Year: 1861

BILL RYDER AND TIE GRIZZLY,


BY DAN DE oUILLE. .
wRirrKS FOR THE CEDAR FALLS GAxKrrx.


We were campcd for the night at the foot
of Washoe Lake, where we had spent the day
in fishing and hunting, with no great success,
aud after supper the conversation naturally
turned on hunting adventures and several
stories were told of fights with the grizzly,
the king of the Sierra Nevadas. The story
which am going to give is one told by Bill
Ryder, a stout, wry man, about thirty years
of age, and active as cat. shall give the
story in his own words as well as can rec.
ollect


BILL RYDER's STORY.


In the fall of 1855 got tired Of my old
"grub diggings" near Auburn and conclu-
ded to go farther south. i had but about
$25 in cash and this was half of $50 that |
and my old partner, Jack Williams, received
when we give a couple of cmigrants--just in,
an awful big trade. With two tens and a
five, away down in the lowest corner of a
rather extensive buckskin purse, I shouldcrcd
my blankets and bidding Jack farewell
who, by the way, with a like outfit, was also
just setting off on trip toward Siskiyon-
bidding Jack take care of himself, l struck
out, with a heart as light as my purse, to
wander in search of " something big" I
reached Makelumne Hill, with ten dollars in
my purse finding that most Of the diggings
here were deep, drift diggings and that it was
poor place to undertake to make strike
with ten dollars capital, pushed on to Chill
Gulch, two miles south of the town. Here
found nothing that looked. any better than
my old grub diggings at Auburn; so, on
went again to San Andreas. l found the
diggings here, all that were considered big,
to be very deep; the Old Channel diggings
were good deal taxed of but | couldn't wait
to dig a hundred feet before knowing what |
had; therefore vamosed the campo. went
! from San Andreas to Angis Camp, and here
they were talking a good deal about rich
strikes in quartz veins. This was something
new to me, as had never worked in quartz !;
| imagined that perhaps quartz might prove
to be my "strong suit, my forte; and de-
termined to become quartz miner. | had
"g got III with some boys who agreed that I
might stop with them till could look round,
and in day or two after taking up my abode
with them, announced that on the next morn.
ing should strike out into the mountains
and find one of the richest leads ever heard
of in that country. They laughed at me, but
told them it was no joke, was bound to
do it, felt it in my bones! I really did
think would find something, for that day
had paid out the last dime and had always
noticed that when that was the case some
thing was pretty sure to turn up in the shape
of good luck. 1a


In the morning shouldered my blankets
and a sack with three loaves of bread, such
as are baked in frying pan, and pound or
two OF bacon also carried pick, shovel
and horn spoon and had my six-shooter in
my belt. Thus equipped, struck off in the
direction OF Stanisaus river, examining every
vein or bit of float quartz | met with,
clambering up high steep mountains, over
rocks, and pushing my way through thickets
of stubborn manzannita all day toiled
dug, hammered, sweat and tested leads with
out raising the color" When night come
on it found me at the bottom Of an immense
canon several miles long and hemmcd in by
cliffs half-a-mile high. | felt considerably
disgusted with hunting quartz and was think
ing that rather than 60 back and own up
beat, i would bid farewell altogether to my
cabn-iellows and leave for Murphys Bar !:
but finally concluded to- try my luck one
more day. 1t would be good half-day's
work to get out of this place; therefore,
had no choice but to pass the night in this
lonely and wild mountain cleft amid the
deafening roar Of the waters that darted as
swiftly as arrows down the smooth trouchs
WON in the sloping ledges and anon leaped
down perpendicular crags and roared, boiled
and whirled in huge bowl-shapcd pools worn
in the solid granite, whence they issued forth
to again dart down CLASSY slopes and pcrpen-
dicular falls below There was not a level
spot to be found of sufficient extent on which
to spread my blankets; therefore, | was
obliged to build up sort Of platform on the
side Of the prccipitous bank of rocks, poles
and brush to guard against rolling down into
the stream during the night This Job
performed before dark, and after irving
slice of bacon on my shovel and making nv
turned in for night and soon slept soundly
despite the tumultuous clamor of the brook
and some indistinct thoughts Of danger from
wild beasts But with my trusty ten-inch
Colt, under my head it would have taken
something more than idle fancies to have pre-
vented me from sleeping after my hard days
tramp in the mountains.


had built up large fire of pine boughs
near my camp, but aS. the moon arose half.
an-hour after dark I did not take the trouble
to replenish it before going to bed; but took
the precaution t6 put my. scant supply of
provisions under my blankets among the
poles and brush forming my bnlwark. This
was necessary to guard against having It sto.
len by the foxes and cayotes which abound
in these regions. The latter shy and mis-
chievous animal has been known to steal a
sleeping luiner's boots from under his head
and destroy them; also, they often gnaw
and ruin brides and saddles left within their
reach and win cut the raw-hide lariats by
which animals are picketed,. allowing them
to escape thus causing the prospectcr or
traveller great annoyance. Having thus ta-
ken every precaution and feeling perfectly
secure, though many miles from human
habitation, l was soon sound asleep. Some
thing after midnight aspear ae rould tell