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THE ADVENTURES

JAMES CAPEN ADAMS

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JAMES CAPEN ADAMS.

THE ADVENTURES

OF

JAMES CAPEN ADAMS

MOUNTAINEER AND GRIZZLY BEAR HUNTER

CALIFORNIA

BY
THEODORE H. HITTELL

ILLUSTRATED

NEW EDITION

NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
1911

Copyright, 1911, by
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
Published February, 1911

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION

PART I.

CHAP. I.
II.
III. IV. V.
VI.
VII.
VIII. IX. X.
XI.
XII.
XIII. XIV. XV.
XVI.
XVII.
XVIII." XIX.
XX.

PAGE
sketch of my earlier life ... 1
the grizzly bear  9
lady washington  19
the way to camp  29
antelope hunting  37
trap building  44
in the chaparral . . . 50
bear education ... 58
a day and night's adventures ... 65
camp life . . .... 74
the art of trapping .... 8
the indians  90
progress of lady Washington's education . 103
buffalo hunting  113
texan hunters  121
elk hunting  128
MISHAPS  137
IN THE CHAPARRAL AGAIN . . . .149
OUR CARAVAN  160
THE ROAD TO PORTLAND . . 171
V

VI

CONTENTS.

PART II.

CHAP. I. OUR CAMP IN THE SIERRA NEVADA
II. YOSEMITE
III. BEN FRANKLIN ...
IV. PASSAGE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA
V. DOWN THE EASTERN SLOPE .
VI. WALKER'S RIVER COUNTRY
VII. THE HUMBOLDT MOUNTAINS .
VIII. AMONG THE DENS
IX. A HUMBOLDT TEMPEST .
X. THE GREAT BASIN
XI. THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS
XII. THE SIERRA NEVADA AGAIN
XIII. SAMSON 
XIV. CORRAL HOLLOW ....
XV. ALONG THE COAST RANGE
xvi. joaquin's valley ....
XVII. TULARE LAKE AND KERN RIVER .
XVIII. THE TEJON
XIX. JAGUARS 
XX. THE COAST RANGE AGAIN  CONCLUSION
POSTSCRIPT 

PAGE 178188199
214
227
234 241
252259267
274 285292 301
311 324
334 344353
362 371

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PART I.

James Capen Adams ..... frontispiece FACING PAGE
The dead Grizzly and her Cubs ... 19
Adams and the Elk  50
Kennasket's Present  74
The frightened Grizzly  103
Adams and the Buffalo  137

PART II.
Adams and Ben Franklin  178
Adams and the Wolf  199
The Panther  241
Samson  292
Wild Cattle  324
The Jaguar  353
vii

INTRODUCTION.
A statement of the circumstances under which I
wrote "The Adventures of James Capen Adams,
Mountaineer and Grizzly Bear Hunter of California,"
may be not uninteresting. In the early part of Octo
ber, 1856, while in charge of the local department of
the Daily Evening Bulletin newspaper of San Fran
cisco, California, my attention was attracted to a small
placard at the door of a basement on the south side
of Clay, near Leidesdorff, Street. It announced the
exhibition there of "The Mountaineer Museum" — a
collection of wild animals of the Pacific Coast, the
principal of which were "Samson, the largest Grizzly
Bear ever caught, weighing over 1500 pounds, Lady
Washington (with her cub), weighing 1000 pounds,
and Benjamin Franklin, King of the Forest."
Descending the stairway, I found a remarkable
spectacle. The basement was a large one but with a
low ceiling, and dark and dingy in appearance. In
the middle, chained to the floor, were two large grizzly
bears, which proved to be Benjamin Franklin and
Lady Washington. They were pacing restlessly in
circles some ten feet in diameter, their chains being
about five feet long, and occasionally rearing up,
rattling their irons, and reversing their direction. Not
far off on one side, likewise fastened with chains, were
seven other bears, several of them young grizzlies,
ix

X INTRODUCTION.
three or four black bears, and one a cinnamon. Near
the front of the apartment was an open stall, in which
were haltered two large elks. Further back was a
row of cages, containing cougars and other California
animals. There were also a few eagles and other
birds. At the rear, in a very large iron cage, was the
monster grizzly Samson. He was an immense creature
weighing some three-quarters of a ton; and from his
look and actions, as well as from the care taken to
rail him off from spectators, it was evident that he was
not to be approached too closely.
In the midst of this strange menagerie was Adams,
the proprietor — quite as strange as any of his animals.
He was a man a little over medium size, muscular and
wiry, with sharp features and penetrating eyes. He
was apparently about fifty years of age; but his hair
was very gray and his beard very white. He was
dressed in coat and pantaloons of buckskin, fringed at
the edges and along the seams of arms and legs. On
his head he wore a cap of deerskin, ornamented with
a fox-tail, and on his feet buckskin moccasins. An
excellent likeness of him, as well as of his favorite bear,
is presented in the illustration, drawn from life by
Charles Nahl, entitled "Adams and Ben Franklin." *
After looking cursorily at the different animals, I
became particularly interested in the bears Ben Frank
lin and Lady Washington. Adams seemed to have
perfect control over them. He placed his hands upon
their jaws and even in their mouths, to show their
teeth. He made them rear on their hind legs and
* See illustration facing page 178.

INTRODUCTION. XI
walk erect, growl when he ordered them to talk, and
perform various tricks. He put them to boxing and
wrestling, sometimes with himself, sometimes with
each other; and they went through the performance
with good nature and great apparent enjoyment of the
sport. One thing especially noteworthy, in addition to the
docility of the huge beasts, was the fact that the hair
was worn off of portions of their backs. Upon my
asking the reason, Adams answered that it was caused
by pack-saddles. This led to further questions, in
reply to which he gave a brief account of how he had
lived in the mountains for several years; how he had
caught and trained his bears, and, among other things,
how on occasions he had used them as pack-animals.
I asked to see the pack-saddles, but was answered that
they had not been brought from the mountains. At
the same time Adams said he would show how the
bears would carry burdens; and, after loosing Ben
Franklin and jumping upon his back, he rode several
times around the apartment. He next threw a bag of
grain on the animal's back, and the bear carried it as
if used to the task.
My interest became thoroughly aroused. Within
the next few days, I inserted in the newspaper several
notices of the exhibition and also a short account of
Adams and the strange life he had been leading.
These notices attracted attention; and, in the course
of a month or two, Adams's receipts from his show
enabled him to hire and fit up the spacious first
floor of the California Exchange on the northeast corner

Xll INTRODUCTION.
of Kearny and Clay Streets, where in December, 1856,
he established "The Pacific Museum." There until
August, 1859, and thereafter in the Pavilion building
on the site of the present Lick House until the end of
1859, he continued to give exhibitions, which were
witnessed by many thousands of visitors.
During all those years Adams lived among his ani
mals. He continued to wear buckskin; and when
seen on the street, it was almost always in his moun
taineer garb. He slept, on a buffalo robe or bear-skin,
in one corner of his exhibition room or in a small ad
joining chamber. He sometimes cooked his own meals,
but usually dined at a restaurant. From time to time
he added other attractions to his exhibition; but he
was not a business man and did not save money; so
that about the beginning of 1860 — when he removed
his collection to New York — he was substantially as
poor in purse as when he first came to San Francisco.
Between July, 1857, and December, 1859, he nar
rated to me his adventures in full. He understood my
purpose to be, if the story should prove sufficiently in
teresting, to make a book. He seemed flattered and was
evidently pleased with the idea. My custom was to go
to his place in the afternoon, after the newspaper went
to press, and write down what he had to say. He
would usually talk for an hour or two; but there were
many interruptions. I told him plainly that I wanted
nothing except the truth, and he assured me that he
would give it. On various occasions I cross-questioned
him sharply; but his replies were always satisfactory
and, I believe, truthful. His memory seemed remark-

INTRODUCTION. XUI
ably good. In writing my notes, I to some extent cor
rected his language, but put down in substance all he
told me. And from the notes thus taken, with many
omissions of unimportant details, I subsequently, in
the winter of 1859-60, wrote out the following narra
tive. An edition of the work was published at Boston
and also at San Francisco in 1860, just before the
breaking out of the Civil War, and some copies were
disposed of; but, on account of business troubles,
occasioned by the war, the publication was discon
tinued and the book went "out of print." The
present new edition is issued in exactly the same form,
so far as type, illustrations, and binding are concerned,
as the first edition; and the only additions are this
introduction and the postscript at the end.
San Francisco, December, 1910.
Theodore H. Hittell.

THE ADVENTURES

JAMES CAPEN ADAMS

PART FIRST.
CHAPTER I.
SKETCH OF MY EARLIER LIFE.
Birth. Trade. Early Hunting. Zeal in Hunting. Adventure
with a Bengal Tiger. Seriously Injured. Benefit of a Trade.
Work at Boston. Speculation. Ruination. Emigration. Cali
fornia. Occupations in California. Struggles with Fortune.
Retirement to the Mountains. Personal Appearance and Con
stitution. Qualifications for Mountain Life. Outfit. First
Impressions of the Mountains. Mountain Scenery. California
Indians. Indian Intercourse Buckskin Dressing. Approach of
Winter. Mountain Economy. Mountain Life.
My name is James Capen Adams. I was born on
October 20th, 1807, in the town of Medway, Massa
chusetts. My parents, who were honest and respect
able people, bred me up from an early age to the
trade of shoemaking; but, being of a roving and ad
venturous disposition, I no sooner attained my ma
jority than I threw aside the pegging awl, and hired
myself to a company of showmen as a collector of
wild beasts. In pursuance of my engagements with
this company, I hunted through the forests of Maine,
New Hampshire, and Vermont, and captured many
panthers, wolves, wild-cats, foxes, and other animals,

2 SKETCH OF MY EARLIER LIFE.
which were subsequently exhibited and admired
throughout the country; — but all these were small
game in comparison with what it was my destiny
afterwards to hunt.
It was a characteristic of my youth, as it has been
of my subsequent life, to take hold of a subject con
genial to my tastes with a whole soul; and, as this
business of hunting suited my turn of mind, it would
be difficult to tell how far my zeal might have carried
me, what labors I might have attempted, and what
achievements I might have performed, had not an
accident disabled me while still a young man. This
unfortunate affair occurred in the following manner:
my employers had, in their collection of animals, a
royal Bengal tiger, which had become refractory.
They requested me to reclaim him; and, not doubt
ing my ability, I entered his cage a number of times.
On the last occasion, however, the magnificent but
treacherous beast struck me to the floor and buried
his teeth and claws in my flesh. When taken from
the cage, I was insensible, and my injuries so serious
that for a long period recovery was problematical.
By this accident — if that can properly be called ac
cident, which was brought about by my own rash
ness — my constitution was shattered; and for many
years my hunting was at an end.
The benefit of teaching a young man some honest
and useful handicraft, whatever may be his ulterior
destination in life, was well exemplified in my case
now; for, had it not been for shoemaking, I should
have become a burden not only to myself but to my

SKETCH OF MY EARLIER LIFE. 6
family. Fortunately, my injuries, which affected the
spine, were of such a character as not to prevent the
free use of my hands; and, removing to Boston, I
went to work at my trade again, and more than sup
ported myself. From that time I continued perse-
veringly employed for fifteen years, at the end of
which period my gainings amounted to some six or
eight thousand dollars; when, Yankee that I was, I
must needs speculate. Accordingly, converting all
my means into a cargo of boots and shoes, I shipped
them to St. Louis in the hope of doubling or trebling
my capital; but, instead of becoming suddenly rich,
I had the misfortune to see them all consumed in a
fire which occurred in that city; and in one short night
I found myself a ruined man. This sad event, as it
happened, took place at the time when the great gold
fever broke out, and intense excitement about Cali
fornia prevailed over the whole country. In one year
over a hundred thousand persons put themselves upon
the way for the shores of the Pacific; and I could not
do otherwise, I thought, than join that mighty mi
gration. I seized the opportunity as one offered me
by fortune; and, after numberless hardships and pri
vations, arrived in California, by the way of Mexico,
overland, in the fall of 1849.
From the period of my arrival in the country till I
went into the mountains, my occupations were various,
— sometimes mining, sometimes trading, sometimes
raising stock and farming. Sometimes I was rich, at
other times poor. At one time, in 1850, while farm
ing in the neighborhood of Stockton, I possessed thou-

4 SKETCH OF MY EARLIER LIFE.
sands of dollars' worth of cattle, most of which were
stolen from me in a single night. At another time, I
possessed mining claims, which ought to have made
me very wealthy; and, at another, lands, which are
now worth many fortunes; but one after the other
passed out of my hands, partly on account of my own
reckless speculations, partly through the villainy of
others. In the space of three years, I failed three
times; from the height of prosperity I was plunged
into the depths of difficulty; until at last, in the fall
of 1852, disgusted with the world and dissatisfied
with myself, I abandoned all my schemes for the
accumulation of wealth, turned my back upon the
society of my fellows, and took the road toward
the wildest and most unfrequented parts of the Sierra
Nevada, resolved thenceforth to make the wilderness
my home and wild beasts my companions.
My hair was already beginning to turn gray; and
as I wore it long, with long, gray beard, and long
mustaches, — such being the custom of those days, —
my appearance was that of an old man, though, in
truth, I was but in the prime of life, and could bear
almost any degree of exposure, privation, or fatigue.
My general temperance and active avocations had
strengthened and hardened my frame, so that to
walk during a whole day, or to endure hunger or
thirst, was comparatively easy. To shoot well had
been a part of my early education; and as to all that
appertained to the procurement of provisions in a
country of game, I considered myself well qualified
for mountain life. So far as concerned my outfit, I

SKETCH OF MY EARLIER LIFE. 5
could save but little out of the wreck of my estate.
I managed, however, to retain an old wagon, two
oxen, an old Kentucky rifle which used thirty balls to
the pound of lead, a Tennessee rifle which used sixty,
a Colt's revolving pistol, and several bowie-knives.
Besides these, my effects were poor indeed, — a few
tools, several pairs of blankets, a little clothing, and
this was all.
Notwithstanding such scanty preparation, I drove
up into the mountains with a buoyant and hopeful
spirit; and it gives me pleasure, even now, to recall
my lively feelings upon mounting the scarred and
rugged shoulders of the Sierra. The roads were
very rough; my team was none of the strongest; I
had to rely on my rifle for provisions and the roadside
for pasture; but the new and romantic scenes into
which I was advancing, enchanted my imagination,
and seemed to inspire me with a new life. The
fragrance of the pines and the freshness and beauty
of nature in those elevated regions were perfectly
delightful to me. The mountain air was in my nos
trils, the evergreens above, and the eternal rocks
around; and I seemed to be a part of the vast land
scape, a kind of demigod in the glorious and magnifi
cent creation.
The country about the headwaters of those rivers,
which run from the Sierra into the San Joaquin, is
sublime on account of the magnitude of the mountain
masses which compose it. The cliffs are of enormous
size and extent; and everything conspires to render
the scene grand and imposing to the last degree. In

O SKETCH OF MY EARLIER LIFE.
many places, the rocks rise in towering proportions,
perfectly bare, from the midst of the forests which,
though composed of giants in themselves, seem
dwarfed in comparison. The trees are, many of
them, of the most magnificent description, principally
of evergreen kinds; but there are also oak, ash, and
other deciduous species. The soil is generally scanty;
but along the streams, there is much that is good;
and there are many valleys affording abundant herb
age and beautiful meadows. In almost all the defiles,
gorges, and canons, there is chaparral and brush in
crowded profusion, among which are to be found
manzanita, juniper, laurel, whortleberry, and many
other mountain bushes; also many vines and weeds,
which form tangled, and almost impenetrable, thickets.
Such, briefly, was the character of the region in which
I now chose out a little valley, on a northern branch
of the Merced River, twenty or thirty miles north
east of the famous Yo-Semite, and a hundred and
sixty miles east of San Francisco.
In the neighborhood of my camping place, there
happened to be one of those restless tribes of Cali
fornia Indians, who are accustomed to migrate from
the plains to the mountains, and from the mountains
to the plains, as the seasons change and the game
upon which they live goes up or down. These chil
dren of nature lived upon the fish which they caught
in the streams, and the small animals which they killed
on the land; also, upon nuts, acorns, berries, and
roots, sometimes upon insects and sometimes upon
grasses. At the time of my advent among them in

SKETCH OF MY EARLIER LIFE. 7
the fall, though plenty still smiled upon their larders,
I aided to give them abundance; for there was much
game, and I was liberal with what cost me so little
trouble to procure. In return for this liberality, the
Indians assisted me in building a wigwam and gather
ing and drying grass for the use of my oxen in the
winter. They also assisted in tanning the skins of
the deer I killed, and in making me several complete
suits of buckskin, which I then adopted as my cos
tume, and in which, ever since, I have generally
dressed. Next my body I wore a heavy woollen gar
ment, and on my head an untanned deer-skin cap,
lined with rabbit's fur, and ornamented with a fox's
tail; but all the rest of my clothing was buckskin,
— that is to say, coat, pantaloons, and moccasins.
Having thus provided myself in every particular, as
well as I was able, I awaited the advancing winter.
As it began to grow cold, the Indians moved down the
river, according to their custom; the mountains be
came deserted; the snows fell, and soon a wild waste
surrounded me on every side. From now on I was
perfectly alone, and did not see another human being
for months. Yet, strange to say, those months were
among the happiest of my life. My habitation was
warm and comfortable; my health excellent; my time
pleasantly and continuously occupied. I had enough
to eat and drink, for game of some kind never failed;
and there was no lack of the purest and freshest water.
When the little stock of groceries, which I had brought
along, ran out, various kinds of grass seeds, pounded
into meal, served for flour, and roasted acorns made

8 SKETCH OF MY EARLIER LIFE.
a substitute for coffee. The sugar-pine trees fur
nished that sweet gum, called pine sugar, which ex
udes from bruises in their trunks; and many were the
receipts and expedients in mountain economy, which
now became my special study. In making myself
comfortable, I found pleasant and beneficial occu
pation, and I may say that I was as happy as a king.
Such was my first experience; and it was the earnest
of what, on nearer and longer familiarity, I found
mountain life really to be. I was peculiarly fitted
for it. Even the mountain winters, severe as they
are, were better suited to my tastes than the Italian
beauties of the climate on the coast; and, as will be
seen in the course of my narrative, for three succes
sive years, though wandering during the summers in
distant regions, I always returned to pass the win
ters in the high portions of the Sierra Nevada.

THE GRIZZLY BEAR.

CHAPTER II.
THE GRIZZLY BEAR.
Greatness of the Grizzly Bear. Character of the Lion. Character of
the Tiger. Character of the Grizzly of California. Neighborhood
of the Grizzly. Armed Neutrality. Object in entering the Moun
tains. Visit of William Adams. Comparison of Fortunes.
William's Propositions. Our Contract. Preparations for Travel.
William Sykesey. The Indian Boys Tuolumne and Stanislaus.
The Party and Equipments. May Morning in the Mountains.
The Shoulders of the Sierra. Through Oregon into Washington.
A Nondescript of Southern Oregon. Range of the Grizzly Bear.
The Rocky Mountain Grizzly. The Catifornian Grizzly. The
Grizzly of Washington, Oregon, and New Mexico
The mountains which I have been describing are
the favorite haunts of the grizzly bear, the monarch
of American beasts, and, in many respects, the most
formidable animal in the world to be encountered.
In comparison with the lion of Africa and the tiger
of Asia, though these may exhibit more activity and
bloodthirstiness, the grizzly is not second in courage
and excels them in power. Like the regions which
he inhabits, there is a vastness in his strength, which
makes him a fit companion for the monster trees and
giant rocks of the Sierra, and places him, if not the
first, at least in the first rank, of all quadrupeds.
The lion, celebrated from time immemorial as a
noble and generous brute, is, I grant, a splendid ani
mal. When seen in his native wilds, with head erect
and black mane floating over mighty shoulders, he

10 THE GRIZZLY BEAR.
presents a magnificent spectacle. When standing at
bay also, with eye darting fire, and lashing his tawny
sides with fury, he makes a terrific picture. Hun
dreds and hundreds of years ago, when animals first
became known to literature, the old fabulists, impressed
with his proud bearing, awarded to him his splendid
reputation; they clothed him with the attributes of
majesty; and few, since then, have ventured to deny
his royalty, none to dispute his title of king of beasts.
But, if we pursue him into his lairs and follow him
on his midnight prowls, we soon detect the sneaking,
cat-like qualities, which are born in him, and which
must and will exhibit themselves in one mode or an
other. In the face of the world, the lion stands noble,
magnificent, magnanimous; but in private life, he is
rapacious, cruel, ever watchful for advantages, and
frequently a feeder on carrion.
The tiger of India occupies a place in natural his
tory next to the lion, and is classed with him among the
most powerful and mighty of brutes. His path, it is
true, is always red with blood, but it is the blood of
inferiors; he fears his equals and flies from those
above him. Like a midnight assassin, he creeps
through his native jungles and makes a desolation
around him; but his is the might of blood and
butchery. The grizzly bear of California, in the consciousness
of strength and the magnanimity of courage, alone
of all animals, stands unappalled in the face of any
enemy, and turns not from the sight of man. He
may not seek the conflict, but he never flies from it.

THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 11
He may not feed upon royal meat, nor feel the flow
of royal blood in his veins; but he is unapproachable,
overwhelming. The lion and the tiger are like the
deserts with their fiery simoons and tornadoes; the griz
zly bear of California, like the mountains with their
frosts and avalanches.
This was the animal which ranged, monarch of all
he surveyed, on every side of me. I frequently saw
him; he was to be found, I knew, in the bushy
gorges in all directions; and sometimes, in my hunts,
I would send a distant shot after him; but, as a gen
eral rule, during this first winter, I paid him the
respect to keep out of his way; and he seemed
somewhat ceremonious in return. Not by any means
that he feared me; but he did not invite the combat,
and I did not venture it. A few months afterwards,
I considered it a point of honor to give battle in
every case; but at this period bear hunting was not
specially an object of either my ambition or incli
nation. Upon entering the mountains, indeed, it was with
out any idea of devoting attention to bear hunting as
a business. I went to live in peace, not to levy war
upon the natives of the forest, any more than might
be necessary for my support or recreation. But an
event took place in the spring of 1853, which gave a
direction and purpose to my mountain life, and led
me to undertake those hunting expeditions and under
go those dangers and perils of which the history of
my career chiefly consists. This event was the ar
rival of my brother William in my mountain camp.

12 THE GRIZZLY BEAR.
He had come to California almost as early as I; but
all my endeavors to find him had been unavailing.
Although there was frequent communication between
different parts of the country, my inquiries were al
ways fruitless; never could I find even a trace of
him. He was a man of few words, having a tinge of
melancholy in his disposition, and little disposed to
mingle much in conversation; so that, on the other
hand, though he may have met many of my acquaint
ances, he learned nothing of me. While I was strug
gling in the southern mines to retain what had once
been mine, and was now but a rough hunter, possess
ing little besides my rifles and my oxen, he, who had
settled in the northern mines, had gone evenly for
ward, accumulated thousands, and was now returning,
a wealthy man, to the east. By mere accident, he
had heard of my failures and my subsequent retire
ment to the mountains, and had followed the clue
until he found me.
My brother gave me a brief account of his life in
California, which had been that of an industrious, en
ergetic, and successful miner, and concluded with an
earnest invitation for me to accompany him to our
home in Massachusetts, where he kindly offered to
start me in business again. I could not think for a
moment, however, of returning, a broken man, upon
his generosity, and replied that I preferred the wild
and free life of a hunter to the confinement of a city.
He observed from this answer the real state of the
case, and made a second proposition, as generous as
the first, and one which I could not refuse. This

THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 13
was, that he and I should enter into partnership;
he to advance the means, and I to collect wild an
imals of California and neighboring countries; in
short, we soon drew up and signed articles, specifying
the conditions of a regular contract, providing for the
payment of drafts, and prescribing the disposition to
be made of animals; in relation to which, it is almost
needless to state, that a carte-blanche was given me.
These arrangements being completed, my brother and
I again parted. He proceeded on his way to the
East, and I soon afterwards started upon my first
great hunting expedition.
I had long wished to see Oregon and Washington
territories, whose fame was known to the world, even
before that of California; and having now a business
object, I resolved that they should be the first regions
I would visit. I accordingly left my mountain fast
ness and drove down to a place called Howard's
Ranch, laid in a stock of ammunition, and such other
necessaries as were required; exchanged my oxen
for mules and packsaddles, and gathered such infor
mation regarding the northern countries and the roads
to them as could be obtained. I also opportunely
, fell in with a young man, named William Sykesey,
who had been in those regions before, and who will
ingly undertook to go with me on the expedition.
This young man came originally from Texas, and
seemed to have a tinge of Indian blood in his veins,
which was betrayed by his high cheek bones, his
long, coarse, black hair, and very dark complexion.
He had a good rifle and was a fair marksman; and,

14 THE GRIZZLY BEAR.
being well acquainted with woodcraft, my meeting
with him was fortunate.
From Howard's, Sykesey and I proceeded, with
our mules and packs, to Strawberry Ranch, near the
North Fork of the Tuolumne River, where we pro
cured the services of two Indian boys, about twenty
years of age. These lads, who proved to be true and
faithful fellows, had lived a portion of their lives among
white people, could speak the English language, and
understood the use of the rifle. The elder of them,
from the name of his tribe, I called Tuolumne; the
younger, for the same reason, Stanislaus. Our party
was now complete, consisting of myself and three vig
orous young men, having two good stout mules. We
were all four cased in buckskin, and three of us carried
rifles upon our backs; we had also pistols and
knives; and, packed upon our mules, were camp fix
tures, tools, a small quantity of flour, sugar, salt,
other provisions, and other articles necessary for our
vocation. It was a beautiful May morning when we finally
set out, — a morning doubly beautiful at that season,
in those elevated mountain regions. Nature had
arrayed herself in robes peculiarly fresh and green,
and Flora decked the landscape with myriad flowers
peculiarly bright and lovely. The purest and most
invigorating atmosphere spread around, and birds of
spring carolled songs from every tree. It was, in
deed, a delightful opening of the campaign, and we
set out upon our travels with hopeful and glad hearts.
We travelled northward from Strawberry Ranch,

THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 15
keeping upon the shoulders of the mountains, with
the snowy crest to our right and the valley of the
Sacramento far to our left. It was a rough road,
chosen only for the reason that we had to provide
ourselves with provisions on the way; and, frequently,
as the view opened here and there down into the
emerald and golden world below, we could not for a
moment but regret that we ever had to pass beyond
its borders. Happy the man that can establish his
permanent home there, and never be called upon to
live under other skies!
Without stopping to examine the country, or hunt
more than necessary, we hastened on for two weeks
to the Klamath region; whence we struck down
through that wilderness which lies between the Cas
cade and Blue mountains. We saw much to interest
us, on this travel, in the mountains, plains, forests,
streams, and Indians of Southern Oregon, but pushed
ahead as rapidly as possible, leaving the lofty heads
of Mount Jefferson and Mount Hood to our left, and
at length, well worn with fatigue, turned the great
bend of the Columbia, crossed Lewis's River, and struck
out into the country lying to the northeastward. We
came at last to a desirable valley among the hills,
where grass and water were abundant, about ten
miles distant from an Indian village or rancheria;
and, turning out our mules, we made our camp; and
this constituted our headquarters during the entire
summer. In the course of our journey, we killed a number
of animals, and caught two small black bear cubs,

16 THE GRIZZLY BEAR.
which we carried in a hamper on one of our mules.
We also, while near Klamath Lake, saw a strange
beast, which resembled a hedgehog with the head
and feet of a bear. We made all the endeavors in
our power to catch it, but in vain; and now, in look
ing back and harrowing my memory of this curious
animal, I am unable to describe it more particularly.
It was entirely unknown to me, and I had, very
unwillingly, to leave it as one of the nondescript
wonders of the Pacific coast.
The region of eastern Washington, where we were
now encamped, contains many fine animals; but chief
among them is the powerful one often denominated
the curly-haired brown bear, which is in reality, how
ever, but a variety of the grizzly species and cousin-
german of the monster of California. There are
several varieties of the grizzly bear; or, to speak
more properly, perhaps, the species has a wide range,
extending from the British Possessions on the north
to New Mexico on the south, and from the eastern
spurs of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.
He was once frequently found on the lower part of
the Missouri, and on the Mississippi River; but by
degrees has been driven back, until now, his range
east of the Rocky chain is much circumscribed. His
size, general appearance, and character, vary with
the part of this great region in which he is found;
for although courageous and ferocious in the Rocky
Mountains, he is there neither so large nor so terrible
as in the Sierra Nevada, where he attains his greatest
size and strength.

THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 17
The grizzly of the Rocky Mountains seldom, if
ever, reaches the weight of a thousand pounds; the
color of his hair is almost white; he is more dis
posed to attack man than the same species in other
regions, and has often been known to follow upon the
human track for several hours at a time. It was this
bear which first became known to the enlightened
world; and from him the species was appropriately
named grizzly. Among hunters, he is known as the
Rocky Mountain white bear, to distinguish him from
other varieties.
The California grizzly sometimes weighs as much
as two thousand pounds. He is of a brown color,
sprinkled with grayish hairs. When aroused, he is,
as has been said before, the most terrible of all ani
mals in the world to encounter; but ordinarily will
not attack man, except under peculiar circumstances.
It is of this animal that the most extraordinary feats
of strength are recorded. It is said, with truth, that
he can carry off a full-grown horse or buffalo, and
that, with one blow of his paw, he can stop a mad
bull in full career. When roused, and particularly
when wounded, there is no end to his courage; he
fights till the last spark of life expires, fearing no
odds, and never deigning to turn his heel upon the
combat. It is to him that the appellations of science,
ursus ferox and ursus horribilis, are peculiarly ap
plicable. The grizzly of Washington and Oregon territories
resembles the bear of California, with the exception
that he rarely attains so large a size, and has a

18 THE GRIZZLY BEAR.
browner coat. His hair is more disposed to curl
and is thicker, owing to the greater coldness of the
climate. He is not so savage, and can be hunted
with greater safety than either the California or
Rocky Mountain bear. In New Mexico, the grizzly
loses much of his strength and power, and upon the
whole is rather a timid and spiritless animal.

THE DEAD 0RT77I v .»,,.
UK1ZZLY AND HER CUBS,

LADY WASHINGTON. 19

CHAPTER III.
LADY WASHINGTON.
Discovery of a Grizzly and Cubs. Waylaying and Death of the Dam.
Attempt to lasso the Cubs. In a Tree-top. Reflections. Actions
of the Cubs. Indian Horses. Kennasket, the Indian Chief.
Pompey. Plan of Operations. Position of the Cubs. Second
unsuccessful Attempt to lasso the Cubs. Scene of Operations
changed. New Plan. The Spring. A Night-watch. Third un
successful Attempt to take the Cubs. Tracks about the Spring.
Wolves. Howling of Wolves. Adventure with a Black Bear.
Second Night-watch. Appearance of the Cubs. Pursuit. Chase
and Capture of my Cub. Adventure of my Comrades. Passage
of Words. Lady Washington.
Not far distant from my camp, there was an exten
sive tract of chaparral, covering the side of a broad
mountain and skirting a beautiful valley of tender
herbage. My attention was attracted to it by indi
cations of large bears; and, after a short examina
tion, I discovered on the mountain-side the den of
an old grizzly with two yearling cubs. The animals
were in the habit of descending into the valley every
night, and had worn a trail, along which they almost
invariably passed in their excursions. I immediately
determined, if possible, to slay this dam, and make
myself master of her offspring, which were two of the
finest looking young beasts I had ever seen.
To resolve to do a thing, and to do that thing, are
different matters; and so I found them on this occa
sion. There seemed, however, to be but one plan of
action, — to waylay the dam ; and, in accordance with

20 LADY WASHINGTON.
it, I concealed myself one morning near the trail,
when the animals were coming up from the valley. I
had both my rifles well charged lying at my side;
and, as the oldest approached, I drew Kentucky,
and planted a half-ounce ball in her breast. She fell,
but almost instantly recovered herself and rushed
towards me; when, seizing my second rifle, I fired a
second shot through her open mouth into her brain.
It is often the case that the grizzly will live for sev
eral hours after being pierced even through the head
or heart, and perform prodigies of strength; but in
this instance, fortunately for me, perhaps, life lasted
but a few minutes.
As soon as the dam expired, I seized a lasso, which
lay at my side, and rushed towards the cubs. I had
imagined it would be a matter of ease, with the dam
once out of the way, to secure them; but soon
learned my mistake. As I rushed at them, they
retreated; as I pursued, they broke away, and, doub
ling, shot past with a rapidity of motion which defied
all my skill. I chased a long time without success;
and, finally, when they and I were nearly worn out,
they suddenly turned and made so violent an attack
upon me that I was compelled, for my personal
safety, to betake myself to a tree, and was glad to
find one to climb. Although but little more than a
year old, I saw that they had teeth and claws which
were truly formidable.
It was a ludicrous situation which I occupied in
that tree; and it makes me laugh now to think how
a hunter of great bears was thus besieged by little

LADY WASHINGTON. 21
ones. However, there I sat, and there was no help
for it. The cubs tried to climb after me, and it was
necessary to pound their paws to keep them down;
and I shall never forget how they snapped their jaws,
and how wickedly they looked, when they were satis
fied I was beyond their reach. Had they been full-
grown grizzlies and thus driven me, like the sage
Nestor of antiquity, to seek refuge in the branches,
it might have been a long time before it would have
been their good pleasure to withdraw; but the cubs
did not understand the art of starving an enemy;
and, in the course of half an hour, went off to their
dead mother. They had shown enough, however, to
make me give up the idea of taking them by the plan
proposed; and, as I left the place, I began contriving
other kinds of expedients for their capture.
The plan hit upon at last was to procure horses
from the Indians; for it seemed to me that, if we
could chase the cubs into the plain, and pursue on
horseback, we could certainly take them with our
lassos. Accordingly, the same day, I mounted a
mule, and, taking a quantity of dried venison as a
present, rode down to the village, which I found to
be under the sway of a hard-headed but good-natured
old Indian potentate, named Kennasket. This chief,
for divers good reasons, doubtless, placed little re
liance in the white man; but he seemed pleased with
my present and conversation, and finally consented to
loan me three good horses, with which, however, he
sent a brave, whom we called Pompey, to see to their
safe return.

22 LADY WASHINGTON.
Having thus procured horses, three of us, well
mounted, took the field the next morning before day
light, and repaired to the neighborhood of the dead
bear, where the cubs still remained. It was my
intention to drive them down the trail to the open
valley, so that our lassos could be used with effect;
and I therefore directed my comrades to conceal
themselves and be ready to rush forward. Having
dismounted, I then made a circuit, and getting upon
the trail above the position of the animals, moved
slowly down towards them. In many places the
bushes were so thick that I had to creep under them
upon my hands and knees; and, as my rifle was
never out of my hands, it may be conceived that
the path was not without its annoyances.
Upon drawing near the spot, a most interesting
sight presented itself to my eyes. The cubs lay,
with their paws upon the body of their dead mother,
as if endeavoring to draw the accustomed warmth
from it. Their appearance was so pleasing, so child
like, that, for a few moments, I could only stop and
gaze. At first they did not observe me; but, on a
slight movement, they suddenly sprang to their feet,
and, as they did so, I dashed forward, whirling my
cap. They bounded down the trail; I followed,
thinking we surely had them now; but, unfortunately,
my comrades, too anxious to act, prematurely left
their places; and the cubs, frightened by the display,
bounded aside from the trail, and, getting into the
chaparral, escaped.
The next morning, we endeavored to try the same

LADY WASHINGTON. 23
plan over; but, on going to the place, I found that
the body of the dam had been devoured during the
previous afternoon by vultures or buzzards; and of
the cubs nothing was to be seen. I was now put
to my wits to know what to do; for some time it
appeared that nothing could be accomplished; but,
finally, the idea occurred to me that, as there was
but one spring in the valley, the animals would have
to visit it for water, and that there was the place
to take them. I therefore determined to watch the
spring; and, as soon as it began to grow dark that
evening, selected a place of concealment, where, the
result of the experiment being uncertain, and the
remainder of the party choosing to return to camp,
I was left alone.
The spring was a curious one, boiling up in the
midst of the valley and making a pond, with a con
siderable space of moisture. For some distance
around it there was a rank vegetation of coarse and
heavy grass, called sword-grass, and a few trees and
bushes. The mountains at the borders of the valley
were high and rugged, with chaparral upon their
sides, and oak, cedar, pine, and various kinds of moun
tain shrubbery about their summits. It was a lone
place; no signs of human habitation were to be seen,
no sounds of human life to be heard; and, particu
larly at night, the place was desolate and dreary
indeed. I tried to beguile the time by a severe
exercise of thought upon other subjects; but, in a
short time, I fell into a doze, then into a sleep, and
was not awakened until midnight, when the cubs

24 LADY WASHINGTON.
unexpectedly passed by me. The moon shone, and
they were plainly to be seen; but they had evidently
been at the spring, and were now on their return to
the mountain. They had outwitted me! I instantly
sprang from my concealment and rushed after them;
but in vain, — before I could overtake them, they
reached the chaparral; and thus, for the third time,
my endeavors failed.
It was my intention at first, after this failure, to
return to camp; but the thought struck me, that per
haps other animals would visit the spring, and I might
still not go empty-handed. I had before noticed the
tracks of panthers, wolves, deer, and antelopes, be
sides those of bears, in the neighborhood; and, as
almost all wild animals are abroad in the night-time,
there were fair chances of meeting some of them.
The idea was not a mistaken one; for in the course
of a few hours a pack of wolves approached. It is
the habit of these animals, when they drink as well
as when they eat, to do so noiselessly; but, as soon as
they have satisfied themselves, they usually set up a
concert of howls, which is anything but pleasant. It
is indeed a horrible noise, the most hateful a man
alone in the wilderness at night can hear. To a per
son anywise low-spirited or melancholy, it suggests
the most awful fancies, and is altogether doleful in the
extreme. I am, perhaps, as little affected with squeam-
ishness as any man; but the lugubrious howl of a
pack of wolves is more than I like; and I was glad
to put the cowardly rascals to flight by sending a
ball after them.

LADY WASHINGTON. 25
It was nearly morning before anything else ap
proached. The moon had gone down; dawn began
to appear; and I thought for certain that nothing
more would come, when a light step attracted my
attention; and, by putting my ear to the ground, I
recognized it as the tread of a bear. To take a
prize at last, after my long watch, was a pleasant
anticipation; and I was all willingness for a conflict
with the beast, however large or however ferocious
he might prove to be. It was not necessary to wait
long; in a few minutes a large black bear approached
the spring; drank heartily, stepped into the water,
and, after wallowing, came out and began rolling on the
grass. At this moment, before he could start off for
the mountains again, I resolved to fire; and, drawing
my rifle to my face, uttered a yell to attract his atten
tion. As anticipated, he rose upon his hind legs, and
presented as fair a mark as could have been desired.
Though still in the gray of the morning, the light of
dawn shone upon my rifle barrel; the sights aimed
directly at his breast, and I fired. It was all the
work of a moment; and the bear sprawled upon the
ground, which he tore in his mortal agony. I was so
excited that, without waiting to reload, I rushed up,
planted my foot upon his neck, and plunged my knife
into his throat — and for several days afterwards his
meat served for provisions.
Being now certain that the grizzly cubs visited the
spring, I ordered out all my forces the next evening,
and concealed them about the place, with strict in
structions not to move but upon a signal. We com-

26 LADY WASHINGTON.
menced at sundown and watched till midnight. Once
in a while a band of antelopes, a couple of deer, or a
pack of wolves would approach; but they were al
lowed to come and go undisturbed. The stars, which
rose in the evening, passed over our heads, and
had sunk far down into the west; and faint streaks
of light already played upon the eastern horizon,
when, all at once, a yelping on the mountain, in the
direction of the den, gave the welcome notification
of the approach of the cubs. We now all stood
watching every shadow and catching every sound.
Presently the little bears ran past us, plunged their
noses in the water, wallowed a few minutes, and then,
crawling out, began tumbling and wrestling on the
grass. At this moment, I gave the whistle; and sink
ing the spurs into our horses' sides, and swinging our
lassos about our heads, we dashed forwards. The
cubs, frightened by our sudden and unexpected at
tack, separated and ran in different directions. I pur
sued one, and my comrades the other.
My cub, which proved to be a female, bounded into
the plain, and required a long chase. She ran quite
a mile before it was possible for me to throw the lasso,
which was no sooner over her head than she poked it
off, and started on again. I followed several miles, and
threw the lasso over her again and again, as many as
seven times, before it kept its place; but it did finally
retain its hold, and she was mine. I immediately
sprang from my horse, and, whipping out a muzzle
and cords from my pockets, soon had her bound head
and foot. She was so beautiful that I had to stop

LADY WASHINGTON. 27
and admire her for some time, before going to see what
my comrades had done.
They, too, had succeeded. Indeed, they flattered
themselves that they had excelled the old hunter, —
a hallucination in which I indulged them awhile for
amusement. When the cubs separated, they had
pursued theirs, which proved to be a male, a long
distance, until he ran into a chaparral so thick and
interlaced that he became completely entangled.
They then dismounted, and seized him with their
hands in such a manner that, though all were more
or less scratched and bitten, they succeeded in secur
ing and binding him, — and well was he bound; never
in my life before or since have I seen an animal so
completely tied up and wound about. They had then
procured a long pole, and slinging the bear upon it,
had borne him upon their shoulders to the spring.
All this they told with great glee, enjoying their sup
posed triumph over me. I asked to be shown the
place where they had captured him; and when they
pointed it out, I remarked that they had an easier
place to catch their bear than I mine; but they had
got bitten and scratched, which I had not. This
speech puzzled them. "Look at your hands," said
I; "mine are not scratched in that way; there is
no blood here;" and then I told them my story.
"And," said I, "she is the prettiest little animal
in all the country." Sykesey and Tuolumne thought
I was joking, and wanted a proof; but, looking them
straight in the eyes, I asked if they had ever known

28 LADY WASHINGTON.
the old hunter to lie. No, they replied, they had never
known that he ever did.
Such was the manner in which my bear, Lady
Washington, one of the companions of my future
hunting life, was captured. From that time to this,
she has always been with me; and often has she
shared my dangers and privations, borne my burdens,
and partaken of my meals. The reader may be sur
prised to hear of a grizzly companion and friend; but
Lady Washington has been both to me. He may
hardly credit the accounts of my nestling up between
her and the fire to keep both sides warm under the
winter colds of the mountains; but they are all true;
let him only read on.

THE WAY TO CAMP. 29

CHAPTER IV.
THE WAY TO CAMP.
Plans for removing the Cubs. A worrying Experiment. Pompey's
Proposition. An Indian Cart. Pompey's Lack of Punctuality.
Peculiarities of the Indian Cart. Indian Harness. Pompey's
amusing Reasoning. Start for Camp. Adventure with Wolves.
Lobos Leggings. A precious Carcass. Feast at the Nightfire.
Dried Venison. The Leather Bottle. Visit to the Indian Vil
lage. Indian Barter. Condition of the Horse Hiring. The Vil
lage. Kennasket's Government. Kennasket. Friendly Recep
tion. Friendly Relations. Character of the Indians. The Cali-
fornian Diggers. "Indian Depredations." The Northern In
dians. My Experience. Providence and the Indians.
As the cubs were now caught, the next matter was
to get them to camp; and upon this question various
opinions were held. Sykesey proposed taking them
bound upon horseback; Tuolumne preferred making
a drag of grass, fastening them upon it, and pulling
them along; but there were objections to both these
plans. We finally determined to make an experiment
with the male cub, by putting a strap of buckskin
about his neck, attaching lariats on both sides, and
leading him. This arrangement, however, did not
work as well as anticipated; and the animal worried
himself so much, by prancing and leaping to one or
the other side, that, by the time we got to camp, he
was completely worn out. However, we doused him
into water, and, as soon as he was cooled and re
freshed, chained him up to a tree.

30 THE WAY TO CAMP.
On account of the above difficulties, I proposed
making for Lady Washington a kind of box of dry
hide, and packing her in on horseback; but my In
dian friend, Pompey, said, No, that he would procure
a cart, which would answer much better. This cart,
he said, was of a kind sometimes used by the Indians
for hauling their goods from place to place, and con
sisted of a tongue, axle-tree, two solid wooden wheels,
and a body of green hide. I had never seen a
vehicle of the kind, but from the description it
seemed to be the very thing required, and I sent
him off at once to procure it; and he promised to
meet me where the bear lay three hours before dark.
Agreeably to our understanding, I rode out about-
the middle of the afternoon to the spot, and found the
cub lying where she had been left, but fretting con
siderably with her situation. I passed the time ad
miring her, and looking for Pompey; but it grew
nearly sundown, and he did not make his appearance.
I fired my rifle several times as a signal; and at last,
as the sun went down, a faint shout replied, appearing
to come from a great distance; but this was caused
by an intervening hill; and in a few minutes Pompey,
with a cart drawn by two horses, came up, followed
by three Indians on foot.
I had to stand amazed at the novelty of the vehicle
they had brought. It answered the description given
of it, but was entirely different from my idea, being
one of the most rude and aboriginal carriages possible.
The harness consisted of strips of dry elk-hide, rubbed
in the hands until pliable, and fastened together with

THE WAY TO CAMP. 31
strings of the same. The traces were made of like
strips, twisted. There were no collars, but only broad
bands of hide in place of them. The tongue of the
cart was short, and held up between the horses by
strings attached to the shoulder-bands; but there was
no breeching, and this astonished me most of all. I
asked the Indians how they could keep the cart from
running upon the horses' legs when going down hill.
Pompey replied, that an Indian's cart was made to
go only forwards, and it was a bad horse that could
not keep out of the way of it. This answer amused
me, and I should have asked many more questions;
but the night approached, and we therefore, without
more ado, hastily lashed the cub on the cart, and
Pompey, jumping upon one of the horses, started off
at so round a rate that I found it difficult to keep up.
The Indians on foot put themselves to a fast trot,
and, being good runners, lagged not behind in the
race. On the road to camp, upon getting within a mile
of it, we suddenly came upon a pack of wolves, at a
spot where they appeared, by remarkable good for
tune, to have found a choice bit of carrion. The
Indians cried out Lobos, as both they and the Span
iards call wolves, and asked me to kill them. At
that time, wolves had no value in my eyes; but, to
please the Indians, I dismounted, and, crawling tow
ards the pack, which had gorged themselves, and
were now howling and fighting over what was left,
as is the habit of these gluttonous creatures, fired at
them. My shot was random, there not being light

32 THE WAY TO CAMP.
enough to see; but I succeeded, by firing into their
midst, in boring one through the middle, and soon
heard him draw his breath through blood. At this
the Indians were exceedingly delighted, and, with
almost one voice, asked for the skin. I had always
supposed that wolf skins were valueless; but now
learned that they are highly prized by these northern
Indians, who make leggings of them. So much, in
deed, did they prize it, that they would not suffer the
precious carcass to be tied on the cart with the bear,
for fear of its being torn, and insisted upon carrying
it themselves. So anxious were they for lobos leg
gings, that I at once engaged them for a grand ante
lope hunt, by a promise of wolf skins.
After this, we proceeded, without further incident,
to camp, where a quantity of roasted bear-steaks, tea
made of a fragrant herb of the mountains, and a rous
ing, comfortable, big fire awaited us. We were now
eight souls in all, and sat down flat upon the ground
to a feast such as only hungry hunters could prop
erly enjoy. Our provisions, which were heaped before
us when we sat down, rapidly dwindled away; but we
continued to hack and hew until after midnight, and
finally had it break in upon our stores of dried veni
son. This we placed upon the coals, so as to make it
more brittle and edible; and most earnestly did we
attack it. I remarked that my rifle had never failed
in the hour of need, and directed the company not to
spare; and I can assure the reader that the company
did not spare; these Indians, whatever may be their
failings in other respects, are terrible fellows with

THE WAY TO CAMP. 33
their jaws. The meal was barely ended, when Pom
pey, with a ludicrous twist of his lips, asked for the
leather bottle. I protested that the leather bottle
contained nothing but medicine. Pompey replied
that it was good medicine for red man as well as
white; and I found myself obliged to bring out the
brandy, though I had but a few pints. We accord
ingly closed the occasion with a hearty swallow, which
enlivened us all; and then, having chained up the
second cub as we had done the first, we crept into
our blankets, in an excellent good-humor with the
world and with ourselves, and went to sleep.
The next day, having no further present use for
the horses which were hired of the Indians, I deter
mined to return them, and at the same time pay
a visit of respect to the village, it being not only
politic to make friends of our neighbors, but a matter
of common justice to acknowledge our obligations to
them. Accordingly, packing up a mule, I requested
Pompey to take the horses, and we proceeded to the
village. The main species of traffic among these children
of the wilderness is barter; there is, it is true, a
knowledge of coin, which is becoming more extended
as they are thrown into more frequent intercourse
with civilization, but exchanges in kind still consti
tute the principal trade. My agreement had been to
pay a sack of dried meat for each horse each day of
their use; and as the indebtedness daily accumu
lated, this was an additional reason for promptness
in settling the account.

34 THE WAY TO CAMP.
The village was a collection of wigwams under the
government of the old chief Kennasket, a man whom
I afterwards found to be of considerable dignity of
character, and, for a savage, of remarkable mildness
and urbanity of manner. He ruled over his people
with a sort of patriarchal sway, exercising the power,
not of a conqueror and despot, but of a protector
and father. The whole constitution of the society,
indeed, resembled what we are taught of the pa
triarchs, with the exception that, instead of those
immense flocks which we read of, the only domesti
cated animals found here were horses and dogs, and
the mode of life was rude in the extreme.
The chief, when I was brought into his presence,
expressed himself glad to see the white man, and
thanked me for the venison. He had always been
disposed, he said, to look upon the pale faces with
distrust, having frequently been wronged by them;
but, seeing that I was punctual and honorable, he
hoped we might be friends. With these words, he
looked up towards heaven, as if calling upon the
Great Spirit to witness the purity of his intentions,
and handed me his pipe, which I smoked. We then
settled the terms of our accounts; and, in this trans
action, he was much more liberal than was to have
been expected. After passing my faith that the
score should soon be squared off, I shook hands with
all the Indians, mounted my mule, and, followed by
Pompey, returned to camp.
The excellent relations thus so auspiciously com
menced with the Indians, afforded assurances that we

THE WAY TO CAMP. 35
would have no difficulties with them. They are a
rude race of beings, but intrinsically very much like
ourselves, having the same passions, differing from us
more in education, or want of education, than in
nature. Even the Digger races of California, though
idle, shiftless, and filthy, as a general rule, are capa
ble of being active and handy, — witness my boys,
Tuolumne and Stanislaus. They have been, how
ever, greatly abused by those whites who consider
them little better than beasts; and their generally
peaceful and submissive characters, instead of pro
curing immunity from injury, have seemed only to
invite oppression. It makes my blood boil with
indignation to hear of the cruelties sometimes prac
tised towards these poor creatures; for if the truth
of the oft-repeated battle-cry of "Indian Depreda
tions" were known, few indeed would be the cases
found where the red men were really at fault.
The northern tribes, being fiercer and more dis
posed to resent injuries than the poor Diggers, are
more respected, and treated more like fellow beings;
but even in their case, it is not humanity or respect
that protects them but rather the fear of their retali
ation. Over the whole western country, it seems to
be a rule that the white man can injure the Indian
with impunity, and no one steps forward to make his
the common cause of mankind; but let the Indian
retaliate, and the cry of "Indian Depredations" is
raised, and the hounds of war and extermination are
loosened to slay and ravage. I have lived much
among the red men; I have seen much, and had

36 THE WAY TO CAMP.
many opportunities of knowing them intimately; but
in all cases, in the north and in the south, never have
I found them otherwise than as well disposed for
peace and fair dealing as the white men. My tastes
of propriety and cleanliness, as a white man, have
frequently been shocked by their habits; but honor
able and courtly dealing on my part has always been
met with a return in kind on theirs. In all my ex
perience, I have never had to quarrel or fight with
them; and I am convinced that, if my disposition
towards them had actuated all white men from the
first, they would have been found as well disposed to
all as they invariably were to me.
It is the decree of an overruling Providence that
the red man shall die out, and there is no fault to be
found with it, any more than with the fiat which
ordered the extermination of the ancient creatures
whose forms live only in the rocks; but that butchery
and wrong by their own more enlightened fellow-men
should be the means of destruction, seems to me not
necessarily the command of a good God. It may be
that everything that is, is right; but we might make
it different, and it would still be right.

