The Port Gibson reveille., 1908-07-02


not in the papers but by TIT
~xign." There were marks, MAJ
kIgH, on the trees where they haC
stood on their hind feet, stretched
themselves and whetted their claws
gaen there were headless stalks o.
Wild barley, rotting logs overturned
Fu the search for grubs, rootings fol
MRts under the pinon trees ant
Branches OF juniper shrubs broker
5y the reaching for berries. Occa'
sioHaIly we had seen tracks in the
kindly bottoms Of gulches.
We were chloriding on a promis-
ing prospect in Barley Flats up be-
EuRd the headwaters of Lytle Greek
ON the north slope OF "Old Baldy,'
fa Southern California. There was
Paystreak Crawford, Chloride Sam,
Hsllfire Pete and myself. Our ex-
PerIeRce had taught us that grizzly
US not always looking for a fight; nine
kEZRes ont of ten he will let you alone
rs You do the same by him. Neither
w1lt he always run, and If he hears
a sun shot in his vicinity he is quite
KkeIy to hunt up the shooter to
AeaFR if he was shooting at him,
SEeSefore we were not reckless in
dae use of our firearms, besides bear
msat was not good at that season and
ire were not hunting bears anyway,
SUS prospecting for gold. The
Chink" saw one first. Now-about
Slazt Chinese.
We had been placer mining on
tae Cargo Muchach during the season
az winter rains, bus when the sun
EcGame hot, the water scarce and
we had to pack our dirt on burros
It was too much like work, so we
Rzeked and hiked for the higher
mountains toward the coast, where it
WIS cooler. We stopped at a town
to outfit with grub, and camped with
sur burros in a horse corral in the
suburbs. We ate in q restaurant,
aut drew the line at hotels; we had
Tgad of the danger from fire and be-
sides Hellire Pete had stayed a week
once IN the Pleasant Home" and the
telling of his experience caused each
ElaH to prefer his blankets. We had
been sleeping in a country of rattle
ERAkes, centipedes, scorpions and ta-
EzHtuIas, but
A clean. decent looking Chinese
&zd been hanging about our camp
IN the corral evidently greatly inter
s4led in our outfit. While Paystreak
wGs up town at a bank cashing in
our winters dust, Hellfire borrowed
tae 'makings" of the Chink, and as
ERey rolled their cigarettes together
EAey became quite social.
Where you go?" says the Chink.
we go huntum mine," says He'll
Hre-
You ketchum?"
-Mebbe so, mebbe so not. What
EOu do?"
-oH-me go loun'; TAKEN look
zee"
@Look-see, look see-what you
szIIUm, Iook-see?"
"oh-just go 'loun', taken look,
zee things"
Then followed a pause while both
Bufed, the Chink eyeing the packs
wtstfuEly, then he said:
me likee go long; see ketchum
EElEe; me good clook; clookum good
bIead."
Sour dough bread?"
"SoweI dough blead? Me don't |
know; clookum least blead and pie" !"
Hellfire stood up: Hi, fellers;
here's Chink that can make yeast |
bread and pie, and he wants to Join
zs cook. Count me in. Think of the |
wisG strawberry pie and mebbe |
xhoEteake." We caucused and en-
lEzged the Chink at $25 per month
Il Paystreak agreed.
r. Maybe you had all better go nm
Town and get you some feather beds
znd spring mattresses" said he, but |
he finally agreed and we took the
S2nnk- After the first day he made
zTch progress he could stick on a
Surro and use only one hand in chok- |
ing the saddlehorn. But what he did
zot know about cooking would fill |
\ Iarge recipe book; he did not know
SVEN how to dry and wash the dishes.
All the way to Barley Flats all that
Blooming high-priced cook did was
10 stand around and watch us get
ttle3 meals ready over the campfire
Shd eat, after they We're ready. He
aid his name was Ng Quong Hsu, or
something like that, but Paystreak
named him pet" Hellfre's Pet.
x was not quite so bad after we
reachad the Flats and made camp
and set up the knocked down sheet
iran stove We had bought especially
for the cook. We had no rolling
pin, but Hellfire made him one out of
Z manzanita limb. Then we discoV-
eTed that we had no pie-pans, but he
5aked a pie in a gold pan. 1t was
R0t bad but we had to take it out
xlth spoon. 1t was worth the
EEiee we paid him to teach him to be
a camp cook, and besides that his /
a8ming had taken from US the pleas
ere of playing seyen-up and euchre
nj night to see who would get break
last
In the early days of California,
R01ne venturesome settler had found |
xHe Flats, a big, level natural park |
IN the heart Of the mountains, and |
had thought to make a ranch there |
b4t had given it up, and the only
of a previous occupant was
II little box shanty Of whipsawed |
sugar pine which we used for a cook
k0use and where the Chinese slept |