Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1914-01-09

tudl HlSHt. Altei IL pluHSc III tHe
clear mountain stream, and an APP
petizing supper, we spread our blank
cts under the low spreading cedars.
Our road led us through the Grand
Rhonde reservation, a charming valley
of rolling fields, trimmed around with
evergreen hills. Old Fort Yamhill
still stands there and overlooks the
little valley. General Phil Sheridan,
who never lost a battle and never a
fight, was at the time in command of
this military post. The old block
house has fallen into disuse and is
preserved now only as "reminiscences
of the stirring pioneer days. The
indians occupy small but well kept
houses, but with the aboriginal teepee
close by. The redmen appear to be
thrifty and contented. They cult
vate the land and raise good crops, as
their spendid feds of wheat and hay
testified.
The road then crossed high, fern
covered hills, and then thence de-
scended into fertile bottom lands and
wound through shady groves of lofty
frs.
We measured one of the giant trees
which had fallen. 1t was seven feet
thick, and 296 feet in length. A great
tract of land of country i'll this part
of the Range has been ravaged by
| fire. The Indians have tradition
that nearly a hundred years ago the
Great Spirit became angry with them
by setting forests afre with his
lightning. Hundreds of square miles
of magnificent fir and pine timber
were destroyed, and today vast num-
bers of immense logs lie bleaching
on those mountain slopes.
We paid our passage through the
toll gate at Dolph, but did not stop
for dinner, as we wished to push on
down Three Rivers and camp before
dark That economy of time was
however, the temporary undoine of
the dealer in stoves and tinware and
one of the urchins. The hardware
man ate so many thimble berries and
sour huckleberries that he nearly
turned himself wrong side out that
night: and the urchin moved his face
over so much cold grub he couldn't
look a spud in the eye till the next
day.
Next morning the hunt began, and
something was doing the first day.
The sky-pilot and seller Of cutlery
came in towards night after a fruit
less chase. and were met by the ur-
chins who were laboring under vast
excitement. They reported the at
torney had shot bear. 1t happened
early in the day. and he had been
back after help to bring bruin in.
Night had settled down and shut out
the gldries of the mountain tops.
and we were heating up the cold beans
and boiling some spuds with the jack
cts on. when we heard war hoop
on the hill Then we heard a crash
ing in the brush, and then the iurist
strobe into the freight and then
something happened; whiz-z-zchug! =!
and something hit the agent for grind
stones in the ribs, nearly knocking
him into the fire. 1t was only a
bears liver, tied up in red bandana,
in a fast in-shoot from the hand of
the bamister. But. say it woke up
the camp.
The inner men and urchins were
well padded with fried bears liver
that night, and we listened to thrill
ing narrative. 1t seems the limb of
the law had Skinned up the mountain
that morning, and was standing
around up there waiting for client
to come along, when his weather-beat-
en- eye discovered a black bear. Bruin
wa swalking down big lcg,-and was
minding his own business. But the
attorney. true to his profession, was
looking for trouble; and so he open
ed fire on his bearship with his
doughty krag. 1t appears that old
piece of artillery was a little out of
kilter so the sighting was mostly
guess work. Two shots however,
walked the old boy up, and he came
charging down the log with cleaning
teeth and bloodshot eyes. But the
third shot knocked the bear meat
off the log. All this naval display
happened at about three hundreds
yards.
Our legal friend then got a noun
taineer with couple of cure to go
along, and went after his quarry. |
The beast led them merry chase
up and down half-dozen brushy |
gurches. and finally ran into a walow
under huge log in deep, gloomy |
ravine. The rancher with his ours
trailed him to his lair. And then |
the fun began. The dogs would dash |
in and nip him, first on one side, and
then on the other, and so kept him
see-sawing under the log. Pretty soon
he poked his head out into view,
reaching for one of the dogs, and the
settler gave him snap shot at thir-
ty feet. The heavy bullet caught |
bruin over the right eye and lodged
back of his left ear. But is settled |
the bear. And so the urchins dream
ed that night of playing pom-pom-
pull-away with black bears.
In the morning all hands set out