ANTELOPE HUNTING. 37

CHAPTER V.
ANTELOPE HUNTING.
Antelope Peculiarities. Inquisitiveness. Manner of hunting Ante
lopes. Antelope Lookouts. Plan for a Surround. Success.
Attack. Panic. Slaughter. A Field of Carnage. My Greatness.
Packing Antelopes. The Art of Packing. Proposition to the
Indians. Stuff Indians are made of. Tuolumne's Sleep. I
mimic the Bear for Tuolumne's Benefit. The Camp alarmed.
Tuolumne's Account of the Adventure. I tell my Story. Strength
of Tuolumne's Imagination.
Our supply of fresh provisions being now entirely
gone, I led out my whole party for an antelope hunt.
In the course of an hour or two, we reached a grassy
plain, where this animal abounded; and, as the sun
rose over the misty landscape, we descried a herd of
about fifty. The antelope is one of the sharpest-
sighted and keenest-scented of all animals, and being
also the fleetest, the hunter would have great diffi
culty in taking it, were it not for another peculiarity
in its nature, which renders it a comparatively easy
prize. I refer to its curiosity; it is so inquisitive as
almost invariably to approach, rather than run from, a
strange object, unless badly frightened. The attrac
tion of highly colored cloths, particularly, is so great
that it is often drawn into the very jaws of destruc
tion by running up to look at them. Frequently I
have decoyed a foolish herd within fifteen or twenty
steps of my rifle, by merely holding up my handker-

38 ANTELOPE HUNTING.
chief, coat, or hat, or even my hand or foot. To lie
on one's back, with the feet in the air and the rifle
between the legs, is a favorite and very successful
mode of hunting them.
When a herd of antelopes is feeding, one of the
bucks, and sometimes more than one, stands upon the
lookout. He generally selects an eminence a little
apart from his companions, and continually snuffs and
whiffs the air, throwing his head in every direction,
and noticing everything calculated to attract atten
tion. It is easy to recognize him; and if the hunter
can succeed in deceiving or escaping his watchfulness,
he finds no trouble in approaching the herd. Having
this knowledge of the habits of the animal, I gave
my comrades instructions how to surround the game
without alarming them, well knowing that if we could
frighten them into a panic, there would be no diffi
culty in taking as many as we required. They fol
lowed my directions implicitly, and Pompey, when he
reached his post, raised a red handkerchief, the flutter
ing of which soon attracted the notice of the antelope
lookout. Upon observing it, the animal gave a sharp
snort, and, bounding into the air, wheeled around and
called the attention of the herd to the strange sight.
Immediately, the other Indians raised their handker
chiefs at other points; and upon all closing in, the
animals, seeing too late that they were surrounded,
became bewildered, and, huddling up together, wheeled
and tramped around in utter amazement, apparently
not knowing what to do or where to go.
In the meanwhile, taking care to keep our bodies

ANTELOPE HUNTING. 39
concealed in the long grass, we had continued to
approach; and, being now within sixty yards of the
panic-stricken animals, I rose upon my feet, took
deliberate aim, and fired into their midst. Sykesey
and Tuolumne followed the example, and the Indians
discharged their arrows. I reloaded as quickly as
possible, and fired a second shot; then, dropping the
rifle, pulled my revolver in my right and my bowie-
knife in my left hand, and rushed into the thick of
the herd, which continued wheeling and tramping
around in a circle, seeing themselves surrounded on
all sides, and too much alarmed to fly. At the same
time my comrades rushed forward; and we were soon
all mixed up together, myself, the Indians, and the
antelopes. Having discharged the shots of my pistol,
I began plying my knife; and as the Indians used
theirs, we wounded several that escaped our fire
arms. In the midst of the excitement, a buck broke
away from the herd and was immediately followed by
all that were able to get away, some dragging lamed
limbs after them. As, however, six dead and five
wounded lay before us, there was no use pursuing
the flying band, and they were allowed to escape,
although we might easily have procured a dozen
more. The field, as it was, was a field of carnage. Within
the space of half an acre lay the bodies, some strug
gling still with life; and the grass all around was
sprinkled with blood. We soon despatched the
wounded; and, dragging the eleven into a heap,
surveyed our work with satisfaction. The Indians,

40 ANTELOPE HUNTING.
particularly, looked on with astonishment, and said
one to the other, that the white man was muchee
goodee killee muck-a-muclc, — that is, a great hunter.
I said that it was no great thing for a white man to
plan a slaughter in that manner; but the Indians con
tinued to regard it as an extraordinary feat; and,
from that time on, they regarded me as a very great
man, a Hyas Tyee, a great chief.
It is usual, on the hunt, after killing large game,
to open it and turn out the entrails, as well to lighten
the load to be carried as to preserve the freshness
and sweetness of the meat. Such would have been
the course here; but considering that the hearts,
livers, lungs, and other inward parts would make
good provisions for our young bears, I ordered the
bodies of the antelopes to be packed as they were.
The mules were brought up; three antelopes placed
on each, — two lengthwise, and one crosswise on top;
and, being firmly lashed to the saddles, they made
good loads of about three hundred pounds. Packing
is an art which requires some apprenticeship; and,
in countries where goods are transported on the
backs of animals, a skilful hand is a man of repute.
Our mules being able to take but six of the bodies,
and there being five over, I determined, as a matter
of experiment, to try what the Indians were made of,
and proposed that each one, who would carry an
antelope to camp without stopping, should have it
for his pains. At the time of making the banter, I
did not expect its acceptance; but Pompey's three
friends directly picked up a body each and started

ANTELOPE HUNTING. 41
off. They did not calculate the distance, which was
not less than three miles, but started off manfully.
There being two bodies left, I directed Tuolumne to
remain with them until my return with the mules;
and the rest of us then proceeded after the stalwart
Indians, and, in the course of a mile, overtook them.
Their legs were already weakening under their bur
dens; and, in the course of a few hundred yards
further, one suddenly threw his load down and de
clared that he would carry no more muck-a-muck;
and the two others followed his example. They had,
however, done so well that I freely gave them the
game, and, on my return, loaned them a mule to
carry it the remainder of the way.
Upon getting back to Tuolumne, I found him lying
in the grass, near his antelopes, but fast asleep. The
sun had by this time risen high, and was darting fierce
rays upon him; but the boy was so completely over
come that he did not awake at my approach. I even
packed the antelopes, and drove off a short distance;
and still he slumbered, perfectly unconscious of all
that transpired around him. This was culpable neg
lect on his part, and I determined to teach him a les
son. Accordingly, after concealing the loaded mule
entirely out of sight, I encased myself in a bear-skin
which ordinarily served the purpose of a blanket
under the mule's saddle, and, hiding myself in the
long grass near the sleeping fellow, uttered a savage
growl, as nearly like that of a bear as possible. Tuo
lumne, being startled, sprang in an instant to his feet,
and stooped to seize his rifle, which lay at his side;

42 ANTELOPE HUNTING.
but I growled louder than before, and made a jump
forwards. At this demonstration, he wheeled, and
ran as fast as his legs would carry him, ingloriously
leaving his rifle behind. The faster he ran, the faster
I followed and the louder I growled. He looked
over his shoulder once, but seeing himself pursued by
a most savage and bloodthirsty animal, as he sup
posed, strained himself to the extent of his speed;
it was only with difficulty that his heels could be seen,
for the dust he raised. When he disappeared, I
leisurely picked up his rifle, and, taking the mule,
proceeded to camp.
Upon arriving there, I found that Tuolumne had
told a terrible story about being chased by a bear;
and the entire camp was in a great state of excitement
at his account of the monster, which he declared had
pursued within a short distance of where they sat.
Being willing to play the joke a little further, I did
not contradict the report, but affected to believe it,
and amused myself with listening to his description
of the bear, which he said was not so very large, but
exceedingly fierce.
When we turned into our blankets that night, I
cautioned him to keep a good look-out. "That bear,"
said I, "has got a smell of your meat, and he will be
sure to call on you before morning." This frightened
the poor fellow so much that he became violently
excited. I continued to aggravate all the circum
stances which he had narrated, until he became pos
itively alarmed, when I reproached him for his
cowardice, and told all the particulars of my finding

ANTELOPE HUNTING. 43
him asleep, packing and concealing the mule, how I
had thrown the bear-skin over my head, how I growled,
how far I had chased him, and, indeed, all the facts
just as they occurred. But Tuolumne could not, or
would not, believe otherwise than that he had really
been pursued by a bear, and answered all our jokes
at his expense by the reply that what he saw with
his eyes he must believe. To such an extent will
imagination sometimes take possession of the senses,
and, on small foundation, conjure up terrors which
have no actual existence!

44 TRAP BUILDING.

CHAPTER VI.

TRAP BUILDING.

Determination to build Traps. Tools. Construction of the Body of
a Trap. Doors. Dead-fall Arrangement. Modus Operandi of
a Trap. Early Work. The Beauties of Morning. Distribution
of Labor. Blasting Logs. Adventure with a Black Bear. Abun
dant Venison. Philosophy_of our Hunting.
Having thus, by a few hunts and the many indi
cations on every side, fully convinced myself of the
existence, in abundance, of fine game in the country,
I determined immediately to build traps; for it was
on them, and not on the rifle or the lasso, that any
great reliance for the capture of living animals could
be placed. We had already put off this work too
long, and it would not do to delay any longer. We
therefore at once proceeded to select positions for
three traps, choosing such places as the game most
frequented, and where the materials for the building
could be most conveniently procured. As for tools,
they were a portion of the outfit which we brought
from California, consisting of axes, saws, hatchets,
augers, chisels, picks, shovels, and drawing-knives.
With these we commenced our labors, and, having
anticipations of great success, worked with alacrity
and perseverance.
There are required, for the construction of a good
trap, about seventy pieces of timber, and a large num-

TRAP BUILDING. 45
ber of wooden pins. It is usually made in size about
ten feet long, five wide, and five high. When the
ground is selected and levelled off, two parallel
trenches are dug, into which the sleepers are laid;
and upon these is pinned the floor, which consists of
logs placed side by side, resembling a section of cor
duroy road. The sides are made by placing a num
ber of large timbers, similar to the sleepers, one above
the other, and pinning them firmly together, so that
solid walls of timber are formed; and upon these are
pinned the top timbers, which resemble those of the
bottom. Above these, along the sides, are laid what
are called string-pieces, which are not only pinned
down, but at the ends they are connected with the
sleepers by perpendicular ties, made of limbs with
crotches or hooks at their extremities. Thus bound,
the body of the trap is very strong, and might be
turned over repeatedly, like a box open at the ends,
without displacing a timber. But, for the purpose of
making it still stronger, a spot is generally selected
between two trees, into which the side timbers, be
sides being fastened together, are also pinned, doub
ling the strength. Where there are no trees, posts
are generally planted for the same purpose; or
where there is one tree, a post is used on the other
side. Strength is the great object.
The doors are made of split boards a few inches
thick, pinned together crosswise in a square form of
the required size. They are intended to slide up
and down in grooves, made by pinning slats at the
ends of the trap. When they are down, the trap is

46 TRAP BUILDING.
perfectly inclosed, a complete box. But the most
nice and particular work is the apparatus for setting
and springing the doors. Two upright, forked pieces
of wood, a few feet high, are mortised into the middle
of the string-pieces, one on each side; and in their
forks rests a beam. Over this beam play two levers,
eight or nine feet long, to the outer ends of which,
by short chains or ropes, the doors are attached.
The butt-ends of these levers are sharpened, to fit
the notches of a small but important piece of timber,
which holds them in their places. The levers lying
across the beam, with the weight of the doors at their
outer ends, there is a strain tending to draw their
butt-ends apart; the notched stick supports this
strain, and holds them in position. While the levers,
and by them the doors, are held up by the notched
stick, the stick itself is held by the levers, — the whole
being a sort of self-sustaining, double dead-fall arrange
ment. The bait is attached, by a rope running up
through a hole in the top of the trap, to this notched
stick; so that if an animal enters the trap, and jerks
at the bait, it pulls the notched stick away, and dis
places the levers from the notches; and the doors,
being no longer supported, of course fall, and the
animal is inclosed. Such is the common double-door
trap of the mountains; but sometimes only one door
is made, and the arrangement is somewhat simpler.
The three traps occupied our time for a couple of
weeks; and we labored steadily, going out early
every morning to our work. It has always been my
opinion that an hour before sunrise is worth two after-

TRAP BUILDING. 47
wards; the mind is then clear and the body fresh;
and it was my practice, therefore, to rouse the camp
and get upon the way even in advance of Aurora.
A person who has not experienced the influence of
an early, calm, summer morning, with the heavens
lighting up in a crimson glow above, and the birds
wakening into song around him, may perhaps imag
ine, but cannot feel the beauty and joyousness of
the scene.
During the first days of the building, we took the
mules with us, for the purpose of hauling the logs
together in such places as had been selected for the
traps. These spots were several miles apart, but all
in ravines where timber-trees were plenty. In some
cases, little hauling was necessary; but in others, logs
had to be brought from some distance; and this labor
was generally attended to by the boys, while Sykesey
and I, being more expert with the tools, hewed and
hacked. Everything went well till we came to make
the doors of the first trap; when, having occasion to
split a straight-grained but tough log, we experienced
difficulty, and for some time did not know how to man
age it. The axe was not enough, nor would wedges
work as well as could be wished; and, after several
ineffectual trials, we found that some other plan must
be adopted. I remembered a method of splitting
logs sometimes practised in the forests of New Eng
land, and determined to try it. This was to bore an
auger-hole in the log, and load it with gunpowder, in
the same manner that blasts in rocks are charged.
It succeeded admirably, rending the timber into two

48 TRAP BUILDING.
equal pieces; after which it was easy to split it up
into boards with our axes and wedges. In this man
ner we worked up other logs, until there were boards
sufficient. During all the period of our labor our rifles were
always within reach, and on the way to and from the
traps they were invariably upon our shoulders. One
morning, as we were thus on our way, we observed
a black bear on a hill-side ahead, which appeared to
be either eating grass or digging roots. I resolved
to slay it, and, giving the mules over to the care of
the boys, directed Sykesey to take one direction and
I would take another, to get above the beast and
shoot it. It was preconcerted that he should fire
first; and, upon reaching the spot pointed out, he did
so; but the ball struck the bowels instead of the
vitals of the beast, and seemed rather to madden
than disable. It tore up the grass and dirt at a fear
ful rate, and looked about for its enemy. Meanwhile,
I endeavored to procure a shot at the heart, but was
not able to do so, on account of its violent motions;
and, therefore, trusting to chances, rose with my rifle
at my face, and uttered a yell. At this, the bear
turned, and I fired; but with little better effect than
Sykesey; the animal only reeled and staggered for
a moment, and then ran towards a thicket about a
hundred yards distant. I immediately dropped the
rifle, and, drawing my revolver and knife, rushed after
it; and so closely, that, suddenly facing about, it made
at me open-jawed, within a few feet. Being prepared
for this, however, I discharged my pistol in its face;

TRAP BUILDING. 49
the ball passed through the nose into the brain, and
the brute fell over backwards, dead. We left the
boys to quarter and pack the meat to camp, and pro
ceeded, as usual, to our work.
As the traps were completed, one after the other,
we baited them with pieces of fresh venison. Deer
were plenty, and fell before our rifles in unconsidered
numbers, affording a bountiful supply of provisions
for our wants, and for barter with the Indians. I
never killed game in mere wantonness, nor allowed
those under my control to do so; but the hungry
stomachs of two men at constant hard labor, and of
two growing Indian boys, besides the traps, captive
bears, and drying-poles, required an amount of flesh,
which might surprise the uninformed. The exercise
of a hunter creates a keen appetite, and, if successful,
he is as dainty in his palate as other good livers,
accepting none but choice cuts. For this reason,
unless he have animals to feed with the refuse, he
sometimes makes great and inexcusable waste, giving
too much cause for the reproach of indiscriminate
slaughter, which is often laid at his door.

50 IN THE CHAPARRAL.

CHAPTER VII.
IN THE CHAPARRAL.
An overgrown Precipice. Back foremost Descent of a Grizzly.
Sykesey's Fright. My Attack. Sykesey shoots and runs.
Escape of the Bear. Sykesey's Excuse and my Reply. Conver
sation with Sykesey. Sykesey confounded. Sykesey's Proposi
tion. We enter the Chaparral. Discovery of the Bear. Her
Position. Effect of my Shot. Her Wounds. Picture of an Elk.
A dangerous Combat. Death of the Elk. Porter-house Steak.
Smoking and baiting a Trap.
Opposite where we built our last trap was a hill
composed of crumbling rocks, high and precipitous.
It was covered with chaparral, and by the spreading
and interlacing of creeping branches and vines, the
precipice appeared entirely overgrown with a thick
and vigorous vegetation. One evening, as we were
about giving over work for the day, my attention was
attracted by a noise on this hill; and, upon casting
my eyes upward, I beheld a large grizzly bear coming
down, back foremost, allowing her weight to carry
her, while she retarded what would otherwise have
been too rapid a descent by holding on to the rocks and
bushes with her claws. So ludicrous was this mode
of progression, — if coming down tail foremost can
be called progression, — and so droll her movements
in catching at every twig and branch in her course,
that, but for the danger of my situation, I could have
laughed outright, As, however, laughing or any other

\ si*"1.

^oomu

ADAMS AND THE ELK

IN THE CHAPARRAL. 51
noise under the circumstances, might have exposed
us to imminent peril, I kept perfectly silent, and beck
oned Sykesey to reach me my rifle, which was leaning
against a tree near where he stood. As he did so,
I whispered that we were in a dangerous situation,
and that it would require all our coolness and nerve
to escape destruction. At the same time, I cautioned
him to reserve his fire and be ready in case my shot
should prove ineffectual; and, at all events, to stand
by me in case of extremity. I spoke thus, because
the fellow seemed frightened; but this solemn talk
frightened him still more; he, however, promised
to obey my instructions, and stand by me like a
man. By this time the bear had slid down within shoot
ing distance; but, her position not presenting so fair
a mark as was desired, and there now not being light
enough to procure good aim, I was loth to fire; nev
ertheless, feeling that it would be the only opportu
nity, and trusting to good fortune, I blazed away.
The smoke hardly lifted, and the echoes were hardly
still, when crack! went Sykesey's rifle too; and,
upon looking around, I saw that he not only had
fired, but had also taken to his heels, and was run
ning as fast as his legs would carry him, leaving me
to take the chances alone. There was, however, no
time to reprove this cowardly conduct, for the bear
now came down with a tumbling plunge, and I drew
my bowie-knife in the expectation of an immediate
and close conflict. Indeed, I braced myself for a
deadly encounter, when, very unexpectedly, the bear

52 IN THE CHAPARRAL.
rushed past, perhaps not seeing me, and bounded
away for the dense thicket in the ravine below. Her
motions, and a few drops of blood which stained her
course, showed that she was badly wounded. Catch
ing up my rifle, and reloading as quickly as possible,
I pursued, in hopes of obtaining another shot and
finishing the business; but before I was able to over
take her she gained the thicket, which was too dense,
and it was now too dark, to attempt to enter.
While this was taking place, Sykesey stopped in
his flight, and, retracing his steps, came up with
a story that his gun had gone off prematurely, and
that he supposed he must save himself the best way
he could. "It is to be expected," I replied, "that
a man will act according to his nature. Bravery
fronts danger, and repels it; but it is the character
of a coward to run, though he drag after him, not
only disgrace, but danger too." Indeed, I felt crusty
enough to have said still more severe things, on
account of his cowardly conduct; but I well knew
that many other men would have acted precisely in
the same manner, under similar circumstances.
It was now dark, and we were three miles from
camp. A good part of the distance, too, was through
chaparral, frequented by bears and other formidable
animals, where an encounter might, at any time, and
particularly in the evening, be expected. Sykesey
knew this, and asked what I would do provided a
bear should dispute our passage. My reply was,
that it would be as easy to fight a bear in the night
as in the daytime; for, said I, a man has to die but

IN THE CHAPARRAL. 53
once, and when his time comes, it comes. He re
joined, that I might fight in the dark, if so disposed,
but not to expect his help. "It is not likely," said
I, "that a man will stand fast at night, who will run
in the day; but do not be alarmed, you have the
choice of staying where you are." At the mention
of the dreadful alternative of being left, the fellow
was more alarmed than ever, and very gladly fol
lowed me, without another word. Fortunately for
him, as well as for myself, perhaps, we were not ob
structed in our way, and reached camp without fur
ther adventure.
Early the next morning, as usual, we started out
for the purpose of working on the trap. As we
passed the thicket into which the bear had disap
peared on the last evening, Sykesey remarked that
she must have been badly wounded, and might be
taken without difficulty. I replied that if he would
promise to exhibit a little more courage than the pre
vious evening, I was willing to enter the chaparral,
and look for her. He protested that he would stand
by me to the last drop of his blood; and, upon this
assurance, I bade him follow. We thereupon dis
mounted, and, pursuing the bloody track of the bear,
entered the thicket. The further we penetrated, the
thicker became the brush; and, presently, so inter
laced and intertwined were the upper branches, that
we were compelled to get upon our hands and knees,
and crawl. Thus we proceeded, I in front, and Syke
sey at my heels, for at least five hundred yards, but
still could see nothing of the animal.

54 IN THE CHAPARRAL.
At last, we arrived in a spot where the chaparral
was particularly thick, and it was difficult to proceed
further, even by crawling. I remarked to my com
panion that we must keep our weapons ready for in
stant use, for, should an attack be made upon us,
there being no room to turn, and little to use our
arms, we would be in great danger. Had I not been
confident, indeed, judging from the blood which dis
colored the leaves along the trail, that the bear would
be too weak to do much injury, I would hardly have
ventured into that dark and tangled place; and
Sykesey, upon looking ahead, at once proposed to
give up the search, and return. In his opinion, it
was mere foolhardiness thus to rush into the jaws of
peril. I replied, that I had been taught long ago
the lesson, never to commence a thing and then back
out, without good reasons; and if the bear was there,
I would find her. With these words, adjusting my
revolver and bowie-knife, but still holding my rifle,
I advanced, peering about in every direction for the
beast, which, as this was the thickest portion of the
chaparral, and a likely place for a den, I thought
could not be far off. The idea was not incorrect;
I soon perceived a heap of earth, and, cautiously
approaching and looking over, I saw the bear lying
in the den, with her head upon her paws, as if sleep
ing. I beckoned Sykesey to look, and he also saw
her. I thought from his actions that he would draw
back, without a blow; but, catching him by the arm
for a moment, I drew my rifle, and, taking a sure
and deliberate aim, placed a ball at the butt of

IN THE CHAPARRAL. 55
the bear's ear. The lead broke through her skull, but
there was no movement; she was already dead. I
turned to Sykesey, and remarked that he need not be
alarmed, she had gone to sleep forever. "What!" said
he, "is she dead?" "Yes," I replied, "and cold too."
We jumped down into the den, and turned the
body over to find the wounds. My ball of the pre
vious evening had passed through her lungs, and
probably caused death immediately after she reached
the den. We then drew our knives, skinned and cut
her up, bore the quarters and hide out through the
chaparral, and, packing them upon the mules, sent
the boys with them to camp.
Another adventure occurred about this same time,
which might have cost me my life; this was a com
bat with an elk. The morning of the day we ex
pected to complete the trap, as fresh meat would be
needed for bait, I sent my comrades ahead with the
mules, but myself made a circuit for the purpose of
killing a deer. In the course of a few miles, I dis
covered a band of five or six elks. There was one
of them, a splendid buck, with fine antlers, and mag
nificent bearing, which particularly attracted my
attention. Could he have been transported, as he
stood there, into the midst of the world, poets and
painters would have paid tribute to his beauty; no
stag of Landseer has a nobler mien, or more of the
spirit of freedom in his limbs.
It was impossible to approach nearer than seventy-
five yards without alarming the band; and, conse
quently, I fired from that distance. The buck fell,

56 IN THE CHAPARRAL.
and supposing him to be dead, I drew my knife, and,
as is the usual practice upon shooting an animal of
this kind, rushed up to cut his throat. The elk, how
ever, was only wounded; and when I reached him,
he suddenly sprang upon his feet, and jumped with
his fore legs upon my shoulders. This knocked the
knife from my hands; but hastily drawing my revolver,
I discharged the barrels, one after the other, in quick
succession, while hopping around to avoid his terrific
lunges. Fortunately, one of my shots took effect at
the butt of his ear, and stunned him; when, seizing
the opportunity to grasp my knife, I ran up, plunged
it to the heart, and the red tide of life spouted from
his side. I then ripped him up to the bearded throat,
and turned the entrails out upon the ground.
My neck and back were severely bruised, but not
enough to prevent me from shouldering my rifle, pro
ceeding to the trap, and working there steadily until
sundown. In the evening, we passed by the spot,
packed the meat to camp, and had a noble roast.
While enjoying a dainty cut, I could not help remark
ing that it was as good as any porter-house steak;
upon which observation, Tuolumne, who was of an
inquiring mind, asked what was the meaning of
"porter-house steak." I explained to him, as well as
I could, that it was the choice cut of a beef. This
casual conversation gave us a phrase of which we
did not hear the last for many days; for Tuolumne
was so impressed with the sound, that he used the
words, "porter-house steak," long afterwards, to ex
press the climax of excellence.

IN THE CHAPARRAL. 57
The next day after this, we completed the trap,
and, as soon as it was finished, Tuolumne, at my direc
tion, gathered a lot of old wood, punk, and grass,
and gave it a good smoking. The object of this was
to darken the timbers, and to give them an oldish
smell. He then took a quarter of the elk meat, and,
tying it to the saddle with a lariat, dragged it a con
siderable distance around the trap, so as to leave a
strong scent upon the ground. Then baiting the
trap, and nicely setting it, we packed our tools upon
a mule, and, leaving everything in order, returned to
camp. We now had three good traps, and reposed,
with excellent hopes of success in a short time.

58 BEAR EDUCATION.

CHAPTER VIII.
BEAR EDUCATION.
The Philosophy of Education. My Black Bear Cubs. Experiment
with the Cubs. I become a Pater Familias. The Grizzly Cubs.
Lady Washington. First Lesson to Lady Washington. Its Ef
fect. Second Lesson to Lady Washington. Jackson's Obstinacy.
A Lesson to him. His Submission. The Science of Physiog
nomy. Educational Capabilities of Bears.
The high state of training to which several of my
bears were brought, will form an interesting part of
my story; and, as they subsequently became my con
stant companions in all my wanderings and upon
many of my hunts, the manner in which they were
educated deserves careful and particular mention. It
is with bears as it is with children, — although much
allowance is to be made for the stock from which
they spring, yet, if the right course be taken, their
natural characters may be modified and improved to
such a degree as to be a subject of wonder. Taking,
for example, my own case: — with all my natural incli
nations for the wild and adventurous life of the forest,
I am satisfied that training might have made me a
peaceful and contented burgher all the days of my
life. This, my belief, is strengthened by what is to
be seen in the world every day; and more so, because,
with much less capable pupils than human beings, I
myself have changed savage and ferocious natures to
affection and gentleness.

BEAR EDUCATION. 59
My pets now amounted to four: the black cubs,
which had been caught on our way through Oregon,
and the grizzlies, lately taken. The former, which
were quite young, and which were by nature of much
milder disposition than the grizzly cubs, were already
tame enough to follow us about camp, almost like
dogs. They were frequently allowed to run perfectly
free, and would play around us without the slightest
desire to leave. On the contrary, they became so
much attached to our persons that it was difficult to
prevent them following wherever we went. If we
moved but a short distance, they would jump up
and pursue; and such was their watchfulness, that
it was almost impossible to escape their vigilance.
Many a time, when, apparently worn out with their
gambols, they seemed to be asleep, did I endeavor to
steal away unobserved; but never did they fail in a
short time to discover my absence, and then they
would run searching to find where I had gone.
One night I resolved to try a new experiment with
the black cubs; this was to have them sleep by me.
Upon spreading my blanket to retire, I drove a stake
near my feet, and tied them to it. Making them lie
down side by side, I then spread a corner of the
blanket over them, and felt as responsible and proud
as any pater familias in the abodes of civilization.
During the night, my fondlings were a little trouble
some, and required me to rise several times; but,
with a little judicious boxing of their ears, they lay
still at last, and we all passed a reasonably comfort
able night.

60 BEAR EDUCATION.
With the grizzlies there was much more difficulty;
not only on account of their natural ferocity, but
because they were more than a year old. From the
day on which they were captured, we were compelled
to keep them chained; and, although they became
by degrees more familiar, they did not show any dis
position whatever to acknowledge a master. Lady
Washington, whom I had treated with the greatest
kindness, was particularly violent, and invariably would
jump and snap at me, whenever within her reach.
On one occasion, when she had nearly injured me
seriously, I came to the determination to give her a
castigation that would make her recollect me; and I
called my comrades to witness, and, if necessary,
assist me in, this first lesson of subjection.
I stepped back into a ravine, cut a good stout
cudgel, and, approaching with it in my hand, began
vigorously warming her jacket. This made her
furious; it would, indeed, be difficult to describe her
violence, the snarls she uttered, and the frothing
anger she exhibited, — not that she was hurt, but she
was so dreadfully aroused. My comrades, in view of
the danger, cautioned me to desist; but, notwith
standing their fears and remonstrances, I continued
trouncing her back, until finally she acknowledged
herself well corrected, and lay down exhausted. It
is, beyond question, a cruel spectacle to see a man
thus taking an animal and whipping it into subjec
tion; but when a bear has once grown up, untutored,
as large as the Lady was, this is the only way to
lay the foundation of an education, — and the result

BEAR EDUCATION. 61
proved the judiciousness of my course. In a short
time afterward I patted her shaggy coat; and she
gradually assumed a milder aspect, which satisfied
me that the lesson had been beneficial, and that she
would not soon forget it. As she became calmer, I
gave her a greater length of chain; and, upon feed
ing her, she ate kindly and heartily, and gave good
promise of what she afterward became, — a most
faithful and affectionate servant.
A week or two after this, I resumed the training
of Lady Washington, being determined that her edu
cation should not suffer for want of tuition. Every
day she had been taught a little; but this was rather
to keep her in mind of thex first lesson, than to give
her a new one. On this latter occasion, having re
moved the chain and attached a lariat to her collar,
I led her about the camp, and found her much more
tractable than was to have been expected. A little
stubbornness she indeed showed at first; but a few
raps on her back reminded her of the duties she
owed, and entirely removed the necessity of any
more trouncing for the time being. Her education
was as yet by no means complete; but, even in learn
ing this much, she had made remarkable proficiency.
The male grizzly cub, which had been named Jack
son, was even more difficult to be managed than Lady
Washington. Upon an attempt being made to lead
him, he would sit doggedly still, refusing to move,
and growling defiantly. When his chain was pulled,
he would place his paw upon it and bristle up, as
much as to say, "At your peril!" Indeed, all my

62 BEAR EDUCATION.
endeavors to do anything with him, peaceably, were
ineffectual; and, as he seemed to be becoming fixed
in his obstinacy, I determined to treat him also with
the necessary severity. Accordingly, mounting a
mule, having attached a lariat, one end to his collar
and the other to the pommel of the saddle, I dragged
him along by main force. After being pulled thus a
short distance, he leaped at the mule's legs; but she
kicked, and laid him sprawling on the grass. Being
but little injured, however, he soon got up again; but
was a sadder and a wiser bear than ever before; for,
although he braced himself for a few minutes against
my invitations to come along, he soon found it was
of no use to resist the odds against him, and sulkily
followed, wherever I was pleased to lead.
After leading him about, thus, for some time, I
jumped down from my mule, took the lariat in my
hand, and led him in that manner; feeling certain
that his evil spirit was overcome, and that there was
no danger in doing so. At one time, in a fit of
returning obstinacy, he sat down and refused to
move; but a few whacks over the haunches recalled
him to his proper senses, and he again followed me.
In fine, upon tying him to his tree, I felt safe in
approaching, patting him upon the head, and scratch
ing his neck, — actions which are grateful to the
bear as well as to most other animals; and he
received these favors with a pleasant countenance.
It was easy to see that he might be considered as
reclaimed. Certain philosophers have taught a science, called

BEAR EDUCATION. 63
physiognomy, in which they profess to find an index
to character in the form of the face. If character
were an attribute of the face, there might be some
plausibility in the science; but hardly otherwise. It
is certain, however, that the face is frequently an
index of the emotions; there seem to be certain
muscles called into action by certain feelings; and
an experienced eye will seldom misinterpret this lan
guage of the features. The repeated exercise of
these muscles may give a cast to the face, indicative
of the general character, and thus partially sustain
the claims of physiognomy; and, so far, the science
applies as well to beasts as men. When, therefore,
I say that Jackson had a pleasant countenance, I
mean that his face expressed a good and submissive
spirit. Such was the commencement of my bear taming;
the subsequent steps, and an account of the various
degrees of docility to which my pets arrived, are
woven almost inseparably into my narrative. From
all my experience, and from what has reached me in
the way of unquestionable information, the conviction is
pressed upon my mind that the grizzly bear possesses
a nature which, if taken in time and carefully im
proved, may be made the perfection of animal good
ness. At birth, like the dog and the cat tribe, his
eyes are closed; but in the course of a week or ten
days, when they open, he is as good-humored, and
even more playful, than they. From this period, if
left in a state of wildness, with his ferocious dam to
watch over and instruct him, he becomes gradually

64 BEAR EDUCATION.
more and more savage, until he roams the forest, an
untamable and dreaded despot. But if, on the con
trary, he be taken at that early age, his playfulness
fostered, accustomed to the sight and sedulous atten
tions of his master, and managed with a firm, but at
the same time, gentle hand, he grows up a devoted
friend, exhibiting such remarkable qualities of domes
tication as almost to lead one to suppose that he was
intended, as well as the dog, for the companionship of
man.

A DAY AND NIGHT'S ADVENTURES. 65

CHAPTER IX.
A DAY AND NIGHT'S ADVENTURES.
Search for Antelopes. The Meaning of Tack-Ship. A Nibble at a
Trap. Discovery of a Pack of Wolves. Philosophy of a Rifle's Sights.
Attack upon the Wolves. Its Effect. Pursuit. A severe Bite.
Mountain Water-Cure. An inconsiderate Scouting Trip. Ad
venture with a Coyote. Lost. A Panther's Scream. My Alarm.
Character of the Panther. Withdrawal of the Panther. My
Situation. Rule of Camp. The Glimmer of the Camp Fire.
My Prostration. More of Mountain Water-Cure. The Philos
ophy of Curing Wounds.
In a few days after the completion of our traps
we devoted ourselves to the hunt again; and, in a
short time, abundantly replenished our diminished
stores. One day the boys succeeded in finding a
large band of antelopes, of which they killed four;
and the next morning I took Tuolumne and the
mules, and followed in the direction the animals had
gone, with hopes of overtaking them. We rode four
or five miles without seeing any traces of them, and
at last I remarked that we had better tack-ship and
put about. Here was another expression, which the
Indian boy did not understand, and wished to have
explained. I replied that "tack-ship" was a sea-
phrase, which meant to turn off at an angle from
one's course and go in another direction. We ac
cordingly altered our route, and hunted towards other
quarters, but still without success.

66 A DAY AND NIGHT S ADVENTURES.
One of the traps being not far distant from our
position, upon giving up the morning hunt we pro
ceeded to it, and discovered the tracks of a wolf
about it. The animal had evidently been on the
inside of the structure and taken a portion of the
bait, and it was a mystery why he had not been
caught; but this was explained on further inspection;
for the trap had been so unskilfully set that it would
not spring. The fault being remedied, I remarked
that we would surely have a wolf the next morning.
"How do you know that?" Tuolumne asked. I an
swered that it was to be inferred from the nature of
the wolf that the visitor of the previous night would
return. It being now nearly noon, when no game was likely
to stir abroad, we lay down under the shade of a
tree and remained until the heat of the day was
somewhat over; then, mounting again, we started
off over the hills in a direction we had never before
been. We travelled five or six miles beyond the
trap, and came upon a gang of large black wolves.
My first thought, upon seeing them, was not to fire,
as they might be the wolves that visited the trap; but,
upon second thought, I concluded that, being so far
distant, they might not be the same, and, at any rate,
it was best to secure their hides at once, and run the
chances of others at the trap. I had their value for
lobos leggings before my eyes, and, accordingly, deter
mined upon an attack.
The wolves were in a deep ravine and we on a high
precipice, almost directly over them, — a situation

A DAY AND NIGHT'S ADVENTURES. 67
unfavorable for shooting, for the reason that a rifle's
sights are arranged to make allowance for the fall
of the ball when discharged upon a level. Upon
shooting directly downward or directly upward, there
is no fall of this kind, and, therefore, the gun must
not be aimed directly at the object. On this ac
count, I directed Tuolumne to single out a wolf and
aim at his knees, while I would do the same with
another; and, upon firing, my wolf fell. The rest
of the gang immediately huddled around it, having
neither seen us nor heard the report of my rifle,
owing to the hill upon which we were; this being
often the case, that a noise on a height is not heard
in a confined valley below. Tuolumne's piece having
only snapped, I took it now, and, handing him mine
to reload, made another shot, and this ball passed
through the spine of a second wolf into the shoulder
of a third. Tuolumne then handed me my own rifle
reloaded, but the wolves, by this time, had become
alarmed and made off; all, with the exception of two,
which lay dead upon the ground, and a third, which
was hopping away with a broken shoulder.
Having no thought of any difficulty, I dropped my
rifle, drew my knife, climbed down the precipice, and
gave the wounded wolf chase. Upon overtaking, I
seized him by the tail and threw him upon the:
ground, with the object of stabbing him; but, by an
unexpected turn, he snapped at my right fore arm and
completely penetrated it with his fangs, and so potent
was the bite that the knife dropped from my unnerved
hand. For a few moments the pain was excessive;

68 A DAY AND NIGHT'S ADVENTURES.
but when the first paroxysm was a little over, I drew
my revolver, and finished the beast by a shot in the
heart. Upon turning up my buckskin sleeve, the
blood flowed profusely, and the wound showed itself
to be severe. One of much less severity, received
from a coyote bite since my return from the wilder
ness, and the help of three surgeons, kept my arm in
a sling eight months, and came near costing me my
hand. But, in the mountains, I acted as my own doctor,
and practised the water-cure system with great suc
cess. I therefore merely directed Tuolumne, when
he had loaded his rifle and came up, to wet my hand
kerchief in cold water and wrap it tightly about the
wound. In civilized life, when an injury of this kind
is received, it is poulticed and bandaged; sometimes
probed and lanced; and, frequently, very bad work
indeed is the result; but experience has taught me
that cold water and nature are apt to be better than
salves and doctors; and I would undertake to cure
almost any bite, not poisonous, by simply dressing it
with cold water. A simple cut of the finger by
nature heals rapidly, but, if plastered up, remains
sore many days.
Feeling comfortable after the water-dressing, I
directed Tuolumne to pack the bodies of the wolves
upon the mules, and proceed to camp, while I would
scout around and examine the country which we had
not yet visited. He asked what I would do with my
lame arm if attacked. I replied, that there was
nothing to fear. It did not occur to me that there

A DAY AND NIGHT'S ADVENTURES. 69
could be any danger; but my over-great confidence
betrayed me and brought me into confusion, as will
be seen.
At first, I walked a considerable distance without
meeting anything worthy of attention; when, sud
denly, an animal bounded furiously from behind a
clump of brush and startled me. It had by this
time become dusky; and, if a dangerous beast should
have attacked me, my situation would have been
perilous; but, upon turning to face the assailant,
what was my disgust to find nothing but a saucy
coyote, not worth a charge of powder. I disdained
to notice him, and passed on; but the whelp, imagin
ing, probably, that my contempt was fear, followed,
barking and howling, keeping just far enough behind
that a kick would not reach him. Such conduct,
even in a brute, provoked me; and, drawing my re
volver, I cried, "Die, base beast, unworthy the boon
of life; take the reward of your audacity." A shot
felled him; when, placing my foot upon his neck and
plunging my knife through his heart, I exclaimed,
"Die, coward of the wilderness!" — and kicked the
body from me.
Resuming my road, but not being familiar with the
landmarks in the darkness which now lowered over
the landscape, I steered for a distant hill. I judged
from the stars, the chief guides of the hunter in
moonless nights, that it lay in the direction of camp;
but, upon reaching it, the country still continued to
be strange; and at last the consciousness flashed across
my mind that I was lost. Here was a dilemma:

70 A DAY AND NIGHT'S ADVENTURES.
which way to turn, I knew not, and I could only
stand looking about me and reflecting upon what was
best to be done. I had lost much blood, felt tired
and weak, and would have sat down, but I was sud
denly aroused and again startled by the scream of a
panther in dreadfully close proximity, — so close, that
it seemed to be but a few yards behind me. I cannot
tell what might have been my fate if attacked by the
panther at such a disadvantage in the night, but I
thought that if it were possible to catch the glisten
of his eyes, I might plant a bullet between them. To
make an effort at least, and sell my life dearly,1 I
raised my rifle and waited for him. Even to this
day, the remembrance of the feelings with which I
stood there, beyond the reach of help, in utter dark
ness, with a lame arm, weak and hungry, and with a
bloodthirsty beast upon my track, is distinct.
The panther, notwithstanding the many stories re
lated of his daring, has always appeared to me a very
cowardly animal. He never dares to meet an adver
sary face to face; and when he attacks, it is always
by springing from a covert, with the advantage all on
his own side. He seeks his prey by night: chooses
lurking-places in trees, rocks, bushes, and other spots;
and springs only when the victim is unprepared to
defend itself. Such being the character of the ani
mal, I feared only an ambush, and strained my eyes
to discover him crouched for a spring; and this was
the only time in my life that I thought I needed four
eyes to look out for my own preservation. Under
ordinary circumstances, a brave man, with pistol and

A DAY AND NIGHT'S ADVENTURES. 71
knife, can protect himself against any panther; but
with a lame arm, and weak from hunger and fatigue,
I might have been badly injured, perhaps killed.
While considering matters in this light, the panther
screamed a second time, apparently as close as before,
but on the other side. I thought he was hunting out
a favorable place for an attack; but again it seemed
to me that, if such were the case, he would not give
notice of his presence by screaming. My vigilance,
however, was none the less active, and my finger kept
its place upon the trigger of my rifle until the beast
screamed the third time. This, by good fortune, was
at a distance to windward; and it was evident, from
this circumstance, that he had passed on some other
trail; and I felt very much relieved.
Being thus free from apprehensions of the panther,
I had leisure to consider where I was. The stars
continued to point out the direction of camp, but
could tell me nothing more, and none of the trees or
rocks around were familiar. There happened to be
a small pine-tree, with low limbs, not far distant; and,
in my uncertainty, I climbed it to get a wider view,
and, if possible, to catch the reflection of the brilliant
camp fire which it is the rule of hunters to make
when a comrade is out at night. While peering into
the darkness, I heard the panther scream for the
fourth and last time, at a great distance, showing that
he was leaving the neighborhood, and, as is often the
case with this animal when travelling at night, utter
ing his characteristic scream or shriek at short inter
vals of ten or fifteen minutes.

72 A DAY AND NIGHT'S ADVENTURES.
Meanwhile a faint glimmer flickered in the sky,
and by degrees lightened up, assuring me that it came
from camp, and that my comrades were stirring up
the blaze for my benefit. With a cheerful heart, I
now slipped down from the tree and hastened in the
direction; but a hill and ravine, which were rough
and difficult to pass, still separated me from camp.
However, I pressed forward on my way, blunder
ing and stumbling over the brush and stones which
obstructed my path at every step. The nearer
I approached, the greater became my weakness;
at one moment, I would stumble and roll over with
scarcely power to rise again; at another, I felt an
almost uncontrollable desire to sleep, but still man
aged to drag my tired limbs along till within hailing
distance, when I hallooed and sank down exhausted.
My comrades fortunately heard the faint shout and
came to my assistance, but it was impossible to answer
their curiosity and alarm. I could only say, as they
half led and half carried me to the fire, "Give me
water; give me food!" A delicious drink revived
my sunken powers almost instantaneously; and after
eating heartily of roast venison, which awaited my
coming, I felt like a new man. It was thirst and
hunger, rather than fatigue, which had enfeebled me.
Before turning into my blankets that night, I re
moved the bandages from my arm, and directed
Tuolumne to pour a stream of cold water upon my
wounds. Used thus, the water at first feels very
cold, but by degrees becomes apparently more mod
erate; when it feels warm, it is proper to desist and

A DAY AND NIGHT'S ADVENTURES. 73
replace the bandages, which should be moistened
again. Such was the course now taken, — the arm
being bound tightly from the shoulder to the fingers.
This mountain surgery was very effective, — or, to say
the worst of it, did no harm. The next morning, the
soreness was gone, and the arm much better than
I anticipated. Sykesey thought such a bite would
have laid a person up for a week; but that, I re
plied, depended much upon the person bitten. A
wound, to be rapidly cured, requires a healthy, heal
ing blood, — the result of an active and temperate
life, — and also careful attention; but it is not to
be expected that everybody and every wound can be
cured in the same way.

74 CAMP LIFE.

CHAPTER X.
CAMP LIFE.
The Camp — what it was. How we slept. My Bed. My Sleep.
Early Rising. Duties of the early Morning. Breakfast. Culi
nary Utensils. Lunch. Meats hung in Trees. Dinner. After
Dinner. Wild Tobacco. Social Evenings. Tales around the
Camp Fire. My Mountaineer Philosophy in California. Change
of Condition. Our Political Organization. Our Foreign Rela
tions. Intercourse with the Indians. A visit of State to Ken
nasket. The great Chief's great Present. Ceremonies. History
of the Treasure.
In the previous pages when I have spoken of
"camp," the reader may have supposed that refer
ence was had to some regular fortification, a cabin,
or at least a tent. It was nothing of the kind. My
camp consisted merely of a convenient spot where
wood, water, and herbage were near at hand. There
we would unpack our mules, turn them out to graze,
and build a large fire, which was seldom allowed to
go down. In the day, this fire served for culinary
purposes; at night, for warmth and protection. I
slept invariably in my blankets, upon the ground;
never in any house, or within any inclosure, unless the
weather was rainy, when a few boughs, disposed into a
kind of booth, would constitute all my shelter from the
elements. On a few occasions, a blanket was spread
to keep off the rain or dampness; but, as a general
rule, my bed was entirely exposed.

KENNASKET'S PRESENT.

CAMP LIFE. 75
My comrades were accustomed to crowd about the
fire, and lie with their feet fairly toasting at the
coals. It was my practice, on the contrary, to re
move a short distance, and sleep in the dark, so that,
in case of attack I might have a better view of in
truders, and myself not be seen. My bed consisted
of coarse and heavy blankets, with a bag full of dried
grass, by way of pillow; and, as there was always
danger of being waked by wild beasts or thieves, my
rifle was kept constantly wrapped with me in the
blankets, — thus protected from the dew, as well as
being always ready for use at an instant's warning.
My other weapons were likewise kept about me, ever
ready for any occasion of peril which might arise.
Nor was my sleep any the more troubled on account
of this hard bed and this liability to disturbance.
Rarely did I pass a night that the howls of wolves
and coyotes, or the shrieks of panthers, did not lull
me to slumber; but never was my sleep sounder or
more refreshing. The active life I led, early rising,
a generous flow of animal spirits, and a simple and
temperate diet, made my rest at night sweet and
grateful, beyond all the capabilities of feather-beds
and spring mattresses.
I was an early riser; seldom did the morning star
see me asleep; often before the sun rose from his
crimson couch was I out upon the hunt. My usual
practice, after rising, was to rouse my companions,
and put one of them to making breakfast, while an
other attended the mules. In the meantime, I pro
ceeded to my pets, and spent the interval before

76 CAMP LIFE.
breakfast in feeding, watering, and training them.
They were chained to trees near the spring, and not
far from where I slept, so that, it might be said, we
all camped together.
Breakfast consisted, generally, of fresh meat
broiled upon the coals, or roasted on spits before
the fire; and we drank only water, except some
times, when not in a hurry for a hunt, when coffee
or tea was made, if we had them; if we did not
have them, roasted acorns or other seeds served
as a substitute for coffee, and different sorts of fra
grant herbs for tea. A few kettles and pots of
civilized manufacture we used, when necessary for
our cooking, but for general purposes Indian uten
sils. One of these, which was of great service, was
a pail made of solid wood, in form like a washbowl,
with a flat bottom, and capable of holding about two
gallons. The natives made it by heating an end of
a long stone redhot, wrapping the other end in bark,
so as to hold it in the hands, and grinding and rub
bing with it in the wood, until the pail was burnt out.
Bowls, and dishes likewise, they make in the same
way, and value highly — it requiring much time, care,
trouble, and skill to fashion them.
As the day was generally spent away from camp,
we carried lunch along with us on our excursions,
and this consisted of strips of meat dried in the sun.
While at work upon a trap or other structure requir
ing time, we kept a bag of this meat, suspended in a
tree near the scene of labor, from which we used,
as required, — occasionally roasting it, to render it

CAMP LIFE. 77
more edible and palatable. Fresh meat, at camp
and indeed wherever we had it, was invariably
swung in trees, being tied to a lariat, which was
passed over a limb, and hoisted up; it was thus kept
out of the reach of prowling beasts until needed,
when it was easily lowered.
Dinner was our chief meal; but the time at which
we enjoyed it was irregular, depending upon many
circumstances; being sometimes delayed until the
middle of the night, though usually taking place
shortly after sundown. This meal rarely wanted an
excellent roast, and good drink of its kind; also
such cakes and bread as we could make, and many
little delicacies which nature threw with lavish hand
before us. Plums, cherries, berries of various kinds,
small game of all varieties which the region afforded,
and a thousand little titbits which our experience
taught, or our ingenuity devised, graced our board
at this meal. Frequently have I dined at the Astor
House, in New York, and at first-class hotels in va
rious parts of the Union, and have eaten as splen
did dinners as the best cooks in the country ever
spread; but for real good relish, give me a camp-
dinner in the mountains. A mountain appetite is
more savory than the richest dish ever conceived by
a French gourmand.
It depended upon the time of our reaching camp
from our daily labors, whether we played with our
pets in the evening. If early, it was my practice
to spend several hours feeding, and, when occasion
served, training them. On other occasions, but not

78 CAMP LIFE.
often, after finishing dinner, I would get out my old
pipe and smoke. A little of the tobacco of com
merce generally constituted a part of my stores; but,
if not, the wild tobacco, which grows plenteously in
the mountains of California, Oregon, and Washing
ton, and, in places also on the plains, served as a tol
erable substitute.
The social part of our camp life was in the even
ing, before bedtime. After finishing the labors of
the day, we would heap large logs of wood upon our
fire, such as would last till morning, and gathering
about the cheerful blaze, sit, sometimes hour after
hour, discussing the events of our campaign, or tell
ing stories. Many a strange adventure was told at
my fire; and sometimes, when other hunters spent
the night with me, as they occasionally did, have I
heard narratives calculated to draw forth the deepest
emotions. The scene around us, the howls of wild
beasts in the distance, the flickering light, the strange
figures which we ourselves made in our uncouth
dresses, and the graphic words and gestures which
the woodsman and hunter learns to call to his aid,
all conspired to make those evenings as varied and
entertaining as the most eventful chapters of East
ern romance. I have thus heard tales rivalling the
Spanish novels in richness, and narratives that would
have put Gulliver or Munchausen to the blush.
Upon first entering the mountains in California, I
carried all my cares as well as all my property with
me, taking no thought of others, having only myself
and my oxen to provide for. In plain terms, I was a

CAMP LIFE. 79
misanthrope, and looked down from the mountain
crest upon the green plains and busy settlements
below, with the disdainful spirit of an eagle from an
inaccessible eyry. But with a change in my circum
stances, my feelings also changed. As my little
camp increased, I began to know again that I had
duties and obligations to fulfil towards others; as
responsibility rested heavier and heavier upon my
shoulders, I gradually threw aside my indifference,
and instead of entirely following the narrow maxim
of "mind your own business," I gradually learned
the lesson of enlightened minds, that one's own
business embraces the business of others too. Upon
leading my little company up into Washington, far
removed, as it were, from the laws and jurisdiction
of government, quite a burden of responsibility
rested upon me, absolutely requiring at my hands
participation and interest in everything that went
forward. To all intents and purposes, indeed, I was
a kind of sovereign, amenable in that remote quarter
to no laws except those of God and nature; but so
well was I imbued with the spirit of my country's
free institutions, that no right was violated and no
liberty infringed, to my knowledge.
Such being the condition of the domestic affairs
of my camp, it may not be amiss to say a word of
my foreign relations, if this phrase can be used with
reference to the independent Indian establishment in
my neighborhood. It had become evident to me,
shortly after reaching the country, that these Indians
would have to be conciliated; particularly if any

80 CAMP LIFE.
favors were to be asked; and I therefore now paid
more attention to the philosophy of diplomacy and
the arts of political intercourse than ever in my life
before. My advances to the Indians, when contract
ing for their horses, had been well received, and,
fortunately, the friendly and intimate relations, then
commenced, lasted during my stay in the region.
Notwithstanding the suspicion entertained by Kennas
ket of the faith of hunters in general, I had certainly
found favor in his eyes; and I determined, for the
purpose of nurturing the good understanding so au
spiciously inaugurated, to pay a visit of state on the
first opportunity, promptly settle off the score due,
and thus, by fair dealing, keep in his good graces.
A day or two after my wolf hunt, accordingly,
taking the mules well packed, Tuolumne and I pro
ceeded to the Indian village. Upon approaching it,
we halted; and Tuolumne went forward with a white
flag to announce my arrival. I had learned that the
Indians were fond of ceremony, and that it was both
easy and comfortable to humor their fancies. To this
embassy Kennasket returned answer, that Gray
Beard was always welcome to his lodge; and I at
once drove the mules to his door and delivered their
burdens of meat to his squaws. As the choice pieces
were unpacked, the Chief seemed well satisfied, and
volunteered the loan of his horses again; to which I
replied, that the Old Hunter was glad to keep his
promises, and the red man could find no cause of
complaint; and we proceeded thereupon to compli
ment each other for a full half hour upon our
respective virtues.

