what he did
not know about cooking would fill
a large recipe book; he did not know
even how to dry and wash the dishes.
All the way TO Barley Flats all that
blooming high-priced cook did was
TO stand around and watch us get
the meals ready over the campfire
and eat after they were ready. lie
said his name was Ng Quong Hsu. or
something like that, but PaystreaS
named him Pet" Hellhre's Pet.
1t was not quite so bad after we
reached the Flats and made camp
and set up the knocked down sheet
iron stove we had bought especially
for the cook. We had no rolling
pin, but Hellfre made him one out Of
a manzanita limb. Then we discov-
cred that we had no pie-pans. but he
baked a pie in a gold pan. 1t was
not bad but We had TO take it out
with a spoon. IL was worth the
price we paid him to teach him to be
a camp cook, and besides that his
coming had taken from us the pleas
ure of playing seven-up and euchre
at night to see who would get break
fast.
In the early days OF California,
some venturesome settler had found