The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1909-11-04
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PROSPECTOR'S
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Observation-Disclosures
When travelling in Shasta County.
California, l overlook a merry little
old man driving a four-horse team
loaded down with his children and
grandchildren and their camp equip
ment. After the California custom.
we proceeded to violate the formal
tiles, and without pretext or loss OF
time "scraped an acquaintance" We
were friends after a half-days Jour
neylng together, and in the evening
camped together by a happy noun
tain stream.
After our horses were cared for
and the supper eaten, we gathered to
enjoy the warmth and good cheer of
a generous campfire. The situation
and the grandchildren demanded q
story; the merry old man responded.
1t happened right up here in the
lava country" he began, mot twenty
miles from this camp. / was a young.
homeless prospector, undergoing the
process of learning that the best way
TO win smiles from old Dame Nature
is to tickle her under the chin with
gang-plow drawn by six good
horses.
FOR two years my partner and I
had roamed the Mohave Desert, where
we had abandoned two fine bodies of
ore because of their distance from
wood and water. Becoming disgust
ed, we headed for a gold excitement
In Nevada; but on reaching Fall VAL
ley, said, Joe, notice the wood -,
water and grass of this country. All
we've got to do is to find the mineral
and we're fixed
Nothing, however, could turn Joe
from his vision of gold in Nevada: no
more could 1 be convinced that nv
rainbow was not anchored within
sight of Shasta.
I'VE divided our outfit. shook
hands sorrowfully, and went our
ways, each in pursuit of his golden
dream.
Il found thousands of fine locations
for mines-all but the mineral.
Wood, water and grass were plenty
and lava. 1t was lava, lava every
where; mountains of it, lava in
buttes, lava in vast scanned beds that
a goat couldn't cross-and no min
eraL / never in my life was so tired
of formation.
"One day I met another solitary
and disgusted prospector. He had
been solitary long enough to get
touched in his head, 1 guess, for he
hardly noticed my greeting.
Take a FOOLS advice he shout
ed, without stopping his animals.
take a FOOLS advice and get out of
sight of that old bald-headed noun
tain!' pointing to Shasta. It's a
hoodoo for mineral. I'm heading for
the Mohave Desert, where there amt
any lava and on he went after his
golden dream.
The next morning 1 decided to
take the fools adyice; but my bur
ros failed to come up as usual for the
breakfast scraps. On going out after
them, l found Jack and Jeanette.
but little Jackrabbit, the baby burro.
was not to be seen.
The back track of the older ami
mails took me up the side of a lava
mountain, and here / suddenly came
giant grizzly standing over him.
~Now my baby burro was the only
pet / had, and a hot wave of rage
came over me. Then the grizzly
whirled about, and 1 realized that 1
was only a man, a very small, thin
man at that, and, except for a picket
rope, quite empty-handed. 1 turned
and scurried of over the lava and
through the brush like a rabbit. And
the grizzly charged after me.
From over my shoulder 1 caught
glimpse of him, a great, hairy brute
as big as steer and as nimbIe as a
spider. There was no chance at all
in a race, and no tree to be climbed.
But cracks in the lava-tAey were
everywhere, and into one | scuttled.
The crack of my choice was Just
a fit for a small man, thin from hard
work and poor cooking; but it wasn't
long enough or deep enough. It
wouldn't have been had It halVed the
heart of the mountain. Mr.. Grizzly
came on with rush. AS he launched
himself at me his ugly old visage said
palmer than words: I'm coming
right on in! Lava or no lava, you're
my meat!'
And he did come on in till my
heart nearly stopped with fear. He
crowded and worked and stretched
and struggled and clawed and bit till
the crack fairly swirled with flying
dust and hair. All the while was as
active and industrious as the bear.
At no time, to be sure, did he reach
me by five or six feet; but as before
limited, my impulse was to work clear
back into the heart of the mountain.
DO what he may, however. a thou
sand-pound bear can't crawl far into
assure that is a snug fit for a lath-
shaped man, and after what seemed
an aEe e Wis yury the SrIszlv wrasa-,