CAMP LIFE. 81
Having at last finished my business, I was about
to withdraw, but Kennasket stayed me. He wished,
he said, to make the white man a present, and he
hoped the white man would keep it carefully as long
as he lived, in memory of the Great Chief. The
Great Chief's present should be sacred, I replied;
and he withdrew to procure it. For some time, now,
my mind was filled with visions of splendid calumets,
necklaces of bears' claws, Indian badges of honor,
wampum belts, ornaments of bead-work, and all the
wardrobe of barbaric finery; but what was my sur
prise to see the old fellow return with only a puppy
in his arms, and that as black as any coal! I could
see Tuolumne snickering, and it was with difficulty
that I restrained my own risibility; but, nevertheless,
with an effort of philosophy, I managed to assume a
look of great interest. The Great Chief meanwhile
approached, knelt down before me, and, lifting his
eyes and arms towards Heaven, muttered some
almost inaudible words, and then presented the scrub
as a great treasure. I received it with the most
scrupulous ceremony, and, kneeling down in the same
manner as the giver had done, deposited it in my
bosom, and took care, until out of sight on my
return to camp, to show nothing but the liveliest
pleasure in the possession of his present. Little as
was to have been expected then, I have kept my
word with the Chief; and still possess his remem
brancer, which has grown scarcely any since puppy-
hood.

82 THE ART OF TRAPPING.

CHAPTER XI.
THE ART OF TRAPPING.
Race between Antelopes and Mules. A Wolf and two Whelps en
trapped. Tuolumne's Caution. The Bonds of Nature. Savage
Affection. The Philosophy of the Prophetic Art. The Re
quirements of a good Hunter. A Black Wolf entrapped. Treat
ment of captured Animals. Capture and Slaying of an old Grizzly.
Hanging up his Meat. Banquet of baked Bear's Head. Skin
Curing. Practical Value of Science. How Traps ought to ap
pear. Notions about Trapping. True Philosophy of the Art of
Trapping.
The day after our visit to Kennasket, Tuolumne
and I proceeded to the trap in which we had seen the
wolf-tracks. On the road, as we were travelling lei
surely along, we came upon a small band of antelopes,
and, in a spirit of frolic, gave them chase. They
flew like the wind; but being disposed to test the
speed of our mules, we put them to the stretch in
pursuit. The result was a race, which would have
amused any one to see; we, who rode it, had to
laugh at the ridiculous spectacle each presented to
the other. I soon came to the conclusion that mules
are very good things in their places; but their stiff-
kneed gallop, in comparison with the well-oiled and
graceful speed of an antelope, — the swiftest of ani
mals, — is a mere snail's pace. We saw the game
disappear like a speck in the distance, and, turning
about, proceeded oh our legitimate road.

THE ART OF TRAPPING. 83
Upon reaching the trap, we saw that the doors
were sprung, and that we had caught a large black
wolf with two small whelps. She was very savage,
and rushed ferociously towards where we looked in;
but her rage, of course, was futile, worrying only
herself. I directly took a strong rope, and making
a noose, lowered it into the trap through a hole in the
top, while Tuolumne kept her attention engaged by
poking sticks through the cracks. While she ex
pended her fury biting at the sticks, the noose was
suddenly whipped over her head, and she was secured
sufficiently well to enable us to put on a collar and
attach a lariat to her.
The whelps, also, were very furious; and I noticed,
as we were about to open the trap, that Tuolumne
had armed himself with a large club, to protect him
self against them. This made me laugh, but Tuo
lumne protested that he only wished to prevent them
running off. I replied, that there were other bonds
besides those of iron and rope; that, while we had
the mother, the whelps were as securely ours as if
they were bound with chains. The truth of this say
ing was soon apparent, for, upon leading the dam
captive, the whelps, though at first they ran into the
brush, soon came out and followed. On the way to
camp, as I had several times to dismount and arrange
the lariats with which the dam was led, invariably as
she snarled and snapped, the whelps dashed at my
leggings. Their savage affection for their mother
was indeed so interesting that I did not pretend to
drive them away; and Tuolumne, who had at first

84 THE ART OF TRAPPING.
been scared, by degrees became so delighted with
their harmless rage that he teased them purposely,
until I made him desist.
On our arrival at camp, our comrades were aston
ished with our success, and admired to the last degree
the wolf and her whelps; but, more than all, they
wondered at the verification of my predictions, and
gave me credit for being a sort of prophet. This
strange idea of theirs occasioned a great many still
stranger ideas in me. Mine, of course, was no gift
of prophecy; but common sense enabled me to reason
out a result in the future, from facts which already
existed, much better than they could; and this gave
me a superiority over them which, had such been my
disposition, might, perhaps, have been turned to my
advantage. Indeed, I persuaded myself that, had
my lot been cast among a numerous people, much my
inferiors in intellect, it would have been easy to set
up and sustain a reputation as a prophet. I believe
that all the prophetic powers ever possessed by Ma
homet, the first Inca, and others of this class, so far
as concerned foresight, consisted only in their supe
rior sagacity.
That evening, during our usual talk around the
camp fire, Sykesey was inquisitive about the manner
of putting the rope on the wolf's neck; and, upon my
giving the explanation, declared that he should never
have thought of such a plan. "To be a good hun
ter," said I, "you must be a thousand things besides
a good shot;"— and this is a good saying, which can
be repeated and recommended.

THE ART OF TRAPPING. 85
In a few days after this, we found a splendid black
wolf in one of the other traps, and managed him in
much the same manner as the last. When brought
to camp, he was chained to a tree near the others,
thus making the fourth of his species in our collec
tion. This method of chaining up to trees was, in
deed, the disposition of all the animals entrapped,
except coyotes, which were shot and thrown away;
and old bears, which, being exceedingly difficult to
tame, we generally destroyed for their skins and
meat, — as happened not long afterwards, when one
night we captured an old grizzly.
This bear was so violent as to gnaw entirely
through some of the floor timbers of the trap. It
was almost a pity to kill the noble old fellow, but
there was no help for it; and, accordingly, inserting
the muzzle of my rifle through a crack, I put a half-
ounce ball through his heart. Upon the reception of
the fatal missile, he uttered a tremendous roar of pain
and rage, and tore about with such fury that I feared
he would break out. I indeed drew my knife and
pistol to meet him, should the structure give way;
but in a few minutes he began to weaken, his rage
softened, his head declined, he sank down, and grad
ually his life passed away. He was one of the
largest of his class in this region, weighing nearly
a thousand pounds; so large that, upon hoisting the
trap doors, we were unable to budge him, and were
compelled to hitch the mules to drag him out. His
hams and shoulders were so brawny and fat, that we
could with difficulty lift them; and when, according

86 THE ART OF TRAPPING.
to our usual custom, we came to hang them up b
trees out of the reach of wolves and coyotes, it was
necessary to divide them again, thus making eight
pieces: and a beautiful sight it was to see the meat
hanging among the green leaves, like choice cuts in a
market-stall at Christmas.
With the head of this bear we made a repast as
splendid as it was strange. A hole large enough to
receive the mass was dug in the ground, and a large
brush fire built over it. When the fire had burnt to
coals and ashes, the head was rolled in a cloth, placed
in the hot hole, more brush piled on, and a fire kept
up for several hours, when the head was entirely
cooked; and delicious eating it made.
Subsequently to these successes, we caught many
other animals in the traps, from time to time; making
it a special business to visit and attend to them almost
every day, keeping them baited with fresh meat, and
disposing of the captured animals according to their
value. Thus, besides a large number of living prizes,
we accumulated, by degrees, a number of skins of
various kinds, which were cured in much the same
method in practice among the Indians. For instance:
when wolves were taken, the skins were spread upon
the fleshy sides with the brains, — sometimes, also, with
salt and alum, — and then rolled up for a short time.
Afterwards, they were worked in the hands until
quite soft, and then subjected to a thorough smoking.
It gave us much trouble, at first, to make a smoke
house; but subsequently we found a hollow tree,
which answered the purpose excellently.

THE ART OF TRAPPING. 87
. The art of trapping requires some knowledge of
the science of natural history, just as any other art
requires some intimacy with the science with which
it stands in connection. As every man who reasons
knows something of the science of reasoning, though
he may be totally unacquainted with the name of
logic, so the trapper must have a practical acquaint
ance with the nature and habits of the game which he
seeks to ensnare; and the more intimate his knowl
edge, the more successful is he -likely to be. When
he builds his traps, he ought to know where his ani
mals prowl, by what path they go forth, and by what
they return. It is necessary to find out the places
where they pass when hungry; for, when sated, it is
not likely that they will turn aside for a bait. He
must also know the kinds of food they prefer; as
some will touch nothing but living food, while others
can be beguiled best with carrion.
The next matter of great importance, and which
at first gave me much trouble, after the suitable
location of the traps, was the proper appearance of
them. Wild beasts, as a usual thing, are very
cautious and, if there be anything about a trap to
excite their suspicions, will avoid it. Should it be
too new, or show too plainly the marks of tools, or
retain too strongly the human smell, or be too much
smeared with blood, a sagacious animal will quickly
suspect something wrong, and keep at a safe dis
tance. Most of these difficulties, I afterwards learned
to remedy, by building a small fire in the traps before
setting them, and thus not only removing any scent

88 THE ART OF TRAPPING.
that might pervade them, but darkening and giving
an oldish appearance to the timbers. Indeed, upon
becoming more skilled in the art, it was my invaria
ble practice to carefully clear away all marks of labor,
remove all the chips, and replace the logs or stones
which had been removed, so as to give the spot as
natural and wild an aspect as before. And even
after all these precautions, it was not an unusual
thing to find tracks of animals leading to the traps,
and then away again, showing that beasts, wiser than
ordinary, had approached, inspected the snares, made
up very correct opinions, and left without troubling
them. Instances of this character were always re
garded by me as unfortunate, as animals, in some
way or other, have a method of communicating their
thoughts to each other; and I therefore made it a
rule, upon finding a trap thus suspected, to do some
thing or other, either by re-smoking, or throwing
something near it, to give it the natural appearance
it ought to have. I also avoided as much as possible,
the killing of animals in the neighborhood, and, in
general, took all care to remove from the vicinity
of the snares everything that could, by any possibil
ity, indicate to animals the purposes for which they
were intended.
On some occasions, when a trap did not seem to
attract animals, I caused haunches of meat to be
dragged over the ground for some distance around,
for the purpose of leaving the scent, and thus lead
ing them up. As to the efficacy of plans and con
trivances of this kind, however, there may be consid-

THE ART OF TRAPPING. 89
erable doubt, for if an animal will not of its own
accord approach and enter a trap, it is not likely
that he can thus be enticed to do so. Some hunters
also suppose that drugs of a peculiar smell will aid
in attracting animals; and some have various super
stitions, and foolish notions, which are not worth no
tice. There is but one good rule for the trapping of ani
mals, — a plain and universal one, and, like almost all
other good rules in any department of human knowl
edge, the dictate of common sense. This is, that
the animal to be enticed to eat, must be met where
and when he is hungry; and the most palatable bait,
— which is also, generally speaking, his natural and
usual food, — must be offered, and offered in such a
way as not to alarm his fears or excite his sus
picions. To accomplish these objects in a better or
worse degree, exhibits the more or less consummate
skill of the trapper. In a country perfectly wild,
there is not so much necessity for care; but where
there is much hunting, and animals have become very
wild, the art is one of great nicety, and all the knowl
edge of science, so far at least as relates to the sub
ject, cannot be too well known.

90 THE INDIANS.

CHAPTER XII.
THE INDIANS.
Morning Alarm. Invitation to an Indian Feast. Proposition to the
Messengers. Start on the Hunt. Adventure with a Bear. Ad
venture with Deer. Indian Idea of Game. A bad Precedent es
tablished. Indian Deer Hunting. Indian Skill. My Courtly
Reception by the Indians. Ceremonies. Sykesey's Reception,
and deadly Fright. Our Contributions to the Feast. Conversa
tion with Kennasket. Indian Table Etiquette. Mush. A gallop
ing Visit to Camp. The Morning Alarm returned. The Indian
Wigwams. Scalps. Site of the Feast. Anticipation of more
Mush. Preparation for the Feast. Barbaric Display. Dancing.
Music. The Banquet. Harangues. The Dance of Clubs.
Indian Archery. The Scene at Night. Our Return to Camp.
One morning very early, as we were all sleeping
about the camp fire, I was aroused by an Indian
yell; and, supposing an attack, I jumped up, with my
rifle in my hand, ready to fire. An evil result might
have come from this manner of entering my camp;
but the well-known appearance of Old Pompey and
two of his Indian friends, who stood before me, in a
moment dissipated all cause of alarm. They came,
so they informed me, from their Chief, Kennasket,
who proposed giving a great feast, and desired me
to furnish as much game as possible for the occasion,
as it was some great anniversary in their tribe. The
feast, they said, was to take place on lunar day, —
referring probably to some change in the moon, which
would be two days ahead; and, as a distinguished
honor, I was especially invited to be present. In

THE INDIANS. 91
accordance with my general principles of intercourse
with the Indians, I readily consented to all that was
asked, but required the Indians to remain and assist
me. It was desirable, in view of the feast, and of the
large number of participants which I was given to
understand would be present, to collect a very large
quantity of game; and I therefore made two parties,
— despatching Sykesey, Tuolumne, and one of the In
dians in one direction, while I with Pompey and the
third Indian, took another. We each took a mule,
and started out for a general hunt. After separating,
my party proceeded until we came to a dense thicket;
when, seeing tracks, I asked the Indians whether they
liked bear meat. They replied that they liked it
much; but when I pointed out a fresh track, they
seemed much frightened, and very little in the spirit
of following it up. Their alarm, however, subsided
when I proposed to pursue the trail alone, and when,
after a long and tedious search in the chaparral, I
succeeded in finding and killing a bear, which was
a black one, they pronounced the Old Hunter mucho
bravo, or something to that effect.
Proceeding ahead, we fell in with two black-tailed
deer, a buck and doe, feeding in a little valley. These
fine animals usually stand long enough before flying
to enable a hunter to obtain good aim, and, there
fore, they make a pretty mark. It is also frequent,
when a buck and doe are together, and the buck is
slain, that the doe remains; and, on this account, it
was always my rule to kill the buck first. This noble

92 THE INDIANS.
fellow I soon brought to his knees; but, before my
piece was reloaded, the doe took the alarm and
escaped. Further on, the Indians pointed out a
solitary doe, which was nibbling the bushes a short
distance off, without appearing to take much notice
of us. I shot her; but, upon examination, found her
to be only a poor, little, lame thing, which had evi
dently been attacked and injured in the shoulder by
some wild animal; and, being thus disabled, had been
eking out an inadequate existence in the brush. I
was sorry I had killed her; but the Indians ex
claimed, "White man muchee goodee; killee muchee
muck-a-muck." I replied, " Muck-a-muck no good;"
but they pronounced the doe very first rate, and we
packed the body on top of the bear and buck. These
constituted our success this day; but Sykesey and
his party brought in several small deer, an antelope,
and a quantity of small game.
The next morning, as we determined to hunt
towards the Indian village, we took all the game
killed the previous day; and as Stanislaus, who usu
ally remained, desired to attend the feast, though it
was much against my will, I consented to leave the
camp entirely unguarded. Sykesey, indeed, who
supposed himself not included in the invitation to the
feast, would willingly have remained; but we over
ruled him, and, therefore, the camp was left totally
alone. We, however, put everything to rights; and
dividing into two parties, as on the day before, we
started in different directions, intending to meet at
the village in the evening.

THE INDIANS. 93
During this day I did nothing worthy of particular
notice, but had an exhibition of the skill of the
Indians, which, considering the admiration they ex
pressed for my hunting, surprised me. We dis
covered a doe and two fawns, feeding on a grassy
spot in a plain; and the Indians asked to be allowed
to try their powers for once. I was curious to see
their method of stalking, and how they worked their
bows and arrows; and, therefore, not only con
sented, but to stimulate them to greater care, offered
a good price for the fawns, if taken alive. The In
dians, thereupon, crept to a position about three
hundred yards from the animals; and pulling out
their knives and cutting a quantity of grass, they
wove large caps, resembling growing bunches of
green, and placed them on their heads. Thus dis
guised, they crept within a hundred and fifty yards
of the deer; and then, falling flat upon their abdo
mens, they crept, like snakes in the grass, within
twenty or thirty yards of them. Both then suddenly
sprang upon their knees, with their bows drawn, —
fired as one man, — and the doe fell, transfixed with
two shafts. They then jumped upon their feet, and,
after cutting her throat, pursued the fawns which
ran towards the brush. The whole affair was con
ducted more skilfully than anything else I have ever
seen done by Indians, and pleased me so much that
I directly went to measure the distances. While
wondering at their abilities, they returned, bearing
the fawns, and I pronounced them great hunters.
At my commendation, their eyes flashed with pleas-

94 THE INDIANS.
ure. "You excel the White Hunter," said I; but
they replied, "The White Hunter is a hunter of
bears!" After this, we proceeded till within a few hundred
yards of the village of Kennasket, when an Indian
went forward to announce my arrival. In a short
time afterwards, one of the chief's wives came out
with a wreath of wild flowers, which she placed upon
my head, and then conducted me to the lodge, where
Kennasket, his wives, and chief men had assembled
to receive me. As I entered, the company knelt,
and the chief made a speech calling me friend and
brother; after which, a circle was made around me,
and, while I in turn knelt, they all placed their hands
upon my head and danced and sang, repeating the
words of the chief, "Good is the White Hunter, who
comes with much game from the east. No thief is
he, but friend and brother of the Red Man. He is
welcome." Much the same ceremony was performed over
Sykesey, when he and his party arrived, which
was not long afterwards. As he approached, a
squaw advanced and placed a wreath of vine leaves
upon his head. Now Sykesey, though he had lived
much in Indian countries, knew little of Indian cus
toms, however much he pretended to know; and,
therefore, out of curiosity, I watched him as he en
tered the lodge. He was already alarmed regarding
the crown about his head, not knowing what to make
of it; and, as I seized an opportunity to tell him
when to kneel, he supposed that he was being led

THE INDIANS. 95
like a victim to martyrdom. His eyes stared wide;
and he replied that he would not kneel, that he had
never done so in his life. "But," said I, "you can
surely kneel to say your prayers." At this, he was
still more alarmed; but, added I, "Pluck up your
courage and die like a man." For some reason or
other, I felt a kind of wicked pleasure in witnessing
his imaginary terrors. More like a ghost than solid
flesh, did he stand there, and, had he fainted, it
would not have surprised me. However, he got
through the ceremony safely, and managed to fall
upon his knees at the proper time; yet when the
women placed their hands upon his head and danced
in a circle around him, he appeared really more dead
than alive.
This curious ceremony of reception being over, I
had a laugh with Sykesey about his fright. We
then unpacked our mules, and spread forth the game,
which made a goodly display, — there being a bear,
deer, antelopes, a badger, rabbits, squirrels, and
birds; in all, about forty bodies. Kennasket, who
stood by, was much pleased with the show, ordered
our mules to be put out to good pasture, and invited
us to amuse ourselves; and "this night," said he,
"you shall sleep in my lodge." "The White Hunter,"
I replied, "never sleeps under cover, nor ever where
women sleep." At this answer, the old fellow laughed
heartily, and replied, that the women would not hurt
anybody, but that the white man should please himself.
He then pointed to some beautiful mats which hung
in his lodge, and gave me to understand that they

96 THE INDIANS.
were at my service; but I replied, "No; the White
Hunter prefers his blankets and the ground."
When supper was announced, we sat down to one of
the most curious meals it was ever the fortune of white
man to partake of. Two large wooden tureens were
placed upon the ground, containing a kind of mush,
which was made by mixing grass seed, meal, and
water in the tureen, and then throwing in hot stones,
till it was cooked. At the side of these, were heaps
of roasted meat, piled upon flat stones; and around
these aboriginal dishes we sat flat upon the ground, —
and a curious sight we made. But however strange
the spreading of the board, much more strange was
the etiquette which governed at table. The chief
gave us to understand that we must not be backward;
and, as he did so, he scooped up three fingers full of
mush, which he transferred from the common bowl
to his mouth, with remarkable agility. The other In
dians followed his example, each dipping for himself;
for of such things as spoons, these fellows seemed to
have no idea. Now, I am as free from prejudices as
almost any man, but, I confess, this method of eating
mush rather staggered my tastes, and made me con
fine myself to the meat exclusively. Although the
chief repeatedly urged me to try the mush, commend
ing it with a hearty smack of the lips at every mouth
ful, I assured him that I never ate mush, but that the
meat was superb. The meal lasted till all the provi
sions were exhausted; when at a nod all knelt, and the
chief muttered over a prayer to the great Spirit, en
treating him to be propitious to the feast of the mor-

THE INDIANS. 97
row; after which we all rose, and soon afterwards
retired. Meanwhile, as it commenced to grow dark, I began
to think of camp and the poor pets. I feared they
could not fare well alone, and I could not bear the
idea of remaining away, though such had at first
been my intention. Therefore, I requested of the
chief one of his best horses, to ride back, promising
to return early in the morning. He replied, that if
I were determined to go, I should take his fleetest
animal; but if I did not return in time, to beware
of his displeasure. He need not fear, I answered;
and mounting a splendid courser, galloped off; and
in a short time, after looking to the pets, I turned
into my blankets, under my own tree, in my own
camp. The next morning, I rose before dawn, and mounting
my horse, rode back to the village, where I arrived
at daybreak. All was still and quiet; not a watcher
waked; and even the makers of the approaching fes
tival continued to slumber. I thought to rouse the
sleepers, and usher in the day with sport; and, ac
cordingly, spurring my horse, and rushing furiously
through the village, I cried with all my might, " Cha-
wawi! chawawi!" which is an Indian note of alarm.
The whole people rallied, and rushed out of their
lodges, with their hair on end, and their eyes dis
tended with surprise. As soon as they collected, I
informed them that they need not be alarmed; the
White Hunter had only taken this method of announc
ing his arrival, and his heart was merry.

98 THE INDIANS.
Upon passing through the village, I found that it
consisted of forty or fifty lodges, and about four hun
dred people. The chief's dwelling, which was situ
ated in the centre of all, was a round structure, made
of long poles stuck into the ground and running up
in a conical form to a smoke-hole in the top. The
poles were interlaced with boughs and small sticks,
over which was plastered a composition of clay and
mud, which, when dry, would turn the rain well. A
deal of care had been taken in building this lodge,
which was by far the best in the village; the others,
however, were built in the same general manner, ex
cept that some were oval; and all appeared tight and
warm, and were doubtless comfortable in the winter
time. On examining the lodges, I found a few scalps,
but they were all of Indians; and I was assured that
no white scalps were in the village, and that none had
ever been taken. The tribe was one of those who
flatten the heads of their children, — a custom com
mon to various nations, — but I am at a loss whether
to call them Nez Percees, Pend Oreilles, or some other
name. After rousing the rancheria, I proceeded to where
my comrades had taken up their quarters, and roused
them also; and soon afterwards, the chief invited me
to examine with him the ground where he intended
to celebrate the day. We walked together three or
four hundred yards, to a level and grassy spot, with
here and there a noble oak spreading out its ample
branches and promising the most grateful shade. All
the stones and dry limbs had been removed from the

THE INDIANS. 99
ground, and four or five circles, the size of circus
rings, the largest in the middle, had been staked off,
evidently for dancing. There was also places fixed
in various spots for roasting meats; and everything
appeared ready to begin the ceremonies. The chief
explained to me the purposes of all which we saw;
and I, following out the line of policy previously
adopted, admired everything. In one respect, how
ever, I came near breaking through the rule; — when
breakfast was announced, remembering the mush, I
begged to be excused: but Kennasket shook his head,
and said the White Hunter must eat with him. This
"must" was sufficient, and I went into the lodge
and took breakfast; but, fortunately, mush did not
constitute a portion of the bill of fare this time.
As soon as breakfast was finished, preparations
were made for the celebration. The meats were
carried to the places assigned for them, the fires
were kindled, the cooks were stationed; and in a
short time barbecues gave forth their pleasant flavors
on every side. When the grateful smells ascended,
as from altars to the Great Spirit, the chief and his
household made their appearance, decked and painted
in all the splendor of barbaric display; and, following
in the train, came the whole people and their guests,
about eight hundred persons, all in the costume of
Indian festivity. It was, indeed, a great sight to see
them in their finery, with their beads, feathers, and
painted bark, their furs and woven garments, and
themselves painted; to watch their stately and solemn
steps, as they marched into the circles; and to behold

100 THE INDIANS.
their wild and curious dances, so full of meaning and
character, when seen in their native places. The
music of these dances was a kind of chant kept up
by several of the Indians who stood outside the
circles. About the middle of the afternoon, the chief an
nounced dinner; after which, would take place the
great club dance. The meats, — which consisted of
bear, deer, antelope, and many other kinds, in all
about two hundred animals of various sorts and sizes,
— were now spread forth on pieces of bark and flat
stones, in a large circle upon the ground. There
were also about a dozen large tureens of mush, made
in the same way, and intended to be eaten in the
same manner as that of which I had had previous
experience. There were also buckets or large bowls
of water in abundance; but no liquor. Around these
viands the feasters were arranged in circles; some
sitting, some standing, and all with ravenous appe
tites. The feast began at a signal from the chief;
and such a destruction of food as then took place
was astonishing to all my ideas of human capacity.
But the banquet progressed well; great enjoyment
prevailed; the bucks became lively, and shouted,
hallooed, and whooped, as if mad, and the Governor
himself could barely restrain his enthusiasm; but,
suddenly, in the midst of the merriment, he jumped
up, and, commanding silence, harangued the people
upon the great deeds of his younger days, the glory
of his tribe, and the greatness of his nation. Others
followed, discanting upon the same fruitful topics.

THE INDIANS. 101
After dining, the warriors returned to the circles,
and the club-dance began. This remarkable cere
mony consisted of a dance of braves, with war-clubs
in their hands. It took the form of a battle; each
warrior flourishing his club against his neighbor. It
seemed as if forty skulls would certainly be broken
every instant; but such was the dexterity shown in
the dance that not a blow was given. It was, indeed,
a great spectacle. After the club-dance, other dances
began, in some of which the squaws participated;
and great was the pleasure with which they entered
into the spirit of the scene. At the same time, exer
cises in archery took place in another portion of the
green, and great skill was shown. These Indians are
wonderfully correct with their arrows; I repeatedly
saw small balls of wood pierced at thirty yards dis
tance; and, on several occasions, an Indian would
hold a nail in his hand and allow others to shoot
at it.
Towards evening, the archery ceased, and all
crowded into the dance. Large fires were lighted
about the field; and, as the night grew darker, the
scene became romantic. The forms of the plumed
and painted Indians, as they passed to and fro in
the ruddy glare of the night fires; the dark shadows
and the flickering lights on every side, presented a
spectacle which will remain indelibly impressed upon
my memory. About midnight, the dancers resorted
again to the viands, and cleared the abundant supply
to the last fibre; then, again, they took up the dance,
and continued, doubtless, until morning warned the

102 THE INDIANS.
revellers that the day and night of celebration were
past. As for myself and companions, we withdrew
shortly after midnight; and, returning to our camp,
tired and weary, turned into our blankets and slept
out the short remainder of the night.

THE FRIGHTENED GRIZZLY

LADY WASHINGTON'S EDUCATION. 103

CHAPTER XIII.
PROGRESS OP LADY WASHINGTON'S EDUCATION.
The Effect of the Feast. A Sleepy Hunt. Tuolumne's Yankee Trick.
Passage of Words with Sykesey. A Lesson in Pack-carrying to
Lady Washington. The Lady my Companion. Discovery of
Deer. A Grizzly Bear. Situation of Myself and the Lady. The
Devil in the Wilderness. My Affection for the Lady. A Surprise.
Robbery of Camp. Suspicions. The Lady on Guard. Clean
liness of the Grizzly Bear. An Antelope Hunt and Slaughter.
Our Return to Camp at Night. Pursued by Wolves. Sykesey's
Fright. Attack by a Panther. The Panther a Sneak.
It was late the next morning when we awaked,
still drowsy and sleepy from the effects of the feast.
Sykesey complained of indisposition, and Stanislaus
had gorged himself; so that it fell upon Tuolumne
and me to go upon the hunt and provide fresh meat,
of which there was not a particle about camp. We
accordingly mounted the mules and rode forth; but,
for a long time, could see nothing. Suddenly we
came upon four deer, and dismounting, managed by
cautious working to approach within ninety yards;
when one of the band happened to espy us, snorted
the note of alarm, and all began staring about, pre
paratory to starting on the run. At this instant,
however, I ordered Tuolumne to fire; and, doing the
same myself, we killed two; with the bodies of which,
as soon as they could be packed, I sent Tuolumne
ahead, ordering him to stop and await me at a eer-

104 PROGRESS OF
tain hill, while I would make a circuit and try to
kill something more. But, either because I was too
drowsy to see, or because game was scarce, I could
find nothing; and, soon giving up the hunt, pro
ceeded to the appointed hill.
I found that Tuolumne was indeed waiting for me;
but as he sat on a shady bank, holding the lariats of
the mules in his hands, he had fallen fast asleep!
Thinking to have fun out of this circumstance, I tried
to get the lariats out of his grasp; but he had wound
them so tightly about his arm as to render this impos
sible. He suddenly waked, and cried that he had
learned the Yankee's trick of sleeping with an eye
open. We then proceeded on our way, and arrived
at camp early in the afternoon; so early, indeed, that
Sykesey expressed surprise; "for," said he, "this is
the best time of the day to hunt." "Yes," I replied;
"but you are not the only man whose flesh and blood
tire and sleep."
The next day, I resolved to remain at camp and
train my pets, and particularly Lady Washington,
who had now become tame enough to follow me with
out leading. The thought struck me of teaching her
to carry a pack; and getting an old flour-bag, and
filling it with sand, I lashed it upon her shaggy back.
It was barely bound on, however, before she threw
her head around, seized it with her teeth and tore a
great hole, and the sand ran out. I talked to her,
tried to make her understand what was wanted, and
reproved her with a stick, but it was of no use; she
grew angry, and I found that it was not prudent to

LADY WASHINGTON'S EDUCATION. 105
carry the affair any further that day, so I busied
myself with Jackson, the wolves, and the little black
bears, all of which improved rapidly.
A few days after this, an adventure occurred in
which the Lady played an important part. Having
determined to build another trap, we all set forth to
the spot selected, which was about four miles distant.
Being anxious all the time to accustom the Lady to
my companionship, I allowed her to follow me. It
was a little hazardous, perhaps, to take her so great
a distance, but so firm was my confidence in her
training as to overrule all objection. She followed
like a dog, and during the whole day remained at my
side, partaking of my lunch at noon.
Towards evening, as we got ready to start home.
I gave my rifle to Stanislaus, and directed him, with
Sykesey and Tuolumne, to make a circuit and kill
what game they could, while I would go direct to
camp with the Lady. They went off in one direction,
and I started in another, with nothing to defend my
self except my pistol and bowie-knife. I had not
gone far before several deer, grazing on a hill-side,
attracted my attention; and though it was foolish
to attempt to shoot them with a pistol, my ambition
was such that I could not think of allowing the oppor
tunity to pass without an attempt. Accordingly, I
tried to creep around to a spot from which to fire with
advantage; and, coming to a thicket, commenced
crawling through the brush, the Lady following in my
wake. But before advancing more than a hundred
yards, I felt that my position was dangerous; there

106 PROGRESS OF
certainly were bears about, and if one should attack
me, being without a rifle, I would have but a poor
chance. The deer, it is true, still remained grazing,
and this was the first time the Old Hunter ever re
fused an opportunity of killing a deer when he was
in need of provision; but the risks seemed too great,
and the chance of success too small, and, finally, I
turned around and began backing out. Suddenly,
Lady Washington gave a snort and chattered her
teeth. I wheeled around at this, and directly behind
the Lady, full in sight, standing upon his hind legs
and wickedly surveying us, stood a savage old grizzly.
That he had hostile intentions, all his actions clearly
showed; and there I was, almost without arms, and
with the Lady as well as myself to take care of.
In this emergency, I seized the chain with which
the Lady was usually tied, and which was now
wrapped about her neck, and unwound it as noise
lessly as possible. I was then about to move to a
tree which stood near, when the enemy dropped upon
his all fours, came a little nearer, and rose again.
Here was a dilemma. I knew from the nature of the
beast that if I moved now, I was to expect him either
to instantly attack or precipitately fly, — but the former
much more probably than the latter. I did not wish
to hasten an unforeseen determination on his part,
however, and therefore stood stock-still, with my pis
tol in my hand; and thus we both, motionless as
stone, eyed each other. It is difficult to tell how
long the bear would have gazed without acting, — not
long, probably; but seeing his indecision, I resolved

LADY WASHINGTON'S EDUCATION. 107
to turn it to my advantage; and suddenly discharging
the pistol, rattling the iron chain, and at the same
time yelling with all my might, I had the gratification
of seeing the enemy turn tail and run, as if fright
ened out of his wits. Not satisfied with this, I fol
lowed after him yelling and shouting, with the Lady
growling and the chain clanking. It seemed as if a
thousand devils had sprung up all at once in the wil
derness, and the old bear tore through the bushes as
if each particular one was after him.
Such was the first instance in which Lady Washing
ton, my faithful friend and constant companion for
years afterwards, stood side by side with me in the
hour of danger and dire alarm; and from that time, I
felt for her an affection which I have seldom given to
any human being. The remainder of the way, I kept a
watchful eye; but nothing further, worthy of mention,
occurred, and we safely reached camp an hour after
sundown. I gave notice of my approach, as usual
after dark, by discharging a chamber of my pistol.
Upon getting in, my comrades at first laughed at me
for being lost again, as they supposed; but they
opened their eyes wide, when I came to tell of the old
grizzly, and the deadly fright which the rattling of the
Lady's chain had given him.
The narrative of this adventure was curious enough;
but my comrades replied that they had also surprising
news for me; and when I asked what could be so won
derful, they told me to guess. I supposed that they
had killed a large amount of game; but no, that was
not it; I then guessed that they had had a fight with a

108 PROGRESS OF
bear or a panther, but neither was this it; a third time,
I guessed that they had been frightened into camp,
for they wore a scared look; but neither was this it.
They then told me that, upon arriving at camp, they
had noticed a bright fire burning, which showed plainly
that some one had been there but a short time before.
Not thinking much of this, they had proceeded to
feed the pets, but found that the two little black
bears were missing; and, shortly afterwards, that a
portion of our stock of salt, a portion of our pepper,
a portion of our powder and lead, and a sack of dried
meat, were gone. All this surprised me indeed, and
I reproached myself that my anxiety to finish the
trap had betrayed me into such great carelessness as
to leave my camp unguarded. However, I con
cluded, from the nature of the articles taken, that
some neighboring hunters must have visited our stores
and helped themselves to what they wanted; and,
though not aware that any other hunters were within
fifty miles, I felt confident of hearing of my bears
again, and calmed the fears of my comrades with this
trust. As, however, the unknown visitors might be hostile,
we took the precaution that night to remove our
blankets from the fire, so as not to be exposed, in
case of an attack. We were too much fatigued, nor
was it at all necessary to place a watch; but a guard
I did station at my side, in whose wakefulness and
fidelity I already could place the greatest reliance.
This was no other than Lady Washington; for the
bear, notwithstanding its apparently drowsy and slum-

lady Washington's education. 109
berous nature, is a wakeful animal; and, should any
thing approach during the night, I knew the Lady
would be likely to observe and give me notice of it.
Subsequently to this time, my bears often waked me,
though but a coyote or a skunk approached my quar
ters; but, upon this occasion, nothing disturbed us,
and the Lady remained perfectly quiet — except, in
deed, in one instance, when, actuated by an innate
love of cleanliness, she roused and removed to the
end of her chain. My personal observations, made
on this and other occasions, have convinced me that
cleanliness is as much a natural virtue in the ursine,
as in the feline race.
The next day, having resolved never to leave our
camp unprotected again, we left Stanislaus in charge;
and the rest of us proceeded to the new trap, which,
by energetic work, we finished and baited early in
the afternoon. We then set out to return, intending
to hunt upon the way; and, for this purpose, made a
circuit towards a ravine in the hills, into which, in the
morning, we had driven a band of antelopes. As it
was now towards evening, I expected these antelopes
to be coming down from the hills to graze in the plain
during the night, as was their habit; and, accord
ingly, Sykesey and I posted ourselves at the mouth
of the ravine, while Tuolumne went over the hills to
drive down all the game he should find. In a short
time, a band of thirty or forty antelopes passed
directly in front of our ambuscade; when Sykesey,
who was concealed behind a tree, fired and wounded
one. As they came to my concealment, which was a

110 PROGRESS of
rock, they were all in a cluster; and, upon firing, I
also brought one to the ground, and then, snatching
my revolver, fired three additional shots into the band
and wounded another. As the band rushed on, we
mounted our mules to pursue the wounded ones, which
we soon despatched; but the main band reached the
plain and escaped.
It was now nearly night, and the road to camp
long, but we packed the antelopes as quickly as pos
sible; and, while Sykesey rode one mule and led the
other, loaded, Tuolumne and I pioneered the way.
Thus we proceeded about a mile and a half, when a
gang of wolves opened upon our trail, and Sykesey
became so frightened that he would not go behind
with the meat any longer; for the meat, he said, was
what they were after, and it ought to go in front.
I replied, that all the wolves in the country were
not very formidable; but, if he wished, he should
go ahead, and we would follow. He accordingly
changed to the van, and Tuolumne and I brought up
the rear; and again we proceeded. The wolves,
meanwhile, kept coming on howling behind us, draw
ing nearer and nearer, and more and more emboldened
with their approaches; but we paid no attention to
them, till at length we came to a thicket, through
which we would have to pass and where they might,
perhaps, attack us in disadvantageous straits. Here,
therefore, I directed a halt, and we sat down and
awaited the coming up of the pursuers; but the
cowardly rascals were afraid to approach nearer than
fifty yards, where they sat howling at us. It was

lady Washington's education. Ill
starlight; we could see their eyes; but they dared
come no nearer; and, finally, nothing was left but to
discharge our pieces very much at random into their
midst. Whether any were killed or wounded, there
was no means of knowing; but, certain it is, that the
shots had a good effect, for the gang was frightened
and left us.
We then entered the thicket, Tuolumne and I in
front again, and Sykesey and the mules following;
but, before we had gone far, Sykesey suddenly uttered
an exclamation of terror, and the packed mule rushed
wildly past us through the bushes. It was too dark
to see what the difficulty was; but Sykesey soon ex
plained, that some wild beast had sprung from the
roadside upon the mule, though, missing its footing, it
had fallen over and escaped. I asked, what he sup
posed it was; he replied he did not know, unless
a lion. To satisfy myself, I pulled out a flint and
steel, and, gathering some dry leaves, struck a fire;
and, upon examination, we soon ascertained, by the
prints which the animal had left in the ground, that it
was a huge panther.
It is said of the African lion, that when he makes
a spring and misses his prey, he makes no second
attempt; and the same is said of the California lion,
or, in other words, the panther. It is doubtful
whether the remark is true in either case; but, if it
be, we should not, from such a circumstance alone,
conclude, as some have done, that there is any great
magnanimity in their characters. They both belong
to a genus, which I cannot better describe than by

112 lady Washington's education.
calling them sneaks. We found where this sneak
had been lying in wait for prey, and whence it had
doubtless leaped. It was not far from a fountain
where animals congregated, thus affording a fine field
for treachery and assassination. Having thus satis
fied ourselves, we proceeded on to camp, where the
runaway mule had arrived before us, with her pack in
order; and, but for a scratch or two, all safe and
sound.

BUFFALO HUNTING. 113

CHAPTER XIV.
BUFFALO HUNTING.
An Indian Embassy. Table-Talk. On the Hunt. Discovery of
Buffaloes. The Buffalo Range. Buffalo Hunting on the Plains.
Our Plan of Attack. Our first Buffalo Blood. Chase of the
Buffalo. Our Disguise. Slaughter of the Buffalo. The Honors
of the Hunt. A Buffalo Supper. A Fellow Forty-Niner turns
up. Curing of Buffalo Robes. Soap-Root. Smoke. The In
dian Method. Visit to Kennasket. His Valuation of Wolves.
The Tules. Indian Handiwork. Tule Bread. Our Success at
Bargaining with Kennasket.
We were awakened the next morning, as we had
been awakened once before, by the shouts of Indians;
and jumping up, we found the same three braves as
previously, who had come up from the village thus
early so as to find us before we went out for the day.
I had on several occasions spoken with Kennasket
about purchasing two of his horses, and the braves
proved to be his messengers, with answer that he
would sell provided his price were paid, a portion of
which must be my two wolf whelps. I answered that
I would visit the chief the next day and settle the
terms; and then, with the usual hospitality of a moun
tain camp, I invited my guests to breakfast. As we
sat talking, they told me of other white hunters sta
tioned a few miles on the other side of their village;
and these hunters, they said, had two black bears
exactly like mine. "If," said I, "they are exactly
like mine, they must be mine."

114 BUFFALO HUNTING.
After the Indians departed, we proceeded to our
traps, but found only two thievish coyotes, which I
soon despatched with my pistol. We then took a
wide circuit, intending to hunt around towards camp,
and travelled a long way, when, unexpectedly, we
discovered a few buffaloes grazing at a distance. It
is not usual to find buffaloes west of the Rocky Moun
tains, and especially so far west as where we now
were; but they sometimes stray from their general
haunts; and, before leaving the country, we had the
pleasure of several excellent buffalo hunts, as will be
seen. Usually, buffalo hunting is conducted by direct and
open attacks upon extensive grassy plains, with not a
tree, rock, or other lurking-place in sight. The buf
falo hunter, armed with light and handy weapons,
mounted on a hardy Indian horse skilled in the ways
of the battle and hungry for the combat, rushes into
the midst of a herd and fights a close conflict, not
without danger. It is a manly sport, not unworthy
the buckskin-coated heroes whose fame is handed
down on many a wampum belt and pictured rock.
For myself, I knew little of the sport as it is carried
on upon the slopes of the Platte and the Upper Mis
souri, nor was I prepared for such game; but having
a good rifle, and considerable experience in the gen
eral principles of hunting, I laid my plans according
to my circumstances. My comrades I sent to take
up an ambush beyond the game, while I ascended a
hill directly over where they grazed; and I was con
gratulating myself upon my success so far, when the

BUFFALO HUNTING. 115
buffaloes espied me, rolled up their tails, lifted their
rumps into the air, and scampered off in the greatest
consternation. Fortunately, they galloped directly
past the spot where my comrades were concealed,
who fired, and broke the leg of one of the cows; and
this being the first buffalo blood drawn by our party,
I cried, with great satisfaction, "Bravely done!"
They shouted back, in great glee, that they had
beaten the Old Hunter for once, and then ran after
the crippled animal. I stood a moment watching the
race, but seeing that the buffalo, though grievously
wounded, would outstrip them. I hastily mounted
a mule, and, with my rifle in one hand and a club
in the other, galloped after them to assist at the
death. The boys had chased the buffalo into a wide plain,
where several times they tried to approach within
gunshot; but, at every endeavor, the wary animal
started off with redoubled speed, and fled beyond
their reach. Seeing this, I applied the club to the
mule's back, and galloped like a madman, over hill
and knoll, across valley and ravine, now seeing the
game and again losing sight of it, until, after nearly
a mile's hard riding, I caught up with the chase and
stopped the pursuit. In a short time, as I had ex
pected, the buffalo, weak with fatigue and loss of
blood, lay down in a patch of tall grass; and, as soon
as she did so, giving the mule to Tuolumne, Sykesey
and I tied wreaths of grass about our heads, such as
the Indians had used for deer hunting, and, by crawl
ing upon our bellies, approached within sixty yards

116 BUFFALO HUNTING.
of our game. So perfect was our disguise, that the
watchful animal, though glaring upon every side, did
not observe us. It was, however, impossible to pro
cure satisfactory aim in that position; and, therefore,
determining to try my grizzly plan, I rose, with my
rifle at my face, and gave a sharp whistle. This
caused the buffalo to spring suddenly upon her feet,
and, wheeling around, she gazed and gathered herself
for a charge upon me. As she lowered her head, I
fired, and heard the ball tell upon her forehead; but
the animal only staggered, and would have still made
her plunge, had not Sykesey, who was upon the flank,
opportunely fired a ball behind the shoulder, and she
fell. I jumped forward, drew my knife across her
throat, and she soon poured out her life upon the
plain. Her companions of the herd had already long
disappeared over the farthest verge of the horizon.
We hastily disrobed our game, and packed it; but,
before doing so, I examined the skull, and found that
my ball had glanced from the bony forehead without
penetrating it. Sykesey laughed, and claimed the
credit of killing the first buffalo, — an honor which I
joyfully accorded, as his shot was really excellent in
itself, and excellently well timed. We then hurried
to camp, which, being eight or ten miles distant, we
did not reach till long after dark; but such noble
buffalo steaks as we had for supper, and that violence
of appetite which a deferred meal produces, fully com
pensated for the lateness of the hour. The anticipation
of this meal, indeed, hastened our travel; so that,
although antelopes and other game invited our atten-

BUFFALO HUNTING. 117
tion on the way, we did not turn aside, and, upon
reaching the camp fire, our first movement was to spit
a number of choice cuts.
That evening, Stanislaus gave me an account of a
white man who had visited camp during the day, pro
fessing to be a hunter from Texas, wishing to see me
very much. He had come to California in the same
company with me, — so he said, but the boy could ,
not recollect his name. I recalled all my companions
of that disastrous journey, but was unable to imagine
who this could be. It seemed strange to me that des
tiny could have led any of them by a long, circuitous
course, evidently widely different from mine, thus to
meet me in the wilderness.
Before going to bed that evening, I placed the buf
falo skin in pickle; and, although this was my first
attempt to cure a skin of the kind, it turned out a
beautiful robe. My method of preparing these hides
was to take saltpetre, alum, and a little arsenic, well
pulverized together, and rub them lightly over the
fleshy side of the skin. These substances seemed to
have the effect of preventing putrefaction, and, at the
same time, preserving the hide soft and pliable. The
skin was then doubled, bringing the raw parts to
gether, rolled up, and left to lie for a day or two,
when it was unrolled and the greasy parts scraped off.
Next, a root which grows in all portions of the coun
try, called soap-root, was pounded with water into a
kind of paste and rubbed on the skin, which was then
left to lie a day or two longer. This root had the
effect of tanning and further softening the hide, or

118 BUFFALO HUNTING.
such was, at least, supposed to be its virtue. Next,
the skin was placed upon some hard and smooth sub
stance, and laboriously rubbed with a large, smooth
stone, until perfectly soft and dry. It was then hung
up and smoked, which gave it the finishing touch,
when it assumed a light snuff color. The smoking
also served to preserve it from bugs and other insects,
which would otherwise have soon destroyed it. This
was also the method in which many of the Indians
cured their buffalo robes, with the exception that it
was rare to find saltpetre, alum, or arsenic among
them; but soap-root, or something equivalent, and
smoke, they always used.
The next day, according to appointment, having
loaded a mule with buffalo meat, and taking the two
wolf whelps, Tuolumne and I went down to the vil
lage of Kennasket to drive a trade for horses. We
found him awaiting us; and as soon as his eyes fell
upon the "lobos," he was in raptures, and could not
get enough of looking at and playing with them.
His pleasure gave me much satisfaction; and, on
coming to bargain, I found his valuation of the
whelps was by no means niggardly; but we were
interrupted in our bargaining by the squaws, who
announced dinner, and we sat down to buffalo meat
and tule bread.
This tule is a remarkable vegetable; and, consider
ing the immense tracts of it in California, and, indeed,
throughout the whole western country, it may, at some
future period, assume an importance far beyond the
imagination of the present day. To how many differ-

BUFFALO HUNTING. 119
ent uses it will be applied, is not for me to prophecy;
but that it is not mere waste, fit only for the conceal
ment of elks and the fuel of autumn fires, we may
be well assured. Civilization, so far as I know, has
not yet found a use for it, unless in a few places for
the pasturage of swine; but the Indians use the
reeds in large quantities for making hampers, bas
kets, and mats, and the roots for their bread, such as
was now placed before us. The squaws collect large
quantities of the roots in the marshes, where the reed
grows, and cutting off the exterior rind, retain only
the interior part, which is sweet. This they cut into
small pieces, about the size of chestnuts, and place in
the sun until thoroughly dried. When required for
use, they grind it between stones very fine and mix
it with grass or wild dock meal, usually in the propor
tion of two-thirds tule to one third grass or dock
meal; the object being not only to give the dough a
more positive taste, but also the proper consistency,
as the tule is rather crumbly, like corn meal, while
the others are pasty. The dough, so prepared, is
rolled into small loaves, which are placed in the ashes
and baked; and they make very healthy and palatable
bread. Dinner being over, we proceeded with our bargain
ing, and effected a trade, by which I received two
horses for two wolf whelps, two sacks of dried veni
son, and a black bear. The horses were received,
and the wolves given over immediately; but I asked
time for the delivery of the venison and the bear;
to which, the chief, as soon as he heard of my

120 BUFFALO HUNTING.
being robbed, readily assented. Tuolumne and I
then mounted our newly-purchased horses and rode
off towards the stranger camp, which was pointed out
to us a few miles distant.

TEXAN HUNTERS. 121

CHAPTER XV.
TEXAN HUNTERS.
The Strangers. Kimball. A Reminiscence of the Colorado Desert.
Hunter's "Sport." Comparison of Notes. Further Bargaining
with Kennasket. His Valuation of Bears. The Plague of Wealth.
Guarding our Horses. Dried Meat. Elk Late. Slaying Elks in
the Tules. Return to Camp. Lost by the Carelessness of Com
rades. Second Visit to the Lake. Tuolumne's Horseback Feat.
Visit to the Traps. Coyotes. Bears. Stones in living Hearts.
Vitality of Animals. Reception of Kimball and his Comrades.
The strangers proved to be three Texan hunters,
one of whom I immediately recognized and called
his name, — Mr. Kimball. I asked what could have
brought him into these wild regions. "Well," said
he, "to tell the truth, Mr. Adams, I never would
have got so far, had it not been for that canteen of
water which you gave me on the Colorado desert."
He was, indeed, a fellow traveller with me over the
ninety mile desert in 1849, when several of us, being
worn out and incapable of further travel, were left by
the remainder of the company to get along as best
we could. I happened to have a canteen of water,
which I shared between Kimball and a companion of
his; and ever afterwards, Kimball declared that that
canteen had saved his life, — and there may have
been truth in this declaration; for the third man,
notwithstanding our assistance, soon after died of
fatigue and exhaustion.

