The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1926-11-18

and exercises the came care ana pro-
lection as does the former. The young
calves are long legged and peculiar in
appearance with the high haunch or
foreshoulders. A great sight to see is
when by chance the herd go single file
over the range. 1t looks lie long
black sinous line moving over the
ground.
The Rock Chuck
The Mountains are the home of the
rock chuck or ground hog as called in
the plains. These animals grow to a
large size in the mountains, deep red
in color in summer and grey in win
ter. They get their name of chuck
from the sound emitted when giving
warning of intruders. They are de-
structive to any thing that contains
grease or saurated with the same and
are the bane of the prospector. Els
pecially if he is absent from his cabin
any length of time they will dig into
it for food. They will chew anything
in the shape. of wood that is saturated
with grease. Eat candles or meat.
The writer has seen when the table
j tops and rawers have been chewed by
them, also the table legs and coffee
mills. They multiply rapidly, espe
cially where they are not disturbed.
They can be heard emitting their
chuck, chuck, when travelling over the
mountain ranges. One, time visiting
cabin of a prospector friend on
Goose Lake at an elevation of 10000
feet we found that Mr.. Chuck had got
! ten into the cabin. When the door
was opened Mr.. Chuck gave shrill
chuck and disappeared suddenly. He
had been eating into the prospectors
candles on shelf and where he went
was mystery as there was no holes
in tn efloor, nor in the cabin walls, but
he was gone, where? After diligent
search the mystery was apparently
solved. Mr.. Chuck went out the way
he came in via the stove pipre and the
roof. The peculiar part was that he
had to get into the stove which was
open before he headed straight up the
pipe but he did and escaped. Bill
Nichols, old prospector tells story
about the chucks and how he lost a
cabin in the mountains by the rock
: chucks.
1t appears Bill had gone down te
Cooke to stay while with the boys
having left the cabin supplies and
powder (dynamite) in a box in the
cabin. On his return he heard a
noise on the inside, a great lot Of
chucking and whistling as the chuck
can do. Bill had his trusty rifle with
him so was prepared to deal death te
the chucks which he knew were in the
cabin. He opened the door quickly
to surprise them, but he was also TAX
en- by surprise at the number OF
chucks in there. 1t seemed as if al
the rock chucks in the mountains were
in his cabin and they were all trying
to get out the one hole in the real
end. Bill let the door open and backed
off short distance, raised his trusty
rifle to his shoulder and took aim anc
fired through the open door into this
bunch of chucks, trying to get out the
hole. After the report of the gun there
was howl, loud roar and the cabir
was blown to pieces, logs flying ii
every direction along with it was
pieces of cook stove, pans, buckets anc
supplies in general. Bill escaped the
debris, when the smoke cleared away
the former home of Bill Nichols was g
grewsome sight, nothing left but &
hole in the ground. Bill was asked
what caused the blow up, scratching
his head a little while he told this as
the cause. The chuck's fondness fol-
grease got him in bad so the chucks
c eat all the dynamite sticks that were
, open and when he shot into them the
c dynamite they had eaten exploded
! This exploded all the dynamite in the
. others which exploded some dynamite
! in box which was covered. So this
V caused the crisis and loss TO Bills
3 cabin. Bill says it was a good thing
: after all for him. Taking his shove
? and pick he went into the hole made
by the dynamite explosion to clean il
out when something caught his eye
5 quickly shoveling the dirt away hi
} saw vision and then reality.
< vein of pure native gold. Just what
1 he had been looking for these many
r years.
4 At last he could shout Eureka. Will
!. frenzied haste he cleared the dirt away
e and filled his hat with nuggets. Ever,
r breath he praised the rock chucks
T. HAVING filed his hot ha co+ dou,, +,