122 TEXAN HUNTERS.
We talked a considerable time over this matter.
when Kimball broke out into a loud laugh, and re
marking that one favor deserved another, said that he
had been at my camp a number of times; but, being
never able to find me, he had finally taken my bears
and a portion of my stores, supposing that I would,
of course, hunt them up, and we would certainly meet.
It was a little difficult to see the wit of bringing
about a meeting in this way; but, as it would, among
hunters generally, be considered legitimate sport thus
to help one's self, I could make no complaint, and
accepted Kimball's invitation to remain over night.
Soon afterwards we all sat down to supper; after
which, Kimball and I recommenced our conversation,
and related over our respective histories, from the
time when we crossed the desert together till the time
of our strange meeting. It appeared from his story,
that he and his companions, who were named Foster
and Partridge, had come up into the northern terri
tories for the purpose of making a settlement; but
being all hunters, they had stopped for a week or two
to hunt. My story was a longer one than his; and
we sat talking together by the camp fire long after
all the rest were slumbering.
In the morning, Tuolumne and I mounted our
horses, and, bidding adieu to the Texans, took our
bears and proceeded back to the village of Kennasket.
As the chief had acted liberally, I gave him the
choice of the bears; but he found it so difficult to
choose between them that he at last proposed a third
horse for the second bear, which, of course, was read-

TEXAN HUNTERS. 123
ily accepted. We thereupon returned to our camp
in great good spirits, having accomplished, by our
journey, a great deal more than was anticipated.
It is not unpleasant to possess valuable property,
for it makes a man feel, so far, rich; but in many
cases, by so much the more valuable that a thing is,
just so much the more trouble and anxiety does it
require to watch and preserve it. There are many
rich men, who lead miserable lives on account of their
riches, being bothered almost to distraction with
acres to which the poorer man is a stranger. Thus
it now became a plague to us to have valuable horses,
because we had to watch them. While there was
nothing but mules about our camp, which no man
cared to steal, we slept soundly, but with our horses
we had to keep a watch every night; and from this
period, it became a new regulation in camp, that
there should be a constant guard, — sometimes one,
sometimes two of us relieved at midnight.
The season got by this time to be pretty well ad
vanced, and we began to think of our return to Cali
fornia, and of laying in a stock of dried meat for the
support of ourselves and our animals on the journey.
While at the village, the Indians had told me of a
lake, some twenty-five miles distant, in a northeast
direction, where they said there were elks in abun
dance; and, having now good horses, I determined to
visit it. The next day, accordingly, Tuolumne and
I mounted the two best horses, and set out in the
direction indicated.
After riding hard for several hours, we came in

124 TEXAN HUNTERS.
sight of a considerable body of water, the shores of
which were low, and covered for miles with tule
rushes, — making a sight which was beautiful to look
at. For a time, as I cast my eyes over the prospect,
my errand in visiting it was forgotten; but upon our
approaching nearer and nearer, a number of elks
feeding in the tule, recalled me to my business, and
I set about making a slaughter among them. We
determined to creep upon them; and as the tule was
tall and thick, and the animals busy feeding, we were
enabled, after dismounting, to approach close; and,
fairer mark could not have been desired than I had
at one noble buck, which at my first fire dropped
in his tracks. The next moment, Tuolumne's rifle
cracked, and immediately we both reloaded as quickly
as possible. The elks had probably not been hunted
before, for they did not run, but tramped around in
bewilderment; so that I had an opportunity to fire
again, and broke the neck of another, which also
dropped. Tuolumne likewise fired a second shot,
but in doing so, he incautiously exposed himself, and
the elks, observing him, broke for the higher grounds,
and away they went. By the four shots we killed
two, and wounded another, which I pursued, and
finally also brought to the ground. Thus, three large
bodies lay before us, — more than our horses could
carry; and I was sorry, upon taking a survey, that
we had not brought the mules. We however did the
best we could, which was to pack three quarters of
an elk upon each horse; and then after dragging
the rest together, and covering them with tules, and

TEXAN HUNTERS. 125
hoisting a flag to keep off the wild beasts, we started
with our loads towards camp, intending the next day
to return for the balance.
It was so late and dark before we got half the dis
tance to camp, that we missed our course, and for
several hours stumbled through gullies and ravines,
without knowing where we were. We must have
wandered several hours; but in no direction was there
any light to be seen, nor, could we recognize any land
marks, though they seemed familiar. At last we
determined to fire off a shot as a signal; and, sure
enough, it was answered; but, upon getting in, we
found that Sykesey and Stanislaus had been careless,
and allowed the fire to grow low; so it was for this
reason that we could not tell our position in the dark
ness, approaching from an unusual direction. It is
of so much importance on such occasions to have a
beacon, that there was no other way than to reprove
them for their neglect, though of course, their watch
ing over the horses half of the previous night, pleaded
to some extent in their justification.
The next day I would willingly have rested, but as
Sykesey was not disposed to go out after the elk meat
at the lake, which he thought he could never find, I
took the two boys, the three horses, and the two
mules, and made a second trip. As we approached
the lake valley this time, a band of elks was feeding
on the plain, and thinking to procure more meat as
well as to try the speed of our horses, Tuolumne and
I gave them chase, and ran several miles, when Tuo
lumne managed to shoot one from horseback, — which

126 TEXAN HUNTERS.
was a very skilful feat. This was a fine buck, which
weighed about six hundred pounds, and with what had
been left the day before, made fair loads for both
horses and mules. After packing them, we returned
to camp, which we reached in good season.
We made the round of the traps the next day,
and in one found two coyotes, which I shot with my
revolver, considering them not worth the bother of
keeping; but this caused me regret afterwards, for
they proved to be of a kind none of us had ever
before seen, being large and finely haired. It was
however too late to help the matter; and whipping
off their hides, we swathed their carcasses in bark,
and tied them in a tree. We did this because we
had no tools to bury them, and did not wish them
lying about near the traps, as they might have
prevented other animals from entering. As we were
returning to camp, towards dusk, we observed four
or five grizzly bears. We tied our mules, and as
cended a hill to view the valley, which intervened
between us; but finding we could not reach them
except by making a large circuit, we determined for
once to pass on. I was loth to lose any chance for
my favorite game, but allowed myself to be over
ruled, and we proceeded to camp.
During this day, Sykesey had been busy at camp,
jerking up the bountiful supply of elk meat so as to
dry it; and in the evening, upon my return from the
traps, he told me a story which it was a little difficult
at first to credit. He said, that in cutting up the
heart of one of the elks, he had found the stone-tip

TEXAN HUNTERS. 127
of an Indian arrow imbedded in its substance; making
it appear that the weapon had been shot, and broken
off some time before, and that the wound had after
wards healed, surrounding the stone with matter which
was hard and callous. He had kept the heart, and
now showed it to me; and, sure enough, there it was,
with the stone imbedded. Without this positive proof,
it would have been hard to make me believe that any
animal could have lived with such a stone in its heart;
but two years afterwards I killed a deer in Corral
Hollow in California, and found a small bullet in its
heart, incased in very much the same manner as this
stone was. So, from these two instances, it is certain
that animals will sometimes live and get well, with
wounded hearts.
The next day, which was the fifth after our visit
to Kimball's camp, he and his friends were to make
us a visit; and therefore we remained at home, expect
ing them. It was not long before they hove in sight,
each on his own horse; seeing which, I directed
Stanislaus to stir up what flour we had, and bake
bread, as a token of our most hospitable welcome.
At dinner, they appreciated the delicacy, and we sat
and talked over our old travels and adventures all the
afternoon, and until bedtime. When I came to speak
of the lake, and the elks, the Texans wished to go
there with us, and it was soon agreed that we should
all hunt in that direction the next day.

128 ELK HUNTING.

CHAPTER XVI.
ELK HUNTING.
Third Visit to Elk Lake. The Habits of Elks. Plan of Attack. Sweeping
through the Tules. Rush of the Elks. The Result of our Attack. Night
on the Lake Shore. Slaughter of Elks on the Plain . Return to Camp .
Reminder of Old Boston Market. Conversation and Contract with
Kimball and his Comrades. Wild-Cats. Wolves. An Attack by
Wolves. More Trap Building. My Experience of Horseback Shoot
ing. A Grizzly in the Trail. Tuolumne's Proposition. Confidence
among Hunters. Self -Condemnation. My Address to the Company.
My Authority. The best of Sanctions.
The lake appeared still more beautiful and roman
tic upon the third visit than it had upon either the
first or second. The landscape about it was com
posed of hills covered with trees, and plains rolling
in green luxuriance. On one side, in the low marshy
ground skirting the water, was a heavy growth of
tules, several miles in length and a half mile in width;
and it was among these that bands of elks, in the dry
season, loved to congregate. It is a habit of elks, as
of many other wild ruminants, to graze in the open
plains principally in the evening, at night, and in the
morning. During the warmer portions of the day,
they retire to shady thickets like deer; or, if there
are tules in the neighborhood, these they seem to
prefer, and among them they stand almost up to the
knees in mud and water, stamping about to keep cool

ELK HUNTING. 129
and drive off the tormenting flies until evening, when
they again sally forth into the plains.
As we approached the lake, several hours before
sunset, we rode down to a small wooded stream near
its shore; where, hitching our horses, saddled as they
were, we made preparations for an immediate hunt.
That we would find game in the tules at that time, I
was well satisfied, and, therefore, directed the party
to spread out and make a clean sweep through the
rushes, so as to assure ourselves of starting any that
might be there.
Accordingly, we spread out and began beating
through the tules; when, presently, we heard the
whistle of a buck in front. Upon this warning, we
advanced more cautiously; and, in a few hundred
yards further, we heard the whistle again, and knew,
by the distinctness of the sound, that there was a
band of elks not far off. We soon came in sight of
them, and I directed each man to single out one, and
all fire as nearly at once as possible; then each to
reload and remain comparatively motionless till an
other opportunity occurred, and then all fire again.
In accordance with these directions, we acted in con
cert. At the first fire, the elks were astounded, and
kept tramping around till we reloaded and fired a
second shot, when they took the alarm and started
off. There was a great rushing through the tules,
which sounded as if there were a hundred elks; but
the tules were too high to enable us to see the
actual number.
We had anticipated a considerable slaughter; but,

130 ELK HUNTING.
upon going up to the spot, found that the band had
left only three of its number behind. This we all
thought very strange, and followed the trail several
hundred yards, in the expectation of finding wounded
ones; but not another elk, or even a sprinkle of
blood, was to be seen; and, being thus satisfied that
all the wounded had fallen, we returned and dressed
the three bodies. We then endeavored to bring the
horses to where they lay; but the ground was so soft
that it was impossible to do so, and thereupon we cut
poles in a thicket near the lake, and, slinging a quar
ter elk on each, carried them out on our shoulders to
firmer ground, where they were packed on the horses
and borne to where we had stopped, in the timber, on
the banks of the creek. As usual, we hauled the
meat up into trees; all but a choice piece, of which
we made our evening meal. A rousing fire was
built, and we devoured a hearty supper of elk meat,
all enjoying it to a great degree; and then, drawing
forth our pipes and smoking, we listened to the shrill
piping of the frogs in the low grounds and the occa
sional hoot of the owl; or told stories of hunting and
adventure, till the sinking flames of our fire warned
us to replenish it and retire.
We were afoot the next morning again with the
dawn, wishing to kill game enough to load all our
horses; but we had to go several miles from the lake
before coming up with the elks, which, at this time,
were grazing on the plains. We found them in an
excellent situation to be surrounded; and, as there
was a very good number in our party to accomplish

ELK HUNTING. 131
this manoeuvre, I sent Tuolumne and a Texan around
behind them, while the rest of us spread apart, and
all advanced. The elks, seeing riders upon every
side, became bewildered, and stood staring wildly
about, giving us a chance to shoot them down as we
pleased. There were about twenty of them, and we
might, perhaps, have killed half; but, after the first
fire, which brought down three, we stopped and
allowed the rest to escape, knowing that it would be
impossible to carry away more; nor, indeed, could
we carry all the six we had, for each, when dressed,
made a good load for a horse. The hides and one
of the bodies we left hanging in the trees, intending
to return for them at another time; and then, each
leading a loaded horse, we returned on foot to our
camp, which we reached about sundown, having been
absent two days.
Upon unpacking, we heaped the meat against the
butt of a tree, and the pile, together with that which
hung in the branches around, reminded me of a place
familiar to my eyes in old times, — that is to say, the
old Boston market; but there was a wide differemce
between the strict old city and the wild scenery here.
As it grew dark, wolves and coyotes began howling
and yelping on every side, and we soon found that the
meat would have to be watched all night. After
supper, accordingly, sending a Texan and one of the
boys to keep guard over the horses, Kimball and I
took our places by the meat. We soon got into con
versation, and, in the course of the evening, he told
me that when he was at Portland, in Oregon, there

132 ELK HUNTING.
was a vessel lying there, bound for Boston, which
would sail in the latter part of September. Upon
learning this, a thought struck me which had not
entered my head before; this was, to take my animals
to Portland and make a shipment of them by this
vessel from there, instead of from California, as at
first intended. I spoke to Kimball of this, and pro
posed that he and his companions should hunt with
me, catch all we could, procure all the peltry and
bear-oil possible, and ship them. He immediately
replied, that, as for himself, he was perfectly willing
to hunt a month for me, as he owed me more than a
month's work at any rate. I answered, that it was
nonsense to talk in such a manner, for he owed me
nothing; but if he and his party would remain and
aid me to get the shipment off, I would pay them
what was reasonable. After talking the matter over
by themselves, Kimball and his companions deter
mined to remain and have a glorious hunt for a
month; and, at the end of that period, we were all
to set out together for Portland.
Early the next morning, accordingly, the Texans
started off after their effects; Sykesey and Tuolumne
at the same time went off with a horse and the two
mules for the elk and elk hides left at the lake, and
I to make the rounds of the traps. In one of them
I found a wild-cat, but had to leave it till next day,
when Tuolumne and I went out and made a sugar-
pine cage, in which we packed it on one of our mules.
On our way to camp, this second day, I made an
excellent shot at a gray fox, which was eating a bird

ELK HUNTING. 133
on a hill-side quite a hundred yards distant; and
Tuolumne also shot a wild-cat out of a tree. We
packed the skins of both; and going on till we came
near camp, we met two wolves on the run, which we
shot at, but missed. Afterwards we learned from
Sykesey and Stanislaus, who had remained cutting
up the meat, that two wolves had been prowling about
camp nearly all day; and, as it was probable that they
would be back in the night, I made arrangements to
give them a couple of ounces of lead to fill their hun
gry bellies.
The Texans, meanwhile, had arrived; and during
the evening we laid our plans for the month, resolving
to build two more traps, and agreeing to divide into
two parties, each to build one. After thus arranging
our plans, we took our places near the meat that still
remained unjerked, in expectation of a visit from the
wolves, which kept up a great howling at a distance.
A short time after midnight, a large pack burst upon
us with a terrific howl; but, there being no light ex
cept what was shed by the stars, we could not see
them distinctly, and were compelled, for the purpose
of getting a fire, to allow them to approach the meat,
which they soon attacked with ravenous ferocity.
There were so many that they seemed like an arniy;
but, after three of us had fired into their midst, and
they put off, there was only one left killed. They must
have been very hungry, for these were the first
wolves that ever dared to come into camp; and the
great quantity of meat there, which they snuffed
afar off, must have proved too great a temptation
for the exercise of prudence.

134 ELK HUNTING.
The next morning we separated into parties, the
Texans going in one direction, and my party in an
other, and commenced our new traps, at which we
worked steadily two days; by which time we had
completed ours, though the Texans were not done
with theirs. While they went out on the third day
to finish, Tuolumne and I started upon an excursion
for fresh meat. We rode four or five miles; when,
coming upon three deer, I fired from horseback, — this
being my first attempt of the kind from the horse I
now rode. The flash, or the Teport of the rifle, so
frightened the horse, that he suddenly sprang from
under me, and I fell flat upon the ground; but, jump
ing up and brushing the dust out of my eyes, I found
myself but little hurt, and soon commenced looking
for the deer. As was to have been expected, how
ever, they had fled unharmed. Proceeding further,
we perceived a few antelopes grazing in a valley.
Tuolumne made a circuit, and fired at them, but
missed; seeing which, I galloped forward, and, run
ning them into a ravine, made a second attempt at
firing from horseback. The horse was by no means
vicious, and I had learned from the fall before how
to accommodate my centre of gravity to his motions;
so that this shot was successful, and brought down an
antelope, the flesh of which afterwards served to bait
both the old and the new traps, — the one built by the
Texans being finished just as we arrived at it in the
evening. When the baiting was finished, we all, five in num
ber, mounted our horses, and, in great good spirits,

ELK HUNTING. 135
started for camp; but, on our way, we suddenly heard
a bear snort; and the horses pricked up their ears,
and pranced in alarm. I stopped and looked around
in every direction, and at last espied the bear in a
bunch of bushes only twenty yards off. It was by
this time too dark to procure correct aim, but, giving
directions that all should fire at once, I blazed away;
and Kimball and Tuolumne did the same, but at ran
dom, not seeing the bear, which gave a snort, and
away he went, probably untouched. The Texans
were anxious to pursue; but I replied, No, it was too
dark, and there was too much brush in that direc
tion. They rejoined that they were very anxious to
kill a bear; to which I answered, that they should only
wait a few days, and I would take them to a part of
the country where they could have their fill of bear
killing. As we proceeded thence very leisurely to camp,
Tuolumne proposed that we should frighten Stanislaus
by pretending to be Indians; but this I would by no
means listen to. I said that it was not right to de
ceive a messmate, nor good policy; for it would de
stroy all that feeling of confidence which ought to
exist between hunters. It is true, I had deceived
Tuolumne once by pretending to be a bear, but he
deserved reproving; still the plan was not justifiable,
as I am willing to confess. It would have been
greatly wrong to have done anything of the kind
on this occasion; for Stanislaus during the day had
been working diligently at the meat, and had it all
jerked and hung up. That which was already dry

136 ELK HUNTING.
he had packed in sacks, made for the purpose, of
antelope skins sewed together with thongs.
Having thus finished our traps and all the work
before us, we discussed plans for the next day as we
sat about the nightfire. I addressed the company,
and said that we must now be industrious, and collect
all the animals, hides, oil, and meat we could, for
we had but a month to remain. The others replied
that they were willing to do their best, but that I
should act as chief, to direct the labor and point out
the hunting-grounds. This position, as it naturally
belonged to me, I willingly accepted; and I imme
diately directed that, in a few days, a party of us
should proceed to a valley about forty miles to the
east, where there was said to be plenty of buffaloes,
and have a grand buffalo hunt before leaving the
country. This speech met with great favor, and
confirmed my authority with that best of sanctions, —
general and willing consent.

ADAMS AND THE BUFFALO.

MISHAPS. 137

CHAPTER XVII.
MISHAPS.
Our Hunting in General. Plan of Narration. Laying in Supplies
of Provisions. Elk Hunt. Description of Washington Valley.
Musings. Slaughter of Buffaloes. A bold Coyote pays for his
Temerity. More Buffaloes killed. Buffaloes in a Marsh. Head
long Career of Buffaloes. Misadventure of Foster. Foster's
Wounds and Cure. Another Buffalo Hunt. Buffaloes mired.
A dangerous Combat with a Buffalo. My Peril and Escape.
Packing to Camp. Our Comrades' Success at Trapping. Griz
zlies in Camp. Foster's Zeal. Attack on the Bears. Foster's
Peril. My Instructions. Foster's Death. Conduct of tbe
Bears. Slaying of them. Attack upon Tuolumne. Burial of
Foster. His Grave. Our Feelings.
The hunting of the next month, the number and
character of the animals captured, and the quantities
of skins and provisions gathered together were as
tonishing. Every variety of animal which the coun
try afforded fell in our way; our traps, during the
entire time, brought us profit; our stores of curiosities
increased with a remarkable rapidity; and indeed the
most sanguine expectations could hardly have ex
ceeded the good fortune which attended all our efforts.
So numerous were our prizes, and so crowded and
varied the incidents of this month, that a detailed
narrative of them would only perplex the story; I
propose, therefore, to group the adventures in such a
manner as to avoid the confusion of too great a mul
tiplicity of minutiae.
As the time for our departure from the country

138 MISHAPS.
was fixed, we had constantly before our minds the
necessity of laying in a large supply of dry meat, for
the sustenance not only of ourselves but also of our
animals upon the march to Portland. We looked for
these supplies principally to the bands of elks which
grazed about the lake, and to the buffaloes which
roamed over the plains to the east; and a large por
tion of our time was therefore devoted to hunting in
those regions. The day after finishing the last trap,
four of us proceeded to the lake, and, driving a band
of elks into the tules, we dismounted, and, pursuing
upon foot, killed three fine ones, which we packed
home the same evening.
On the second day, in accordance with previous ar
rangement, Kimball, Foster, Tuolumne, and I started
on a buffalo hunt, and took with us the six horses
and two mules. We road hard all day, and arrived
at the border of the valley, spoken of by the Indians,
about sundown. We camped under the trees, in a
ravine among the hills, from which we could look
down over the plains below, and see the grassy undu
lations rolling gently away as far as the eye could
reach. It was a beautiful spot, destined some day to
present as splendid a domestic picture as now a wild
one; and, as my eyes dwelt delighted upon it, I could
not help thinking of a time when millions of stock
shall crop the herbage there, and the now wild land
scape be studded with the farms and villages of a
numberless and thriving population. This will only
be, thought I, when these old bones of mine shall
have crumbled into dust, and when the memory of

MISHAPS. 139
the present inhabitants shall be preserved only in
old stories. Such were my thoughts as I lay in my
blankets, with my rifle by my side; and, when sleep
came, with its fantasies, my imagination enlarged
upon these musings of the evening, and presented a
scene such as is familiar in the agricultural valleys in
the east, but will not be, here, perhaps for many
years. We were up in the morning before the sun; and,
looking down upon the plains, we beheld eight or ten
dark objects moving slowly about at a distance, which
were at once recognized as buffaloes. We mounted
our horses and road towards them. Upon approach
ing, supposing the others to be in their proper places,
I fired, and brought one of the animals to his knees
by a ball in his shoulder; and the next moment a shot
by a comrade brought another to the ground; but
the surround had not been complete, and the rest of
the band soon broke away and escaped us. The two
which were killed, however, furnished work for the
day, as the meat had not only to be carried to our
rendezvous, but also cut into strips and hung upon
the drying-poles, and the hides to be spread with
saltpetre and other articles for preservation. In the
evening, again, we mounted our horses, and, taking
the direction in which the band had escaped, came
upon them at a distance of six or eight miles, near a
creek, the banks of which were beautifully timbered.
They were grazing on the further side. We dis
mounted, and, tying our horses, got into the worn, but
now almost dry, channel of the stream, and without

140 MISHAPS.
difficulty crept upon and killed three mighty bulls at
first shots. Thus, in one day, we secured five buf
faloes. This large quantity of fresh meat, as was to have
been expected, attracted many prowlers; and, during
the whole night, the screams of panthers, wolves, and
coyotes, were heard all around. By dint of close
watching, however, we worked through the night, and
preserved our meat intact, with the exception of one
quarter, which was seized by a bold coyote; but the
thief paid dearly for his temerity, for I gave him such
a lick with a club as broke his back. In the morning
we found him endeavoring to drag his paralyzed hind
parts off the field, but soon put a period to his thiev
ing existence.
The second day we also made a morning and an
evening hunt, and killed three buffaloes, five deer,
and four foxes. The skins of all we preserved, and
the meat of all, save the foxes. Again, the next after
noon, we started out for buffaloes, and soon came upon
a large band. They ran towards a timbered marsh,
into which we followed, and killed three, which we
packed to our stopping-place in the ravine.
This marsh was an excellent place to kill these
unwieldy animals; for, once in it, they mired, and fell
almost as easy a prey as when, on the upper waters
of the Missouri, an unlucky band becomes entangled
in a deep snow-drift, and the Blackfoot warriors are in
need of meat. The next day, again on the hunt, we
attempted to drive a band into the same marsh; but
the animals, probably aware of their danger, broke

MISHAPS. 141
off sidewise, and thundered along towards a part of
our semicircle which was guarded by Foster. This
unfortunate man had always been anxious to distin
guish himself, but yet knew little of that prudence
and caution which characterize the true hunter, and,
as the band approached, rashly threw himself in front,
and was overthrown. Buffaloes rarely turn aside
from their direction, and it is almost impossible to
head them off when in full course. I have known
them run against trees which stood in their way; and
more than once, upon the great plains, have they
been known to run over men, horses, and sometimes
over emigrant teams. Nor did poor Foster fare bet
ter; for he and his horse were not only overthrown,
but the band passed over them. Buffaloes either
carry their heads too low to see well, or their momen
tum becomes unmanageable, or they rush purposely
upon obstructions, or — and this is the most probable
explanation of their conduct — all three of these rea
sons combine to drive them headlong forward.
Upon rushing to Foster's assistance, we found him
badly hurt, though, not seriously. I recommended
the water-cure, which had availed so well in my own
case when bitten by the wolf; and, as his injuries con
sisted of bruises principally upon the back, we tore a
blanket into strips, and wound them, dripping with
cold water, about his body, from the armpits to the
hips; and in a few days, such was the virtue of the
remedy, he was able to accompany us upon the hunt
again. The same afternoon, leaving Foster at the ravine,

142 MISHAPS.
Kimball, Tuolumne, and I pursued a small band of
buffaloes for a long distance; but at last they began
to labor, and their tongues hung out almost as long as
a man's arm. Encouraged by this sign of fatigue,
we struck our heels into our horses' sides, and yelled
and hallooed, as jockeys do by way of incitement,
and finally overtook them. As we passed, I wheeled
and fired at the forehead of one; but the ball glanced
off, without penetrating. The suddenness of the ac
tion, however, or the flash of the gun, amazed the
band for a moment; and, in this nick of time, my
comrades wounded two, which we soon killed. We
packed the bodies to the ravine, as before, and the
next day devoted ourselves to jerking meat and
curing hides.
On the fifth day of the hunt I had one of those
dangerous adventures into which too great a confi
dence in one's own powers sometimes betrays a per
son. We had risen early, and soon discovered a large
band of buffaloes, and gave chase. We pursued sev
eral miles, till they came to a precipitous bank of
a creek, down which they plunged fifteen feet, and
crossed over into the marsh that extended for miles
beyond. Seeing them fairly in the mud, we sought
low places in the bank, and rode after them; but, as
the soil grew less and less firm, we soon dismounted,
and pursued on foot. The animals plunged deeper
and deeper, and, being hampered with their great
bodies, completely mired; so that we easily reached
them, and in a few minutes slaughtered four.
There was one lying in the mud a little further

MISHAPS. 143
distant, and, as my rifle was discharged, I resolved
to kill him with my bowie-knife. I was actuated
in this, I confess, by a foolish desire of exhibiting
my bravery, and approached without sufficient cau
tion; for, upon getting close with my knife drawn
ready to plunge into his neck, he suddenly made a
mighty effort, lunged against me, and laid me sprawl
ing before him. He then, with his crooked horns,
butted against my prostrate form, and pressed me
deeply into the mire; so that I was in great danger
of being drowned. The mud was soft and yielding,
and my body sank deeply; but this turned out to be
a fortunate circumstance; for, had the ground been
harder, I should certainly have been ground to pieces.
While thus going down into what threatened to be my
grave, Kimball ran up, and, just as I was disappear
ing, sent a ball into the bull's body, which made him
throw up his head. In this moment, I sprang to
my feet, with the knife still in my hand, and stabbed
the beast to the heart, and he soon expired. Foster
and Tuolumne meanwhile killed two more, — thus
making six, in all, for this day.
During the next two days we spent most of the
time in drying the meat and curing the hides of the
last killed buffaloes. One more hunt, indeed, we took,
and killed three animals, but preserved only the skins.
The next, or eighth day of the hunt, we prepared for
our journey to head-quarters by placing all the dried
meat in sacks, which we made, as usual, of deer and
antelope skins and bark. There being six horses
and two mules, we filled sixteen sacks, two for each

144 MISHAPS.
animal; and the next morning, having packed them,
and distributed the skins, — consisting of twenty buf
falo, six or eight deer, ten antelope, and twelve or
sixteen valuable fox skins, — among the loads, we
started for camp. Much dried meat we of course
left behind; but there was no other way, it being
impracticable at that time to remove it.
Upon getting back to camp we found that our
comrades had succeeded well in hunting and trap
ping, having taken two black bear cubs, three black
wolves, and a large grizzly bear, the latter of which
they had killed. They had also killed eighteen deer,
six antelopes, four gray foxes, and three raccoons; the
skins of which they had preserved, as also the meat
of the deer and antelopes. That evening we sat
about our camp fire and narrated our adventures, as
usual; but when I came to tell of the buffalo fight in
the mud, it exceeded in interest all the other stories
which were told. During the next two days we
caught another huge grizzly bear, which we killed
and skinned, and three black foxes. We also killed,
upon the hunt, five antelopes and five gray and black
foxes, which were so wild that we had to shoot them
upon the run; also several silver-gray foxes, which
are the most valuable of the species for their mag
nificent fur.
The next day we all made another visit to the
lake; and, in the evening, killed three elks, which we
hung in the trees, and then camped. In the course
of the night we were awakened by a grizzly bear,
which approached; but, upon my jumping up and

MISHAPS. 145
firing, the animal made off with a tremendous growl.
This adventure excited the whole camp, and particu
larly Foster, who was of a chivalrous and impulsive
character, and wished to go after the beast, even in
the darkness. Such madness I would, by no means,
allow; but, in the morning, we had hardly started
upon the hunt, when we came upon a large grizzly
with two large cubs. She was probably the visitor
of the previous night; and Foster was almost beside
himself for a shot. I cautioned him to go around
with the rest of us to a wooded knoll beyond the ani
mals; but he thought he could kill a bear as easily
as a buck, and determined to advance from where
he was.
Seeing that he was bent upon his self-willed resolu
tion, we exacted only a promise that he would not
fire until we reached the knoll; but, before getting
upon the top of it, we were startled by the report of
his rifle, and, at the same time, one of those terrific
roars which the grizzly makes when it rushes for a
man. I knew, in an instant, there was danger, and
sprang forward; but only in time to witness poor
Foster's death. He had wounded the brute, and
then ran for a tree; but, before he could climb out
of reach, the bear seized his feet in her mouth, and
dragged him to the ground.
Time and again had I cautioned Foster, as also the
others of my comrades, if ever they fell in the power
of a grizzly bear, to lie perfectly still and show no
signs of life, however severely scratched and bitten
they might be. This is a simple but valuable rule,

146 MISHAPS.
for it seems that no variety of the animal will wreak
its vengeance upon a body which shows no indica
tions of vitality; a trait which appears to have been
known in the remotest times, for the old fabulist
founded one of his stories upon it. I myself have
tried the efficacy of feigning death; and there have
been cases where a bear would leave a pretended
dead man perfectly unharmed, but return and exhibit
the greatest fury upon his attempt to move. It is
therefore no more than prudence, in such cases, to
remain perfectly passive and quiet until the animal
is beyond sight and hearing. But poor Foster, in
his extremity, forgot these injunctions, and not only
shrieked for help but struggled to get away. I im
mediately drew my knife and rushed towards him,
with the object of attracting the brute's attention;
but, before I could approach, the bear, with one
tearing grasp, ripped through his breast, and drew
out the heart, liver, stomach, and intestines, — pre
senting to my gaze one of the most awful sights that
ever my eyes beheld.
The bear pawed and snuffed at the poor man's
entrails, and in a few minutes was joined by her
cubs, which no sooner smelt the blood than they be
came almost frantic with fury. I was much agitated,
but ran to a tree, and, taking as deliberate an aim as
was possible under the circumstances, pierced the old
bear behind the shoulder. She fell, but in a few
moments got up and tried to rush towards me; when
a second shot, at the butt of the ear, penetrated her
brain, and put an end to her existence. I again

MISHAPS. 147
reloaded; and Kimball, Partridge, Sykesey, and Tuo
lumne coming up, we all fired together upon the cubs,
one of which fell; but the second, though wounded,
showed fight, and, being a year and a half old, made
an assailant which could not be despised. As our
rifles were discharged, we threw them aside and
awaited the attack with our knives. The beast came
up, nothing daunted, and made his first pass at Tuo
lumne, whom he struck to the ground. We leaped
forward at this, and Kimball and I, at the same time,
from- opposite sides, plunged our knives into the bear's
vitals, so that he soon expired. Tuolumne was con
siderably bitten and scratched, but not seriously in
jured; and we turned our attention directly to our
deceased companion.
Having neither pickaxe nor shovel at the lake, we
despatched Partridge and Sykesey to head-quarters
for them. The rest of us then laid out the remains
as decently as we could, and began our watch over
them, which, as the tools did not arrive till the next
evening, lasted two days and two nights. On the
third morning, we dug a grave four or five feet deep
under an oak-tree; but, before consigning the body
to its final resting-place, I requested Kimball to make
a prayer to that Great Being whose presence per
vades the wilderness as well as temples built with
hands; and he made an untutored appeal, praying
Heaven to witness the last sad rites due the dead, — to
which I fervently replied, Amen. We then lowered
the body, which was wrapped in a blanket; and,
placing sticks over it, threw in leaves, and then earth,

148 MISHAPS.
which we heaped up into a small mound. Two
smoothed pieces of wood were placed, one at the head
and the other at the foot of the grave; and, upon
the side of the tree immediately above, we carved the
name of William Foster, and the date and manner of
his death.
Having thus done all in our power for our deceased
comrade, we gathered our tools and started for camp.
It was a solemn hour that we thus had to leave one
of our companions behind; and deep and lasting was
the impression it made upon us. Poor Foster! He
was an unfortunate but brave-hearted and willing-
handed man, and we had all begun to love him. May
he rest peacefully in the lonely grave to which our
rough but friendly hands consigned him!

IN THE CHAPARRAL AGAIN. 149

CHAPTER XVIII.
IN THE CHAPARRAL AGAIN.
Our Trapping. Elm-bark Gloves. Favorite Places of Animal
Resort. Discovery of an Attack upon four Grizzlies. The Result
of our Attack. Our Bivouac. The bloody Trail. Frowning
down a Mutiny. Progress through the Chaparral. Discovery
of the second Bear. I surprise my Companions. Further Prog
ress through the Chaparral. Slaying of the last two Bears. A
Grizzly in the wild Oats. The Bear between two Fires. Kim
ball in a Tree. Slaying of the Bear. Conduct of Kimball. The
Cubs. Plan for capturing the Cubs. Capture of the Cubs.
Visit to Kennasket. His Idea of Bargains. A great Bargain.
Preparations for Travel. Appearance of our Camp. Arrival of
Indians and Horses. Breaking up of Camp.
Our hunting in Washington lasted a few weeks
longer, and, during this time, we had severable notable
adventures; but for several days after the death and
burial of Foster, inspired with the solemn feelings
which that sad event occasioned, we had little heart
to hunt, and busied ourselves about camp, overhauling
our dried meats, curing our peltries, and attending
the traps, which continued to yield prize after prize.
We entrapped, in succession, from this period till our
final departure from the country, two black foxes; two
black bear cubs; a white wolf, the first of the kind we
had ever caught; two small animals called fishers,
which occupy a position in natural history between
the raccoon and the mink; a brown bear and cub;
two panthers, an old and young one; a large grizzly,
which we killed in the trap; a black wolf; two other

150 IN THE CHAPARRAL AGAIN.
fishers; two other black foxes; another black wolf;
and another white wolf, apparently the mate of the
one caught previously. All the larger animals thus
caught we took to our camp with lassos; the smaller
ones, including the panther, we caged, and packed in
upon our mules. During the same time we killed
many deer, antelopes and foxes, and also caught a
number of fawns.
In caging the bear cubs last mentioned, Kimball
and I wrapped the lower part of our arms up to the
elbows with bark, and, while our comrades hoisted
the trap-door for a moment, we entered, seized the
captives, bound them, and, without difficulty or scratch,
placed them in the cage.
Whenever we wished to hunt a particular species
of animal, we knew where it would most likely be
found; as various animals prefer particular kinds of
country. Buffaloes love grassy plains; elks, moist
ground; panthers, heavy timber; and so on with
other animals. A rugged and brushy part of the
country was prolific in foxes; and another, a dry,
airy plain, was a favorite place for antelopes; but all
these animals roamed in different directions, and upon
some expeditions we would meet with almost every
variety in the same quarter. Our camp was, so
to speak, a centre, where different ranges of ani
mals merged into each other. In one direction was
a hilly country, sparsely timbered, but covered with
dense chaparral, and this was the bear ground. It
was here that my other principal adventures in Wash
ington occurred.

IN THE CHAPARRAL AGAIN. 151
On the fifth day after Foster's burial, we proceeded
to the bear ground, and reached it towards evening.
We soon descried four bears, two old ones and two
nearly full-grown, digging on a hill-side, and close
together. I turned to Kimball and Partridge, and
exacted a promise that they would follow my injunc
tions implicitly, which they agreed to do; and I then
gave the necessary instructions, directing all to get
upon the hill above the bears, fire upon them, and, if
pursued, each man take an oblique direction, around
and up the hill, — such as the bear finds it difficult
to follow, — and, if necessary, climb one of the trees
which here and there stood upon the eminence. All
acted according to this plan; and upon the first fire
both the young bears were wounded. The old ones,
however, immediately observed and rushed towards
us, when I directed the whole party to climb; and
we were soon seated in the boughs of trees.
Full-grown grizzly bears rarely climb, and rarely
attempt to do so; but, sometimes, if they see the
object of their pursuit climbing, they will attempt to
follow. In this case we had time to locate ourselves
before the bears approached; and, upon coming up,
they merely ran from tree to tree, looking at us, and
growling, but without attempting to climb. As we
had carried up our rifles, I soon reloaded, and fired
at the old female, whieh was under my tree; and at
the same time Kimball fired at the old male, which
was under his; when both, badly wounded, made a
tremendous howling, and went off together towards
their cubs. We immediately reloaded, and, following,

152 IN THE CHAPARRAL AGAIN.
found them making a great ado about one of the cubs,
which lay dead; but the other cub was nowhere to be
seen. We crept as near as we safely could, and
fired another volley; but, owing either to our excite
ment, to the growing darkness, or to the distance at
which we fired, our shots had apparently no effect,
except that the old bears, leaving the dead cub,
escaped into a thicket of chaparral. We pursued
a short distance, tracking them by frequent blood
stains; but, finding the chaparral very thick, we re
solved to wait until morning, and took up our night-
quarters where we were.
There was a moon for several hours that night, and
we kept a strict watch, expecting the old bears to
return; but they came not, nor gave any signs of
their whereabouts. From this circumstance, as well
as from the quantities of blood staining the trail, I
concluded that they had been badly wounded, and
determined to penetrate the thicket after them; but
my comrades, when I announced my determination,
regarded it as madness, and demurred. I placed the
butt of my rifle on the ground, and asked, "Gentle
men, was it bears you came out to hunt?" They
said it was. "Well then," said I, "I am astonished
to see you falter. We have lost a companion, it is
true; but that is no reason why bears cannot be
hunted with safety. Here we have several fine ones
wounded, and, without a doubt, disabled; and we can
find them without much search. It is safer and
easier to follow these than to hunt up others; and
besides, it is cowardly to falter at this stage of the

IN THE CHAPARRAL AGAIN. 153
business." These reasons seemed to have weight;
and my comrades replied that they were ready to
follow. Accordingly we crawled in under the inter
laced thicket, and followed the bloody trail.
We proceeded four or five hundred yards, and
came to the bed of a creek, dry at that season of
the year, with banks four or five feet high, all densely
overgrown with chaparral. We halted there, and
held counsel for a few moments; and then proceeded
on, down the bed of the creek, as the trail led us.
In the course of a few hundred yards further, I dis
covered the old she bear lying on her side, and knew
from her position that she was dead. Being several
yards in advance of the company, I hastily jumped
upon the body, and, placing myself in an attitude as
if holding her down, shouted for my comrades, who
were just coming around a bend in the creek; and,
seeing me in that position, they started back; but I
soon showed them there was no danger, and we all
had a hearty laugh. Upon examining the body, we
found that it was shot through the head, heart, and
bowels; and that several balls had struck her in the
sides, but had not gone through the fat.
After a further consultation, we determined to pro
ceed, and followed the trail a long distance further
down the creek. There was now not so much blood;
but we could see the tracks of bears in the sand, and
occasionally a few red stains. I think we proceeded
as much as a mile from where the body of the female
lay, when we discovered a den, and the two remain
ing bears lying in it; and, judging from their posi-

154 IN THE CHAPARRAL AGAIN.
tion, I knew that both of them were alive. With
out the loss of a moment, I directed my comrades to
stand ready to fire; and myself creeping to a bush
within ten yards of the den, laying off my cap, and
steadying my nerves, I raised my rifle, and, aiming at
the old bear's breast, sent a ball through his heart.
He lay with his head upon his paws, but, upon the
fire, he rolled over, uttered a growl, and died. The
cub, at the same time, tried to rise, but had been too
badly wounded the previous evening, and my com
rades soon finished him. After cutting up, we packed
the skins of all four bears, and the meat of the last
two, and proceeded to camp.
In a few days after these adventures, we proceeded
to the bear ground again; and, towards evening, came
to a small valley covered with wild oats, where we
discovered three bears, an old female and two small
cubs. I climbed a tree to reconnoitre; and, observ
ing their positions, directed my comrades to make
circuits, while I would proceed directly forward, and
he who should have the best opportunity was to fire
first. After waiting long enough for them to pass
around, I advanced, and was crawling up among the
oats, when suddenly I heard the report of one of
their guns. I rose at once, and, looking over the
tops of the oats, saw the old bear running towards
Sykesey, who was reloading. I cried out to him to
climb a tree; but immediately Kimball fired from the
other side, and the old bear, being struck in the but
tock, suddenly turned around, and, seeing the new
assailant, rushed at him. Kimball was a considerable

IN THE CHAPARRAL AGAIN. 155
distance from any tree; and, fearing that he would be
in danger, I rushed forward to his assistance; but he
managed to reach and climb an oak, and I popped
behind a bush before the bear saw me.
In his haste, Kimball had dropped his rifle, and,
having no weapons but his pistol and knife, could
scarcely have contended against the furious beast, if
she should have reached him. I saw that she was
about to climb, and therefore fired; but my shot,
which struck her in the neck, only served to enrage;
and while I hastily reloaded, not having observed me,
she made a leap at the tree, and clasped it. Kimball
fired his revolver, charge after charge, at her, but
without apparent effect; and up she went, while he
climbed out towards the extremity of a limb. Seeing
that he was badly frightened, I shouted to him to
have courage, and ply his knife like a man, if she
reached him; and at the same time, rushing up with
my rifle and getting nearly under her as she was
climbing, I planted a ball under her fore leg. She
rolled over on the limb, and in a few moments, fell
heavily to the ground, which she no sooner reached
than I sprang upon her, and plunged my knife to her
heart several times.
As soon as she was dead, I looked up for Kimball,
and found that he had gone into the very top of the
tree. I hinted that he would have shown a properer
spirit had he come down instead of gone up, so as
to have assisted me if it had been necessary; but
he excused himself on the plea that he thought only
of his own safety, and did not know that I was in

156 IN THE CHAPARRAL AGAIN.
danger. We had barely got done talking about this
matter, when Sykesey, who had also consulted his
own safety more than my danger, came up; and we
then consulted as to the best mode of securing the
cubs, which were running about yelping and bawl
ing. They had annoyed me considerably by flying
at my legs, while approaching the old bear; but I had
kicked them off, knowing that it would be impossible
to secure them while the dam lived.
By this time it was dusk; but, as there was a good
moon, we proceeded to cut a large number of poles
and green boughs, and built a brush house around and
over the body of the dead bear, leaving only a door
for the cubs to enter. We then retired a short dis
tance, and, lying down, watched the motions of the
cubs; but it was several hours before they approached
the corral. When they did so, they hopped upon the
brush, and then off again, and smelt around, as if
very suspicious, for a considerable time. Finally,
however, one of them ventured in, and was soon fol
lowed by the other; both vainly expecting to find
there that protection, which, had their mother been
alive, she would have afforded to the last drop of her
blood. The cubs being thus both encaged, I sprang to the
door of the corral, and, seizing one by the tuft of
the head, held, while my comrades tied him. With
the other, however, we had more trouble; he was the
stronger and more savage of the two, and retired to
the farthest corner, so that I had to creep in after
him. The place was only a few feet high, and six or

IN THE CHAPARRAL AGAIN. 157
eight feet in diameter, and very dark. At first I
could only hear him growling; but presently could
see his eyes glisten. As I got quite close, he flew
at my face and eyes; but, being ready for this, I
seized and secured him, with but a few unimportant
scratches, which made me quite bloody, it is true, but
did no serious injury. Thus we added two more fine
specimens to our stock of living wild animals. In
the morning, we packed the meat and hide of the
old bear, and carried our prizes to camp.
The time that we had appointed to leave for Port
land now approached; and, setting apart a day, I
went down to the Indian village for the purpose of
engaging the necessary horses and men to aid me
in the conveyance of my animals. I explained my
wants to Kennasket, and said that my business was
to make a great bargain; but at the word "bargain"
he smiled in a significant manner, and held out his
arm, which was bandaged from wrist to elbow. What
this meant I did not understand; but he soon told
me that one of the black bears which he had pur
chased of me had bitten him badly. "White man,"
said he, "very good; but white man's bargains —
very bad!" I replied that if the bears were so bad,
I would buy them back. He. asked whether I would
return the horses, but I took care to change the
subject of conversation as quickly as possible; and,
after an extended circumlocution, we came to busi
ness, which was the hiring of thirty horses and six
Indians, to go to Portland, which was nearly three
hundred miles distant. Kennasket did not like to

158 IN THE CHAPARRAL AGAIN.
trust the horses among the pale faces of Portland,
but he finally consented; and we agreed that I was to
have the horses and men at the rate of two sacks of
dried meat for every horse, and six fawns and one
young elk for the men. Saddles and trappings for
the horses I was to find at my own expense.
The next day, we made a last expedition to the
buffalo valley, to procure as much meat as possible,
for the purpose of defraying our indebtedness to the
Indians; and, in a hunt of several days, killed seven
buffaloes, six antelopes, and four or five foxes, which
we packed in. The succeeding three days, we busied
ourselves arranging for our journey. We made sad
dles of boughs fastened together with wooden pins
and a few nails, and covered with elk-skin; also
girths and straps, as many as were needed. We also
prepared and arranged the packs, marking and num
bering them; so that our camp, in a short time,
resembled a sort of bazaar, where the packages of a
caravan are displayed.
As soon as all was ready, we sent to the village all
the meat, fawns, and the young elk, which constituted
the payment for horses and men; and the same day
six Indians arrived with thirty horses, making our
party now consist of twelve persons, thirty-six horses
and two mules, in addition to the wild animals, which
formed quite a menagerie. The next morning, we
arose early, packed our horses, and collected our
animals; but there was much besides to be attended
to, and it was, therefore, not until nearly noon that
we finally broke up camp and got under way. All

IN THE CHAPARRAL AGAIN. 159
our animals which could not be driven or led, we
packed in boxes upon our horses or mules; also the
skins, dried meat, tools, and ih fact everything worth
taking; and a strange looking cavalcade it was, as
we moved off in column.

160 OUR CARAVAN.

CHAPTER XIX
OUR CARAVAN.
Feelings on leaving my Summer Head-quarters. My Duties. Fare
well Visit to Kennasket. A Present to him. Delays. The Com
position of our Caravan. Order of Procession. Kennasket's
Blessing. Our Start. Little Rock. My Caution. Our Prog
ress. Horses sore. Yellow Rock. Consternation. Wild Horses.
The Philosophy of Stampedes. Interview with Indians. Reach
the Upper Columbia. Testing the River's Character. A Fish
Supper. Our Raft. Loading. A Guide-rope of Lariats. I be
come Captain of a Water-craft. Ferrying over. Trouble on the
Raft. Breakage of the Rope. Adrift. The Indians. Swim
ming the Horses. Progress. The Trail lost. Fruitless Search
for the Trail.
It produces a feeling of melancholy in the mind to
leave forever a spot where much pleasure has been
experienced, and about which cling many delightful
associations. For this reason, notwithstanding the
rudeness of our accommodations, the wildness of the
country, and the character of wanderers which we
had assumed, it was not without regret that we looked
for the last time upon the noble trees, the rocks, the
green lawns, and the beautiful, clear spring of our
sojourning-place in Washington. But, in my mind,
the feeling of regret was soon superseded by that
of care for my caravan, to see that every member
fulfilled his duty. This, in a short time, withdrew
my attention from the retrospect; and, after a sin
gle backward glance, I left the place, looking only
forward to the requirements of the journey, and

OUR CARAVAN. 161
the many exigencies which would necessarily arise
upon it.
We proceeded in good style and comfort the first
day as far as the residence of Kennasket, where we
unpacked, and encamped overnight. During the
evening I made the chief a farewell visit; and he and
I talked a long time upon various subjects of mutual
interest, and, among others, about the bears which I
had sold him. He evidently wished to be rid of
them; and, after some bargaining, I purchased them
back for six sacks of dried meat and four wolf skins.
He asked about the puppy he had given me, and
when I replied that it was in my caravan, he seemed
much gratified, regarding my care of the whelp as a
compliment to himself. After some further conversa
tion, he asked what I was going to present him as a
remembrancer of the great White Hunter. I replied
that I had only wild beasts, but if he would accept
one of them he should be welcome. He answered
that he would like a white wolf; and I gave him
one. The next day, we again got ready to start; but,
even after we were drawn up in column, there were
many little matters with the chief and with other
Indians to be arranged, and delay after delay took up
much time. Besides, there were difficulties in put
ting the caravan in motion; for of all heterogeneous
compositions, it was one of the most curious. It was,
indeed, a strange assemblage. In the first place,
there were five horses packed with buffalo robes, of
which we had about thirty-five; next, four horses

162 OUR CARAVAN.
packed with bear skins, and several large bear skulls;
then, two packed with deer skins; two with antelope
skins; one with fox and other small skins; seven
with dried meat for the use of the animals on the
journey, and, in part, on their intended voyage;
one with boxes containing the young bear cubs last
caught; two with boxes containing wolves, untamed;
a mule with foxes and fishers in baskets; and a
mule with tools, blankets, and camp luggage. Al
most all the horses, besides the seven specially
devoted to the purpose, carried more or less dried
meat, — even those we rode. But the most remark
able portion of the train consisted of the animals
which we drove along in a small herd; these were
six bears, four wolves, four deer, four antelopes, two
elks, and the Indian dog.
In the disposition of the caravan, two Indians, who
served as guides, rode foremost; next followed the
packed horses, with four Indians to attend and govern
them; and next myself, with the animals. Kimball,
Partridge, Sykesey, Tuolumne, and Stanislaus, brought
up the rear. This order, however, was sometimes
varied; from time to time, Kimball and I would ride
at the head of the column; but, as neither of us
knew much of the route, we could give but little aid
to the guides, and were compelled to leave much to
their discretion.
As we started forward in the presence of the
assembled inhabitants of the Indian village, Kennas
ket invoked the blessing of Heaven, and asked the
Great Spirit to have us in his special keeping; and

OUR CARAVAN. 163
thus, with the prayers of the Chief for its success,
the little caravan entered upon its fatiguing journey,
which was to lead over mountains, across rivers, and
through dangers and perils. We travelled that day
until the middle of the afternoon, when the animals
became weary, and I thought it high time to camp;
but the guides assured me that in half a league fur
ther we would come to good springs, at a place called
Little Rock, where we soon arrived, having travelled
about twenty miles during the day.
At Little Rock, which was a ledge of stones at the
bottom of a high hill, whence sprang the head waters
of a stream flowing west, we unpacked our horses,
and, arranging the packs in the form of an inclosure,
mounted a guard of two men, and prepared to pass
the night. One, at least, of my own men was always
on watch, for it was not impossible that the Indians
might be treacherous; not that they really were unre
liable, but, considering the circumstances and peculiar
dangers of my situation, there was much to make me
distrustful and anxious at first. The night, however,
passed over without a difficulty, and the next morning
we resumed our journey.
We travelled the next day until noon; when, find
ing some of the animals foot-sore, we halted until the
third day in a small valley, where there was plenty of
grass, though but little water. The fourth day we
proceeded, and travelled till the middle of the after
noon, and then camped as before. We should have
hurried on the succeeding day, but found the backs
of the horses too much chafed and swollen to pro-

164 OUR CARAVAN.
ceed, and had to lie over a few days, during which
the sores were washed, and doctored with soap-root.
We should have remained there longer than we
did, but the deficiency of water, and our exposure to
the attacks of bears, panthers, wolves, and other
beasts, during two nights, induced us, the second
morning, to proceed, notwithstanding the still sore
and swollen condition of our horses' backs; and we
moved on five miles further to Yellow Rock, where
there was excellent grass and water. Upon reaching
that spot, we were all much delighted. It was a vale
richly covered with grass, and the high hills about it
with oak, pine, cedar, and other forest trees. A lit
tle stream meandered through it, exposing, here and
there, a yellowish colored rock, from which the place
received its name. We remained three days, and
provided ourselves with fresh venison in abundance,
by hunting in the neighborhood.
At the end of this time, leaving Yellow Rock early
in the morning, we travelled till afternoon, when we
were suddenly thrown into consternation by the ap
pearance of a band of fifteen or twenty horses rushing
furiously down a valley in the hills, and making a
straight direction for our caravan. At first, I sup
posed them to be wild horses; but soon found that
they belonged to Indians, who were chasing them.
There was not a moment to be lost; but, dashing for
ward, swinging my lariat, and whooping with all my
might, I managed to break the course of the band,
turned them to the right, and thus, doubtless, pre
vented a disastrous stampede in my train.

OUR CARAVAN. 165
It is necessary for those having numbers of horses
under their charge to guard against stampedes with
much care, particularly in wild countries, where they
are most likely to occur, and where there is the great
est danger in them. When horses get into one of
these panics, they frequently ruin, sometimes kill
themselves; and it is always difficult to recover them
at all. An old horse, which otherwise could hardly
be whipped along, will sometimes, in a stampede,
dash off so furiously as not to be possibly overtaken.
It is, indeed, a notable fact, that the increased
strength as well as the recklessness of great excite
ment which are sometimes observed in panics among
men have their counterparts among animals. For
instance, when upon a crowded ocean steamer the
cry of fire is raised, and men plunge madly into the
devouring waves, instead of coolly applying their ener
gies to extinguishing the flames, in what do they show
more of the reasoning faculties of mind than horses,
when, frightened with some sudden terror, they plunge
over precipices?
Those in pursuit of the horses were three mounted
Indians, who would have passed on; but, upon my
beckoning, they stopped and came up. I had a short
conversation, and learned from them that there was
a large rancheria of Indians about twenty-five miles
ahead, — a camp on a large fishing-stream. I also
asked about the country and trail towards Portland,
and gave them to understand that my party was a
portion of a great nation of white people, and that
we were bound, on particular business, to the white

166 OUR CARAVAN.
settlements at Portland and along the river. The
intention was, to impress them with the idea that they
could not attack us without drawing the vengeance
of our government upon their heads; but I added
that the white people would use them well if they
allowed us to pass undisturbed. At the same time, I
gave them each a package of dried meat and a piece
of fresh venison. They replied that the red men
would not trouble the white people; and then, break
ing up the interview, they proceeded upon their way
after the horses, which by this time were far in the
distance. After this interruption, we travelled on
until evening, when we encamped, and placed a
strong guard as a matter of precaution, knowing the
Indians to be in our neighborhood; but nothing oc
curred during the night to disturb us.
The next day we journeyed on, bearing off to the
right so as to avoid the rancheria. I should have
liked, on my own account, to visit this place; but
considered it better, for the safety of my caravan, to
keep at a distance. Had we gone there, and found
the Indians as exacting as is usual with them, we
should have had to part with a large portion of our
stores. We therefore passed, and pushed on through
a hilly country, densely covered with oak, pine, cedar,
and other large trees, until at last we descended into
the valley of the Upper Columbia, and encamped
upon its bank.
Here we were brought to a stand, to know how to
cross the river; but, as there was only one way to
proceed, I threw off my coat, and, taking a long pole,

OUR CARAVAN. 167
mounted my horse and plunged in, for the purpose
of testing its character. My horse was almost imme
diately beyond his depth, and commenced swimming;
but I could touch the bottom with my pole until near
the middle, where the water was very deep. On the
opposite side, it became shallower, and the bottom
sloped regularly to the bank. After ascertaining
these facts, I rode up along the bank several miles
and crossed back again; but, finding no more favor
able spot than the first for a passage, I returned to
camp, convinced that it would be necessary to build
a raft. During my brief absence, the boys had been an
gling, and caught some beautiful fish of the perch spe
cies. They obtained sufficient for a good supper,
which we fried upon flat stones heated in the fire,
using bear's oil instead of butter, — and a choice
meal they made. After supper, we consulted about
the manner of our passage of the river, and decided
upon commencing the construction of a raft the first
thing in the morning.
In the morning, accordingly, we all went diligently
to work, and by night had our raft completed. It
consisted of pine logs, and was about twenty feet
long by ten wide. A floor of split cedar planks was
pinned upon it, making, in all, a complete raft, capa
ble of carrying about one third of our luggage at a
trip. We should have cros_sed immediately, but, it
being already sundown, we determined to wait until
the next day.
We had hitherto, fortunately, not been molested by

168 -OUR CARAVAN.
the Indians of the neighborhood; but this night sev
eral blundered into camp. We hurried them off as
soon as possible, and, knowing that we should be
completely surrounded in the morning, immediately
prepared to cross, night as it was. For this purpose,
leaving the loading of the raft to my comrades, I
took a number of lariats, tied to one another, and,
fastening one end to a tree on the bank, taking the
coil on my arm and mounting my horse, plunged
into the stream and crossed to the opposite bank,
where I fastened the other end of the rope to another
tree. Having secured it, I plunged again into the
water, and, crossing back, ordered the passage to
commence. It required eight men to work the raft, — some
pulling at the sweeps, others attending to the ropes;
after arranging whom, I placed myself at the bow,
with a due feeling of importance, being, for the first
time in my life, captain of a water-craft. The float
was then shoved off, and we moved forwards as gently
as could be desired, — the men working well, speak
ing scarcely a word on the passage; and we landed
on the opposite side, in a short time, with complete
success. We unloaded, and placed the luggage on
the bank; then recrossed, took a second load, which
was ferried over with like success ; and then returned
for a third and last load, consisting of the animals
and the remaining portion of the baggage.
As we were about to push off for the third time,
daylight began to appear. We had experienced
great delay in arranging the animals on the raft;

OUR CARAVAN. 169
and, even then, it was a matter of impossibility to
keep them quiet, so that I was compelled to leave my
place as captain of the craft, and take a position
among the bears, which were very restive; but the
more I endeavored to quiet them, the worse they
grew. In the midst of the uproar, the raft being
about two-thirds of the way across the river, the
guide-rope broke; and our craft, being set adrift,
commenced floating down stream. The confusion
became almost indescribable; the men were wild,
and two of the animals, Lady Washington and a
black cub, plunged overboard; but, being good swim
mers, they followed the raft. It was difficult to
restore order; but finally the men took to the
sweeps, and we managed to strike the shore about
a quarter of a mile below where the guide-rope
would have taken us had it not broken.
All would have been well now, but the horses still
remained upon the opposite side. I had intended to
ferry them over too; but, after the breaking of the
rope, this was impracticable; and there was no other
way but to swim them. The Indians, meanwhile, were
collecting in large numbers, and, as delay might be
dangerous, I jumped into the stream and swam over
to where they were; and, directing Tuolumne to take
the lead, I mounted my horse, and, with the Indians
of my party remaining on that side of the river,
drove the other horses after him. We got them
easily into the water, and drove them, swimming,
across, — all but two, which, being unable to keep
their noses up, soon strangled and floated down.

170 OUR CARAVAN.
We gathered our animals and luggage together,
but could not get ahead that day, and accordingly
camped; but the next morning, early, we started off,
and travelled all day. In the evening, when it was
time to stop, the guides thought we would find water
in a league or two, and we pushed on; but these
expectations proved to be entirely delusive. We
travelled several hours longer without the least indi
cations of water, and finally were compelled to stop,
almost completely worn out with exhaustion and
fatigue. To make the matter still worse, I found
that the guides had lost the way, and did not know
in what direction to proceed. Here again was a
dilemma; for, besides the want of water, the dismal
prospect of a long and difficult search for the trail
caused anything but pleasant anticipations.
The next morning, early, Kimball and I started out
with the double object of searching for water and for
the lost trail. I rode fifteen or twenty miles, without
having success in either particular; but Kimball,
though he could not find the trail, managed to dis
cover water, to which the caravan directly moved;
and there it had to remain until we could find the
trail. As soon as we had refreshed ourselves, Kim
ball and I and the guides started out again, but
were compelled to return at nightfall, as unsucessful
as before. I felt provoked at the carelessness of the
guides; but, as the matter could not be helped in
that manner, I could only resolve to make more
strenuous endeavors the next day.

THE ROAD TO PORTLAND. 171

CHAPTER XX.
THE ROAD TO PORTLAND.
Character of the Trail. Wood-craft. Plan to find the Trail. Dis
covery of it. Progress. The Humpback. View from the Hump
back. A Night Stampede. Traces of a Panther. Search for the
Horses. Progress. The Country. Sight of the Lower Colum
bia. Strike the Columbia. Notable Quarrel with Hall, the Ferry
man. Passage. Down the River Bank. We attract great At
tention. Arrival at Portland. Shipment of the Animals. Their
Attendant and Provision. Final Separation of our Party. The
Character of my Writing. Account of the Animals shipped.
Spread of Information. Lady Washington. The Journey home
wards. The Cascade Mountains and Sierra Nevada Foot Hills.
The reader will better understand the difficulties
to which we were now reduced, when it is stated that
the road we were travelling was a trail, used only
by Indians in their periodical journeys to and from
the fishing-grounds of the Columbia. There was no
regular road, in the civilized sense of the term, nor
were there even landmarks; but the guides were
expected to know the way by the general appearance
of the country, the direction of the hills, and such
other signs as are cognizable in Indian science.
Place a good woodsman in an unknown wilderness,
and he will soon master it. As he goes through, he
notices every hill, every rock, everything, indeed, of
peculiarity, so as to know it on returning, and be
able to recognize it again, even after a long period
of intervening time; and the same is to be expected

172 THE ROAD TO PORTLAND.
of Indians, to whom, usually, this sort of wood-craft is
a necessary accomplishment.
The recovery of the lost trail, however, was not as
easy as was to have been expected; for, though we
searched several days, it was all in vain. I at last
determined to send Kimball and one of the guides
back to the river to follow it up from there, directing
them to blaze their way upon the trees; but, as for
tune willed, they struck the trail at a distance of
fifteen miles. Their discovery spread satisfaction
throughout camp, and we all rested easy that night,
and the next morning early were again on our way,
pushing towards the southwest.
The country became more and more wild and
rugged as we advanced, until it seemed as if we
would be intercepted by a certain mountain, to
which the Indians gave the name of the Humpback.
It was quite a mile in steep ascent, and difficult to
surmount, but we reached the top at last. Looking
from the elevation over the country, we saw that it
was all a wilderness; but the view of the white peaks
of the mountains St. Helen's and Rainier made us
forget our fatigue; and, after sufficiently enjoying
the prospect, we struck down through a rocky, bar
ren, scrub-oak country, to a stream of water, which
we followed a few miles, and camped in a grassy
canon. At this camp, about midnight, we were thrown into
great confusion by the report of a stampede among
the horses, caused, we supposed, by an attack of
Indians. At any rate, the horses had broken from

THE ROAD TO PORTLAND. 173
their pickets, and gone off. I seized my rifle, and
ran out to the place, but, upon inquiring particularly
of the guards about the circumstances of the stam
pede, concluded that some wild beast had disturbed
us, and not Indians. The next morning, at dawn,
upon examining the ground, we were convinced of
the correctness of the conclusion by finding tracks
of a panther, and also traces of blood; by following
which the distance of about a mile, we came upon
the carcass of a dead horse, the neck of which had
been gnawed. We were satisfied, on minuter exam
ination, that a panther had sprung upon this horse,
and retained his hold until he had killed him.
From the finding of this carcass, we were able to
conclude positively that it was not Indians that had
made the attack; and we therefore expected to find
the horses in some ravine, it being impossible for
them to proceed far alone in that rough country, even
in a stampede. We accordingly divided into small
parties, and, proceeding in different directions, soon
discovered and collected them, losing only two. Re
turning, we packed up and proceeded down the
stream until night, and camped again.
The next day, we crossed over a mountainous
country, covered with rocks and scrubby trees, and
camped at night in a comfortless place, where our
horses suffered from the want of water and grass.
The next morning early we were on our road again,
and travelled till the middle of the afternoon, when
we came in view of a beautiful valley, down which
we hastened, and camped in a grassy spot which pre-

174 THE ROAD TO PORTLAND.
sented a welcome contrast to the rocky and rough
country we had passed over in the higher lands.
During the next two days, we crossed over hills and
ravines, well timbered, and, on the third morning,
came in sight of the great valley of the lower Colum
bia, which all hailed with pleasure; and, descending
into it, we camped, with good grass and water.
The point at which we struck the Columbia was
near the Cascades, a few miles below a ferry, to
which, after a brief stoppage, we proceeded. At this
place, I had a notable quarrel with the ferryman, a
most unconscionable fellow from Pennsylvania, named
Hall. He possessed a good boat of hewn timber, but
demanded so large a toll that, had I acceded, the fer
riage of my train would have cost over a hundred
dollars. I offered to pay a reasonable price in dried
meat, or peltry, or animals; but he would not listen
to any such thing, though I had no money whatever.
I then endeavored to induce him to take one of my
horses; but neither would he do this. Finally, find
ing I could do nothing with him in the usual manner,
I gave him notice that I was determined to cross at
any rate, and, as he was not disposed to do what was
right between man and man, I would take his boat in
spite of him. He swore that I should not; I per
sisted that I would. Words grew loud, and he started
towards his cabin, as if going for a weapon; but I
took my rifle from my shoulder, and told him to stop ;
and, seeing me to be in earnest, he did so. We now
had more hard talk, when the fellow offered to ferry
us over for the best horse in the train; but I would

THE ROAD TO PORTLAND. 175
not allow this. "There," said I, "stands a horse
worth seventy-five dollars in any market; if you like
to take him, good and well; if not, it cannot be
helped." "I suppose," he replied, "if I do not
take him, I will get nothing?" "I know," rejoined
I, "that you will get nothing!" A little more
grumbling, and Hall illnaturedly prepared his boat,
and we crossed over in two divisions.
From the ferry, we travelled down the river till
evening, when we camped, and the next day pro
ceeded through a well-settled country. Along the
road we attracted much attention, as may easily be
imagined. The people who saw us gazed with won
der, for such a caravan had never been seen before
in those regions. They asked many questions,
too, about whence we came, whither we were going,
and who we were; but we did not stop to answer
them. Pushing on, we arrived towards evening
within a few miles of Portland, and camped in a
grove of beautiful trees, which we made our head
quarters during our stay there.
Thus we arrived at our place of destination, in full
time for the sailing of the vessel, which proved to be
the bark Mary Ann, bound for Boston. Within a
few days after our arrival, I made all the necessary
arrangements for the shipment, and placed all the
animals, skins, oil, and curiosities, which I had col
lected during the summer, on board, — all except my
favorite, Lady Washington, to whom I was so at
tached that I could not think of parting with her.
The other animals were placed in charge of a compe-

176 THE ROAD TO PORTLAND.
tent person, employed to feed them during the voy
age. For their sustenance, meat and other provision
in abundance was shipped; and indeed the salmon
which constituted a portion of the cargo of the vessel
would have served, and did afterwards serve, as food
for most of them. In the meantime, I obtained an
advance on the credit of my brother, and settled with
Sykesey, Kimball, and Partridge, and made presents
to all the Indians. These matters being all attended
to, on the appointed day of breaking up, we • sep
arated, and each party took a different direction.
The Indians, with their horses, started out on their
return to the eastern part of Washington; Kimball
and Partridge determined to remain in Oregon, and
Sykesey with them; and I and the Indian boys, Tuo
lumne and Stanislaus, with two horses, two mules,
Lady Washington, and my dog, took the road up the
Willamette River, on our return to California.
Such were the adventures of my first season's
hunting. I have endeavored to relate them truthfully
and plainly. In some instances, memory may have
failed, and mistakes have occurred, — no work is free
from faults. But two things will be borne in mind:
first, that I kept no notes, and speak only from mem
ory; and, secondly, that I make no pretensions to do
more than I perform. Doubtless, the story might
have been told in a more interesting and lively man
ner; but, surely, I have done my best; and this must
suffice. It may be here added, that the animals shipped at
Portland reached Boston in due timet and were dis-

THE ROAD TO PORTLAND. 177
posed of to advantage by my brother William. They
were sold to different persons, — some placed in mu
seums, others carried about the country, — all con
tributing more or less, to spread a knowledge of the
natural history of the Pacific Coast of the United
States. As for Lady Washington, whom I retained,
she became my constant companion; and, as will be
seen in the sequel of the narrative, travelled with me
the next year to the Rocky Mountains, and the subse
quent year to the Kern River and Tejon countries.
Nothing worthy of special mention occurred on the
road from the valley of Willamette to California,
except, perhaps, the passage of the Mountains
in the snow. We had been cautioned against the
attempt; but the previous winter in the Sierra Ne
vada had given me such experience of snow and snow
travelling that we hastened on, without heeding the
cautions, and accomplished the task without any great
difficulty. Thence we crossed over to the Yreka
Valley, and travelled southward along the foot-hills of
the Sierra, in the same manner that, in the spring, we
had advanced northward.

PART SECOND

CHAPTER I.

OUR CAMP IN THE SIERRA NEVADA.
My old Camping-ground. Condition of my Wigwam. Predomi
nance of the destructive Faculties. Repairs. Preparations for
Winter. A Visit to Howard's Ranch. Furlough of Tuolumne
and Stanislaus. My Solitude. Occupations. Lady Washing
ton. Her Disposition. A Hunt at Bell's Meadows. Experi
ment of packing the Lady. Conduct of the Lady. An old
Grizzly entrapped. The Lady and I on Watch. A Grizzly Dam
and two Cubs entrapped. Disposition of them. Return of
Tuolumne and Stanislaus. Adventure with a Bear at Straw
berry Ranch. Attacked by Coyotes. My Castle. Advance of
Winter. Our Excursions. The Snow. Tuolumne's Feet frost
bitten. Treatment -of them. Stanislaus and I overtaken in a
Snow-storm. Our Shelter. Lady Washington my Bedfellow.
Snow-shoes. Sledges. Lady Washington as a draught Animal.
Selected Passages of my Adventures.
Upon reaching the old camping-ground near the
head waters of the Tuolumne River, I found that my
wigwam, in its untenanted and uncared-for condition
during the summer, had become dilapidated. Not
that the elements had done much to demolish it; its
substantial construction would have successfully re
sisted all attacks of the weather; wild beasts would
not have troubled it, and the Indians would, for my
sake, have respected it; but my brother white man,
it seems, could not forego his destructive inclinations,
and on every side there were evidences of his devas
tating visits. The doors, which I had made with
much trouble, were broken down; the clay plastering
178

ADAMS AND BEN FRANKLIN.

OUR CAMP IN THE SIERRA NEVADA. 179
of the walls was peeled; many of the poles which
made a part of its frame were displaced; and the
marks of the hatchet were to be seen all about it.
Just as, in the settled world, every man feels it
incumbent upon him to fling a stone at, or kick off a
board from, a deserted shanty, so, in the mountains,
a hunter or a miner can rarely pass a vacated cabin
without hacking into it or pulling apart its timbers.
Curiosity, or a hope of finding hidden treasure, might,
perhaps, instigate this desolation; but the more prob
able cause is the mere spirit of wanton destruction
which characterizes a large class of men, and par
ticularly the greatest rovers.
Fortunately, my tools amd all my small valuable
property, left in California, I had concealed in a
cave; and, as those had escaped, there was but little
to be lost, even though my cabin had been entirely
destroyed. At any rate, the labor of a few days,
with Tuolumne and Stanislaus to assist, placed things
in a better condition than before; and I soon found
myself completely prepared to meet the winter, which
was rapidly approaching. We made a comfortable
home for ourselves, a good stable for such of the
horses or mules as we might wish to keep about us,
and put up several stacks of dried grass for horse-
feed, when the mountains should be buried in the
deep mantle of frost.
In a few days after thus arranging camp, I made
a visit to Howard's Ranch, where I had left my
wagon; and, finding that it had been well taken care
of during my absence, made a further agreement

180 OUR CAMP IN THE SIERRA NEVADA.
with Howard to retain it, and also to take charge of
my mules till I should require them the next spring;
for I had already projected a visit to the Rocky
Mountains, and wished them to recruit for the ser
vice by an entire winter of ease and good pasturage.
Upon this visit, I passed a village of Indians, who
proved to be the tribe to which my boys belonged;
and their chief wished to know of me what had
become of them for so long a period. I replied that
he should see them in a few days; and, upon getting
back to camp, I presented Tuolumne and Stanislaus
with new suits of buckskin, and, giving them one of
my horses to dispose of as they pleased, started
them off on a visit to their people. They were highly
delighted with the permit, as well as with the pres
ents, and bade me good-bye in high spirits, promising
to return before the spring, and accompany me upon
any expedition, wherever I should choose to lead
them. When they had gone, I was, of course, again left
alone in the mountains, far from my fellows, far from
what are usually considered the pleasures and com
forts of society, with none to think of but myself, my
horse, my bear Lady Washington, and my little dog,
the gift of my friend, the Indian chief, Kennasket.
For a few days, after being thus left, I felt lonely
indeed. It seemed as if I had lost everything in
the world, and I knew not what to do; but, by
degrees, the burden of solitude grew lighter, and, in
the course of a week, I was as busy and contented as
during the solitary months of the previous winter.

OUR CAMP IN THE SIERRA NEVADA. 181
The old cave in the rocks, which served as a hiding-
place for my tools, had preserved them well, and I
was soon at work, repairing and getting traps ready
for every prize which chance might throw in their
way. Lady Washington was now a constant companion
of all my little excursions. She accompanied me to
the scenes of my labors, stayed by me while I worked,
and followed me when I hunted. The kind and gen
tle disposition she had begun to exhibit in Washington
Territory improved with time and care, and she was
now as faithful and devoted, I was going to say, as it
was possible for any animal to be; but, in making this
assertion, my noble California grizzly, Ben Franklin,
that most excellent of all beasts, must be excepted.
But for Ben, the history of whose magnanimous traits
of character will adorn the following pages, the Lady
could truly be pronounced second to none of all the
creatures over which the Creator appointed man to be
the lord and master.
One day, when hunting with the Lady at Bell's
Meadows, four or five miles from camp, I killed a fat
buck, and attempted to carry it home upon my shoul
ders; but soon found it more than I was either willing
or able to bear. The idea here struck me, of making
the Lady carry half of it; and no sooner thought
than done. She had been taught to carry small
burdens in Washington, as has heretofore been re
lated; but never before had her power been applied
to a practical purpose. I accordingly split the deer
in two parts, and bound one upon her back, — not,

182 OUR CAMP IN THE SIERRA NEVADA.
indeed, without an expectation that she would roll
upon and render it useless; but it would still serve
for her own food or bait for the traps, and would, con
sequently, not be a matter of much loss. Having
bound the burden as firmly as possible, I took the
remaining meat upon my shoulder, and with my rifle
started ahead.
During all the time of the packing the Lady stood
very still, only sometimes looking up in my face with
an expression indicating that she would rather eat
than carry the load; but, as soon as I started ahead,
she looked around at the load and the lashings, then
raised first one paw, and then the other, and endeav
ored to pull them off. Each time she did so, I
exclaimed at her, and she made a step forward; but
presently she fairly turned around, caught a portion
of the pack in her teeth, and would have torn it off
had I not picked up a stout cudgel and given her
several raps, on the receipt of which she growled, but
desisted. I then started ahead rapidly, calling her
along, and she jumped up and followed. We ad
vanced, however, only a short distance, when she lay
down and commenced rolling, trying in this manner
to get the burden off; but again I gave her a few
cuffs. On starting forward a second time, she again
followed a short distance, then lay down and rolled
as before; but at last, finding that resistance to my
authority was vain, she acquiesced in her task, and
finally, after a troublesome and hard afternoon's work,
we arrived at camp. Such was the first packing of
the Lady, who afterwards, on more than one occasion,

OUR CAMP IN THE SIERRA NEVADA. 183
bore my camp equipage and other heavy burdens with
willingness, and even alacrity.
In a few days after this, I entrapped a large
grizzly, which was so violent that it was neces
sary to watch to prevent his breaking out of the
structure. On this occasion, for the first time, I
packed the Lady with my blankets; and she carried
them without dissent, thus affording me the satisfac
tion of foreseeing of what great assistance she would
be. She remained with me at the trap all night;
lay peacefully by the rousing fire which I built; and
for several nights, indeed until a secure cage was
made and the new prize safely transferred to it, she
kept me company in my exposed vigils.
A week or two subsequently, I caught a female
grizzly and two yearling cubs, which, together with
the old grizzly above mentioned, I soon afterwards
carried down to Sonora, and disposed of at good rates,
laying in and bringing back with me a stock of
necessaries for the winter. Just previous to starting
on this trip, the Indian boys, Tuolumne and Stanis
laus, returned according to their promises; and my
camp was therefore in good hands during my ab
sence. On my return, when within a mile of Strawberry
Ranch, late in the afternoon, I shot a fat buck; I
was, however, too much fatigued to pack the body,
and left it lying, while I rode on to a vacant log-hut,
intending to go back for it after refreshing and resting
myself. Upon returning about sundown, I perceived
that a grizzly bear had taken possession of the meat,

184 OUR CAMP IN THE SIERRA NEVADA.
and was busily making his supper; which audacious
intermeddling of his, after I had made up my mouth
for a good roast that evening, was as unpleasant as it
was unexpected. I determined to punish the fellow
with proper spirit; and, accordingly, crawling around
without being perceived, I got behind a huge pine-tree,
from which, taking a deliberate aim, I fired at him.
Owing, however, to the duskiness of the hour, my aim
was not as good as could have been wished, and the
ball must have glanced, for the bear, after uttering
a tremendous growl, rose upon his feet and looked
around for the disturber; but, not discovering me, he
soon dropped upon all-fours again, and ran off with a
speed which did credit to the locomotive powers of
the species. After he had disappeared, I ventured
down to the deer; but found that the bear had got
his full share, for he had eaten nearly half. He had,
as is the general habit of bears, commenced opera
tions at the breast, consumed the vitals, and then
attacked the foreparts. I shouldered what he had
left, and started off; but must acknowledge that
every rustle and stir for a while produced anything
but a pleasant effect upon my nerves, and more than
once I supposed that now the real battle would
come. The bear, however, had got enough; but in a short
time three saucy coyotes came up behind me, and dis
puted the title to the venison. They ran around,
barked and snapped at the meat, and endeavored to
seize it; and, it being too dark to procure aim with
my rifle, the only way left to defend the booty was to

OUR CAMP IN THE SIERRA NEVADA. 185
take my bowie-knife to them. The cowardly knaves
seemed to understand the virtues of the cold steel,
and kept at a respectable distance; till at length I
reached the hut, and built up a large fire, which ef
fectually scared them off, though they afterwards re
turned with an accession of forces, and barked and
yelped about the neighborhood all night. After roast
ing and eating my supper, I carried the remainder
of the meat with me into the cabin, and, bolting the
door, lay down and had a comfortable night of sleep,
to which my fatigue had disposed me.
The next day, I reached camp and found every
thing in good order, as was to have been expected un
der the care of my faithful boys. From this time, for
the next month or two, we continued in our mountain
camp, making short excursions in search of game only
as we required it. Meanwhile the winter advanced ;
first the rains fell, and by degrees the snows came
more and more frequently, until at length the regular
snow-line descended from the higher peaks far below us ;
and at last the entire mountain-side was enveloped for
the season in a glittering white mantle. As the snow
line descended, the game, as usual, preceded it; so
that it was only occasionally that our traps procured
us a stray wolf or bear, and all our hunting had to
be done in the more moderate climates of the foot
hills below. In our trips up and down the mountains,
we were at first much incommoded by the snow; but
presently, after a few thaws and frosts, the crust
became sufficiently hard to bear us well, and we trav
elled upon it with comparative ease.

186 OUR CAMP IN THE SIERRA NEVADA.
Upon one of these trips, Tuolumne complained
about his feet; and, on examination, I ascertained
that they were frostbitten. I immediately directed
him to bathe them in very cold water, then anoint
them with panther's oil, and wrap them up in cotton
cloths. After doing this, he was put to bed and
required to remain at camp for several days, by which
time he fully recovered.
One of these days, Stanislaus and I went out on a
short hunt, but were overtaken by a dreadful storm,
and compelled to take shelter for the night under a
pine-tree. We built a rousing fire, and lay down to
sleep; but in the course of the night I awoke, and
finding the weather very severe and Stanislaus suffer
ing from cold, I made him take my blanket in addi
tion to his own. As for myself, I coaxed Lady
Washington, who accompanied us, as near the fire as
possible, and then lay down next her, having her
shaggy coat on one side and the fire on the other.
It was my first experiment of this kind, and I felt a
little fearful for a while of having a troublesome bed
fellow; but, being very sleepy, I soon forgot my anx
iety in slumber. Once only she rose and withdrew
for a few minutes, but soon came back, lapped my
hands a moment, and again nestled down in her for
mer position, apparently with the object of get
ting as close to me as I wished to get to her. It
was late the next morning before I waked, when I
found my shaggy companion still sleeping, and as
calmly and peacefully as could have been desired.
In the early part of the winter we also made our-

OUR CAMP IN THE SIERRA NEVADA. 187
selves snow-shoes, by bending tough pieces of green
wood into large bows, and weaving over them strips
of green hide. These we fastened to the bottom of
our moccasins with straps of buckskin; and, having
thus wide foundations, we were able to walk easily
upon the surface of the snow, even when it was very
soft; and they were of great service on many occa
sions. We also constructed sledges to transport our
game through the snow; and sometimes hitched up
Lady Washington, and made her draw them. She
was slow in learning her duty at this kind of service,
and required watching and correction some time be
fore she took to the work with proper spirit; but, by
degrees, she learnt the lesson well, and was thus of
great value, not only as a beast of burden, but also as
a draught animal.
But a detailed account of our wintering in the
mountains of California, where there were so many
objects to attract and engage attention, would fur
nish in itself ample matter for a large volume. I
must remember that I have an almost interminable
subject before me, and am therefore compelled to
compress and abridge with an unsparing hand; and
sometimes pass over much time in a few words. I
must remember that, now and here, I can only select
the more important passages of my adventures, and
present them to the reader in as brief, plain, and un
adorned terms as possible.

188 YOSEMITE.

CHAPTER II.
YOSEMITE.
Arrival of Solon. Resolution to visit the Yosemite Valley with him.
Our Contract. Our Start. The Road. First Impressions of the
Valley. Splendors of the Scene. The View from the Foot of the
Cliffs. General Hunting. Birth of Rambler. Ben Franklin.
Discovery of a Grizzly's Den. My one Idea. My Resolution.
My Preparations. The Ravine. Chaparral. Reconnoitring.
The Position and Appearance of the Den. Provision for my Mule.
A Night-watch. Report of the Rifle among the Hills. Subter
ranean Sounds. A Day-watch. A Sight of the Grizzly Dam.
Change of Position. Preparation for a Combat. Sleep. A
Panther's Scream. Alarm. Reflection. My Determination. The
Grizzly Yell. The Response. Appearance of the Bear. Our
relative Positions. My Attack. A desperate Effort. Death of
the Bear. My Feelings.
As the spring of 1854 approached, and the snow
line moved higher and higher towards the summits of
the mountains, and the grass began to spring upon
slope and shelf, and the game to follow, and the hunt
ers to come up, we had occasional visits from the rov
ers of the countries below. One of these was Mr.
Solon, of Sonora, who stopped on his way to the fa
mous Yosemite Valley, that most sublime region of
California, and perhaps of the world. He came, he
told me, having heard of my hunting, to persuade
me to go upon a general hunt in the great valley;
and it was not long before we projected a trip, which
was to last about a month. The agreement between
us was, that, in consideration of my furnishing a

YOSEMITE. 189
horse, two mules, and the assistance of Tuolumne, I
was to receive two thirds of the prizes and profits of
the expedition. We immediately proceeded to make
arrangements for the hunt; and, at the end of a few
days, after bringing up the mules from Howard's,
and laying in a stock of provisions for the subsist
ence of Stanislaus during our absence, we started
off over the mountains southeastward, taking with
us, besides the horse and mules, my bear Lady
Washington, and a greyhound which I had pur
chased on my last visit to Howard's, and brought
up with me.
Our road was rough and difficult; but, after travel
ling three days, we arrived upon the brink of the great
valley. The first view of this sublime scenery was so
impressive that we were delayed a long time, as if
spellbound, looking down from the mountain upon
the magnificent landscape far below. It is vain to
attempt to convey the effect produced by those giant
and picturesque cliffs three thousand feet high, that
romantic valley-bottom with its green carpet and sil
very stream, and those groves of trees, which are
formed and placed as if a skilful artist had disposed
them to portray the essence of romance. It is vain
to attempt with words alone, to convey the impressions
produced upon the mind by such an enchanting sight;
magnitude may be imagined, beauty may be conceived,
but the breadth and scope of these rocks, the tempered
tints of these distances, the influence of these sublime
forms, inclosing within their compass lawns and
groves and grassy banks, presenting at every turn

190 YOSEMITE.
new and unimagined splendors, — all these must be
seen and felt, to be fully comprehended.
But, however grand the valley looked from above,
it was not until the next day, when we descended
into it and looked upward, that we obtained the
grandest views; just as, at Niagara, the most awe-
inspiring sight is from the foot of the falls, looking up
at the waters, pouring, as it were, out of heaven.
There is a fall here, too, thousands instead of hun
dreds of feet in height; but it was not the fall, so
much as the scenery below and around, that rav
ished my eyes, and produced impressions upon my
mind that are ineffaceable. Who could ever forget
those stupendous cliffs, with their fit associates, the
tapering evergreens? or the greenswards, and oak
and cotton-wood groves of the valley, with such sur
roundings? — and Flora adorns the carpet under
neath, as brightly as the rainbows paint the spray
above. We spent the entire day visiting interest
ing points, and searching out the varied beauties
of this inexhaustible valley.
The next morning, we moved about ten miles above
the falls, and pitched our camp in a grassy glen,
where for several days we hunted with great success,
slaying deer and bears. In this camp, the grey
hound unexpectedly presented me with a litter of
puppies, one of which grew up to be Rambler, the
companion of Ben, and, as such companion, a sharer
in my affection for that noble animal.
My next adventure, and the most fortunate of all
my career, was the capture of Ben Franklin, the

YOSEMITE. 191
flower of his race, my firmest friend, the boon com
panion of my after-years. Upon reviewing the ad
venture now, it seems that an inexplicable influence
was at work within me, foreshadowing the singular
good-fortune in store, and attracting me, with an
irresistible impulse, to ' brave the dangers and fa
tigues of besieging, day after day, and night after
night, the stronghold of his ferocious dam, slaying her
in the very portals of her den, and seizing her off
spring by fighting my way over her body.
We had moved to the head waters of the Merced
River. On the first hunt there, I discovered a griz
zly's den, and no sooner had my eyes fallen upon
it, than I forgot all other hunting; I, thought and
dreamed of nothing else but how to take it; — this,
at once, became all my ambition. Deer, panthers,
wolves, and other bears there were, in plenty, about
me; it seemed, too, that they crossed my path more
frequently than ever; but they were unheeded; all
my mind was taken up with the one sole idea of
what proved to be the greatest of my achievements.
Fired with this single thought, I determined to sep
arate from my companions, leaving them to employ
themselves as their inclinations pleased; as for my
self, I had chosen my post, and would station my
self at it, to succeed in my undertaking or die in
the attempt.
Having thus resolved, I cleaned my rifle and pistol,
sharpened my knives, prepared muzzles and strings,
furnished myself with provisions, and, packing my
blankets upon a mule, started off for the scene of my

192 YOSEMITE.
labors. It was a cation-like ravine between two hills,
densely covered with thickets of chaparral, with here
and there a bunch of juniper bushes, a scrubby pine,
or a cedar. A heap of fresh dirt in the thicket on
one side, indicated the site of the den. It resembled
the earth which a miner wheels out and dumps at the
opening of a tunnel; and in size was as much as
about fifty car-loads. The chaparral around it con
tained some thorn bushes, but could still be pene
trated. Like almost all the California chaparral, it
was thornier than that found in Washington; but not
so much so as that of Mexico, which cannot be safely
entered, unless a man be clothed in leather.
In a short time after arriving, which was late in the
afternoon, I climbed a tree, and reconnoitred the en
tire ravine. From that position, I observed and chose
a spot for concealment in a bunch of junipers, on the
opposite side of the canon, and about a hundred yards
distant from the den; and, upon cautiously crawling
up, found, as I had anticipated, that it afforded a fair
view of its mouth at the same time that it screened
me entirely from observation. Though it was impos
sible to see far into the den, I soon ascertained its
character to be similar to that usually dug by the Cali
fornia grizzly; — in form something like an oven,
having an entrance three or four feet in diameter and
six or ten feet long, with a larger space, or den
proper, rounded out at the extremity, intended for the
lying-in place of the dam and the bedding of the
cubs. A number of such dens I had seen in the
Sierra, varying only according to their position and

YOSEMITE. 193
the quality of the ground in which they were exca
vated. The ravine here was rugged and narrow;
and the den penetrated its steep, bushy side, about
fifty feet above the bed of the stream, at this time
dry, which formed the bottom of the canon.
After making these observations, and satisfying
myself that my position was the most judicious pos
sible, being convinced that there were cubs in the
place, I went back to the mule, built up a little fire
for her protection, and then, leaving her to herself, I
took my blankets, returned to my post in the juniper
bushes, and commenced my watch, which I kept up
unremittingly till morning. It was an uncomfortable
vigil; the ground was so steep that there was no level
place to lie down, and the night was very cold. I
thought several times in the course of it that I could
hear the barking of cubs in the direction of the den;
but, with this exception, every thing in the ravine was
silent and dreary. Other wild beasts had evidently
been driven away from the region by the fear of the
savage tenant, who made all a desert in her neighbor
hood; so that even the lugubrious howls of the wolf
and coyote, which custom had made music to my
ears, were inaudible; and for the very want of mel
ancholy noises, I was more than usually melancholy.
As the light of dawn began to peep, the thought
struck me to discharge my rifle for two reasons: first,
to see what effect it would have; and, again, to put
in a fresh charge. Upon doing so, the report echoed
off among the hills, as if they were playing with the
unaccustomed sound. It had barely died away, when

194 YOSEMITE.
there seemed to be a snuffing underground, very
faint at first, but growing louder and louder, until
there was no mistaking it for the growl of a bear. I
climbed a small tree, and looked and listened atten
tively, in hopes of seeing her; but the sound died
away in a few minutes, and again all was silent. De
scending to my place in the bushes, I continued the
watch, now peeping into the den, and then looking at
the vultures and buzzards sailing high overhead, till
the sun rose, which, in that narrow gorge, was not
until nearly noon. I then returned to the mule,
moved her to a new pasture, and provided myself
with a meal of dried venison, which I ate with exces
sive relish, and washed down with water from a spring
at the foot of the ravine. After satisfying myself,
feeling much refreshed, I cautiously returned to the
juniper bushes, resumed my watch, and sat most of
the afternoon with my arms ready for action; — but
there were no signs of bears, and no noises save the
chirping of a few birds among the chaparral. Short
ly after mid-day I got a short nap, and in the even
ing went back and built a fire near the mule; but
before dark I was at my post again, and there I re
mained, shivering, till morning.
About daybreak there was again a noise in the
den, and I thought the old bear might be stirring, and
prepared for her reception; but it was a vain expec
tation; for in a short time all was quiet, and it
seemed as if she never would show herself. As the
morning advanced, however, I discharged my rifle
again, and was gratified, not only with a snuff in the

YOSEMITE. 195
den, but also with the sight of the occupant's head
and paws, as she came to the mouth of her strong
hold; but the most gratifying circumstance was the
yelping of cubs, which could now be distinctly heard.
Being thus convinced, beyond the possibility of a
doubt, of the presence of what I sought, I directly
made arrangements for an encounter with the dam.
For an attack, my position, chosen for an outlook,
was too far distant; and, besides, a rugged, deep hol
low intervened; so that, even had a ball wounded the
animal, I would not be near enough to improve the
advantage. Accordingly, after attending to the wants
of my mule and eating my lonely meal, I moved my
position across the ravine to a point about forty yards
above the den, from which I could easily see the
bank of excavated dirt, though not the entrance. To
reach this point, I had to move through the bushes
very circumspectly, and, therefore, slowly; in many
places it was necessary to use my knife in cutting my
way; and much noise would inevitably have brought
the ferocious brute upon me, while unprepared. Upon
reaching the position at last, there appeared to be
nothing to disturb my view, except several twigs
which stuck up a few yards in front; these I found it
necessary to remove; and, for this purpose, laying
aside my rifle for the first time in two days, and
crawling forwards under the brush, I rose, cut the
twigs with my knife, laid them aside, and, creeping
back to my position, as cautiously as if in an Indian
ambush, again felt safe in the companionship of my
rifle.

196 YOSEMITE.
As the third evening approached, I visited the
mule as before, but neglected to make a fire; and,
hurriedly returning, took up my post for the night.
Up to this time excitement had kept me wakeful,
but tired nature now called for rest; and, as I sat
with my blankets drawn closely round me, and my
rifle between my knees, I unwittingly fell asleep,
and for many hours was totally unconcious of my pur
poses in that wild and savage glen, and the dangers
which surrounded me. It was nearly morning when
I was suddenly aroused and dreadfully startled by
the screech of a panther on the hill above me. For
a moment my very bones quaked with terror; but I
soon reasoned myself calm. What a fool, thought I,
to be thus startled by the cry of a panther, a cowardly
brute, which dare not stand face to face and fight
with a man; while here I am, inviting a combat with
a grizzly bear, the savagest beast that ranges the
forest! With this comfortable reflection, I worked up
my courage, and, being greatly refreshed with my
sleep, felt bold enough to face almost any odds; —
but the panther did not approach; and in less than
twenty minutes a distant scream notified me that he
was already far beyond my reach.
Daylight came, but the bear still remained housed,
and I began to think she would not make her appear
ance. My watching was now becoming very irksome,
and, feeling much like bringing the adventure to an
issue, I determined to rouse her. There was some
danger in this; for my plan would probably attract
her directly to me, and, as sure as she should see me,

YOSEMITE. 197
I knew she would give no time to draw an aim. Be
fore putting my plan into execution, therefore, I stuck
my cap full of green twigs, and stationed myself in
such a manner in the bushes that it would take a nice
eye to discern my form, even though looking directly
towards me. Having thus disposed myself, cocking
and drawing my rifle, I uttered one of those terrific
yells with which I have so often started the grizzly to
his feet. It echoed like the roar of a lion up the
canon; and in a moment afterwards there was a
booming in the den like the puffing and snorting of
an engine in a tunnel, and the enraged animal rushed
out, growling and snuffing, as if she could belch forth
the fire of a volcano. She rose upon her hind feet,
and exhibited a monster form, — limbs of terrible
strength. She looked around in every direction;
but in a few moments, seeing nothing to attack, she
sat down upon her haunches, with her back towards
me and her face towards the opposite side of the
canon, as if her enemy were there.
During these few minutes I stood as motionless as
a statue, hardly breathing, waiting and watching an
opportunity to fire. Had I met such an animal un
awares, in an unexpected place, her ferocity would
have made me tremble; but after my long watch I
was anxious to commence the attack, and felt as steady
as a piece of ordnance upon a battery. As I watched,
I saw her turn her head towards the den; and, fearing
she would retire, I gave a low, sharp whistle, which
brought her to her feet again, with her breast fronting
directly towards me. It was then, having my rifle

198 YOSEMITE.
already drawn, that I fired; and in an instant, drop
ping the rifle, I drew my pistol in one hand and my
knife in the other. The bear, as the ball slapped
loudly in the fat of her breast, staggered and fell
backwards, and began pawing and biting the ground,
— a sure sign of a deadly hurt. Copious streams of
crimson blood also gushed from her breast, and I
knew that they came from the fountainhead. The
work was, indeed, nearly done; but so anxious was
I to complete it at once, that I commenced leaping
over the bushes to plunge my knife in her dying
heart; when, gathering her savage strength, she rose,
and, with one last, desperate effort, sprang towards me.
The distance between us was only thirty feet, but,
fortunately, full of brush, and she soon weakened
with the prodigious energy requisite to tear her way
through it. I discharged the six shots of my revolver,
the last of which struck under the left ear, and laid
her still for a moment; when, leaping forwards, I
plunged my knife to her vitals. Again she endeav
ored to rise, but was so choked with blood that she
could not. I drew my knife across her throat, and
after a few convulsive struggles she expired.
My feelings, as she thus lay dead at my feet, it
would be difficult to describe. I looked at the hills
around, to see if any eye had beheld my success;
but all was silence. I looked to the heavens; but all
was quiet, only a vulture was circling like a speck
in the distant ether. I was alone in the gorge, and,
as I looked upon the dead monster, felt like Alexander
sated with victory and wishing another foe to engage,
worthy of my prowess.

ADAMS AND THE WOLF.

BEN FRANKLIN. 199

CHAPTER III.

BEN FRANKLIN.
Pleasurable Recollections of the Mariposa Adventure.. Determina
tion to enter the Den. My Caution. My Preparations. Torches.
Construction of the Den. Seizure of the Cubs. Retreat. My
Joy. Disappearance of the Mule, ,4Betz:" Trace of the Panther.
Return to Camp. Solon's Wonder. Christening of the Cubs.
Revisit the Den. Reentry of the Den. Discovery of a Wolf.
Adventure with the Wolf. Solon's Fright. Manufacture of
Milk. A new Idea. The Hound a Foster-mother of the Cubs.
Buckskin Mittens. Thriving of the Cubs. Solon's trading Trips
to the Mines. Lady Washington as a Pack-animal. Hunting
with the Lady. A gray Wolf. Capture of Wolf Whelps. Deer's
Eyes by the Nightfire. Mountain Sheep. Slay a Ram. Solon
and I on the Hunt. Solon attacked by a Panther. His Peril.
My Attack. Solon's Story. Solon's Forethought. Reflections.
Solon's Wounds. The Water-cure. The Philosophy of the Water-
cure. Mountain Surgery in Earnest. Search for the Panther.
Discovery of the Beast and her Kittens. Our Attack. Slaying
of the Dam. Seizure of the Kittens. Solon's Satisfaction. Char
acteristics of Mountain Sheep. Our Family. Lady Washing
ton with the Kittens on her Back. Return to Camp. Presents
to Tuolumne and Stanislaus. Their Devotion.
It is with pleasure that I dwell upon this part of
my story, and I would fain distinguish it with living
words. In all the after-course of my career, I could
look back upon it with peculiar satisfaction; and rare
ly, in the following years, did I pat the shaggy coat
of my noble Ben, but I. recurred to my fatiguing and
solitary vigils in the Mariposa cafion, my combat with
the monster grizzly, my entry in her den, and seizure
of her offspring. The whole adventure is impressed

200 BEN FRANKLIN.
upon my memory, as if it had occurred but yester
day. No sooner was the dam dead, than I turned towards
the den, and determined to enter it without delay.
Approaching its mouth, accordingly, I knelt, and tried
to peer in; but all was dark, silent, and ominous.
What dangers might lurk in that mysterious gloom, it
was impossible to tell; nor was it without a tremor
that I prepared to explore its depths. I trembled for
a moment at the thought of another old bear in the
den; but on second thought I assured myself of the
folly of such an idea; for an occurrence of this kind
would have been against all experience. But in such a
situation, a man imagines many things, and fears much
at which he afterwards laughs; and therefore, though
there was really no difficulty to anticipate, I carefully
loaded my rifle and pistol, and carried my arms as if,
the next instant, I was to be called upon to fight for
life. Being thus prepared, I took from my pocket a
small torch made of pine splinters, lighted it, and,
placing my rifle in the mouth of the den, with the
torch in my left and the pistol in my right hand, I
dropped upon my knees and began to crawl in.
The entrance consisted of a rough hole, three feet
wide and four feet high. It extended inwards nearly
horizontally, and almost without a turn, for six feet,
where there was a chamber, six or eight feet in diam
eter and five feet high, giving me room to rise upon my
knees, but not to stand up; — and its entire floor was
thickly carpeted with leaves and grass. On the first
look, I could see no animals, and felt grievously disap-

BEN FRANKLIN. 201
pointed; but, as I crawled around, there was a rus
tling in the leaves; and, bending down with my torch,
I discovered two beautiful little cubs, which could not
have been over a week old, as their eyes, which open
in eight or ten days, were still closed. I took the lit
tle sprawlers, one after the other, by the nape of the
neck, lifted them up to the light, and found them very
lively. They were both males; a circumstance which
gave me reason to presume there might be a third
cub, for it is frequent that a litter consists of three,
and I looked carefully; but no other was to be found.
I concluded, therefore, that if there had been a third,
the dam had devoured it, — a thing she often, and if
a cub dies, or be deformed, she always, does. Satisfy
ing myself that there were no others, I took the two,
and, placing them in my bosom, between my buckskin
and woollen shirt, once more emerged into daylight.
The possession of the prizes delighted me so much
that I almost danced my way down through the
bushes and over the uneven ground to the spot
where my mule had been left; but, upon arriving
there, it gave me great concern to find that she was
gone. At first, I thought surely she had been
stolen; but, as my bag of dried venison remained
undisturbed upon the tree, and much more as the
tracks of a panther were to be seen in the neighbor
hood, I became convinced that she had been attacked
by my disturber of the previous night, and had broken
away. Indeed, upon further examination, I found
her track, leading off through the chaparral; and,
following it over a hill and through another cafion, at

202 BEN FRANKLIN.
length found her grazing in a grassy valley. She
seemed much frightened at first upon seeing me,
but when I called her "Betz," she stopped, turned
around, looked, and then came up, apparently glad
to meet me again. Her haunches bore several deep
and fresh scratches, which were still more convinc
ing evidences to my mind that the panther had
sprung upon her, but that she had broken loose and
escaped. Mounting the mule, I returned to the dead bear,
and, cutting her up, packed a portion of her meat;
the remainder I left in the mouth of the den; and,
turning my face out of the ravine, I proceeded in
excellent spirits, bearing the cubs still in my bosom,
towards the camp of my companions. Upon reach
ing there, shortly after dark, I showed Solon what I
had accomplished; and, placing the cubs before him,
chose one for my own and presented him with the
other. He thought that this was more than his share;
but I insisted upon his receiving it, and he did so
with a thankful heart. He asked me the story of the
capture, and I told it, from the moment of my leav
ing camp to my return. He wondered much at my
patient watching in the juniper bushes, and said he
would not have done it, but still he wished he had
been with me; — and thus we went on talking, till the
dying embers admonished us of the lateness of the
hour. Before retiring, Solon christened his cub Gen
eral Jackson; I remarked that General Jackson was
a great man in his way, but I would call my bear
Ben Franklin, — a greater name. Such was the man-

BEN FRANKLIN. 203
ner that, in one and the same day, I captured and
christened my noble Ben.
The next morning, Solon expressed a desire to see
the den, and we hunted in that direction. Upon
arriving at the spot, we found that the bear-meat,
which I had left at its mouth the previous day, was
torn to pieces and almost entirely eaten. What had
done this we did not know, and conjectured vultures;
but, as our supply of meat was already ample, the
loss gave us no concern, and we thought nothing more
of the matter; and, as we had brought with us several
torches, I told Solon to light one if he wished to
examine the den, and go in. He, however, seemed
backward about venturing, and finally I seized the
torch myself, and prepared to lead the way. As I
did so, the leaves in the den rustled in a singular
manner, and, upon getting in nearly to the chamber,
I heard a jump and a growl. This startled me for a
moment; but, having my pistol in my hand, I kept
my ground, and, holding the torch over my head and
looking keenly before me, soon perceived the dark
outlines of a wolf, sitting upon his haunches close up
against the further side of the den, and grinning at
me with a most ferocious expression.
The wolf, notwithstanding his cowardly disposition,
is an ugly fellow to deal with in close quarters, and
many men in this situation would have been very will
ing to leave him alone; but I determined to give him
fight, and called to Solon to stand ready, provided he
should get past me. Then, sticking my torch in the
ground, and drawing my knife in my left hand, hav-

204 BEN FRANKLIN.
ing my revolver in my right, I fired at the growling
brute, and would directly have fired a second shot,
but, without giving me time to do so, the beast
bounded past, in the endeavor to escape. As he did
so, I seized his tail and struck with my knife; but
this did not stay his progress, and he would have
certainly escaped, but, fortunately, Solon was well pre
pared, and gave a blow which laid him cold, as he
emerged. Having thus cleared the den a second time, I
handed the torch to Solon, and he stooped down and
started in. He had crawled but a few feet, however,
when, in a spirit of mischief, I cried out to him to
beware of the other wolf; — and he suddenly backed
out, so terribly frightened that I was sorry for him.
He would have become angry about the matter, but
I laughed the humor out of him, and after a while he
entered the den. I followed; and after viewing the
place to our complete satisfaction, we came out and
returned to camp.
Having thus caught our cubs, it next became a
matter of difficulty, which troubled me several days,
how to feed them. In the morning, I had given
them a mixture of water, flour, and sugar, which was
the nearest approach to milk I could think of; but
this substitute would hardly answer for any length of
time. While thinking over the matter, however, an
idea struck me; and, on being put in execution, it
worked much better than could have been anticipated.
This was no less than making the greyhound suckle
them. To make room, we destroyed all the grey-

BEN FRANKLIN. 205
hound's litter except one, and foisted the cubs in their
places. As was to be expected, the hound was at
first a little ugly towards these strange foster-children,
and would snap and bite them; but by degrees she
admitted them freely, and would even lap and fondle
them, — so that, in fine, they at last shared in her
affection with her own offspring. To prevent the
scratching of their paws, we made little buckskin mit
tens; and these were put on every time they sucked,
— which continued for about three or four weeks.
They were only a little heavier and clumsier than
the puppy at first; but they grew fast, seeming to
thrive well on the milk; and by degrees we taught
them to eat bruised meat, and, finally, entirely
weaned them.
Meanwhile we continued our hunting; and on sev
eral occasions Solon made trips down the mountains
to the nearest mines, taking with him the horse and
mules, packed with fresh and dried meat, which sold
readily to the miners, and for a good profit. During
these trips, Tuolumne and I, upon our excursions,
took with us Lady Washington in place of a pack-
animal; for, by this time, she had become so well
trained that she answered every purpose. I had
made a kind of saddle of green hide, resembling a
Mexican aparejo; and with this we could pack upon
her loads of two hundred pounds' weight, which she
would cheerfully carry.
Our success in hunting exceeded our expectations,
and various were the adventures we met with. One
day I left camp with the Lady, and travelled over a

206 BEN FRANKLIN.
large extent of country without meeting anything
worthy of notice. In the evening, I came into the
midst of a region of large cliffs and shelving rocks,
full of holes and caves, and with many large cedar
and pine trees. It was too far distant to think of
reaching camp that night, and I therefore determined
to spend the night there; and, searching out a safe
spot near a spring of water, took up my station, hav
ing the Lady lying at my side. I had not been sitting
long, when a gray wolf, with two fine pups about a
month old, approached; and as it was not yet dark,
I easily killed her.
The pups gave me greater difficulty, having run
into a cleft in the rocks, from which it was only with
smoke that they could be dislodged. As they came
out, I seized them; but, catching the last by the tail
instead of the neck, it turned and bit my hand se
verely; however, I kept my hold and secured him.
I then built up a fire near the spring, and threw my
self upon the grass, waiting for whatever might come.
In the course of half an hour, a band of deer ap
proached, and it was not long before I saw half a
dozen pairs of glistening eyes looking curiously at the
fire. They presented a beautiful sight, and it was al
most with sorrow that I fired at the foremost one,
which fell; but the rest scampered off. The remain
der of the night, having first roasted and eaten a bit
of fresh venison, I endeavored to sleep, but was much
disturbed by wolves and panthers, which kept up a
dreadful howling and shrieking. In the morning very
early I mounted the cliffs, and reached a very rough

BEN FRANKLIN. 207
and barren region, higher up in the mountains than I
usually went. Looking around, I soon discovered a
flock of mountain sheep, in every respect similar to
Rocky Mountain big-horns. I crept forward among
the rocks very cautiously, till within sixty yards of
the flock, but could procure aim only at an old ram
which had a broken horn. I waited a considerable
length of time, in hopes of seeing a better head; but
at last, getting out of patience, fired at what there
was. As the ball struck, the ram bounded, like a
piece of India-rubber, high into the air, and fell dead,
flat upon the rock; but the remainder of the flock ran
up the cliffs, and before I could reload, had entirely
disappeared. The ram, which weighed about seventy-
five pounds, and the deer killed in the night, I packed
upon the Lady, and, taking the wolf pups in a bag,
travelled back to camp.
On another occasion, Solon and I started out very
early; and, coming to a spot where two ravines came
together, he started up one and I the other. I had
not gone more than a quarter of a mile before I heard
Solon cry out for help. I bounded up the ridge
which separated us, and, upon reaching the top, saw
him lying under a large tree in the other ravine,
and a panther on top of him, apparently gnawing
into his neck. I shouted to him to lie still, and,
drawing my rifle, fired at the beast; but, in my
anxiety to shoot wide of my comrade, I did not
strike the panther fair, and he bounded off into the
bushes, and escaped.
In answer to my inquiries in relation to this singu-

208 BEN FRANKLIN.
lar adventure, Solon told me that as he was walking
up the ravine, looking only forward, and paying no
attention to the trees overhead, the beast suddenly
leaped upon his back and struck him to the ground.
In the same moment that he fell, he cried out for me,
and pulled the cape of his buckskin coat over his
neck — and this evidently saved his life. How he
came to have such forethought was strange; some
others might have done so, but most men would
never have thought of it; I, for one, would have
sooner drawn my knife and fought. I asked why he
did not fight; he replied that he was afraid to move,
supposing that it would only infuriate the animal.
Such a caution, said I, would have been good in case
of a bear; but the panther is made of different stuff.
By nature a coward and a sneak, he has the cruelty
of cowardice, daring the combat only when he has a
sure advantage, and wreaking a bloodthirsty ferocity
most upon an unresisting victim. A determined
stroke with a knife, though it might not have killed,
would have terrified and put him to flight.
In the meanwhile, I stripped the coat from Solon's
back, and found his shoulders severely scratched by
the panther's claws. His neck, also, was badly bit
ten, but not dangerously; for the buckskin had for
tunately saved him. Still the wounds were serious
enough to require the best of my surgical skill, and
I at once placed them under treatment. I led the
patient directly to a spring which was not far dis
tant; and, making him bend over it, with a piece of
hollowed bark I poured water over his wounds, until

BEN FRANKLIN. 209
he complained bitterly of the cold. I then put on
his shirt, saturated with water, and over that, his
coat; and, drawing off my own coat, put that, also,
upon him. This was an easy matter, as my shoul
ders were much broader than his, and, besides, my
clothing was always worn very loose, so as to give
me perfect freedom of action.
A further article of my prescription was, that he
should drink as much water as possible; but he re
plied that he was not thirsty, and wished to know
why he should do so. I explained the reason, by
saying that he would soon become warm; the water
would, more readily, induce perspiration, and that
would ease his pains. He then followed the direc
tion; and, as we returned to camp, though he started
stiff, in a short time, by warming up and perspiring,
he felt well, and travelled as comfortably as ever. My
surgery, however, did not end here; for, upon reach
ing head-quarters, and examining the wounds closely,
I found there were two, more serious than anticipated,
in the back of Solon's head, where the marks of the
panther's teeth were plainly visible. To reach them,
it was necessary to shave the hair; and, as my bowie-
knife was the nearest approach to a razor in the
camp, it was not without wailing and gnashing of
teeth that the tonsorial operation was accomplished.
Indeed, before it was half done, the patient cried
that I was worse than the panther. I excused my
self by the wretchedness of my razor, and hacked
away again; when he refused to submit any longer to
what he called my horrible butchery. Like an expert

210 BEN FRANKLIN.
surgeon, however, I had Tuolumne holding his head;
and, though he gritted his teeth and shouted with
pain, I went on, with apparently the most unfeel
ing coolness, with my work, until the hair was as
short as the nap of velvet; after which I bandaged
the wounds with wet rags, and put my patient to
bed. Solon passed a good night, and the next morning,
seeing he could get along alone, I determined to hunt
up the panther; and, taking Tuolumne, proceeded at
once to the ravine where the accident had occurred.
We soon found the trail, here and there marked with
spots of blood, and followed it for more than a mile
over a hill into a deep canon. We at last came to a
very rugged and brushy place, where it was neces
sary to creep; and, crawling along, we were suddenly
startled by a low growl, and, looking low under the
bushes, beheld the beast glaring upon us from a cleft
in the rocks. At her side lay five kittens; but there
was blood upon them and upon her, giving evidence
that my shot the day previous had not been harm
less. Indeed, had it not been for that shot, I doubt
whether the panther would have allowed us to ap
proach so near her den, without either attacking or
fleeing. Our situation, under any circumstances, was not
without its danger; but so used to perils had I
become, that not for a moment did my judgment
desert me. It had always been my practice, when
out with Tuolumne, upon getting into danger like
this, to give him the first fire. He was a good

BEN FRANKLIN. 211
marksman; and, if he killed, it would be a great
encouragement to him; if he did not, it would re
quire a degree of coolness, which he did not possess,
to fire an effective second shot. Accordingly, at my
beck now, he discharged his rifle. He struck her,
but not to kill, and the coward brute turned to fly;
but, as she exposed her side, I bored her through the
middle with my shot, and she dropped in her tracks.
We immediately rushed up and secured the kittens,
which were about a week old. We afterwards exam
ined the dead body, and found, besides the wounds in
the breast and groin which she had just received,
that my ball, the previous day, had struck her shoul
der, and buried itself in her neck. We then drew
our knives and whipped off her skin, preserving the
head and claws, and, taking it and the cubs, set out
upon our return. On arriving at camp again, Solon
complained of lonesomeness; but when I presented
him with the skin of the panther, he grew cheerful,
and enjoyed the story of our adventure with great
relish; but he would have wished, he said, to have
been in Tuolumne's place, and have had the first fire
at the beast.
For three or four days after this, we continued our
hunting, and, on several occasions, made efforts to
kill more mountain sheep. These wary animals in
habit the rockiest and most inaccessible heights of
the mountains. Wherever there is a high, rugged,
jaggy, treeless waste, with only here and there a
stunted bush, a clump of bushes or scanty bunches
of grass, there may they be looked for, lurking in the

212 BEN FRANKLIN.
clefts and nooks of the cliffs. It requires a good
hunter to approach them; he must keep himself out
of sight; he must allow no breath of wind to carry
notice of his vicinity to their keen nostrils; he must
be a sure marksman, for no second shot can be
hoped for. In an instant's alarm, the shaggy flock,
as if gifted with wings, fly up the precipices, and
only the eagle can follow them.
Upon breaking up camp, to return to our general
head-quarters on the Merced River, we had, besides
numerous bales of dried meat and hides, quite a
family of young animals, consisting of two bear cubs,
two wolf pups, five panther kittens and two fawns,
which we caught upon one of our excursions. These
young animals we packed in boxes or baskets, and
placed on top of the bags and bales carried by the
horse and mules. Lady Washington also, on the
journey homeward, was required to bear her pro
portion, which she obediently did, till the panthers,
which constituted a portion of her burden, began to
whine; and she then became so uneasy that I was
compelled to lead her until they were quieted.
We travelled back over the mountains by slow and
easy stages until we arrived at our old camp, and
were welcomed by our faithful Stanislaus, who, during
our absence, had protected our interests with remark
able ability. It was with satisfaction, therefore, that
I presented him, as well as Tuolumne, with a new
bowie-knife, a new suit of clothes, and new blankets,
which Solon, in one of his trips to the mines, had
purchased at my direction. Both lads, upon receiv-

BEN FRANKLIN. 213
ing their presents, repeated to me their assurances of
devotion and willingness to continue in my service;
to which I replied that the Rocky Mountains was the
next mark of my ambition; and they answered that I
should lead on, they were ready to follow.

214 PASSAGE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA.

CHAPTER IV.
PASSAGE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA.
Expedition to the Rocky Mountains. Preparations. My Compan
ions. Gray. Contract with Gray. Digger Indians. The Phi
losophy of Life. Indian Fellow-travellers. Their Improvi
dence. Our Train. Respective Causes of Pleasure. The first
Day's Journey. The Road. Ascent. The Snow. Aid of the
Indians. The Heights of the Sierra. A steep Place. Our
Labor. Construction of a Road. Progress. A general Treat.
Camping in the Snow. Firewood. Tobacco. Night on the
Mountain-tops. A festive Camp. Notions about the Diggers.
Attack by Wolves. Adventure with a Panther. A narrow Cafion.
Lugging through a Pass. Pulling and Tugging. A Supper of
Panther's Meat. A quiet Camp. Blistered Hands. Packing
up the last Slope. The Summit.
It was, if I mistake not, about the middle of April,
1854, after several busy weeks of preparation, that
we started upon our expedition eastward over the
Sierra Nevada, towards the Rocky Mountains. From
the commencement, I anticipated that this would be a
longer and more dangerous tour than the one of the
preceding summer; we would have to pass over des
erts, traverse totally unknown mountains, and travel
through the countries of Indians who were often hos
tile to white blood. We were also going into the
haunts of animals celebrated for their ferocity; and
it was impossible to foresee the issue of the under
taking. Before starting, therefore, I sold off a num
ber of my animals, and left my affairs in California in
such a condition that, should I never more be heard

PASSAGE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA. 215
of, my representatives would find little difficulty in
settling up my worldly accounts and taking into pos
session all my effects. There was, it is true, quite a
fortune of debts owing me; but I had long given up
the hope of ever receiving a copper of them, and
considered, in my inventory, only what was tangible,
or what was due from honest men.
A few of my animals, or to give their names, Lady
Washington, Ben Franklin and his foster-brother, the
greyhound, which I called Rambler, I never for a
moment thought of leaving behind; but all the rest
were taken down to Howard's ranch, and left with
the collection I already had there. My friend Solon,
whom I endeavored in vain to prevail on to accom
pany me, had taken his cub, and also several other
of the captives of the last expedition, and returned
to his home; but, in his stead, I obtained the society
of an old acquaintance, named Gray, a miner of
Chinese Camp, who had frequently expressed a desire
to accompany me upon a great hunt. This gentle
man was a Mississippian, young, active, and hardy.
Like most of the miners of the time, he wore a full
beard, mustaches and long hair, which gave him a
fine and manly appearance; and, as he was an excel
lent hunter and a trustworthy friend, I was fortunate
in securing his companionship. In relation to terms,
we soon came to an understanding very much the
same as that between Solon and myself; I was to be
the leader of the expedition, and direct all its move
ments; I to receive two thirds of the profits, and he
one third. I was to provide a wagon, two oxen and

216 PASSAGE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA.
two mules, which were to remain my property; and
he to join in providing our outfit of ammunition and
general furniture. He was to have the liberty of
separating from me at the Rocky Mountains; and he
candidly gave me notice that he should probably do
so, as he desired to return to his native State. So
determined was he upon this point, that he carried
with him nearly a thousand dollars' worth of gold-
dust, which otherwise, doubtless, would have swelled
the liabilities of one of those magnificent banking
concerns, whose failure, the next winter, consumed
the laborious earnings of so many small proprietors,
myself among the number.
While our preparations were progressing, the snow
having now entirely disappeared from the lower
portions of the mountains, the Indians, as was their
annual custom, came up from the plains, and spread
themselves along the mountain streams. These mis
erable people I had been accustomed to encourage in
their search for a precarious existence, and fre
quently would give them a deer, or other large game,
which, while it lasted, would afford them a great
treat; and the poor creatures were truly grateful in
return, and, whenever an opportunity afforded, would
do me any favor in their power. When, in the begin
ning of my mountain career, driven by a sort of
misanthropy, as related in the commencement of my
book, I had foresworn my own color and exiled myself
to the wilderness, the contemplation of these lowest
specimens of the human family, and the pity which
their extreme wretchedness drew from me, reawak-

PASSAGE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA. 217
ened the feelings of humanity in my breast, and
prepared my mind for a complete reconciliation with
my fellows. Even these people, I convinced myself,
Providence had created for a purpose which, I doubted
not, they fulfilled; and I soon could not help reflect
ing that, whatever of evil or good there was in the
world, and whether they did me harm or advantage,
it was the part of philosophy and wisdom to take
them as they were, and make the best of them.
This, indeed, is the great, and, I may say, the funda
mental, lesson of life; and it was thus and there, in
the mountains, that I successfully worked out for
myself the great problem which other men have to
work out, each in his own way, before they can say
that they live.
A number of these Indians, about twenty-five in
all, men, women, and children, were at this time on
their way across the Sierra to the lakes beyond,
where they proposed spending the summer in fishing;
and, learning that we were about setting out in the
same direction, they begged to be taken in company.
Anticipating a scarcity of provisions, I at first ob
jected, but finally consented to take them; and,
long before the passage of the mountains was com
pleted, I had reason to be gratified with my second
thought, for not only did my protection prevent great
suffering among them, but they, in return, were of
great assistance to me and mine, as will in a short
time be seen. Before setting out, it was my care to
see that they had provided themselves with blankets,
and with such provisions in advance as, with their

218 PASSAGE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA.
bows and arrows, they could collect from the country
about camp.
Having thus made all our preparations, in the early
dawn of the appointed morning I roused the camp;
and, drawing out our old wagon, we placed in it our
furniture, yoked in the oxen, and hitched the mules
before them. Lady Washington I chained to the
hinder axle-tree; Ben and Rambler, being still too
young to travel, I placed beside the goods in the
wagon; and the greyhound and Indian dog ran loose.
The Indians took up their position at a respectful dis
tance in the rear. We were all in the best of spirits,
and each had his special cause of pleasure: I found
myself once more at the head of an adventurous
expedition; Gray felt that his long-cherished hope
of a great hunt was on the eve of fulfilment; Tuo
lumne and Stanislaus paraded the new revolvers and
crimson scarfs which I had just presented them;
and the Indians rejoiced in the prospect of a safe
escort and plenty of provisions.
As the sun rose, we got under way, and, travel
ling all day, encamped in the evening in a little val
ley covered thick with pine and fir-trees, near the
head waters of the middle fork of the Tuolumne River.
We had proceeded with comparative ease the greater
part of the day, but in the afternoon reached the
more rugged and difficult country, where, notwith
standing what was called the Emigration Road, there
could hardly be said to be a track. Our ascent had
been rapid; and, at this first camp, we were already
in the midst of snow; so that it was easy to infer

PASSAGE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA. 219
that the labors of the passage were about to com
mence. Anticipating difficulties, I informed the In
dians that I would the next day expect their assist
ance, and gave them a deer, which Gray had killed
on the road, as an earnest of my care for them, pro
vided they would be faithful. They assured me of
their obedience; and we threw ourselves into our
blankets by the side of our fire.
The next morning, after starting ahead, the first
obstacle that opposed itself to our progress was a
mountain of about three miles steep ascent, which was
covered with snow four or five feet deep. The crust
of this snow thawed in the daytime but froze again at
night; and, on this account, it was fortunate that we
started early, while the crust was still hard; for as
the sun mounted in the heavens, it beat down pow
erfully, and, had we been but a little later, our
wheels would have broken through, and the road
been entirely impassable. Even as it was, we did
not gain the top of the rise without great difficulty
and repeatedly calling into requisition the aid of the
Indians, who with ropes assisted in dragging the wag
on up the slopes, and pulling it over the many obstruc
tions which lay in various places before us.
The top of this rise was the highest point I had
ever visited upon this road; and from here, having
no guide, we had to choose out our way as we best
could. There was much more snow than was to
have been expected; and I knew that, if we should
be caught in a storm in the higher parts of the
mountains we might perish. In front of us rose

220 PASSAGE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA.
the broken summits of the Sierra, mountain over
mountain, but we pushed on as vigorously as possi
ble, taking the best road we could find, and overcom
ing difficulties as we were best able. In some places,
we were compelled to take a circuitous course around
the mountain-sides, which were frequently so steep
that it was necessary to hold the wagon to prevent its
toppling over; and at last we came to a place so very
steep that I considered it impracticable to support the
wagon in this way, and we would certainly have been
stopped here, but, fortunately, we had several shovels
and pickaxes in the wagon, which had been provided
for digging out the holes of animals. The idea that
they could ever be of use to make a road in a snow
bank never entered my head before, but they now
stood me in good stead.
Turning to the Indians, I directed them to lay off
their blankets and go to work digging a road in the
side of the snow so that the upper wheels of the
wagon might have a kind of track to run in. It was
necessary to dig thus for the distance of nearly a
mile, but I encouraged the workers by saying it
would be soon finished and that they should have all
the provisions they could eat in the evening. With
this prospect ahead they all went vigorously to work,
men and squaws, with three shovels, two pickaxes,
two axes, and a number of pointed stakes which I
prepared for the purpose. At the same time I di
rected two to cut with hatchets a number of small
pieces of wood about two feet long, which, as the
track was dug out, we placed crosswise over it to sup-

PASSAGE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA. 221
port the wheels and prevent them from sinking too
deeply in the snow; and in this manner, after four or
five hours' work, we constructed a passable road, and
started ahead. Being myself something of a team
ster, I yelled at my animals with great success upon
this occasion, and helped them up the hill as effect
ually as ever the best driver in the world could have
done. When we had thus made the pass, feeling
very liberal, I went to the chest and drew forth my
famous old leather bottle, which contained several
quarts of the best brandy of Sonora. This I had
taken along as medicine; but as the Indians had
worked so faithfully, I determined to treat. I there
fore had the company drawn up in a circle, and, pour
ing out drink after drink into a tin cup and directing
Tuolumne to follow with water and Stanislaus with the
sugar bag, I dealt out a fair drink to all, — braves,
squaws, pappooses, and all; not enough to intoxicate,
but sufficient to make all feel lively, — the brandy be
ing high-proof, and a pint of it better than half a gal
lon of the ordinary liquor of the saloons. Having
thus completed the circle, finding there was not more
than a quart left, I looked up to heaven and made a
vow that the remainder should be kept inviolate, ex
cept in case of sickness or urgent necessity.
We then proceeded on our way a mile further over
very rough places, with plenty of snow to trouble us,
and, as it grew dark, determined to camp under a
huge pine-tree. It was so very cold and inhospitable
that we resolved to allow the Indians to camp with us;
and, accordingly, set them to digging out a large circle

222 PASSAGE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA.
of snow around the tree, and bringing in all the fire
wood they could -gather in the neighborhood. These
improvident creatures usually build very small fires,
however inclement the weather may be; for the rea
son, perhaps, that they do not relish the work of col
lecting sufficient fuel; and I soon found that we could
not have a good fire without providing more than the
sticks and boughs which they brought in. Gray and
I, therefore, took our axes, cut several dry pine logs,
and thus soon had a large pile of excellent wood and
a rousing fire, at which we all sat down and roasted
an immense quantity of venison; none too much, how
ever, for the ravenous crowd around it. After supper,
I went to the old chest again and took out half a
dozen plugs of tobacco, which I distributed among the
Indians; and they well knew the use of it, — all under
standing how to smoke, and most of those who had
been contaminated by contact with the white man,
being acquainted with the mysteries of chewing.
The night was intensely cold, but the moon shone
and the stars twinkled with a remarkable brilliancy,
and for a long time none of the party felt disposed to
sleep. This being the case, we soon got the Indians
to singing, dancing, and whooping; and a jolly good
time we had of it till very late, when I ordered them
to their blankets, and they rolled themselves up in a
promiscuous huddle, men, women and children, — all
together. This sort of bundling would not be relished
by more advanced people; but among the Diggers
there appears to be no harm; and it is even said by
some that, except at certain periods of the year, just

PASSAGE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA. 223
as among animals, there is no disposition of the sexes
towards each other; — but this wants confirmation.
That they do approach the nature of mere animals in
some respects cannot be disputed. After they were
all fairly rolled together, I ordered them to lie still
and not move about during the night; and then, leav
ing Gray on guard, I myself tried to sleep; but my
repose was brief, for in a short time the whole moun
tain resounded with the cries and howls of panthers,
wolves and coyotes, attracted by the scent of our
cooking, and it required not only Gray, but myself
and Tuolumne, to keep them out of our camp.
Towards morning, a gang of wolves, which seemed
more determined than ordinary, approached and came
up within a few yards of us. I raised my rifle to
fire; but they fell back at the movement, and sitting
down at a little distance howled in a most saucy and
insulting manner. In a few minutes, emboldened by
their own impudence, five or six of them again ap
proached in a body, when, taking as good aim as we
could Tuolumne and I fired upon them; and the
cowardly thieves turned their tails and fled. Even
the panthers and coyotes took the alarm, and in a
short time all was quiet again. As daylight ap
proached, we went out towards where they had been,
and found one of the wolves with a broken spine.
My bowie-knife soon put an end to his earthly career.
We then rambled a little further, finding that the
dogs were much excited, evidently on some fresh trail;
and, in a few minutes, started up a panther. The
dogs pursued; and, in a short distance, being hardly

224 PASSAGE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA.
pressed and worse scared, he ran up a pine-tree, from
which he grinned and growled at us in a very fero
cious manner. With the remembrance of our dis
turbed sleep, we felt just as ferocious as he appeared;
and, after breathing a moment, Gray and I fired, both
at the same time and with double effect; Gray bored
the heart and I the head. The panther fell dead, and,
taking him, each by a leg, we dragged his body into
camp; and, being in want of fresh provisions, threw
him into the wagon for future use.
In the meanwhile, the boys had prepared break
fast; and, after partaking of it, and watering our
animals by melting snow in all the available utensils,
we started ahead again. Our road now lay up
through a canon which, in many places, was so nar
row that it barely afforded room for the wagon to
pass. With pulling and hauling, however, we man
aged to advance, until we came to a spot where the
rocks jutted so far out from the opposite sides that
there was absolutely no room to get past. The fact
was, that we had missed the road and got out of the
way; but the place was of such a kind that to turn
back was impracticable, and nothing remained but to
uncouple our wagon and lug the parts through. We
accordingly put all the Indians at work, carrying por
tions of the luggage through the pass; and in the
course of an hour or so the task was accomplished,
and we were ready for a new start. All this time
the snow had been melting, and our progress grew
continually more slow and difficult. Coming to a
steep place, we were again compelled to unload and

PASSAGE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA. 225
carry the greater part of our luggage a quarter of a
mile up the declivity; then, again, we progressed,
and, by pulling and tugging, worked our way around
towards the more northern side of the mountain,
where the snow was firmer, and afforded a better road.
Those who have never attempted the passage of a
snowy mountain will hardly appreciate the difficulties
we encountered this day. We felt them in all our
bones, and, when we camped at night, were almost
worn out with fatigue and exhaustion.
For supper, this evening, we served up the panther-
meat, and found that it tasted well when roasted be
fore the fire. We were now within a few miles of the
summit of the Sierra, and, as no game was to be
looked for in that freezing region at this time of year,
the fear of running out of provisions for our large
company gave the unusual meat a relish which, per
haps, it might not have had in the midst of plenty.
This night we neither danced nor yelled, as we had
done the previous one, but were very glad to sleep.
The next morning, before dawn, we took our posts
again, so as to reach the summit as early as possible;
but some of the Indians complained of blistered
hands, and did not feel disposed to do much. Upon
examination, I found the complaints to be true, much
as it surprised me; but there was no help for it, and
all that could be done was to press the sound ones
into service; and with some encouragement, being
told that this would be the last day of hard work,
they took hold, and we advanced up the last rise.
Before noon, all the Indians had their hands blistered;

226 PASSAGE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA.
and therefore, though the snow was hard, we were
compelled, as a last resource, not being able to pull
any more, to unhitch and pack the luggage on the
backs of our mules to the summit, and then, return
ing with them, pull up the empty wagon afterwards.
All this took till after dark, nor were we then
through with the day's work; for, as the mountain-
top was bare, we had to run down on the eastern
slope a mile or two, to reach a spot which afforded
firewood, and there we camped. As our labors were
now nearly over, we were all this night in excellent
spirits again, cheerful and vivacious; and we promised
ourselves a day or two of sport on reaching the base
of the mountains, to luxuriate among good game and
recruit our strength.

DOWN THE EASTERN SLOPE. 227

CHAPTER V.
DOWN THE EASTERN SLOPE.
Pleasure of Difficulties surmounted. Deeds of great Captains. Mag
nificent Prospect from the Summit. A Trading-post. Wrecks
of the Emigration. The downward Road. The eastern Foot
hills. Hunting in the eastern Foot-hills. Plans for an Antelope
Slaughter. Our Success. Indian Arrows and Archery. Tuo
lumne's Adventure with a Bear. Profusion of Provisions. Ar
rival of Stanislaus. The Feast of Gladness. My last Shuffle.
There is a pleasure in great difficulties surmounted
so exquisite that generous and ardent souls often un
dertake great works solely for the gratification of
overcoming their obstacles and enjoying the inspirit
ing after-thought. Great captains have crossed great
mountains, as the histories tell us, and gained great
applause, and the meed of praise is doubtless due
for their magnanimous plans, for the weighty respon
sibilities they bore, and the success which attended
their efforts; but little, indeed, could have been their
own toil in those great undertakings. It was the
engineers, and the hard-fisted, brawny-backed sol
diers, the unsung and unremembered many, not the
deified one, who sustained the real labor. I claim no
great credit for leading my army over the California
Alps; but perhaps my difficulties were, in proportion,
as great as ever were those of Hannibal or Napoleon.
Had I commanded a larger party, and disdained to

228 DOWN THE EASTERN SLOPE.
bend my own back to the task, — or better still, had
I fallen upon the valleys at the eastern base of the
Sierra with carnage and blood, I too might have
gained a niche in the temple of fame, and my pas
sage of the snowy mountains might have lived in
story. But my mission was a peaceful and an hum
ble one, and what I accomplished was the work of
my own hands.
The next morning dawned upon a scene beautiful
and grand beyond description. Having passed the
summit in the night, we returned to the highest point,
and arrived there in time to behold the sun rise.
Not a cloud obscured the sky, and the ridges of the
Sierra, far to the north and far to the south, glittered
in their snowy mantles, which, as the sun rose, were
flushed with crimson. To the west, faint in the dis
tance, lay the plains of California; to the east, far
away stretched hill and dale, lighted up with the rus
set tints of morning. So enchanting were the views
that we remained full an hour enjoying the magnifi
cent prospect, cold as it was; and then, hitching up
our animals and placing lock-chains upon the hinder
wheels of our wagon, we ran down the trail till
towards evening, when we camped for the night.
There was, at this stopping-place, a log-house built
by traders from Sonora, who, the previous summer,
had crossed the mountains with goods to trade with
the immigrants; but, at this time, as the regular
trains could not be expected until fall, the place was
vacant. On all sides lay old axle-trees and wheels,
some broken, some perfect, melancholy evidences of

DOWN THE EASTERN SLOPE. 229
the last season's disasters. There were also some
complete wagons lying abandoned, and Gray pro
posed that we should pick out a lighter one than our
own. At first I thought of following his advice; but, on
second thought, I replied, no, — that the wagons were
not mine, and somebody might yet claim them: ours
was good enough, and we would certainly be much
more at ease with it than with another, which might
be claimed at any time by somebody else. Without
disturbing the wrecks, therefore, we merely passed
among them, wondering to whom they had belonged,
and what difficulties had induced the owners, after
crossing so great an extent of country and arriving
at the very threshold of the promised land, to cast
them aside, and leave them to rot and ruin. They
induced much the same kind of reflections as are pro
duced by the sight of a wrecked ship, which, upon
entering port from a long voyage, drives against the
rocks, and is broken to pieces by the merciless surges.
From this place we proceeded the next day, not
without difficulty at many places, but with vigor and
emergy, into canons and out of canons, over hills and
down declivities, until afternoon, when we ran out of
the snow entirely. The country was well timbered.
We passed on till night, and camped in what may be
called the eastern foot-hills, where we found dried
grass of the previous year, and, here and there, new
grass springing up; so that, turning our animals out
to pasture, we determined to lay over and spend a
day hunting. And it was, indeed, full time; for this
evening our stock of provisions ran short, and over

230 DOWN THE EASTERN SLOPE.
thirty of us were in an unknown country, with only
about fifty pounds of dried meat, a bag of flour, half
a bag of Indian meal, and a little sugar and coffee.
Our first day's hunt east of the Sierra gave us no
reason to be dissatisfied. Gray prophesied failure;
but I was confident, from the appearance of the coun
try, that game must be abundant, and that we could
not be far distant from plenty. At all events, neces
sity impelled us to do our utmost, — for without relief
we would have been in a bad situation indeed. I
accordingly mustered all our force, and found that,
besides my own party of well-armed reliable hunters,
there were twelve Indians provided with good bows
and arrows. These I divided; and sending out six,
with Tuolumne at their head and a mule to bear their
game, towards the northeast; and Stanislaus, with
four and a mule, towards the southeast; I took the
other two, with Lady Washington, and proceeded
eastward down the hills. Gray remained behind to
take care of the camp, in which were left several old In
dians, the squaws, children, oxen, and pets.
I proceeded with my party several miles, when
suddenly, in a region of scrubby oaks, cedars and
juniper bushes, we came upon a band of fifteen or
twenty antelopes. Tying the Lady to a tree, I in
structed the Indians how to creep around and decoy
them, — and they started off to make a surround.
Having waited long enough to enable them to accom
plish the purpose, I advanced, and, mounting a knoll,
beheld one of the Indians lying flat upon the ground
and moving his cap gently on a stick, endeavoring to

DOWN THE EASTERN SLOPE. 231
decoy the animals, which were not far distant; and
so well did he work the plan that, although myself
within rifle-shot, I remained quiet, with the determi
nation of giving him the first shot.
The antelopes stood looking at his cap, and ap
proached by degrees until they got within eight or ten
yards, when, drawing his bow, the Indian sent an ar
row into the side of one of them. As he remained
concealed, the remainder of the band did not offer to
fly, and he soon shot a second arrow and a third; but
without looking to see any more, as a fine buck stood
before me, I now levelled my rifle and fired. At the
discharge, the band wheeled and looked towards me,
and, as they did so, I raised a red Mexican sash
which I wore about my waist. While they gazed
curiously upon it, the Indian continued throwing his
arrows thick and fast; but the band, not knowing
whence they came, and attracted solely by the flam
ing sash, continued to advance,— except the wound
ed, which pranced around where they were, or tried
to get away. As soon as reloaded, I fired a second
time, and pierced a fine buck through the heart; but
the fire and smoke alarmed the other animals, and they
turned and ran. Only one lay dead; but there were
three wounded, and, pursuing, we soon killed two of
them. The third we followed a long distance, but after
a long search were compelled to return without him.
Upon getting back to the antelopes, we ripped
them up, and, lifting the skin from the thigh of one,
cut out some choice steaks; and the Indian having
meanwhile built a fire, we soon satisfied our hunger.

232 DOWN THE EASTERN SLOPE.
Packing the rest upon Lady Washington, we then
started back to camp, and on the way overtook the
second Indian, who had killed several hares, an eagle,
and several crows. These Indians used arrows tipped
with flint or obsidian, and could easily kill the smaller
kinds of game; but such weapons were not so effec
tive with larger species, though one of the wounded
antelopes had been pierced entirely through with a
shaft. When we got back to camp, Tuolumne and his
party had already come in, and brought with them the
body of a brown bear and a number of hares and
birds, such as grouse, magpies, crows, and hawks.
In giving his account of the bear, Tuolumne said that
he had met it early in the day. He had fired and
wounded it, when the beast showed fight, and four of
the Indians ran. The other two, however, stood by
him like men, and pestered the beast with their ar
rows till he was able to reload; and with a second
shot he finished the business. As for Stanislaus and
his party, they had not yet arrived; but, even with
out what they might be expected to bring, we now
had plenty. Thus it was that, although in the morn
ing we started out almost destitute, and with starva
tion staring us in the face, by good management and
prompt action we had quite a market of game before
the sun set; — indeed plenty smiled around us in
those heaps of bear-meat, antelopes, hares, and birds.
In thankfulness for our good fortune, and to show an
appropriate gratefulness, I ordered a rousing fire to
be built and a feast to be spread; and at the same

DOWN THE EASTERN SLOPE. 233
time directed the Indians to clear two rings, and pre
pare for the dance of gladness.
While all this was going on, I discharged my rifle
as a signal for Stanislaus, and in a few minutes the
report was answered from the hills to the southeast.
In a short time afterwards, Stanislaus and his party
made their appearance, with their mule loaded with
two deer and a third lot of hares and birds; so that,
if we had plenty of provisions before, we now had pro
fusion. In jolly good mood did we then sit down to
our feast of roasted dainties. When we had de
spatched them, the Indians began their dancing; and
such a whooping and shouting and kicking up of heels
I rarely ever saw; and the sport was kept up with
various amusing episodes till a late hour. Even Gray
took part in the dance; and it furnished me with the
most lively amusement to watch him with his hoe-
down step in the character of an Indian brave. Once,
indeed, they induced me to get up for a few moments,
and I showed them how the Yankees used to dance
when I was a boy; but my gray head and long white
beard ill-comported with the lightness of my heels,
and the Indians, and particularly the squaws, almost
burst with laughter at the figure I made, so that I
soon resumed my seat and my old pipe, fully satisfied
that my dancing days were over.

234 walker's river country.

CHAPTER VI.
walker's river country.
Our Progress. Hunting on the Way. Camp on the Barrens. Pro
visions. Over the Barrens. Walker's River. Vultures. The
California Condor. Preparations for Camp. A strange Sight.
A Horse run wild. Night Alarm. A Bear in Camp. Attack
upon the Bear. The Bear among the Indians. Slaying of the
Bear. Plan to inveigle the Horse. His Capture. Building of
a. Raft. Ferriage. Parting with the Indians.
The next day we travelled on, following the emi
gration trail, and in the evening camped with good
grass and water; and the succeeding day we pro
ceeded on, in hopes of reaching Walker's River, at
which the Indians were to leave us. On starting,
this day, I sent Gray, Tuolumne, and a number of
the Indians in different directions, with orders to kill
all the game they could; for I wished to leave the
Indians well provided, as they had been of valuable
service to us. The parties were to go a mile or two
on opposite sides of the road and advance parallel to
it, while I also undertook to hunt as we proceeded.
Having made this disposition of the forces, I drove
leisurely on, and, in the course of an hour or two,
perceived a band of antelopes crossing the road in
advance. Giving the charge of the wagon to Stanis
laus, I went forward, but could kill only one. Throw
ing it in the wagon, I then took up the whip again;

WALKER'S RIVER COUNTRY. 235
and we travelled on till the middle of the afternoon,
when, coming to a ravine with water and good grass,
we determined to camp, though we had not yet
reached the river.
The place of our camp this evening was a hard, dry
country, without trees; and there was no wood, except
drift which had been brought down by torrents from
the mountains, and sage bushes which already began
to form a feature in the landscape. As soon as we
unhitched, I put the Indians to gathering what sticks
were to be picked up for a fire; and, leaving Stanis
laus in charge of camp, I sallied out with Lady Wash
ington for an evening hunt. In a short distance I
fell in with a band of antelopes, and killed two; and
soon afterwards met Gray and his party, who had
also two antelopes, besides two wolves and a number
of hares and squirrels. Upon getting back to camp,
Tuolumne and his party had arrived, bringing one
antelope, a lot of hares and squirrels, and a number
of sage-hens, making in all a fair supply of provisions.
We were on the way again early the next morn
ing, when, seeing that everything was in proper order,
I left Gray to drive, and, taking Tuolumne and the
Lady, started on in advance, so as to hunt as far as
Walker's River, and wait there for the team. The
country, as we proceeded, became more and more
¦sandy and level, and we could see a long distance.
There were no bushes, save a little sage and weeds,
and no game, save squirrels and prairie-dogs. After
travelling seven or eight miles, we came at last in
sight of the timber of Walker's River, which was

236 walker's river country.
eight or ten miles ahead. We travelled on, and, upon
approaching it, again met antelopes and killed two.
Walker's River, where we struck it, is usually nearly
a hundred yards wide, and deep, though fordable in the
summer time. The surface of the water is considera
bly lower than the surrounding plain. Timber is dis
posed in belts about half a mile wide along its banks,
and consists generally of cotton-wood, button-wood,
ash, birch, and black alder. In this timber, at the
time of our visit, there were great numbers of vul
tures and buzzards, which made the trees look almost
black, until we killed the antelopes above referred to,
when the birds took wing, sailed around us in circles,
now and then darted down, and indeed seemed deter
mined to take the meat by storm. Some were very
large, — one in particular, which was of the species
sometimes called the California condor. As he
was sailing in grand style, with a majestic swoop,
like a king of the vultures, I determined to kill him;
and, seizing the opportunity as he swept towards me,
fired and broke his wing, so that he wheeled to the
ground. We then approached, but he was so savage
that he darted at us with the most ferocious energy;
and, not liking to test the strength of his powerful
beak, I directed Tuolumne to put a pistol-ball into
his head, which he did. After this, we made prep
arations for a camp; but as yet, there was no appear
ance of our company although we could see four or
five miles over the plain. We waited some time;
but as they still did not come, we took our rifles and
went out to meet them.

walker's river country. 237
It was now approaching evening and becoming
dusky. As we passed along a few miles from the
river, our attention was attracted to a large object
nearly a mile to our right, which we could not make
out. It looked as if it might be a buffalo, but still the
shape was singular, and for a long time we were not
able to conjecture what it could be. The most famil
iar things, sometimes, under certain circumstances,
assume strange shapes, and when we have found them
out, we are astonished that they could ever thus have
excited our wonder; and so it was in this instance;
for upon approaching the animal, which I had almost
thought an elephant, it proved to be only a horse,
which, doubtless, had been left by some hapless em
igrant, or had broken from some passing drove the
previous season. We tried to approach him, but he
was too wild; and we therefore left him for the
time, and proceeded on to our company, which we
soon met; and, returning with them to the river,
made our camp on its bank, and, being all fatigued
with the day's labor, turned into our blankets at an
early hour.
We were troubled this night again by the howling
of wolves and coyotes; and about midnight, Gray,
who was on watch, woke me up to say that he heard
footsteps, and feared an attack of Indians; and
wished to know whether he should not put out the
fire, so as to blind the enemy. I answered, by all
means not to do so; for the Indians, if such there
were, could certainly see much better than we in the
dark. I then arose, and went with him to his post

238 walker's river country.
and heard the footsteps; but soon perceived that they
were made, not by Indians, but by beasts. "Now,"
said I, "if I am right, a whistle will tell the tale."
Preparing my arms, I then gave a sharp, startling
whistle; and it was immediately answered by a snort
of a bear, which was but a short distance off, though
we could not see him. He had evidently come to
procure a supper from our supplies; and, after a little
reflection, I determined to allow him a good square
meal, and then give him the dessert.
Our game lay by a stump near where we stood,
but, to give the bear an opportunity to approach, if
he dared, we removed, and took up our positions be
hind trees a little further off. The way being thus
left clear, the bear soon approached the meat, and,
sitting leisurely down, began enjoying himself, and
smacking his chaps over the luscious morsels. He
sat with his back towards us, so that we could not
procure aim; nor indeed was there light enough to
enable us to do so at any rate. To do the best under
the circumstances, however, I again uttered the bear-
yell; and, as he rose and looked towards us, we simul
taneously fired, and bored him through the middle.
During all this time, the Indians, who were camped
close by, sat in great trepidation, and it was as much
as Tuolumne could do to keep them quiet. But, as
soon as the shots were fired, they commenced jabber
ing like a flock of blackbirds, and got up to come
towards us; when the bear, not yet dead, rushed into
their midst, and began pawing right and left. For a
moment or two the scene, or as much as could be

walker's river country. 239
seen of it, was altogether indescribable. The bear
managed to get an Indian down, and bite him terribly
in the thigh, and the poor fellow roared and yelled for
pain; but as Gray and I rushed up on both sides and
plied our knives, we soon made the enemy loosen his
hold and roll over dead, — though, in the encounter, I
received a severe wound in the left arm, and the In
dian was grievously hurt.
The next day, we laid a plan to capture the horse
which we had seen on the plain the previous evening;
and, for this purpose, put a number of the Indians to
work making a small corral, or brush inclosure, near
where, as we could see by the tracks, he was accus
tomed to come for water. Putting the oxen and a
mule in it as a decoy, I sent Tuolumne with the other
mule to endeavor to drive the horse in; but all his
efforts were vain, for the animal, whenever disturbed,
would run off towards the mountains. As thus this
manoeuvre did not succeed, we waited until evening,
when, taking a small party, I went out myself; and
by forming a semicircle and moving gently forwards,
we drove the horse before us, and finally he walked
into the corral, as we wished. He had barely entered
it, when we threw several lariats over his head and
secured him. He proved to be a good American
horse, six or seven years old, wearing the galls of
harness, but high-spirited enough to protect himself
from the assaults of wild beasts; from all which I
inferred that he had been abandoned by some emi
grant as worn out, but had recuperated and managed
to live through the winter.

240 walker's river country.
In the meanwhile, having inspected the river and
found it too deep to ford, on account of the floods
from the melting snows of the mountains, we made a
raft of cotton-wood and prepared to cross the next
morning. When morning came, we gave all our
game, with the exception of a couple of days' suffi
ciency for ourselves, to the Indians, with whom we
were here' to part; it being their purpose to go down
the river to the lake, and spend the season in fishing
there, while our course was to cross the stream and
strike over to Carson's River. Two of the Indians
desired to go with us, and, as they were active young
fellows, I consented; but the rest we left upon the
bank, watching our movements as we ferried our
wagon and baggage over the stream, and evidently
wishing that we had remained, to provide them with
venison and bear-meat.

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^T,..,,\- i.OOWIS

THE PANTHER.

THE HUMBOLDT MOUNTAINS. 241

CHAPTER VII.
THE HUMBOLDT MOUNTAINS.
From Walker's to Carson's River. Two Days upon the Barrens. Car
son's River. Down Carson's River to the Bend. Passage of the
River. Adrift. Disposition of the Raft. Over the Plains. A
sinking Stream. The Mountain Barrier. A Mountain Valley.
Review of Travel. The Pets. Character of the Mountains.
Tracks of Panthers. A Gorge of Caves. The Valley of Sinbad
the Sailor. A Night-watch. Discovery of a Panther's den. A
rough Road. The Den a Golgotha. Our Blockade. Appearance
of the Panthers. Our Attack. My loudest Yell. Attempt to
seize the Kittens. Preparations to enter the Den. Entry of the
Den. Seizure of the Kittens. Astonishment of the Indians.
Unity of the Panther Family.
From Walker's to Carson's River, a distance of
forty miles, we travelled over an uninviting region
without trees, grass or water, nothing but sage
bushes and weeds. We had taken the precaution to
carry some bags of water with us from Walker's,
but before the two days during which we were upon
this desert were over, all suffered much from thirst.
Towards the end of the second evening, as our suf
ferings were becoming aggravated, I mounted my
horse for the first time, to ride in advance and
reconnoitre. I found that long freedom had rendered
him impatient of restraint, but in a short time he
recollected the bit, and I rode off like a nabob at a
rapid gait for more than an hour, in search of the
river, and at last reached it. Carson's is a larger

242 THE HUMBOLDT MOUNTAINS.
stream than Walker's River, and there is good grass
along its banks, but no trees in this place; so that,
being unable to find firewood, we were compelled to
take our food uncooked; and to add to our discomfort,
the night was damp and foggy.
In the morning we hurried off very early, desirous
of leaving the place as soon as possible, and pro
ceeded down the river towards the great bend, where
it was our intention to cross, and from there, strike
for the Humboldt Mountains. Of these mountains I
had heard much from emigrants of 1849; it was said
that there were strange animals there, among them
the purple panther and black and white wolves. We
travelled about twenty miles this day, and came oppo
site a little island in the river, covered with cotton-
wood timber, where we camped. In the evening we
caught a fine lot of salmon-trout, using grasshoppers
for bait, and in the night killed half a dozen beavers,
which were very tame. The next day we continued
our journey, and the day after we reached the bend.
At this place the river divides and forms an
island, which was the place I chose to cross. We
accordingly went to work making a raft of cotton-
wood; and, upon getting it ready, loaded everything
upon it, and crossed the first branch of the river.
which was comparatively easy, as we could reach
bottom with our poles and thus push ourselves over;
but, upon rounding the point of the island and com
mitting ourselves to the second branch, the water
became so deep that our poles were of no use, and
our raft was carried down the stream. The current

THE HUMBOLDT MOUNTAINS. 243
was rapid, and I became, for a while, much alarmed,
lest we would be swamped in the eddies of the bend;
bat it was fortunately not long before we reached
shallower water; and, again finding use for our poles,
we finally reached shore, and disembarked. Having
no further use for the raft, we left it tied to the bank,
for, although there was no probability of our ever
seeing it more, others might come along and find use
for it; and this was my invariable rule, not to destroy
an article when the destruction could serve no good
end. Upon leaving Carson's River we entered a country
almost entirely unknown; but, after travelling some
distance, a faint line appeared in the eastern horizon,
which we knew could be no other than the Humboldt
Chain. It was sixty or eighty miles off, a mere line
of blue in the distance; but the sight invigorated us,
and we pushed on with energy. We travelled three
days, seeing the mountains plainly in the clear morn
ings, but losing them in the smokier after-parts of
the day; and, on the third evening, we camped
on a small stream, which showed, by its sparkling
waters, that it was born in the hills, though it wasted
itself in the sands of the plains, — the same as thou
sands of other streams in the great basin. Along
this stream we travelled the next day, gradually mak
ing our way through the hills, until we came to the
mountains proper, which presented an almost un
broken barrier to our progress. We skirted this
barrier for fifteen miles, when we found a rugged
canon with precipitous sides, which served for a pass,

244 THE HUMBOLDT MOUNTAINS.
though it was barely wide enough to admit the pas
sage of a wagon. A little brook rushed along the
bottom of this canon, and, in the course of four or five
miles, we were compelled to cross it at least a dozen
times, but we finally came into a beautiful little val
ley, a few miles long and half a mile wide, inclosed
with high hills, which were covered with oaks, pines
and cedars. The valley was level and grassy, with
here and there a few trees, and, on one side under
the hills, with a placid sweep, wound the stream.
Here we pitched our general camp and determined
to hunt for a week or two.
Throughout the whole distance from the Sierra we
had seen no human beings save those of our own
party; it was too early for emigrants, nor did we see
Indians. After leaving the emigration road at Car
son's River, we passed through an entire wilderness;
not a track or anything to denote that man had ever
trod the waste could be found. Until we reached
the neighborhood of the mountains, there was also no
edible game to be met with; and when we finally
camped, our stock of provisions was very low. But all
the way our animals thrived well, and travel seemed
to affect them but little. As to the pets, Lady Wash
ington had steadily followed the wagon, tied to the
hinder axletree; but Ben Franklin and his foster-
brother, Rambler, I kept in the wagon, where they
spent most of their time in tussling with each other or
sleeping. Sometimes I would take them out, and,
when the road was pleasant, let them chase each other
over the grass, or while away the time in the chase

THE HUMBOLDT MOUNTAINS. 245
of -hares, squirrels, and prairie-dogs, in which they
found much to amuse and occupy them.
Upon reconnoitring in the Humboldt Mountains the
first day, they did not promise us much. We went in
an easterly direction with our mules, passing over a
country rough with hills, rocks, gullies, and ravines,
here barren, and there scantily covered with scrubby
timber. We killed several deer, a few grouse, hares
and squirrels; but could find no traces of more fero
cious beasts. The next day we took a southerly di
rection, and coming to a very rough and rugged
mountain, left our mules, and climbed over into a
deep gorge full of ledges of rocks, holes, clefts, chap
arral and brush; — a place which, if there were sav
age animals in the region, appeared exactly suited for
their dens. Nor were we mistaken; for we soon
found fresh tracks of a panther, which discovery en
livened us much; and visions of the purple panther,
an animal with which we were totally unacquainted,
danced before our eyes.
The two Indians who had come with us gave me to
understand that they were expert in following a track,
and they soon demonstrated their ability; for they
pursued the panther trail through many winds and
turns for several miles down the canon, till they
came to the great ledges and shelving cliffs, curious to
see, — such as vultures build their nests in. The
rocks were large, and left many holes and clefts; and
in various places among them there were white bones
of different kinds of animals, which seemed to have
been thrown there by the savage tenants of the caves.

246 THE HUMBOLDT MOUNTAINS.
Upon reaching this place, we built fires, and endeav
ored to drive the smoke into the caves; but the wind
being unfavorable, the plan did not succeed, and
watery eyes were our only recompense. We then
lighted pine torches, and entered a number of the
caves, but could find nothing. At last we came to
the determination of watching the place all night, and
in that manner learning where the game lay; and ac
cordingly, as it grew dark, we selected a ledge of
rock where we could defend ourselves, and, wrapping
our blankets snugly about us, began our observations.
I can never look back to our position there without
thinking of the famous valley of diamonds in the story
of Sinbad the Sailor, with its high, steep, and inacces
sible sides.
As soon as it grew quite dark, our ears were re
galed with a concert of panther shrieks, quite astound
ing. We were so situated that every shriek was re
peated by a dozen echoes, and the canon fairly rung
with terrific noises. We could also hear the beasts
rushing along in the brush, but could not see them.
At midnight it became more silent, but towards morn
ing the concert was repeated; from which it appeared
that the beasts had left their dens in the evening,
hunted for prey during the night, and returned tow
ards morning. Our watch, therefore, convinced us
of the presence of many beasts; but it was impossible
to see where they retired, and we knew not how to
proceed to hunt them. As we were thinking this
matter over, however, one of the Indians announced
that he had discovered a panther's den, where there

THE HUMBOLDT MOUNTAINS. 247
were young ones, and described it as being about a
mile further down the canon, in a spot very difficult
of access. Upon questioning him, I perceived that
he understood the signs and proofs of the brute nearly
as well as myself; and we resolved to proceed at once
to the place.
The road was one of the utmost difficulty, on ac
count of the thick brush, precipices, ledges and rocks,
which were piled together in great confusion the
whole way. In some places we had to let ourselves
down, at the risk of breaking our necks, from one
shelf of rock to another; and the place itself, as we
found upon reaching it, was of most gloomy descrip
tion, but exactly calculated for the dens of ferocious
beasts. It seemed a perfect Golgotha of the animal
creation; for the bones of deer, antelopes, wolves,
coyotes and birds, together with feathers and hair,
lay scattered about in every direction. Some of the
bones were yellow with freshness, others perfectly
bleached, and many crumbling with age. The place
indeed bore the appearance of having been the den of
beasts since the days of Methuselah. After viewing
the premises attentively, we came to the conclusion
that a particular horizontal opening in a ledge of
rocks led to an immense den; and we determined to
await the pleasure of the inmates to come forth. We
accordingly posted ourselves, Gray and an Indian at
one place and I and an Indian at another, within fifty
yards of the den, and in such positions as to have fair
aim and be able to assist each other if necessary.
It was about sundown when we took our positions,

248 THE HUMBOLDT MOUNTAINS.
and we had not waited long before I had the pleasure
of seeing two panthers come out of the cleft of the
rocks. They played with each other, wrestled and
caressed, and I soon saw that one was a male and the
other a female. Never in my life before had I seen
two large beasts play so prettily, and I therefore
watched them without disturbing their gambols. In
a few minutes afterwards three small kittens came out
of the cleft and commenced playing also, springing
upon their parents' backs, and off again, and growling
with pleasure. I could have watched a long time,
but the opportunity being too favorable to be neg
lected, I drew my rifle, and, giving a whistle as the
signal agreed upon with Gray, fired at the female and
pierced her through the heart. Gray also fired, but
unfortunately at the same animal, so that the male
remained unscathed. He could not see us, however,
and, being confounded by the unaccustomed sound, did
not fly, but pranced about, jumping over the dead
body of his consort, looking in every direction, and
screeching every few minutes. I reloaded as quickly
as possible and fired a second shot, but without the
fatal effect of the former one. The beast was how
ever struck; and making a tremendous spring, he
bounded in the direction of Gray. I thought he was
springing for my comrades; and in an instant, drawing
my knife and uttering the loudest yell that ever
passed my lips, I rushed forward; but the panther
was only scared, for, passing by them, he bounded
over a cliff into the bushes out of sight; and this was
the last we ever saw of him.

THE HUMBOLDT MOUNTAINS. 249
After waiting until his screeches had died away in
the distance, we approached the den for the purpose
of securing the little ones; but they evaded all our
efforts. We used our buckskin coats to throw over
them, but they dodged and jumped with such rapidi
ty that our endeavors were useless; when we thought
we had them surely, they were not there; and finally
they ran into the den, and buried themselves in its
recesses. There remained but one resource, that of
following; and, making a large fire at the mouth of
the place and procuring a number of pine torches, I
prepared to enter. Gray was much opposed to this
step at first; but I represented that the old ones were
certainly disposed of, and there could be nothing else
to fear. He replied like a man, that if I was de
termined to go in, he would share the danger; and
accordingly he prepared himself to follow. I then
took my buckskin coat and wrapped it about my
neck, making thus a kind of battery for my face and
breast, and placed a little Cayenne pepper in my
pocket, which would serve to blind an opponent, if
necessary. It was rare indeed that I was not pro
vided either with pepper or dry snuff, though seldom
that I ever had occasion to use them. In my left
hand I carried my torch and drawn knife, in my right
my revolver; and Gray was provided in much the
same style.
It had now become dark, and the region dreadfully
gloomy; nor was the appearance of the place bene
fited by the fire, the light of which, flickering upon
the angular projections of rock, increased the black-

250 THE HUMBOLDT MOUNTAINS.
ness of the recesses. Any but a tried man would have
drawn back from the adventure; but we were both
firm of nerve, and, after deciding, would not be
stayed. We accordingly entered the cleft, and crept
forward eight or ten feet, over skeletons and bones,
which rattled as we passed. Coming to a narrow
hole, we passed through it into a second cave, five or
six feet in extent, and then into a third, larger than
either of the others. The most absolute silence
reigned, and nothing was to be seen, until, as we ap
proached a few broken rocks in a corner, the little
panthers bristled up, and, with flaming eyes, began to
spit at us. Seeing that we had no other beasts to
encounter, we laid aside our arms, and I untied the
coat from my neck; but, in consideration of the
trouble already experienced from the active little
brutes, I took a small quantity of pepper in my hand,
and, watching an opportunity, dashed it into their
faces. We then, in an instant, rushed upon them
with our buckskins, and in a few moments had them
in our arms ; after which we made our way out of the
close and now smoky cave as soon as possible.
The Indians, in the meanwhile, had remained at the
fire at the mouth of the cave; but they were terribly
frightened when they heard us coming out with the
young animals screeching in our arms, for the acoustic
peculiarities of the place were astonishing, and, hear
ing so great a noise, they knew not what was coming.
When, however, they saw us emerging safely with
our trophies, they looked upon our success as heroic,
and, with a sort of reverence, cried "Bravo! bra-

THE HUMBOLDT MOUNTAINS. 251
vo!" I myself exulted, believing that I had pro
cured the famous "purple panther ;" but, on skinning
the dead dam before the fire, I was undeceived. She
was as tawny as the sands, and in all respects the
same panther, called by naturalists the cougar or con-
color, which is common to the whole country.

252 AMONG THE DENS.

CHAPTER VIII.
AMONG THE DENS.
Discovery of a Wolf's Den. Wolves' Dens in General. A Night-
watch. Digging out the Den. Construction of the Den. Lost.
Adventure with a Bear. Our Position. Second Visit to the
Panther's Den. Explorations. A Panther. Adventure with the
Panther in her Den. Its Incompleteness. Conversation with
Gray. Reentry of the Den. Seizure -of the Kittens. Gray hor
rified. Gray's manful Aid. The Purple Panther 1
The recesses of the Humboldt Mountains afforded
us many adventures. The day after we stormed and
took the panther's den, one of the Indians reported
the discovery of a wolf's den, and said that he had
seen whelps playing at its mouth. We determined at
once to proceed to the place, and he led us a long
distance through a rocky and mountainous couutry,
with much chaparral among the gullies, but otherwise
barren and desolate. We arrived at last at a hill-side
in which there was a kind of tunnel-like cave; and
this was the den. Wolves sometimes have such dens,
but probably dispossess other animals to obtain them.
I have known them in different parts of the country
to dispossess coyotes, which had previously dispos
sessed badgers, woodchucks or prairie-dogs. They
sometimes, however, dig holes for themselves; but
do not, generally, go very far into the ground, and
especially where the earth is in any respect hard. In

AMONG THE DENS. 253
the present case, it seemed, from the general appear
ance of the place, that the hole had once been a
bear's den, and that the wolves had taken possession
after the original occupants had vacated it.
Upon examining the spot, we saw that it would re
quire much labor to dig the whelps out, — a mode of
procuring young wolves frequently practised, — and
particularly as we had no spades or crow-bars with us.
But as the Indian insisted that there were wolves
there, we determined to watch the den during the
night, and, if necessary, dig into it the next day. For
this purpose we accordingly stationed ourselves, and
kept a sharp look-out until morning; but no wolves
appeared, and nothing was heard but the shrieks of
panthers and the howls of coyotes in the distance. I
concluded that the den had been deserted; but Gray,
pointing to the fresh tracks, which were to be seen in
abundance, was anxious to dig; and finally I acqui
esced. The word was given; and, all going diligent
ly to work with pointed sticks, we dug, and pried, and
removed stones, until, after three hours' hard labor, we
penetrated the hill five or six feet, and arrived at the
inner chamber of the den. This was an apartment
three or four feet in diameter and several feet high,
nicely lined with leaves and also with some hair.
It seems that wolves, when about to whelp, will fre
quently chop off a portion of their own hair, besides
picking up all they can find, to make a soft nest for
their offspring. This is a lesson that Nature, mother
of us all, teaches them. We examined the den care
fully, but there were no wolves of any kind about it,

254 AMONG THE DENS.
though appearances indicated that they had deserted
the place but a short time before our visit. The old
wolf had doubtless discovered the Indian scout; and,
as it is the nature of the beast to remove her young
when disturbed, she had probably taken the first op
portunity to do so. Thus we lost four and twenty
hours of hard watching and hard labor, and got noth
ing for our pains.
The provisions we had brought with us were now
nearly exhausted, and we determined to scour the
region for game. We started out, and travelled till
nearly night, but, to our astonishment, found noth
ing but a barren, rugged country. As it grew tow
ards evening, we did not know where we were,
and began to suffer from thirst and hunger, when
suddenly one of the Indians whispered to me.
"There's a bear!" I looked in the direction in
which he pointed, and saw a bear crawling slowly
up the side of a ravine opposite us. It appeared to
be lounging along, searching for roots and squirrels, in
a manner customary to the animal after drinking;
and I at once concluded that there must be water in
the ravine; so that here, at once, food and drink
were presented to us. We immediately separated,
and, while Gray took one direction, I took another.
He was most lucky in his path, and reached a suit
able point of attack before I could; for when I had
stationed myself in a clump of bushes near the top of
the ridge I saw him below, preparing to fire on the
beast. He did not know I was near, nor did I give
him notice, but waited until he fired, and then ad-

AMONG THE DENS. 255
vanced. His ball, although it struck, did not kill;
but this was of little advantage to the bear, for I soon
placed mine in his heart, and it fell dead. We drew
our knives, and, ripping out a ham, rushed down the
declivity to a spring at the bottom, where, building a
fire and partially roasting the food, we devoured it
like savages, — for we were nearly starved. After
satisfying our thirst as well as our hunger, we re
turned to the body of the bear, and, building a fire
near it, spread our blankets and fell into a sound and
comfortable sleep.
The next morning we ascended a hill to ascertain"
our position, and found that we were but a short dis
tance from the canon of the panther's den. As we
wished to examine that den more at our leisure than
we had been able to do on the first visit, I despatched
the Indians to camp for Tuolumne and the mules, to
remove the bear; and, after they started off, Gray
and I went down to the den. We provided ourselves
with torches, as before; and, having lighted them,
crept into the apartment where we had found the
kittens. Upon removing a few loose stones, we un
expectedly discovered another crevice, which led in
among the rocks, and, passing through it, we entered
another apartment, and then another, until it seemed
as if we would never be able to find our way out
again. Presently, however, Gray remarked that he
thought he could see light ahead; I told him to place
his torch behind, and, doing the same with my own,
we both saw plainly that there must be a second en
trance eight or ten yards in advance. We groped

256 AMONG THE DENS.
along very cautiously now, being satisfied that we
were in another den, and having nothing but our
bowie-knives and pistols to defend ourselves, our
rifles being still at the mouth where we entered; but
we still continued to crawl forward in spite of danger.
It inspires me with more dread to recall the low,
narrow, tomb-like place now than when, under the |
excitement of the hunt, I crept into it. All of a sud
den, Gray cried, "A panther!" which startled me
terribly. I had neither seen nor heard anything;
but, upon halting a moment, plainly heard a low
growl, and, rising a few inches, I saw cowering in
front of me a huge living form, with a pair of flaming
eyes. My first thought, at this startling discovery, was to
turn back, — but this would have been madness; our
only chance was to proceed, and beard the brute.
Should we turn, the beast would surely attack us;
but, with a bold front, armed as we were and with
fire, that terror of beasts, we were more than a
match for the brute, even under the disadvantages
of our position. Accordingly, drawing our weapons,
we advanced; I first, and Gray at my heels, — for
there was not room to proceed side by side. The
panther, meanwhile, continued growling more and
more angrily, and did not seem disposed to retreat.
For a few minutes we eyed each other, and I began
to fear a sudden spring; when, pointing my pistol as
directly at her eyes as possible, I fired. The animal
gave a tremendous screech, and we heard a terrible
growling and scratching, but, paying little attention

AMONG THE DENS. 257
to these, and wishing to take advantage of our attack,
we crept on as quickly as possible, continuing to fire
and yell as we advanced. All this terrified the beast,
which wheeled, rushed for the opening, cleared it at
a bound, and escaped; but she was no sooner gone
than I was sorry I had not seized her by the tail and
plied my knife. Frequently have I thought of the
matter since, and regretted my want of readiness;
for the adventure lacked this of being complete. I
indeed rushed after her, and paid no attention, for
the time, to her kittens, which sprawled in her lair;
but when we got out of the place, and looked about
us in every direction, no panther was to be seen; she
had vanished. ,
Our search for the dam being vain, I turned
towards Gray and asked him to go in and catch the
kittens. He replied that we should both go. I an
swered that such a plan would never do; for one
must watch outside and keep off the dam, which was
much more dangerous than to catch the little ones.
I knew very well that there was no probability of the
dam returning after the fright we had given her, but
I spoke so to try my comrade's courage. All I could
say, however, was of no avail; for, as I soon found,
Gray was afraid of other old beasts in the den, and
this was the reason of his refusal. This circum
stance afforded me an opportunity, not only of ridi
culing his fears, but of testing his faithfulness in the
hour of need.
With torch in one hand and knife in the other, I
again crept through the narrow opening, and soon

258 AMONG THE DENS.
reached the panther's bed. Finding five little pan
ther kittens, I placed them on my coat, which I had
drawn off for the purpose, and, doubling up the
bundle, began crawling out. But upon reaching the
narrow entrance, where Gray could see me, I began
twisting my face into a look of horror, and cried that
he should help me for mercy's sake. In an instant
Gray darted towards me, and asked frantically what
was the matter. I replied, "The panther! the pan
ther! pull me out! pull me out!" and at the same
time worked my body from side to side, threw my
face into the most frightful expression, and kicked as
if a panther had me by the legs. Gray manfully
seized my arms and pulled me out, when, jumping
upon my feet, I slapped him on the back, and re
marked that, though he had acted the coward before,
he had fully redeemed himself by his prompt action
now. I was in hopes that these at least were the purple
panthers, — the animals we were so anxious to pro
cure, — and resolved to lay in wait for the return of
the dam, in order to ascertain. We accordingly took
up positions near the den, and occasionally pinched
the tails of our little captives to attract her; but in
vain, — nothing more could we see or hear. As it
began to grow dark, we took up our prizes and arms,
and proceeded to camp, from which we had been
absent several days.

A HUMBOLDT TEMPEST. 259

CHAPTER LX.
A HUMBOLDT TEMPEST.
A beautiful Morning. Review of my Pets. Ben Franklin and his
Foster-brother. Coming of the Storm. Our Preparations for
the Tempest. The Fury of the Storm. Repetition of the Storm
at Night. Preparations for Travel. Adventure with a Bear.
The Disadvantages of Hunting in Company. Slaughter of Ante
lopes. Preparations to cross the Desert. Musings. The Ro
mance of the Desert. Its real Desolation. Ben Franklin in
Freedom. The Edge of the Desert. Appearance of the Desert.
A Night of Torment. Painful Progress.
The next morning was one of the most beautiful
that could well be imagined. The sky was clear, not
a cloud to be seen; and a fine haze, like the com
mencement of Indian summer, gave it a peculiar
charm. There was something so soft, and at the
same time so fragrant, about the air, that it seemed
to ravish the senses. It was not the invigorating
atmosphere which incites to labor, but a luxurious
one, as if of a perfumed bazaar under a Persian
sky. I therefore felt little disposition to go upon the
hunt, and chose to marshal and review my animals in
camp. The pets were thereupon all brought out
together upon the green sward, and, for an hour or
more I had them gambolling and playing together,
bears, dogs, wolves and panthers. From an early
period in the life of my bear, Ben Franklin, it had
been my intention to teach him to be a hunter, and I

260 A HUMBOLDT TEMPEST.
had therefore taken every means to cement the
friendship which existed between him and the grey
hound, Rambler; and so intimate had their relations
become that they passed their time together by choice,
always keeping in company in their plays. Ben was
now growing finely, and had far outstripped his foster-
brother in size; but they were still brothers. As for
the little panthers, they were all doing well, and gam
bolled with the bear and dog, as if all had been reared
in the same family. Taking all in all, the sight was
one of great interest, and much did I enjoy it that
beautiful morning.
Such was the forenoon of this remarkable day in
the Humboldt Mountains, but in the afternoon clouds
rose. At first they seemed like huge banks of snow
rising over the mountains; but the higher they rose
the darker they grew. I was not acquainted with
the climate of the region, but it soon became evident
to me that a storm was brewing; and I therefore or
dered the animals to be placed away, and everything
to be prepared for a rough time. Little idea did I
have, however, of the tempest which was about to
burst upon us. We had, indeed, barely rolled away
our rifles in blankets, and piled large chunks of wood
upon the fire, when the heavens became black, the
wind blew with terrific force, and large hailstones be
gan pouring down. I soon discovered that a tremen
dous whirlwind was roaring near us, and that our
danger was imminent. Some of the party ran tow
ards the wagon, with the intention of finding shelter
under it; but I forbade them, and directed all to

A HUMBOLDT TEMPEST. 261
throw themselves flat upon the ground, and draw their
blankets over them; and well it was that they did so,
for in a few minutes the whirlwind suddenly took up
the wagon, whirled it over, and scattered the luggage
in every direction. The stronger it blew, the harder
it hailed, and the firmer we had to hold ourselves to
the ground to keep from being carried away; for the
violence of the storm was so great that trees but a
short distance from us were twisted off or torn up by
the roots, and thrown about like straws. The devas
tation was frightful; but, as is the case with all vio
lent things, the storm soon spent its fury, and passed
over us. We were all bruised by the hail, and
drenched by the rain, and rendered a truly sad look
ing set; but in the course of an hour or two the ex
tinguished fire was relighted, we gathered up our
scattered goods, and soon afterwards the sky cleared,
and the sun shone pleasantly forth again.
I was in hopes, after such an afternoon, that we
should have a calm night; but no, this tornado was
but a prelude to a still more dreadful one, which
might have been disastrous had we not had warning
in time, and prepared for it. Seeing in the evening
that it would come, we unpacked the wagon, took
off the wheels and turned the bed bottom-upward,
placed everything we could under it, and loaded it
down with large stones on top. The animals we
placed in bushes, and did the same with ourselves;
and in a short time afterwards the storm came, bring
ing torrents of rain, which drenched us to the skin,
and formed a sea of rushing water on every side.

262 A HUMBOLDT TEMPEST.
There was thunder and lightning too, frightful, ter
rific; never in my life, before or after, have I seen
anything so appalling. But fortunately the wind did
not lift our wagon-bed; and when the tornado was
over, although it took a long time to dry our clothes,
and much of our property was ruined, we at last
made ourselves comparatively comfortable, and the
next morning rose upon us bright and clear.
We had now made as long a stay in these moun
tains as our time would allow, and began to prepare
for our journey over the Great Basin to the Rocky
Mountains. In view of the desert road before us, we
determined to devote ourselves, during the remainder
of our stay here, to collecting a store of dried pro
visions; and accordingly, on the day after the storm,
we started out with the horse and mules, and soon
killed four or five deer, which we hung up as usual.
Towards evening we came upon a bear, and crept
upon him, when Tuolumne, according to arrangement,
fired the first shot. No sooner had he done so, how
ever, than the beast made a rush for him. There was
a small cedar-tree at a short distance, and Tuolumne
was soon in its branches; but the animal was close at
his heels, and would perhaps have caught him, had
not Gray and I, after vainly firing our rifles, seized
our knives and run to the rescue. Although Tuo
lumne discharged his pistol in front, our attack in the
rear diverted the animal's attention; and, after a
fight in which both Gray and I used our knives too
freely, he expired at our feet. He had a beautiful
skin, and when I saw how much it was injured by our

A HUMBOLDT TEMPEST. 263
slashes, it grieved me that I had not been alone in the
fight. But so it generally happens where several
persons hunt in company, animals are spoiled by too
much killing. I have, therefore, when collecting pel
tries, always preferred to hunt alone, which is also
safer; for then a hunter has to look out only for him
self and the game; but in a company, the attention
is distracted by considerations for the safety of one's
companions in addition.
The next day we again took the field, and, after a
short hunt, perceived a large band of antelopes. We
crept up on different sides with flags, until an old buck
happened to see the decoys at nearly the same time.
He looked first on one side and then on the other,
and for a while it was uncertain which way he would
go; but, by a waving of my flag, which was of an
attractive red color, I drew him towards me, and the
band followed. As they came down the knoll, Gray
ascended on the opposite side, and, upon reaching the
top, fired; whereupon Tuolumne and I discharged
our pieces also. The shots had the effect of kill
ing three, and so amazed the band that they be
gan tramping around in a panic, while we rapidly re
loaded and fired four additional times; and at last
the band broke away and escaped, but left nine dead
and four wounded ones behind.
A number of other antelopes and bears, deer,
wolves and foxes, we likewise killed, and our camp for
several days presented a busy scene of meat-drying
and buckskin-making. After procuring as much pro
vision as our journey would require, we packed it in

264 A HUMBOLDT TEMPEST.
such a manner as to economize room, having a jour
ney of several hundred miles over a comparative des
ert before us, and knowing that we would have to
carry water as well as provisions. We also greased
the wheels of our wagon; and having thus prepared
everything, and made all necessary arrangements for
a start early the next morning, we gathered around
our last camp fire in the Humboldt Mountains, and
speculated upon the character of the desert over
which we were to go, and the kinds and numbers of
the animals of the Rocky Mountains, towards which
we were now to travel.
There is something attractive in the very name of
the desert. It is invested in our minds with the
stories learned in childhood, of its wonderful wide
stretches of sandy wastes, its mirages, and its cara
vans, all of which have been so generously adorned
with the splendors of diction, and dressed out in the
gorgeous robes of imagination. The poets have peo
pled its fearful solitudes with the creations of fancy,
until the desert of the books is far from being the
desert of reality. One who sits in the midst of
plenty, to indite his experience of a travel over the
plains, is apt to forget the desolation he has passed,
and to describe inadequately the fearful loneliness he
has traversed.
On the appointed morning, having yoked up at an
early hour, we drove down a valley in the mountains,
and the same day ran out into the hills which border
the plains of the Great Basin. I had come to the
conclusion that Ben Franklin was now old and strong

A HUMBOLDT TEMPEST. 265
enough to travel on foot, and allowed him to run the
whole day in company with the greyhound, — a privi
lege which he seemed to enjoy as an acknowledg
ment of his majority; though a grizzly bear can
hardly be said to have come of age until several
years old. Lady Washington was chained to the
axle-tree, as usual; but Ben seemed rather to harmo
nize with the greyhound than with his relative, and I
had no disposition to interfere with his inclinations.
The next day we ran out of the hills, and camped
upon what we supposed would be our last watering-
place for several days; so that we considered it pru
dent to fill all our vessels and bags with water for use
upon the wastes. The lower hills had a little timber
and a little grass, but as they stretched out before us
into the plains, the land became parched and sandy,
with only a few weeds and sage bushes, and dreary
indeed. As we pushed forward the next day, the
country became more and more dreary, assuming a
volcanic aspect as if burnt, having small stones scat
tered about, and in many places coated with a soda
like substance, very disagreeable to the sight.
We were in hopes this day of reaching a spring
of which we had been told, but after a drive of forty
miles, were compelled to camp without any signs of
it, and during the night we used up all the water we
had brought. Besides, there was neither grass nor
firewood anywhere to be procured, and our stoppage,
therefore, did little towards affording us the necessary
refreshment. We passed a night of torment indeed,
and, in the morning, were so thirsty that I became

266 A HUMBOLDT TEMPEST.
fearful of the consequences. All that could be done,
however, was to ride ahead and search for relief;
and, accordingly, while Gray was to follow leisurely
with the team, I mounted the horse, and rode on a
long distance; but nothing was to be seen, save a
blank waste, without signs of water or vegetation. I
hardly knew in which direction to turn, when at last,
far in advance, I perceived several mounds, which
we had been told indicated the situation of the
springs. They were, however, not less than twenty
miles distant from where the poor animals were
panting with exhaustion; and when I bore the good
tidings to Gray, he declared that they came too late.
It was, fortunately, now nearly evening, and the
poor cattle seemed to revive as it became cooler, but,
had it not been for the hardy mules, it is doubtful
whether we could have reached the springs that night,
and perhaps not at all. I sent all the party ahead to
refresh themselves, and took charge of the team
alone; but it was only with much coaxing and pain
ful slowness that I succeeded in making progress, and
managed to reach the springs, such as they were, in
the morning. The water was brackish and unpalat
able, but still acceptable under the circumstances;
for, after the dreadful drive of the last two days, we
considered ourselves very fortunate to procure any
drink at all, however bad it might be.

THE GREAT BASIN. 267

CHAPTER X.
THE GREAT BASIN.
Recruiting. Our Route. Exhaustion. Ben Franklin's sore Feet.
His Moccasins. Over the Great Basin. Travellers. Utah Lake.
Mired. Around the Head of Utah Lake. Game. A Buffalo
Hunt. Blackfoot Visitors. Another Buffalo Hunt. Among the
Mountains. Discovery of a Rocky Mountain Grizzly. My Feel
ings. Slaying of the Bear. Characteristics of the Rocky Moun
tain Bear. Progress. Game. Camp on Muddy Fork.
After a stay of two days at the mounds, recruit
ing our animals upon the scanty herbage which skirted
the springs, and refilling our water-bags, we started
again over a country similar to that which we had just
passed, and camped at night on the desert. The
whole of the next day we travelled on, and that night
our supply of water failed again, with no prospects of
relief. The next day we travelled forward, in the
expectation of reaching springs; but the hope was
vain, and the sufferings of the cattle became even
greater than before. The route we had taken no
emigrant had ever travelled, and all our information
in regard to it had been derived solely from an old
hunter named Walker, whose account, though per
fectly truthful, was difficult to understand. We had
endeavored to follow his directions implicitly, but it
soon became evident that we were out of the way;
and therefore, when we stopped at night, I rode out

268 THE GREAT BASIN.
to reconnoitre and explore, and, in the course of the
night, I found springs very similar to those we had
last been at, about ten miles distant. The next day
we proceeded towards them; but so dreadfully ex
hausted were the animals that they merely staggered
along, and it was night again before they could wet
their parched lips. To be broken down in the desert
is like being dismantled at sea, except that, in many
respects, the former is the more dreadful of the two;
but a happy escape in either case seems to be almost
a special providence.
Besides the want of water, which gave me so much
uneasiness, my bear Ben Franklin's feet became very
sore, by passing over so many sharp stones and so
much hot sand. I feared that he would be perma
nently injured, and for some time could think of no
remedy. At first, I put him in the wagon, but he
had become so delighted with the privilege of follow
ing in freedom that he would not remain there; and,
rather than have him fret and worry himself sick, I
determined to allow him his liberty. Before doing
so, however, I placed moccasins upon his feet, — con
sisting of soles of elk-hide and uppers of buckskin,
sewed together with thongs. These were bound
tightly to the feet, and were intended to remain until
entirely worn out. As was to be anticipated, the
bear at first endeavored to tear them off; but they
were so tightly bound that he found himself unable
to either bite or tear them, and at last made no fur
ther attempts. They remained on for a couple of
weeks, and served the intended purpose admirably;

THE GREAT BASIN. 269
for in that time the feet were perfectly healed. The
plan thus adopted I made use of on several occasions
afterwards, not only with Ben, but also with Lady
Washington. After several days of recruiting we again advanced,
expecting that the next water we would strike would
be Utah Lake; for, since leaving the Humboldt Moun
tains, we had travelled about two hundred miles or
more. During this day, we met six horsemen driving
a few packed mules, — the first white men we had
seen since leaving California. They had wintered at
Salt Lake, they said, and were on their way to the
Pacific. After a few moments' conversation, neither
of us having time to delay in the desert, we proceeded
on, and at night camped as usual. The next evening
we came in sight of Utah Lake, a large body of water
with tules growing profusely around its edges, and
multitudes of birds, such as geese, ducks, tule-hens,
and others, flocking about it. The following day
we struck to the southeastward, and in the afternoon
came to a stream, where we got mired in attempting
to cross. The mud was very black and foul, and so
thick that we were compelled to uncouple our wagon
and pull it out by piecemeal. But however disagree
able in one respect, the mud was not without its ben
efit; for it showed us elk-tracks, and gave us to
understand that we were again in the country of
game. The next day, passing towards the east around
the head of Utah Lake, we crossed a number of
sloughs, and, towards evening, arrived on the bank of

270 THE GREAT BASIN.
a deep and muddy stream, which had a few cotton-
wood trees growing on its borders. It was necessary
to build a raft to ford it, and this detained us for
an entire day. During the next several days we
travelled on, crossing various streams, some of good
size, others small, the country every day becoming
more hilly and better stocked with game, until at last
we camped in a valley, which I think was as beautiful
a one as I ever saw. The undulating hills were
covered with scattered trees of large size, such as
oak, pine, cedar and fir, and the bottoms thickly
swarded with grass; and on every side there were
indications of deer, antelopes, elks, buffaloes and
bears. We determined, on the morning after camping in
the valley, to replenish our diminished stores before
proceeding further; and therefore, taking the horse
and mules, we proceeded eastward in search of buf
faloes. After going five or six miles, we came upon
a small herd, and by surrounding and rushing upon
them, managed to kill two. We might, perhaps, have
slain more, but our animals were so jaded and worn
out with their exertions on the desert that the buf
faloes easily outran them. While cutting up the
game, a small party of strange Indians approached
us. They seemed to be hunters, and were well
armed; but I gathered from their broken English
words that they had been unsuccessful, and wanted
something to eat. I of course gave them what they
wanted, and they soon after went off, saying that the
Indians were brothers of the white men, and ap-

THE GREAT BASIN. 271
parently very well pleased with the acquaintance.
Upon returning to camp that evening, we had a grand
buffalo roast, and enjoyed ourselves with our first
good meal since leaving the Humboldt Mountains.
The next day we killed several deer, an elk and six
antelopes; the next, four deer and seven or eight
foxes; and the next, had another buffalo hunt. On
this occasion we discovered a large herd in a steep,
rocky ravine. As we approached, they raised their
heads, snuffed and blew the air, and then, turning
their tails, ran up the ravine. We followed, and,
upon firing, wounded two, one of which Gray pursued,
and Tuolumne the other, while I followed the main
herd. The course they had taken rose very rapidly,
and this worried them so much that I soon overtook
and wounded a third, which Gray and Tuolumne, who
had despatched theirs, assisted me in killing, — by
which time the main herd had reached another valley
and disappeared. Having as many as we wanted,
we pursued no further, but set ourselves to work
dressing the game thus procured and packing it to
camp. On the road back, we killed an elk and a
number of foxes, the skins of which, as well as those
of the buffaloes, we were careful to preserve.
After spending a day in preparing our provisions,
we proceeded again in a northerly direction, through
a rough country. In the course of a few hours, we
fell in with several white hunters, who told us that
we would have to travel about seventy miles before
we could meet the emigration trail running through
Salt Lake City. We travelled along in a mountain-

272 THE GREAT BASIN.
ous country that day, and the next morning started
forward before sunrise, being anxious to reach the
trail. Gray rode ahead to look out the route, but he
soon came hastily back to say that, if I wanted to
fight a Rocky Mountain grizzly bear, he could take
me to one in a few minutes; but he added that it
would be foolish to go after him, as our team was
already loaded down. It would be foolish, I replied,
to allow the first Rocky Mountain grizzly we had met
to escape; and I at once determined to give him
battle. Directing Tuolumne to follow, I started off in the
direction pointed out, and, upon reaching a bushy
ravine, saw the bear busy eating berries in the bushes.
We looked with curious eyes on the beast, of whose
kind we had heard so much and knew so little. He
appeared small in comparison with the grizzly bear of
California, but so many stories had been told of his
ferocity that it was not without misgivings that we
commenced the attack. As there were trees in the
neighborhood, I felt pretty safe in any event, and ac
cordingly, creeping up, gave a sharp whistle, such as
invariably starts the California bear; but it appeared
to have no more effect upon the Rocky Mountain griz
zly than the singing of the birds. I then uttered a
yell, to see if that would rouse him; and he looked up
and snuffed, but did not seem to be very much dis
turbed. I at once saw that I had a different animal
to deal with from the California grizzly, and for a
while his imperturbability appeared terrible, — like
the consciousness and carelessness of immense power.

THE GREAT BASIN. 273
The reputation of the beast made me feel nervous,
and it was some time before I could steady my aim;
indeed before firing I was extraordinarily careful to
see that my pistol and knife were ready for a close
encounter, and that a tree was near by for refuge.
Having thus provided for the worst, I drew up my
rifle, and bored the bear through the heart. He
bounded up a few times, and fell. I hastily reloaded,
and, though I knew from the struggles and character
of the groans of the beast that he was dying, planted
a second bullet under the butt of the ear, and stilled
him forever. Thus was I victorious over the first
Rocky Mountain grizzly I ever saw.
Proceeding, according to my practice, to cut the
bear's throat, I noticed that he had light-colored eyes,
and coarse, long, shaggy hair, almost white. He
would weigh about five hundred pounds, and was as
large as any bear I saw in the Rocky Mountains;
for it is seldom that they ever exceed this size. Tak
ing the hide and a portion of his meat, Tuolumne and
I proceeded on and soon overtook the team, managing,
on the road, to kill a beautiful silver-gray fox, the skin
of which we also preserved. We travelled thence till
late at night over a rugged but well-timbered country,
and camped on a small stream. Throughout the day
the signs of game were plenty on every side, but we
did not delay; and for several days longer we con
tinued our route, until finally, in the neighborhood
of where the emigration trail crosses Muddy Fork, we
made a general camp.

274 THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

CHAPTER XI.
THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
Trading with the Emigrants. Visit to Salt Lake City. The Fourth
of July at Salt Lake City. Mormon Sayings and Mormon Doings.
Character of the Mormon's social Organization. A Buffalo Hunt.
Lady Washington's Tractability. Change of Position of Camp.
Adventure with a Bear. Tuolumne up a Tree. The Effect of
Pistol-shots. Slaying of the Bear. Another Grizzly. His Fright.
Comparison with the California Grizzly. Another Buffalo Hunt.
A lost Cub. Our nightly Guard. A visitor at Night. Return
of the Visitor the second Night. Respite to the Buffaloes. A
Bear and her Cubs in the Water. A Combat with the Bear.
Maternal Tenderness. Passage of Words with Gray. Immunity
of the Hero. Catching of the Cubs. The Teeth and Tusks of the
Grizzly. Uneasiness of the Cubs. Funny Joe. Moving ofthe
Camp. Adventure with a Bear. Insanity of wild Animals. Dis
eases in General.
It had been my intention, in travelling to the
Rocky Mountains, not only to hunt and collect ani
mals, "but also to trade with that great stream of
migrating humanity, which, in search of the gold-
bearing hills or the stock-raising valleys of Califor
nia, poured over the Rocky Mountains by thousands
during the whole summer. Before commencing at
this business, however, I determined to visit Salt
Lake City, which was only fifty or sixty miles dis
tant, and see that noted head-quarters of polygamy
and the Mormons. It was now the first day of July;
and, as it is the custom of all true Americans, in
whatever place they may be, to make the Fourth of
July a holiday, I planned the trip in such a manner

THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 275
as to give us the Fourth in the city. We accord
ingly packed up our mules and horse with meat and
hides, and taking also two young panthers, two
young wolves, and two fawns, set out towards the
Mormon head-quarters. On the road we overtook
many wagons and families, and disposed of our
meats to them, long before our arrival in the city.
The greater portion brought a fair price, but much
we gave away to wayworn and weary sufferers, of
whom there were very many in whose behalf our
sympathies were called into exercise.
After travelling two days and a half, we reached
the city on the afternoon of July 3rd, and soon sold
our hides and young animals, at excellent prices.
We then took a view of the city, and spent the rest
of the day in passing around and looking at the wide,
square lots into which it is divided. On the Fourth,
there was a celebration and a speech in the temple,
but I paid little attention to the Mormon talk. I
thought then, as I think now, that it does no good to
listen to what the Mormons have to say, but it may
do much to look at what they have done, and what
they are doing.
It has been usual to call these singular people fa
natics, and I can see no harm in giving them their
proper names; but when it is considered that all
the world is more or less fanatical, and that it is
the privilege of only a few to deserve the name of
true liberality, I can hardly look upon the Mormons
with what is generally considered orthodox contempt.
There must be something good, among the much evil,

276 THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
to keep them together, and their wonderful labors in
their Rocky Mountain city attest the fact that there
is at least earnestness and vigor in their counsels.
They are equal to the Jews of old in their hatred of
the Gentiles; but it seems to me that their entire
organization and polity is much more of a political
than of a religious character.
Upon our return, we spent a day in putting things
about camp to rights, and the next day set out upon
a buffalo hunt, and managed to drive a large herd up
a rocky ravine in the side of a mountain. Gray
wounded one, which turned to fight; but Tuolumne
laid him low with another ball. At the same time I
wounded a second, which we also killed. Pursuing
up the ravine, we killed a third, when the drove
passed over into another ravine and escaped. After
dressing our meat, we watched it through the night,
and the next morning Gray and one of the Indians
took a portion of it on the mules and horse to the
emigration trail, to trade it off, while Tuolumne and I
used Lady Washington to pack the remainder to
camp. The Lady was almost as tractable with Tuo
lumne as with myself, and would obey him with nearly
as much submission. She was thus, under all circum
stances, a very valuable assistant; and it may truly
be said, that on many occasions she was of as much
use to us as a mule or a horse would have been.
For a week or two we continued in this neighbor
hood hunting buffaloes and other game, and trading;
but the market by degrees became dull, and we
moved up past Fort Bridger to a spot on Ham's Fork,

THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 277
between the trails to Salt Lake City and the bend
of Bear River. Here we made a general camp again,
and commenced a system of hunting and trading,
which we carried on with more or less success for a
week and more, during which time we also had sev
eral notable adventures with grizzly bears.
On the day after arriving there, as Tuolumne and I
were hunting, we discovered a grizzly in a ravine.
He had been wallowing in a pool, and was covered
with mud, which dripped from his long and shaggy
hair. As he came leisurely towards us, he would
now and then lie down upon the grass and endeavor
to rub the mud from his coat; as he drew near, snuff
ing the air as if he suspected an ambush, I fired and
struck him in the nostrils. Tuolumne immediately
stepped from his concealment to shoot; but the bear
seeing his movement made a rush towards him, and
with such ferocity that the boy dropped his rifle and
sprang up a pine-tree, which happened to stand con
venient. The bear stopped when he came to the rifle, which
he poked and smelled and snuffed for a considerable
time, notwithstanding Tuolumne used his pistol and
fired six shots into him. The balls, however, ap
peared not to penetrate through the fat, and the brute
paid little attention to them, merely grunting. After
turning the rifle over several times, the beast placed
one paw upon the stock and the other under the bar
rel, as if about to break it, and, in doing so, rose on his
haunches. This afforded me a fair aim at his breast;
and being by this time reloaded, I planted a ball in

278 THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
his heart, where the first ought to have struck. And
yet even this did not kill him, so tenacious of life was
he; on the contrary, he ran at least three hundred
yards to the pool in which he had been wallowing. I
pursued, but, finding him in his death-struggles, did
not fire again. Upon examination we found that my
rifle-ball had passed through the apex of the heart,
but the pistol-balls were only imbedded in the fat of
the sides.
After cutting up the bear and washing the hide, we
made a dinner of bear-meat, and then threw ourselves
in the shade of a tree to pass the heat of the day.
In the evening, soon after we started on our return
to camp, we discovered another grizzly bear upon a
knoll. He saw us as soon as we saw him, and I sup
posed he would attack us; but, instead of doing so,
he merely rose on his hind legs and looked curiously
at us. I directed Tuolumne to fire, which he ac
cordingly did, but at the discharge the beast gave a
tremendous growl, and bounded off over the hill out
of sight. Had he been a California grizzly, he would
doubtless have attacked us, at least after the fire; but
the Rocky Mountain beast is not always so ready to
fight. He is more dangerous than the California
grizzly in his disposition to follow up a trail, but in
a fight, though terrible enough, he is not to be feared
like his cousin of the Sierra.
The next day, Gray having succeeded well in dis
posing of meat to the emigrants, we made another
buffalo hunt. After going a few miles we came upon
a herd of about one hundred, which we surrounded.

THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 279
At a concerted signal the whole party advanced, and
the buffaloes were so bewildered that for a short time
they knew not which way to turn; so that we were
able to rush into their midst and fire at close quarters.
The leg of one was broken, but the others fled.
Leaving the Indians to finish the wounded one, we
pursued the drove, and managed to overtake and kill
another. Upon our return to camp, we unexpectedly
met a little brown bear cub, about four months old,
which seemed to be lost. I endeavored to catch it,
but not being able, fired; and that evening we had
supper of its flesh.
During all the time that we were in this country,
we continued night after night to keep a guard over
our camp; for though there was not much to lose in
the way of property, it was still all that we possessed.
The guard usually consisted of two persons, relieved
at midnight by two others. The last guard, on one
particular night, were Tuolumne and one of the
Indians, who reported to me in the morning that a
strange bear had entered camp, made the acquaint
ance of Lady Washington, and, after a tete-a-tete of
an hour or so, had retired again, in a very peaceable
and orderly manner, to the mountain from which he
came. They had not called me because of my
fatigue during the day, they said, and because the
visitor had been so civil that they did not think it
necessary to disturb me. I however directed that
if such a case should occur again, they should not
fail to let me know.
The next night the visitor returned, and, being in-

280 THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
formed of it, I got up. It was about midnight, but
the moon was shining, so that we could easily see him
approaching the Lady, who was chained to a tree as
usual at night. I took my rifle with the intention of
killing the beast, but, on second thought, concluded
that it would be more to our advantage to give him
the freedom of the camp, and, accordingly, did not
disturb him. He remained until dawn, and then
retired. On the occasion of his return the next
night, — for, like a loyal lover, he was very atten
tive, — Gray advised that he should be killed; but I
opposed the proposition, and, for what I know, he still
roams in his native haunts.
By this time we had amassed quite a sum of cash
by selling buffalo-meat to the emigrants, and had
purchased for ourselves a second horse among other
things; but these adventures filled my head with ideas
of bear hunting, and I determined to give the buffaloes
respite, and turn my attention to the grizzlies exclu
sively. We accordingly moved on to a deep ravine,
covered with chaparral and trees. Soon after reach
ing it, we found a fresh bear-track, and, hitching
our horses, followed it up by crawling among the
bushes, and presently came upon an old bear play
ing with two cubs in a pool. She would poke one in
the water with her paw, and then the other, and,
as they jumped back towards her, she would poke
them off again, — presenting thus an interesting and
beautiful sight; for what can be more interesting or
beautiful, among animals as well as among human be
ings, than to see a mother playing with her offspring ?

THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 281
I looked a considerable time upon the scene,
and did not fire till she appeared about ready to
withdraw, when, as it happened, I merely broke her
shoulder. She rushed for me at once, but I seized
my rifle by the barrel and struck her over the head,
and then jumped to the bed of the creek and drew
my knife, with which I dealt her a stab in the flank.
As I struck, she reared upon me and bore me to the
ground; and, while she placed her paw upon my head,
bit me severelv in the shoulder, the marks of which
I still bear. I lay perfectly still, however, and in a
few minutes the cubs began bawling, when the old
bear, seeing no resistance in me, turned to them.
Seizing this opportunity, I sprang to my feet again
and drew my pistol; but, observing at a glance that
the stab in the flank was fatal, I did not fire. The
poor brute was evidently dying, though she tried to
pacify her cubs. Although I stood but a few yards
distant, she had not the strength to come at me; for
she had bled, and was still bleeding, profusely. As
I watched her licking her young and giving them her
last attentions, as if conscious of the approach of
death, I thought there was something of the human
in the bear, and was sorry I had shot so affectionate
a mother. As she expired, I looked around for my compan
ions, but they were nowhere to be seen. I looked up
to heaven, and exclaimed to myself, "The cowards
leave me;" then I called as loud as I could, "Gray,
Gray!" He answered, "Halloo!" "Where are
you?" cried I. He replied at a distance of about

282 THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
a hundred yards, "I am here." I asked if he ex
pected to help me there? and called that he should
come and catch these cubs, for I had despatched
the bear; but he asked, "Is she dead?" This
made me angry, and I replied, "She is dead, but
it was no coward that killed her." Gray grumbled
something in return, and came poking and cracking
through the brush, and exclaimed, " Adams, I thought
you were gone this time." "It is only cowards,"
said I, "who are gone in the hour of danger. You
have acted in this affair like a miserable coyote."
This language, at another time, would certainly have
been resented; but when a man accomplishes any
difficult deed, and particularly under such circum
stances as these, he enjoys a certain degree of im
munity, and can growl as he pleases.
I now directed Gray and Stanislaus to catch the
cubs; but, seeing that they were not quick enough,
I cried out impatiently, "You are more clumsy than
cowardly; see the Old Hunter catch them." I then
took off my cap, and, leaping with it upon the head
of one of the cubs, seized him with a powerful grip,
and, holding him up, cried, "See there!" Sanis-
laus answered he could catch the other, and, in a few
moments, did so; and thus we had two additions to
our stock of live bears, besides the body of the dam,
which we cut up as usual. The cubs were not more
than a month or two old, and had no teeth worth
mentioning; and, in this connection, it may be stated
that the grizzly bear generally cuts its teeth at about
two months. It does not have full teeth till its matu-

THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 283
rity, at about two years of age, though it has a dan
gerous mouth at six months. Every year a ring is
added to its tusks, — the first ring being for the sec
ond year; and as the animal sometimes reaches the
age of fifteen or sixteen years, a corresponding num
ber of rings are found.
We camped this night near the scene of the cap
ture, partly on account of the lateness of the hour,
and partly on account of my wound, — which, however,
gave my companions more alarm than it did me, or
than it merited. During the night our cubs yelped
dreadfully; and, as we had nothing to feed them with
it was impossible to quiet them until we reached the
general camp the next day, when we gave them
water, flour, and sugar, mixed together, and they
thrived well. One of them, which I subsequently
named Funny Joe, became a companion for me, next
in my esteem to Ben Franklin and Lady Washington.
In a few days after this adventure, finding the buf
faloes growing scarce in the region, we moved on over
a rugged, mountainous country to Smith's Fork of
Bear River, where we hunted for several days, and
had good success. One evening, while here, we came
across a grizzly feeding on the carcass of a buffalo.
As he was very busily engaged at his meal, I had no
difficulty in approaching, and fired at his heart. The
ball appeared to strike correctly, but had a singular
effect; for the bear, instead of rushing at me or run
ning off, wheeled around like a dog trying to catch
his tail, — different from any bear I ever saw before or
since. He seemed, indeed, to be crazy; probably

284 THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
some nerve intimately connected with the brain had
been injured. He continued thus to turn around
until Gray and Tuolumne rushed up and planted their
balls in his body, when he jumped up and rushed
towards us; but, as he did so, I planted a fourth ball
in his breast, and he fell dead. I had some curiosity
in examining him afterwards, and found that my first
ball had struck the spine; and this, I presume, was
the cause of his singular action. It is, doubtless, no
impossible thing for a bear to be affected with insan
ity, even without mechanical injury to the brain; but
this disease is one of the greatest of rarities, except
among domesticated animals, — and even among them
only in cases where the laws of nature are outra
geously violated. Disease of any kind among wild
animals is rare; and I am well satisfied, reasoning by
analogy, that the long list of ailments which plague
the human family are nearly all of its own making;
in other words, they are adjuncts of the abuses of
civilization.

THE SIERRA NEVADA AGAIN. 285

CHAPTER XII.
THE SIERRA NEVADA AGAIN.
Settling of Accounts with Gray. Departure of Gray. My Bank of
Deposit. Travel towards California. Picking up abandoned
Animals. Camp at the Foot of the Sierra Nevada. Adventure
with a Bear at Night. Passage of the Sierra. Progress of Cali-
fornian Settlement and Improvements. Fire in the Mountains.
Vestiges of my old Camping-ground. Repairs. Departure of
the Indians. Letter from my Brother. Bears for South America.
Adventure with a Blacksmith at Stockton. I make a Figure in
Stockton. Unceremonious Treatment of a Gentleman. Shake
speare. A general Treat. A Californian Crowd. Its Charac
teristics.
About the first of August, Gray came in one even
ing and stated that he wished to close our engage
ment. He said that he had met friends, who were
on their way to the Atlantic States, and that he de
sired to accompany them. I did all in my power to
dissuade him, but found it of no avail; and we moved
up to the trading-post, where his friends were re
cruiting, and proceeded to settle our accounts. We
sold out everything we could, and divided the pro
ceeds and the remainder of the property in accord
ance with the provisions of our agreement, — he re
ceiving one third and I two thirds. When all was
done, I had left, as my portion of the wild stock, be
sides the Lady and Ben, two bears, two panthers —
which soon afterwards died, — two deer, two wolves,
various foxes and skins, and about one thousand dol-

286 THE SIERRA NEVADA AGAIN.
lars in coin. After the division, Gray withdrew and
took up his camp with his friends; and this was the
last I ever saw of him. He was a good hunter, but,
like most hunters, not over fond of grizzly bears.
The day after Gray left us, I concluded to make a
safe deposit of my money, and sent Tuolumne, Stanis
laus, and the Indians on a hunt, for I did not wish
to let them know anything about it. When they were
well out of sight, I pried up the bed of my wagon,
and, going to work with auger and chisel, cut a hole
several inches in extent in the heavy white-oak axle-
tree. In this I deposited my purse, containing the
money, and after plugging it up covered it over with
tin, and then replaced the bed. While working, I was
asked several times, by persons who happened to pass,
what I was cutting the hole for; and they remarked
that it would certainly weaken and injure the axle-
tree. I replied that I wanted to have a mortise in
which to hoist a pole, and stretch a canvas; but in
every case the questioners seemed to cast a look of
compassion on me, possibly thinking I was not very
sound in the head, and passed on.
The next day we set out on our return to California,
intending to take the emigration road, and hunt only
sufficiently to provide for our own wants. According
ly we proceeded by the way of Fort Hall and Lewis's
Fork, along the regular road, until we again ap
proached the boundaries of California. In the course
of the travel, we picked up three horses, six cows,
and two oxen, which had been abandoned by the
emigrants; and travelling along slowly, as was neces-

THE SIERRA NEVADA AGAIN. 287
sary with these worn-out animals, we reached the foot
of the Sierra Nevada, (near where I had crossed in
the spring,) towards the end of September. There
was already considerable snow on the peaks, and be
fore attempting to cross I directed a camp to be
made, and determined to spend several days to re
cruit. Since leaving the Rocky Mountains we had not
seen a single bear except our pets, but as soon as we
camped under the Sierra, the beast was not long in
paying his attentions to us. The very first night of
our encampment I was waked up with information of
beasts among the cattle, and going out to ascertain
the difficulty, discovered the long, whitish hairs of a
huge grizzly waving in the breeze. He had killed
one of my cows, and was lapping the blood as it ran
from her neck, into which he had eaten. There was
only starlight, but I knew my game intimately, and
did not for a moment think of letting him off without
full payment for the care and trouble I had had in
nursing the cow. Accordingly, posting Tuolumne and
Stanislaus in positions behind trees, as a reserve in
case of necessity, I crept up to a small clump of
bushes near the bear, and, preparing my arms, raised
my rifle. The bear was busy tearing the flesh of the
dead cow, and did not perceive me; but as I whistled
he jumped upon his hind legs and fronted towards
me, and I planted the ball in the right place. He
fell over, and, at the same moment, drawing my knife,
I leaped upon him and plunged it to his heart; for I
knew that should he have time to get up, my life

288 THE SIERRA NEVADA AGAIN.
might pay the forfeit of my slowness. Happily the
ball and knife together gave him his quietus, and,
with the exception of being knocked over by his
death-struggle, I escaped unharmed. As I fell, the
boys rushed up to assist, but the bear expired in a
few moments; and we cut him up, and fried out of
him about fifteen gallons of oil at our leisure.
On the fifth day after reaching this place we again
yoked up, and commenced the passage of the moun
tains, which we accomplished in a few days. The
soft snow which we encountered gave us much diffi
culty, and kept us diligently at work brushing it from
the wheels of our wagon, but by persistently pushing
along we succeeded in reaching the summit, and then
ran down as fast as possible on the California side,
through familiar scenes. All this then wild region
has since been taken up by private owners, and an
immense reservoir of water, for mining purposes, has
been made of the flat which I used to cross daily with
my team. And thus, I have no doubt, it would be
found that in many of the spots where I fought bears,
and saw nothing but a wilderness, there is now im
provement and civilization. The varied drama of
social life, not the adventures of a lonely hunter, is
now being enacted there.
In the course of a few days I reached my old camp
ing-ground near the head waters of the Tuolumne
River; but, alas for the stability of earthly things!
there had been a fire in the region, and my old habi
tation and all my traps had been burned to ashes.
With the exception of the tools, which had been con-

THE SIERRA NEVADA AGAIN. 289
cealed in the old cave, not a vestige of my camping
fixtures and apparatus remained. However, we had
stout hearts and willing hands, and going to work,
put up, in the course of a week, a new cabin and sta
ble, both snug and tight, and laid in a stock of hay
for winter consumption, and also built three traps.
In a few days after all this work was done, the In
dians who had been with me during the summer took
their departure; and, as they went, I gave them
enough of an outfit and money to make them nabobs
among their people; but Tuolumne and Stanislaus
remained and assisted in the duties of camp.
In a few weeks after my return, I received letters
from my brother William, who was then at San Fran
cisco, informing me of a contract he had made to send
two large and one small grizzly bear to Lima, in South
America, and requesting to know whether they could
be provided at short notice. I replied, by letter, that
I had a large and a small bear, — referring to two at
Howard's, — and thought that in a few weeks I could
provide another; — and, as fortune willed it, in a few
nights afterwards we caught a large bear in one of the
traps. I now immediately wrote my brother that I
would deliver the three bears at Stockton at a certain
time, when he should be present, or have an agent
present, to receive them. I then set to work to build
a cage for the last bear, and in the meanwhile de
spatched Tuolumne to Howard's for a team, which he
brought up; and in a few days afterwards, everything
being prepared, I set out with the bear in its cage
upon the wagon for Howard's. There, I engaged a

290 THE SIERRA NEVADA AGAIN.
teamster to haul the bears which were at Howard's,
and we two set out in company for Stockton.
Nothing worthy of special note occurred until we
approached the city of Stockton, when a blacksmith
of the place accosted us, and wanted to know what
we had in our wagons. I answered that we had griz
zly bears. He replied that we had no business taking
bears into the city, and went on to say that a man
named Dunbar had been killed by one a few days be
fore; "and," continued he, "we are not going to
have any more fights in this city." Now, as this
blacksmith was a citizen, and talked like a citizen, he
put me in mind of a certain public-spirited smith,
named Demetrius, who once stirred up a sedition in
the city of Ephesus, as is related in the Acts of the
Apostles. I called the modern smith's attention to
the ancient smith's story, cautioned him against the
dangers of uproar, and drove on.
I suppose I must have presented quite a figure
with my buckskin costume and unshaven face at
Stockton, for I found myself followed by a large
crowd; and when the cages were placed upon the
wharf for shipment by steamer to San Francisco,
there was a great multitude of people collected.
Some of them, more curious than wise, poked sticks
at, and otherwise annoyed, the bears, until one indi
vidual happening to get too close to one of the cages,
suddenly lost a pawful of meat, the want of which
probably interferes with his comfort, while sitting, to
this day. The consequence at the time, as was to
have been anticipated, was an excitement; and the

THE SIERRA NEVADA AGAIN. 291
gentleman, so unceremoniously treated, drew his pistol
and swore revenge. Now, I have always been an
admirer of that passage in Hamlet which runs,
"Nay, an thou'lt mouth, I'll rant as well as thou,"
and snatching out my own pistol, I informed the
gentleman that the bear had committed nothing more
than a justifiable assault and battery, and I would,
therefore, stand by it to the last wag of my eyelids.
The gentleman swore not a little at this, and I ranted
in return, while the crowd shouted, "Hurrah for the
Wild Yankee." This interference of the crowd cooled
the gentleman's ardor, and he soon afterwards with
drew; but the crowd remained, and, as soon as the
animals were shipped, I could do no more than ask
them to drink at my expense; and they were not
backward, as my purse soon experienced.
A Californian crowd is very different from a crowd
in any other part of the world of which I have had
any experience. It is usually composed of men who
have seen much of life, and learned much of human
nature. Though given to excitement, and disposed
often to disregard the formulas of society, they
almost invariably arrive at the moral right of a sub
ject, and do justice with more unerring certainty
than the most nicely-adjusted legal tribunals, which
are too much bound up and hampered by antiquated
dicta and decisions. A spectator is surprised at the
order and temperance of counsel, which actuates the
motions of a California meeting. Although a thou
sand technically unlawful assemblies have taken place
in the State, there has seldom been such a thing as
a tumult.

292 SAMSON.

CHAPTER XIII.
SAMSON.
The Tracks of a huge Grizzly. On the Watch. Appearance of the
Bear. Building of a Trap. The Snowy Season. The Tracks at the
Trap. Watching the Trap. The Roaring of the Bear. The Grizzly
in the Trap. The Violence of the Bear. Subjugation. Samson's
Size and Disposition. Removal of Camp. Trapping at the Mouth
of the Merced River. Willow Timber. Final Departure of Tuo
lumne and Stanislaus. Their Character. Engagement of Combe.
Condition of Samson. Caging of Samson. Loading the Cage.
Howard's Journey to Corral Hollow. Corral Hollow. Contract
with Wright. Our Hunting. The Kern River Emigration. Combe.
Wright's Fear of Grizzly Bears.
I have come now, in the course of my story, to the
capture of Samson, the largest specimen of the griz
zly species, perhaps, that ever was taken alive. I dis
covered his huge tracks in ,a ravine which was full of
rocks, trees, and bushes, a few days after my return
from Stockton to my mountain camp. No sooner had
I seen the prints of this magnificent animal's paws than
I determined to capture him at all hazards; and the
next morning, before day, I placed myself upon the
watch, for the purpose of finding out the locality of
his den, and choosing the proper spot for a trap.
After lying behind a rock for about an hour and a
half, happening to cast my eyes down the trail, I be
held the monster advancing, with his head raised and
snuffing the air. I had never seen so large a bear

¦¦P imsFnm i

>¦¦¦ - /W?' ^f*^^^-^-

SAMSON

SAMSON. 293
before; he looked like a moving mountain, and my
heart fluttered for fear of being discovered; but he
passed on up the ravine, and disappeared in the chap
arral. I had seen enough for my purpose, but, as
a matter of precaution, remained still for some time
after he had disappeared; and then, getting up, I
chose a spot, which he would certainly pass in his
nightly excursions, and to which there was a fair
road for a wagon. The next day I took the boys
and the oxen, and we went to work felling and haul
ing logs, and in the course of a week finished the
largest, strongest, and best trap we had ever built.
It was now about the middle of November, and the
rainy season, or what in the mountains is more appro
priately called the snowy season, had set in. The
game had commenced moving down the Sierra, and
we killed various bears, deer, and other game; but
for a week or more we neither heard nor saw any
thing of the big bear, and feared that he had left the
region. One morning, however, when we had nearly
despaired of ever seeing him again, it was evident that
he had not only visited but actually been in the trap.
His tracks were plainly to be seen, but for some unac
countable reason or other the trap had not sprung.
The fact of his presence renewed my almost extin
guished hopes, and I immediately adjusted the trap
with the greatest nicety; and to make still more
sure, I determined to pass the next night within hear
ing distance; so that, in case of catching, I might be
certain of securing him. At the same time, as it was
necessary to be particular not to disturb the trail, —

294 SAMSON.
as when disturbed bears will often leave a region, — I
erected a small tent about half a mile down the ra
vine, and about five hundred feet lower in level than
the trap, where Tuolumne and I slept for two nights
without either provisions or fire; and, as will be read
ily imagined, we had rather a comfortless time of it,
and particularly so as we waited in vain to hear of
our expected visitor.
In the middle of the third night, however, I was
waked out of sleep by a terrific roaring. It was
the awfullest roaring and echoing in the mountains I
ever heard, with the single exception of an appalling
thunderstorm in the Humboldt Mountains, which oc
curred the summer before. I jumped up at once and
ran out of the tent to listen what could be the cause
of the noise, and soon concluded that it could be noth
ing else but the bear in my trap. The night was
cold, with a light snow on the ground, but I called
Tuolumne, and we at once lighted our torches and
proceeded to the trap. As we approached, the bear
made a tremendous lunge towards us, and I thought
for a moment that he would burst out; but the trap
was made of the strongest timbers, and withstood his
assaults. We directly built a rousing fire, and then
went to work securing the trap with additional tim
bers; for, by peeping in at the cracks, we soon satis
fied ourselves that our prize was one of the largest
in the land.
I was compelled to watch this trap night and day
for more than a week, during which time Tuolumne
brought provisions and water, and some nights would

SAMSON. 295
remain with me. During this time, the bear con
tinued violent; he would bite and tear the logs with
his teeth and claws, and frequently made the struc
ture fairly tremble with his prodigious strength. We
had sometimes to beat him with an iron rod, and at
others to throw in firebrands — which he fought with
the same effect that the viper bit the file — to prevent
him tearing his prison to pieces. On the eighth or
ninth day, however, his spirit weakened, and he ap
peared to grow reconciled to his fate. When this
species of subjugation takes place, there is no further
trouble with a bear until he is removed to a new cage;
and then the same process, though usually not so
severe, has to be gone through with.
Such was the manner in which I caught the huge
Samson, whose weight is over fifteen hundred pounds,
and whose massive proportions have for years been
the admiration of all who have seen him. He was
then in his prime, and has grown none since; the
only effect of confinement and good living has been
to make him lazy and imperious, like a pampered
monarch, and to change his shaggy, coarse hair from
gray to brown. His strength was so immense that for
a long time I was compelled to keep him in the trap
in whieh he was caught, it being dangerous to remove
him; and when, in the course of a few weeks, my
business called me away to another part of the coun
try, I engaged four wood-choppers, who were at work
cutting timber for a mining flume in the neighborhood,
to feed him; and it was not until more than a month
afterwards that I felt safe in caging and hauling him
away.

296 SAMSON.
Meanwhile the season advanced towards the middle
of the winter; and, finding game becoming scarce in
the higher regions of the mountains, we moved our
camp to the Merced River below Yosemite, taking
with us all our camp-fixtures, stock, and animals, with
the exception of Samson, who, as above stated, was
too large and savage to be removed. We also built
traps there, and managed, in the course of a few weeks,
to capture several grizzly bears, which we disposed of
at good rates. One, a female weighing about six hun
dred pounds, gave us trouble of a peculiar kind; her
capture forming a unique example in the many curious
adventures of my career. She had entered a trap
at night, but, by the time we reached it, she had
gnawed off one of the timbers, and had her head
through the hole, and, indeed, was about escaping.
Seeing the position of affairs, I leaped from my horse
and hastily cut a stout switch, with which I gave her
a smart rapping over the nose and face before she
would draw back. The timber thus gnawed was wil
low, which we had foolishly put into the trap; but
now we replaced it with oak, though it took us a long
time, with much prying, lifting, and tugging, to get
the oak in the right place. While we worked, we
also had to fight the bear continually, as she seemed
determined to come out; but at last she was secured.
Towards spring, I had occasion to go to Hornitos,
and desired Tuolumne to accompany me; but he
replied that there were bad people at Hornitos, and
he would rather not go. Whom he spoke of he did
not specify, nor could I get from him his reasons;

SAMSON. 297
but finally he said that he had not seen his own peo
ple for a year, and wished to make them a visit, — to
which, of course, I readily consented. I then gave
him and Stanislaus a horse, complete suits of buck
skin clothes, and about one hundred dollars in gold
coin, with which they set out, highly delighted, promis
ing to return in a month; but this was the last I ever
saw of these two excellent boys, for in a few weeks
after this time I removed from the region, and never
returned, except for a few days at a time. In re
calling their many good qualities to mind, I cannot
but remark that, in comparing ourselves with the In
dians, we are all too apt to disregard the centuries of
slow advancement which have removed us from the
savage state. We are apt to look upon the roaming
tribes as an inferior race, but the inference is unau
thorized and unjust.
Upon my return from Hornitos, I met a young
man named Combe, and, he being a robust fellow in
want of employment, I hired him to take care of my
camp, while I made arrangements to bring down my
big bear Samson. I then proceeded to Sonora, where
I purchased a large cage, and engaged a teamster and
a yoke of oxen, with which, in addition to my own,
we drove up the mountains to where Samson was
confined. It was now nearly two months since his
capture, but we found that, although he had fallen
away somewhat in flesh or fat, he was nearly as
savage as at first; and it required several days of
great trouble to get him into the cage.
The manner in which we finally succeeded in

298 SAMSON.
removing him from the trap to the cage, was nota
ble. Finding it impossible to drive him from one to
the other, as they were placed side by side with the
doors open between them, I determined to pull him
with oxen; and, taking a log chain, managed, after
great difficulty, to get a loop of it around his neck.
I then passed the chain through the door of the trap
and through the cage, and hitched a yoke of oxen to
the far end. While the oxen pulled in front, I poked
with an iron rod behind, and thus he advanced inch
by inch, until he got to the doors leading from one to
the other, when he suddenly bounded into the cage,
and commenced tearing around, as if he were going
to demolish it. The teamster, during this time, was
on the top of the cage, and I called to him to drop
the door. He did so, and thus we had the bear
caged; but he continued to act so violently that I
had to remain at the cage the whole night, and use
the iron rod and firebrands to quell his turbulent
rage, pretty much in the same way as when he was
first captured.
The next morning we took off the wheels on one
side of the wagon, and, proceeding much the same as
persons who load saw-logs, we managed to boost the
cage up, and, replacing the wheels and yoking up,
started on our road. The load was so heavy and the
way so bad, however, that our progress was very
slow; and it took three days to reach Howard's,
where I determined to leave Samson, as also most
of my pets, during the coming summer. I had as
yet chalked out no campaign for the season, but,

SAMSON. 299
having heard that there were many California lions in
Corral Hollow, near Livermore's Pass, in the Coast
Range, I determined to go there, and, accordingly,
soon broke up camp on the Merced, and sending all
my animals, save Lady Washington, Ben Franklin
and Rambler, to Howard's, we drove over to that
place, reaching it in two or three days' travel.
Corral Hollow is a narrow valley, nine or ten miles
long, with steep mountains on both sides. A stream
of water runs through it during the winter and
spring, discharging into the San Joaquin plains; but
in the summer this is mostly dry. A wagon road
from San Francisco to the San Joaquin passed
through the valley; and, at the time of which I
speak, there was a small public-house there, kept by
two men, named Wright and Carroll. With the for
mer of these men, I soon made a bargain to hunt in
the neighborhood; and we immediately set ourselves
to work and built three traps, choosing out the wild
est, roughest, and rockiest canons of that very rough
region for their positions. When the traps were
completed, we hunted deer with success, and sold
their meat with profit to persons who passed along
the road.
It so happened that this was the period of the Kern
River excitement, and hundreds of people were pouring
into the San Joaquin Valley from all quarters, on their
way to the famous Kern River mines. Those who
came from San Francisco and the regions thereabouts,
travelled generally by the way of Livermore's Pass
and the Hollow, and we thus had the opportunities of

300 SAMSON.
a fair market, — an advantage which we were not
slow to improve. During the hunts here, Combe,
who evinced little hunting spirit, remained in camp;
but, as I had engaged him principally to take care of
and feed my animals in my absence, I did not find
fault with his want of enterprise or lack of courage.
My hunts were made entirely alone, or with Wright,
who was a good enough hunter of deer, but, like all
other men who have had little experience, he was
dreadfully afraid of a grizzly bear.

CORRAL HOLLOW. 301

CHAPTER XIV.
CORRAL HOLLOW.
The Devil's Den. A Grizzly Dam and Cubs. Wright's Flight. At
tack upon the Bears. Wright on Top of a Rock. My second Shot.
.Combat with the second Cub. Passage of Words with Wright.
Kern River Adventurers. Their Admiration. Red Woods Hunters
Their Marksmanship. My Decision. Return to the Sierra Nevada.
Perilous Adventure with a Bear. Assistance of Ben and Rambler.
Our Wounds. Care of Ben. My Gratitude to him. Return to
Corral Hollow. A scoundrel Visitor. His scurvy Trick. Pursuit
of him. The Oil of Panthers. Visit of Scarf. Our Meal on Panther-
meat. My sudden Sickness. My Medicine. A Night of Agony.
Scarf's Sickness. Poison. The Wretch's Boasts. Speculations
about the Poisoning. Cautions.
One day Wright and I were hunting in what is
called the Devil's Den, a dreadfully rough and deep
canon, full of brush and rocks so heaped and piled
together that a person has almost to crawl wherever
he passes through it. I had discovered a bed of coal
there, and also sulphur springs, and I was pointing
them out to Wright, when suddenly we were startled
by the snort of a grizzly dam which had two yearling
cubs. When we first became aware of her presence,
she was standing just before us on her hind legs, and
evidently offering battle. I saw at a glance that
Wright was not the man for such a situation, for he
trembled like a leaf, and then, turning his back, cried
out to run; and suiting the action to the word, on his

302 CORRAL HOLLOW.
own behalf, he soon left me alone. I knew very well
there was no use of running, under the circumstances;
nor indeed did I feel any disposition to do so, for it
was seldom that I ever let a bear escape me; and it
was pretty evident, on this occasion in particular, that
if I did not kill her, she would kill me. As there
was nothing to be hoped for from Wright, I paid no
attention to where he went; but, giving my whole at
tention to the bear, I watched my opportunity as she
came snorting towards me, and planted a ball fairly
in her heart. As she received it, she fell over back
wards, and never rose afterwards.
No sooner had I thus fired than I began reloading,
and, without looking up, cried out to Wright why
he did not fire at the cubs. His voice quivered as
he answered, that they kept bobbing around so that he
could not procure aim. I turned to see where the
man was, and there he sat on top of a high rock,
vainly trying to hold his rifle steady, while the cubs
were bawling and yelping about their dying mother.
"When you do get aim, shoot," said I; and at the
same time, running up to a clump of bushes within a
few yards of the cubs, I stretched out one by a ball
at the butt of the ear; when directly, crack! went
Wright's rifle; but his ball could hardly have come
within twenty yards of the cub. Wright always pre
tended that he did really shoot at it, but I questioned
it then, and I doubt it now; he was too much scared
to shoot at anything.
I immediately proceeded to reload a second time,
but the remaining cub discovered and charged at me

CORRAL HOLLOW. 303
too soon. Seeing that I could not get my rifle loaded
in time, I dropped it and drew my knife. There was
no great danger, except of being scratched, so I met
the cub half way; and as he reared to strike, I caught
him with my left hand by the long hair on the under-
jaw, and plunged my knife into his abdomen, burying
it to the hilt; then ripping it out, I thrust it in behind
the fore shoulder, and reached his heart. He had
given me a severe blow upon the thigh, but only one;
and as the life poured from his side, I let him drop
and die at my feet.
Having thus killed the three bears, I turned to see
what Wright was doing by this time; and there he
still sat on the rock, just as he had been sitting before.
He had not even reloaded, nor made any attempt to
do so. As I turned towards him, he cried, "Are
they dead, Adams?" "No," said I; "you had bet
ter stay there till they stop kicking." "Well," con
tinued he, "I thought they would kill you, surely;
and I saved my life while I could." "That's a com
fortable doctrine," said I; "but your bones too would
have whitened this valley, if they had killed me.
You are a good climber, I see, but when you talk of
running up rocks, look at these claws." Thus I
talked while cutting the throats of the bears.
We let the bodies lie where we had killed them,
and returned to camp, where we found a party of
Kem River adventurers. When we told them the
story of the three bears, a half dozen volunteered to
go along and help pack the bodies in. They would
hardly believe our report, and wanted to see with

304 CORRAL HOLLOW.
their own eyes; but when shown the truth of the
story, by the wounds on the bodies, such as we had
described, their incredulity gave place to wonder, and,
if I mistake not, to some admiration of my powers.
In the course of a few days after this adventure,
three hunters from the Red Woods came to my camp,
and, stating that they had heard of my hunting, asked
the privilege of accompanying me for a few days.
I acquiesced, and we took a hunt, in the course of
which we came on a she bear with a yearling cub.
I soon stretched the dam upon the ground, and di
rected the Red Woods men to kill the cub. At the
word, all three discharged their rifles, and the cub
fell; but, when I came to examine him, I found but
one wound. Upon calling attention to this curious
circumstance, a contention sprang up as to who it was
that fired that ball. Each one gave so many reasons
why he could not have missed, that I amused myself
for a long time laughing at them. They at last ap
pealed to me to settle the controversy; and I decided
that they had all shot into the same hole, — which
was very satisfactory to all parties.
About this same time, Lady Washington presented
me with a valuable addition to my collection of animals,
which gave unmistakable evidences, in the form of
the body and in the color of the hair, of having the
blood of the Rocky Mountain bear in its composition;
and I rejoiced that I had exercised so much forbear
ance towards the Lady's lover, the previous summer
east of Salt Lake. The little fellow thrived well,
and grew up to be the one known as Fremont, — a

CORRAL HOLLOW. 305
bear of considerable intelligence and sagacity, though
not equal, in these respects, either to his dam or to
Ben Franklin.
I had occasion, during my stay at Corral Hollow,
to return for a few days to my old camp in the
Sierra; and hitching up my wagon, and taking my
bear Ben Franklin and my dog Rambler along, in a
few days reached that favorite old spot. I antici
pated that it would be my last visit to the place, and
determined to have one more hunt before leaving it,
perhaps, forever. Accordingly, calling my bear and
dog, I started out, and made the old mountains ring
again with the sound of my rifle, until, fatigued with
roving, I turned back towards camp
As I was leisurely passing through a thicket of
chaparral, I heard a stick crack at my side, and,
upon turning, beheld a huge grizzly, which had three
young cubs, in the act of springing at me. I tried
to raise my rifle, but in an instant it was struck from
my hand by the bear, and, with the same blow, I was
thrown to the ground. Ben and Rambler were but a
few paces behind at this time, and rushed forward,
Rambler seizing the enemy's thigh, and Ben attacking
her at the throat. This distracted her attention for
a moment, at which I seized the opportunity to snatch
my rifle and spring to one side, while the savage bit
terribly into the head and neck of poor Ben. I
uttered a terrific shout, and the old bear rose for an
instant, when I fired a ball into her heart, and she
fell over backwards. I then jumped upon her, and
bathed my knife several times in her heart's blood.

306 CORRAL HOLLOW.
All this was the work of a moment; but when I
looked for Ben, he was bounding off for camp, with
the blood streaming from his head, and yelling at
every leap. I endeavored to call him back; but the
little fellow was scared nearly to death, and soon dis
appeared. As for myself, I did not know at first
that I was hurt; but, in a little while, the blood com
menced dripping over my clothes, and I found that
my scalp had been dreadfully torn by the brute; and
she had bitten through my buckskin coat and flannel,
making wounds, the scars of which still remain, in my
neck. With considerable difficulty, I managed to reach
camp, where I found Ben lying under the wagon,
licking his bleeding sides. The poor fellow had cer
tainly saved my life, and I felt so grateful that at
once I took him into the cabin and dressed his
wounds before I dressed my own; and I continued
paying unremitting care to him for nearly a week,
when, finding him well enough to travel, I settled up
my business in the region and departed. That was
one of the narrowest escapes I ever had in all my
hunting; and, as my preservation was due to Ben,
the circumstance explains, to some extent, the par
tiality I have felt towards that noble animal. He has
borne the scars of the combat upon his front ever
since; and I take pride in pointing them out to
persons who, I think, can appreciate my feelings tow
ards him.
Upon my return to Corral Hollow, I learned that a
large panther or cougar, such as is usually known as

CORRAL HOLLOW. 307
the California lion, had been prowling about one of the
traps, and, on the next day, I went to the place, and
set the snare with particular nicety, confidently ex
pecting a prize in the morning. That same evening,
as I was sitting at my camp fire, a shaggy-looking
scoundrel, who carried a shot-gun, pistol, and bowie-
knife, came up and asked the privilege of stopping
overnight. He had a bad countenance; but never
in my life did I turn a weary or a hungry traveller
away from my fire, or refuse the offices of hospitality;
nor did I now. On the contrary, I freely offered him
a portion of my supper, a place to sleep at my fire,
and a hearty, wholesome breakfast in the morning.
I not only fed him, but I talked with him, and in an
swer to his questions spoke without reserve of my
business in the Hollow, and the hopes I entertained
of entrapping the lion. After breakfast, the scamp
went away without thanking me; and in an hour or
two afterwards, when I went up to my trap, I found
that he had been there before me, and had shot,
dragged out, and cut off and carried away the tail
of, the panther, which, as I expected, had been
trapped overnight. I knew that it could have been
no other person than this fellow, who had played such
a scurvy trick, and, being mounted and very angry,
I took the road to Livermore's Pass, in the hopes of
overtaking and punishing him. I rode nearly all
day, but, not being able to find where he had gone,
came back, packed the dead lion on my mule, and
returned to camp.
The oil of panthers is good for sprains and bruises;

308 CORRAL HOLLOW.
and with the intention of frying out some for future
use, I sat down at the root of a tree, and began cut
ting the body up. While so engaged, a man named
Scarf, the keeper of a sheep ranch five or six miles
below, happened to pass, and remarking that the
meat looked very nice, proposed making a meal of
it. I asked whether he had ever eaten any of the
kind. He replied that he had not, but, from the ap
pearance, he knew it must be good. I remarked,
that I had frequently eaten panther's meat, and knew
that, though not the best of meat, it was certainly
not the worst; and forthwith we proceeded to roast
portions of the tender-loin and liver, of which we ate
heartily and with very good relish. After the meal,
Scarf smacked his lips, and proceeded on his way.
It was now nearly evening, and having one of my
traps to look after, about a mile distant, I ran up
towards it, but, getting into a perspiration, began to
feel disagreeable and very queer; — and God knows
I had cause. So ill did I soon become that I had
difficulty in getting back; my head was dizzy, my
eyes nearly blind, and all my members staggering, so
that I supposed death was approaching.
It happened that Combe was absent at this time,
but I managed, without assistance, to get at my stores,
and, taking out a bunch of wild tobacco, made and
drank a decoction, which caused me to vomit vio
lently; and afterwards, I rolled myself in my blank
ets and tried to sleep; but my head felt like bursting
with pain, and during the entire night I lay in agony.
I thought that morning would never come, so pain-

CORRAL HOLLOW. 309
fully did the time pass, — but it came at last; yet I
was unable to rise, and continued lying, more dead
than alive, until the sun rose, when I was suddenly
aroused by the voice of one of Scarf's men, who had
hurriedly come up to ask whether I was sick too. I
replied that death had a firm grasp upon me. "You
are poisoned," said he. "Poisoned?" said I; "that
cannot be; for there is no poison about camp." "It
was the wretch," said the man, "who killed the pan
ther. He passed our ranch day before yesterday,
and had a bottle of poison, which he showed me.
Scarf is poisoned too, and is suffering in the same
manner as yourself." The man and I then compared
notes, and we soon concluded that his master and I
had been poisoned with some deadly drug contained
in the panther's meat, which we had so unsuspect
ingly eaten. A few days afterwards, I learned from
one of the Livermore family that a fellow, answering
the description of the wretch who had fed at my
board, had visited the Pass, and exhibited a tail in
corroboration of a wonderful story which he told of
a fight with a panther in the mountains.
It has always been a source of speculation with me
in what manner the poison was introduced into the
panther, — whether before or after its death; but the
most plausible theory I can form is, that the wretch
tried the effect of the deadly drug upon the encaged
beast first, and shot it afterwards, — though he may
have poured a few crystals into the bullet-hole, after
shooting it. However this may have been, one lesson
I learned from the great jeopardy in which this ex-

310 CORRAL HOLLOW.
periment placed me; and this was, to beware of game
not killed by myself or my friends in a country where
phosphorus, arsenic and strychnine are used for so
many purposes as they are in California. Indeed,
where such deadly poisons are daily employed for the
destruction of squirrels, panthers, bears and other
animals, too much care cannot be exercised in avoid
ing flesh affected with them either directly or sec
ondarily.

ALONG THE COAST RANGE. 311

CHAPTER XV.
ALONG THE COAST RANGE.
The Kern River Excitement. Determination to take a Summer's Hunt
southward. Preparations. Engagement of Drury. Stop at Roro
Mocho. Drury's Drunkenness. My Check of the Abuse. My
Rebuke to Drury. Our Progress. Drury's Condition. Race be
tween Ben, Rambler, and an Antelope. Rambler's Reproach to
Ben. Cattle and a sporting Grizzly. The Bear's Sagacity. Com
bat between the Bear and a Heifer. His Victim. The Bear's Meal.
Departure to the Mountains. Proposition of the Rancheros. My
Reply. Pacheco's Pass. Suspicions of the Rancheros. Their Satis
faction. Entry of the Mountains. A Coast Range Hill. Accident
on the Descent. The "Comforts" of Hunting. Recovery from the
Disaster. Lady Washington's Good-humor. Repairing Damages.
A Night-drive. A dried-up Creek. Search for Water. A Pool.
Satisfying our Thirst. Sleep.
The Kern River excitement was one of those peri
odical visitations of a mild species of insanity, with
which the people of California seem to have been
afflicted from time to time, ever since the early days.
It originated out of vague reports of gold in the
gulches of the Kern River country, and in the course
of a few months all the avenues leading to the region
were crowded with adventurers. Miners passed daily
on their way thither, during the period I was in Cor
ral Hollow; but it was not long before they began
returning, disappointed in their anticipations of sud
den wealth, and deeply cursing the infatuation, which
had induced them to go so far with so little profit.
It had been my object before this period to hunt in

312 ALONG THE COAST RANGE.
the southern country, and as the Kern River emigra
tion afforded an excellent chance of trading, I seized
the opportunity for a summer's hunt in that direction,
intending not only to visit the mines and sell game
to the miners, but to collect animals and see the
country. I accordingly provided myself with two
good horses in addition to my mules, and loaded my
wagon with stores of flour, coffee, sugar, tea, tobacco;
and among other things a keg of whiskey, which proved
a curse. I took also a quantity of mining tools, picks,
shovels, crow-bars, boards for rockers, buckets, pans,
and other mining implements. It had been my inten
tion also to take my young man Combe along, but,
finding him not much disposed towards the romantic
trip, I engaged another young fellow named Drury,
a smart enough boy, but very lazy, and shamefully
fond of strong drink, as I soon learned to my cost.
My bear Lady Washington I chained as usual to the
axle-tree, but the bear Ben Franklin and his foster-
brother the dog Rambler followed loose.
We left Corral Hollow early in the morning, and
travelled southward along the eastern base of the
Coast Range of mountains till evening, when we
camped on a small stream, called Roro Mocho. Upon
unhitching, I directed Drury to prepare supper, and
busied myself with picketing the horses and feeding
the animals, which engaged my attention for an hour
or more; but what was my disgust upon returning to
the fire to find that Drury had broached the keg of
liquor, and was so much intoxicated as to be insen
sible. The beastly condition of the fellow gave me

ALONG THE COAST RANGE. 313
unpleasant feelings, and boded bad for the future.
I was perfectly willing that he should drink in moder
ation, but this was such an open and outrageous abuse
at the outset of our journey that I determined to
check his propensities in the bud; and, accordingly,
lifting the keg from the wagon and seizing an axe, I
knocked in the head, and poured the liquor out upon
the ground. Without saying a word to Drury, I then
prepared and ate my supper, and, wrapping myself in
my blankets, went to sleep, leaving him to recover as
he best could from the situation to which he had re
duced himself.
About midnight I was aroused by the fellow's call
ing upon me to give him water; but I refused to get
up and wait on him, and said that if he would make
a beast of himself, he must take the consequences; if
he wanted water, he had better crawl down to the
creek, and throw himself into it until he soaked the
liquor out, and then I would help him. He grumbled
at this, and rolled about complaining of my hard treat
ment for about an hour, when, finally, I got up, gave
him his blankets and fetched him water, of which he
drank a large quantity, and soon fell into a sleep. In
the morning I rose early, fed the animals, got my
breakfast, and, being ready to start, called the fellow;
but he still complained of being very sick. I retorted
that he had made a hog of himself, and, therefore, I
could feel no sympathy; and if he was too sick to
come along, he might remain behind. At the same
time I cautioned him that, if he repeated this con
duct, I would be under the necessity of discharging

314 ALONG THE COAST RANGE.
him at once from my service; and it would make no
difference where we might be; no confidence could
be reposed in a man who would get drunk.
In a few minutes afterwards I started on, as I had
said I would, and Drury followed with the dog and
bears. We continued thus a mile or two, when notic
ing that he had difficulty in keeping up, and that he
grew very pale, I took him in the wagon, and driv
ing to the next ravine, stopped and put him to bed.
Leaving him sleeping, I went out with the Lady, Ben
and Rambler, on a short hunt, and killed three ante
lopes, which afforded provisions for several days. I
afterwards made supper and gave Drury a cup of
strong coffee, which had a good effect; and the next
morning he felt comparatively well, and we started
on our road very early.
As we were travelling along about mid-day, Rambler
started up an antelope, which seemed to be alone.
There were no trees near us, nothing but the grassy
plain stretching from the mountains to the San Joa
quin, a distance of fifteen or twenty miles. The an
telope, on being started, ran towards the faint line of
cotton-woods, which skirted the river; and Rambler
and Ben pursued as fast as their legs would carry
them. It was the most interesting race I ever saw,
for while the antelope ran for life, the hound kept
close at its heels. As for poor Ben, he tried with all
his might to keep up, but the further he went the
more he fell behind; and, in the course of a few min
utes, he was loping over the ground perfectly alone.
He kept at it vigorously, however, until in about a

ALONG THE COAST RANGE. 315
mile, finding that his wind was giving out, he stopped,
and came back with a look in his countenance, which
showed that he did not wish to be considered as hav
ing been in the race. In the meanwhile the antelope
and greyhound kept on, as I could see with a spy
glass which I had with me. For about eight miles
the hound kept within a few leaps of the antelope,
when they reached the brush near the river. The
hound then turned to see whether I was following;
but, finding I was not, he gave up the chase and
turned to rejoin me. I drove on, and in about an
hour afterwards he came up, seeming to be very tired.
He, however, ran directly to Ben, and whined and
jumped about him; and it really appeared to me
that he was trying to tell the bear what a fine race
he had had, and reproaching him for his want of bot
tom to run. Ben used often to run in this manner,
but of course could not keep up with the greyhound.
As for the antelope, I believe that on a stretch like
that, he is the fleetest animal in the world.
That evening we camped in a ravine at the foot of
the mountains, in the neighborhood of large herds of
cattle, which were grazing in the plains. The herds
men, or vaqueros, when they saw us, came up and
talked awhile, and then proceeded further up the
ravine to their ranch, leaving the cattle to themselves.
About sundown I heard a tremendous commotion
among the cattle, and, going out to see what caused
it, beheld a huge grizzly bear rolling and tumbling in
the grass, while the cattle were gathering around him,
and bawling as if crazy. I immediately took my rifle

316 ALONG THE COAST RANGE.
and went around in such a manner as not to disturb
either cattle or bear, — my object being to get up near
and witness the motions of the bear, which, I correctly
supposed, was playing one of the most wonderful tricks
known to his species. I had frequently heard of the
sagacity of the grizzly in decoying cattle within his
reach, and had a great curiosity to see it for myself.
I accordingly ascended a small hill near the spot,
and reached a place from which I could easily witness
the whole affair. The bear was in the long grass,
rolling on his back, throwing his legs into the air,
jumping up, turning half somersets, chasing his tail
and cutting up all kinds of antics, evidently with no
other purpose than to attract the attention of the cat
tle. These foolish animals crowded around him ; some
bulls running up as if to make a lunge, and then turn
ing aside, and all bawling violently. At last a young
heifer, more bold than the rest, lowered her head and
ran up, to thrust her horns into him. In an instant
the bear rose upon his hind legs, and, making a leap,
caught the heifer around the neck, and fixed his jaws
in her nose. She made a jump to get away; but the
bear, with a peculiar jerk of his head, threw her upon
her side, and, without loosening his hold, turned his
entire body upon her. He then let go his hold upon
the nose and seizing her by the neck, tore it open;
the blood gushed in torrents from the severed arte
ries; and in a few moments she was dead. No soon
er had she stopped struggling than he got off, and
leisurely began sucking up the blood, and enjoying
the supper which his trick had procured for him.

ALONG THE COAST RANGE. 317
The other cattle drew back at first, but in a short
time they seemed to gather courage, and again ap
proached. As they came close, the bear left his vic
tim and rushed at them with a terrific growl. This
frightened them off for a while; and then the bear
would resume his meal. He drove them off thus a
dozen times; and I relished the scene so well that,
without interfering, I lay looking at it until it became
quite dark, — thus neglecting the opportunity to' have
a fair shot at him. As he was about turning to leave,
however, I crawled down and fired at him; but it was
then so dark, and the distance so great, that I missed.
At the crack of the rifle he rose upon his legs, ut
tered two or three savage growls, and then put off
for the mountains.
In the morning I sent Drury to the ranch to give
information of what I had seen; and in a short time
he came back with the vaqueros and two of the ranch
owners. I told them the story, and they seemed
much interested. They said they were much troubled
with bears, and offered to give me one hundred dollars
a month and all the beef I wanted, if I would remain
and hunt there a few months. I laughed at the prop
osition, and replied that a gold-hunter on his way to
Kern River could not be purchased on terms like
those. They laughed in turn about Kern River;
and, after talking in good-humor some time, I took a
portion of the dead heifer with their consent, and,
bidding them good-bye, proceeded on my journey.
We proceeded this day to the neighborhood of Pa
checo's Pass, which opens a passage in the Coast

318 ALONG THE COAST RANGE.
Mountains from the San Joaquin to the ocean near
Monterey, and camped. The next morning I drove
up to a ranch at Pacheco's Pass, where there were
about a hundred persons, some of them rancheros
and some returning Kern River miners. They all
wondered, seeing me drive up with the bears, and
wanted to know where I hailed from, and where I was
going. I answered their questions frankly, when they
replied that I was out of the road which led to Kern
River. I rejoined that I knew it well, but that there
were certain valleys in the mountains which I wished
to visit, and that was the reason I came that way.
They kept eyeing me, and looking suspiciously at the
beef, horses, and mules, as much as to say they sus
pected me to be a rascal and thief, though they
threw out no insinuations in words. I stood their
treatment as long as I thought proper, and then spoke
as follows: "Gentlemen, you look at my beef as if
you were hungry. If you desire, you can share with
me, and you will find that it is neither stolen nor poi
soned." At the same time, I looked full in the faces
of the rancheros, who, when they see a stranger have
beef, suspect at once that he has been killing their
cattle, and generally with very good reason; and as I
saw they understood my meaning, I narrated the story
of the grizzly bear, and how I came by the beef.
This seemed to please them all, and they invited me
into the house to take breakfast; but I thanked them,
and replied that I never breakfasted so late in the
day. I however went into the house with them, and,
getting into conversation, gathered all the information

ALONG THE COAST RANGE. 319
I could about the country in the mountains, and a cer
tain valley of which I had heard, abounding in game.
They told me that the valley was distant about three
days' journey over a rugged road, and that it was
very uncertain whether a wagon could get along, as
none was ever known to have passed through.
Notwithstanding this unfavorable intelligence, we
started into the mountains, and travelled during the
day a considerable distance, passing three or four
ranches, and seeing a few wild mustang horses, — for
we were getting into a region where there were many
of these animals. The subsequent day we travelled
till noon, when we came to a great hill, of which I had
heard much at Pacheco's, and, ascending it with diffi
culty, found that there was a sort of jumping-off place
on the other side, as had been told us. Taking out
my glass here, I examined the road further on, and
saw, nearly a thousand feet below me, a large, grassy,
and comparatively level plain, covered here and there
with antelopes and mustangs, and in the distance a
line of cotton-wood trees, indicating a stream. The
difficulty was to descend the side of the hill, which
was almost a precipice, with scrubby oak-trees about
the top, and rocks towards the bottom. It seemed to
be almost a hopeless job to get down; but we com
menced the labor by taking down the horses by them
selves first. I intended to lead the Lady down also,
but, finding it so tiresome to ascend, lengthened her
chain, and left her tied, and then, fastening several
strong lariats to the axle, had Drury take hitches with
them around trees, and aid in that way in letting the

320 ALONG THE COAST RANGE.
wagon down as lightly as possible. Besides this, we
locked two wheels, and then attempted to go down
with the mules, wagon, and all together. We de
scended thus about half-way, when, having to turn
to one side, the wagon was brought into a sideling
position, and Drury had to stand on one of the upper
wheels to keep it from toppling over. We went thus
a few hundred feet further, when, smash! over went
the whole concern, tumbling and scattering the goods
into the brush, overthrowing and crippling the mules,
tearing the harness, twisting off the tire of one of the
wheels, and breaking the tongue square off near the
whipple-trees. To add to the misfortune, the sun
was beating down fiercely upon us; and there was no
water near, and no help.
To be thus circumstanced is one of the discomforts
which hunters have to expect in new and untried
countries. It is almost enough to make a man sink
into desperation, and forswear an adventurous life
forever. But the difficulty is soon forgotten when
a man goes energetically to work to repair damages;
and, when all is over, he looks back upon the occasion
as one of the bright spots in his career, and dwells
upon it as a pleasure and an honor. There was here
nothing to be done but to do the best we could.
First, I gave my attention to Lady Washington, who,
in the general disaster, had been pitched over with so
much violence that her nose ploughed up a furrow in
the ground. As she recovered herself, she seemed
frightened, and snuffed and snorted, and her hair
stood on end in great agitation; but I went up and

ALONG THE COAST RANGE. 321
patted her head, and in a few moments she appeared
to be pacified, and licked my hand, as if she under
stood the affair was only an accident and entirely
unintentional. I then took the packsaddles, and,
placing them on the mules, loaded upon them portions
of the luggage, and sent Drury to the foot of the hill
with them; and, by repeating these trips several
times, we finally got all the luggage down. In the
meanwhile, I managed to replace the tire on the
wheel, and, cutting two oaken timbers, lashed them
with lariats and thongs of green hide on both sides
of the broken tongue, in such a manner as to make
it temporarily sufficient. Next, I mended the torn
harness with buckskin and raw hide; and, by night,
we succeeded in getting the wagon down, repacked,
and were on our way again.
All this time, however, we were suffering dreadfully
from the want of water; but, fortunately, there was
a clear, starry sky, and I determined to travel on till
we reached the stream indicated by the cotton-wood
trees which we had seen from the hill-top. We ac
cordingly proceeded slowly and painfully all night,
refreshed a little, it is true, by the cool night-air, but
still suffering the torture of thirst; and as morning
approached, we found ourselves near the cotton- woods.
There we expected water; but, upon reaching the
banks of the stream, we found it entirely dry, and no
water or sign of water was to be seen. I had been
told by the rancheros at Pacheco's Pass that we
would probably find water in pools along the creek;
but now everything seemed to be entirely dried up.

322 ALONG THE COAST RANGE.
The creek had a sandy bottom, and bore the ap
pearance of rising and sinking again every few miles,
like many other streams in the southern portion of
California; and I directed Drury to dismount and
follow the bed, searching for pools, while I would drive
along the bank. He dismounted, very unwillingly
however, and wanted to know why he could not ride,
instead of walking. I told him there were two
reasons: first, it would not be easy to get the
horse down the bank into the bed of the creek, and,
secondly, he could travel over the loose sand in the
creek on foot better than the horse, and would be
more likely to find water. He rejoined in a tone of
discontentment, but finally threw himself down the
bank, and commenced making the search. I drove
along on the bank for nearly an hour, but heard noth
ing of Drury, and began to think he had deserted me.
A thousand suspicions, indeed, passed through my
mind, as is usual when we have no confidence in per
sons whom we are compelled to trust; but, finally,
he made his appearance from a clump of bushes, and
reported water.
The pool which he had discovered was situated
under a cleft of rocks in a deep place, about fifty
feet below the bank, which was there very steep, and
covered with trees and bushes. On the opposite
side of the pool, the bank sloped more gradually;
but as we could not reach that side without a wide
circuit, we were under the necessity of carrying the
water up the bank to our animals. Ben and Rambler,
however, no sooner saw the water than they plunged

ALONG THE COAST RANGE. 323
down the bank, and, running up to their middles,
satisfied their thirst, and then wallowed and rolled
with the most luxurious satisfaction. So great had
been our trials for the previous twenty-four hours,
and so fatiguing and harassing our long and weary
march, that it was absolutely necessary to recruit;
and we accordingly unhitched at this place, and, after
a hasty breakfast, having first attended to our ani
mals, we threw ourselves in our blankets under the
shade of the cotton-woods, and enjoyed a sound and
refreshing sleep.

324 JOAQUIN'S VALLEY.

CHAPTER XVI.
JOAQUIN'S VALLEY.
Antelopes at the Pool. I slay one. Ben and Rambler in Pursuit.
Ben's Dissatisfaction and Return. His Grumbling. His Luxuries.
The Cafion of Joaquin's Valley. Joaquin's straggling Band. Char
acteristics of the Valley. Adventure with a Bear and Cubs. Ben's
Treatment of a Cub. Fate of the Cub. A Mountain Peak, and the
View from it. Wild Cattle. Their Appearance. My Camp usurped.
Suspicions. The "Generosity" of Thieves. The Strangers. Visit
to a Quicksilver Mine. What might have been. An Elk Hunt.
Slaying of Elks. Capture of Elk Fawns. Wild Cattle again. Their
Characteristics. Travel towards Tulare Lake. Ben Franklin's
Exhaustion.
When I awoke from my sleep, it was the middle
of the afternoon; but I determined to push ahead as
far as we could before evening, and then take a good
night's rest. As we were hitching up, however, I
noticed the bear and dog pricking up their ears and
exhibiting signs of uneasiness, as if there was some
thing in the wind. Leaving Drury to finish hitching,
I took my rifle and stepped back towards the pool.
The bear and dog seemed anxious to pass ahead, but
I made motions and signs for them to keep back, and
they dared not do otherwise. On reaching the bank
and looking over, I beheld a band of antelopes stand
ing at the water, and drinking as if very thirsty. I
immediately drew my rifle and fired, and one dropped,
when the others turned and ran up the slope of the
bank out into the plain. I cried to the dog and bear,

r^^^i-'y^i"^-'

WILD CATTLE.

JOAQUIN'S VALLEY. 325
and they set out in pursuit, the former, of course,
taking the lead.
The grizzly Ben started with the greatest courage
and the most resolute determination; but, after loping
four or five hundred yards over the sand, he wheeled
around to see whether I was doing my part. Seeing
I was not following, he at once decided that such
treatment was not justice; and, returning, sat himself
down on his haunches in front of me, as I began to
skin the antelope. The noble fellow was already so
well trained, that he never presumed to touch any
thing till I gave it to him; but he had a way of grum
bling for food, when hungry, that was irresistible. I
shall never forget how he sat there, wistfully eyeing
my carving, looking into my face, and remonstrating
about my strictness with him. His perquisites were
generally the entrails of game, of which he was re
markably fond; but as he now had to wait until they
were removed, his impatience at last assumed such a
pitch, that he got excited, and grumbled more than
ordinarily. I resolved to try him a little, and placed
food in such a way as to tempt him; but the faithful
fellow continued true to his training, and the meat re
mained inviolate. Seeing this, I threw his portion to
him, and he ate until I almost thought he would burst,
— devouring the entrails, and lapping up the liquid
of the antelope's stomach, which to his palate seemed
as sweet as honey.
As soon as Ben was done, I carried up the meat to
the wagon, and, finding all ready, we started off; and,
travelling till sundown, we arrived at the mouth of a

326 joaquin's valley.
canon, which led up into the valley of which I was in
search. It was a very rugged opening, the rocks
rising nearly perpendicularly on each side, leaving but
a narrow place for the passage of a small stream of
water which came from the valley. There was no
wagon road, and as difficulties were to be anticipated
in winding up into the valley, I determined to take
the next morning for it, and camped for the night.
The valley, which I had thus reached, was noted at
one time as the head-quarters of Joaquin, the famous
robber, who, during his brief career, spread terror
over the southern country. I had been advised, at
Pacheco's, not to go there, as the danger of being
robbed, and perhaps killed, by straggling remnants of
this lawless desperado's band would be imminent; but
as it was not at all certain that any were there, and
as our danger in any one part of the country was
nearly as great as in another, so far as these active
and ubiquitous thieves were concerned, I paid no at
tention to the caution, and, as the event proved,
never was molested.
Upon advancing up the canon the next day, — and
to do so we had to cross the creek at least a dozen
times, and once to unload, — we found one of the
most beautiful valleys in all California. It was about
six miles long by one wide, covered with grass and
grove-like clumps of trees, and surrounded by moun
tains which, in some places, were so precipitous that
it was impossible for a man to climb them. In the
centre of the valley was a ridge of slightly elevated
land, dividing into two branches the stream which

joaquin's valley. 327
sprang from fountains at its head. A stock-raiser
could not desire a finer location; and had I not been
a hunter of wild animals, I should certainly have
wished to settle down here, and devote my attention
to the rearing of domestic ones.
After pitching camp under some fine trees in this
beautiful valley, and eating dinner, I took my rifle,
and, accompanied as usual by Ben and Rambler, took
a stroll towards the nearest tongue of mountain, which
came down on one side. As we approached it, Ben
snuffed the air, and Rambler grew uneasy, which was
sufficient notification that there was game near by;
and looking carefully around, I discovered a female
grizzly with two cubs, feeding in the bushes about a
hundred yards distant. I restrained my animal com
panions immediately, and made them lie down.
Then creeping around, unobserved by the bears, which
were very busy, I raised my rifle, and, upon firing,
pierced the dam at the first shot. Ben and Rambler,
at the discharge, were on their feet, and would have
rushed forward, but I still kept them back, and, re
loading, killed one of the cubs. There being but one
cub left, I allowed the bear and dog to advance, and
in a moment they were upon it. Rambler seized a
leg, but Ben took it fairly by the neck and shook it
terribly, and so determined and persistent was he
that I had difficulty in making him release his hold.
Indeed it was necessary to give him several good
bouts over the head, before he could be induced to
forego the pleasure of shaking the saucy little cub
into pieces. I took the poor thing to camp after-

328 joaquin's valley.
wards, and gave it a cage for preservation, but it was
fatally injured, and soon died.
The next day, after hunting in the valley and
killing an antelope or two, we left camp unprotected,
and paid a visit to a high peak at the head of the
canon. It was a queer-looking mountain, with shelv
ing rocks hanging on its sides, and pine-trees about
its summit, which led off by ridges to mountains be
yond. I had been told that wild cattle frequented
the highest parts of these mountains; and it was in
the hopes of seeing them, that, with great fatigue, we
ascended the peak. When we reached the top, we
obtained a grand view over all the country round about.
Towards the ocean, which, however, could not be
seen, the land was rugged and broken. On the oppo
site side, a range of hills shut out the San Joaquin
Valley, but far beyond we could see the Sierra
Nevada, a line along the horizon. Below us was
the delightful little valley where our camp was
pitched; and beyond, the larger valley through which
we had travelled at night, when suffering from the
want of water.
Having satisfied ourselves with the prospect, we
advanced a short distance into the mountains, and
soon discovered a herd of half a dozen wild cattle,
which, of all the animals I had ever seen, were the
most savage looking: I thought I had seen large
horns when passing through Mexico, but they were
not to be compared with these California specimens.
The cattle themselves were extraordinarily large;
and having these immense horns, with shaggy hair

joaquin's valley 329
about the shoulders and head, they presented an
appearance almost terrific. Notwithstanding their
fierce looks, however, they fled upon seeing us; and,
it being nearly night, we turned towards camp with
out attempting to pursue them.
Upon clambering back to the brink of the moun
tain, and looking down into the valley, I was aston
ished to see that my camp was in the possession of
strangers. At first, it seemed as if my eyes must
be deceived; but, upon drawing forth my glass, I
could distinctly make out four or five men and a num
ber of horses; yet who they were it was impossible
to tell in the dark. They had made a fire and
usurped my camp; so that the suspicion at once
flashed across my mind that the reports about Joa
quin's band were true, and that here I had fallen
into their hands. Under the circumstances, I knew
not for a while what to do. I had read, during my
younger days, the stories of famous brigands and
robber captains, and retained, doubtless, too exalted
an idea of their magnanimity; but my maturer judg
ment counselled me that not a spark of generosity can
animate the soul of a cut-throat or a thief. I resolved,
however, to run the risks of facing the strangers, who
ever they might be; and, preparing my arms for use
in case of necessity, we descended the mountain, and
approached the fire around which the strangers sat.
Instead of finding robbers, I had the pleasure of
meeting two American gentlemen and five Spaniards;
the former from San Francisco, on a visit to certain
quicksilver mines in that vicinity, and the latter be-

330 joaquin's valley.
longing to the neighborhood of Tulare Lake, where
they had corrals for the capture of mustangs. They
appeared to have heard of me at Pacheco's, and had
purposely stopped at my camp to procure meat.
When I told them of the thoughts which had been
suggested to me by their appearance from the moun
tain, they were highly amused, and assured me that
none of Joaquin's followers were in that part of the
country. The next morning, after the Spaniards left, the
American gentlemen induced me to accompany them
to the mines of quicksilver, which were eight or ten
miles distant. We proceeded thither, and spent the
day in the neighborhood of the mines, examining them
and picking up specimens of the cinnabar. We then
returned, taking with us an old Spaniard, whom we
found living at the place, having been left there by his
companions, who had gone to San Luis Obispo for
provisions. I had no knowledge of quicksilver min
ing; but was told that the ore there was good, and that
the mines would one day be valuable. At that time,
they had not been worked much; and, at the then
high rates of labor, it would not justify to build works
and employ the necessary hands to carry them on. I
spoke of the beauty of the valley, and the gentlemen
agreed with me about its value when the mines should
come to be extensively used. Recalling my im
pression of the place, I often think that, had I
only sat down and taken up the valley, I might
now have been a kind of a monarch, the possessor
of a beautiful little kingdom, with uncounted herds

joaquin's valley. 331
and flocks on every side. But such was not my des
tiny. The next morning, after the Americans left, we de
termined to have an elk hunt; and the old Spaniard
took us to a ravine among the mountains, where he
informed us there were elks; or if not, he said it
would be of no use to look further, and we might con
clude that they had all gone over into the tules of the
Tulare Lake country, as they generally did in the
warm season or fly-time. When we reached the
place, we soon discovered a band of a dozen or fifteen
elks, with half a dozen young. The little ones were
what we especially sought; and I at once laid my
plans for killing an old one or two, and capturing the
young. To the Spaniard, accordingly, I gave a horse
with several lassos; and Drury I stationed at the
mouth of the ravine with a rifle; while I myself crept
up among the bushes to the neighborhood of the elks,
to try the flag operation, which sometimes works well
with elks as well as with antelopes. Arriving at the
desired situation, I raised a red silk handkerchief on
a stick, and imitated the elk whistle, all of which had
the wished-for effect. The animals stopped eating and
gazed at the flag. I remained concealed; but as they
came up close, I fired through the bushes and killed
the nearest one. This appeared to bewilder the
others; and, as they continued to approach, I quickly
reloaded, fired a second time and disabled a second
elk. A third time I reloaded and fired, when the
wounded elk bleated; and the Spaniard, supposing
that to be the signal agreed upon, advanced with his

332 joaquin's valley.
lassos. Before I could reload a fourth time, he
plunged among the elks, and soon threw a lasso over
the neck of one of the little ones; while the others
turned and ran down the ravine. I sprang forward
and took the lasso, while the Spaniard pursued the re
treating band, and managed to overtake and lasso a
second little one; so that the result of this hunt was
three old ones killed, and two young ones captured,
both of which I subsequently managed to raise.
The next day, having jerked the elk-meat and left
it to dry, the Spaniard and I ascended the mountains
for the purpose of seeing the wild cattle again; and
we soon came upon a herd of fifteen or twenty. I
tried to induce the old man to lasso one of them; but
he replied that it would be impossible, as the ground
was too rough and the cattle too strong and desperate
to attack in that way. Giving up this idea, therefore, I
crept around among the rocks within range, and fired
at a bull, which I wounded so badly that he was not
able to keep up with the flying herd; and with
another ball I managed to kill him. He was a great
curiosity to me, and differed so much from ordinary
cattle that I felt almost disposed to believe him of a
new species. It is generally considered that these
cattle are the offspring of cows which escaped many
years ago from the rancheros in the valleys, and that
they have become perfectly wild. Be this as it may,
their hides are thicker, their hair longer and shaggier,
and their eyes more like those of the buffalo than those
of any domestic cattle. The horns are very large,
and I have frequently regretted that I left those of

joaquin's valley. 333
this bull lying, when I might so easily have packed
them with the meat to camp, and hauled them along
with my other curiosities.
Upon reaching camp again, I concluded that it was
time to resume the journey towards Kern River; and
accordingly, the next day, after making the old Span
iard some acceptable presents, we hitched up, and
passed out of the valley by the same road by which
we had entered it, and then travelled towards the
San Joaquin River over a hot, sandy, waterless plain.
We must have gone, I think, about thirty miles, when
Ben Franklin exhibited so much fatigue that we were
compelled to stop. There were no signs of water,
except a line of cotton-wood trees away off to the
east, showing the line of the river; and, for fear we
could not reach it, I sent Drury ahead on horseback
with a leather bag, directing him to fill it and return
as quickly as possible. As soon as he was gone, I
started slowly ahead, encouraging my jaded animals
as much as possible; but in a few miles was again
compelled to stop, finding that Ben had entirely given
out. The poor fellow's feet were dreadfully blistered
by the hot sand, and do what I might he refused to
budge. I wound pieces of cloth about his paws, but
they did no good; he stretched himself out, and could
not, or would not, march any further.

334 TULARE LAKE AND KERN RIVER.

CHAPTER XVII.
TULARE LAKE AND KERN RIVER.
The Condition of Ben Franklin. Procurement of Water. Search for
Ben at Night. Loading Ben on the Wagon. Doctoring of Ben.
His Moccasins. The Tulare Country. The Rivers. Game. An
Indian Village. Visit to an Island. An Indian Canoe. Birds.
Drury's Adventure with an Elk. Capture of a Fawn. Return to
the Village. Travel. Mustangs. The Four Creeks. Kern River
Mines. A Day in the Mines. My Determination. Discovery of
three Grizzlies. Attack upon them. Ben and Rambler in the
Fight. A Grizzly at Bay. Ben and Rambler on the Track. Find
ing of the Bear. Rashness of the Attack. Adventure with a
cowardly Grizzly Dam. Capture of the Cubs. A moonlight Ad
venture with a Grizzly. Ben in Combat. Death of the Enemy.
The condition of my poor Ben, as he lay panting
on the sand of the San Joaquin plains, unable to fol
low me any further, and looking up affectionately, but
despairingly, from the midst of his pain, in my face,
grieved me to the heart, and gave me great uneasi
ness. He was my favorite; I could well have spared
any other animal rather than Ben; and I feared he
would die. I reproached myself for having brought
no water along, but as the fault could not be helped
by reproaches, I hastily split some pieces of board
from my wagon, and erecting a frame and throwing a
large blanket over it, so as to make shade, left Ben and
Rambler there, and then I drove on with the intention
of procuring water and returning more speedily than
Drury, who had no interests at stake, would be dis-

TULARE LAKE AND KERN RIVER. 335
posed to do. In the course of four or five miles I
met Drury with his bag of water; and, hastily handing
him the reins, with directions to drive on, I mounted
the horse and galloped back to where Ben lay suffer
ing. It was dark when I reached him, and to all ap
pearance he had not moved from the position in which
I left him. He had life enough, however, to express
his gratitude, and drank several quarts of water with
avidity. I then endeavored to coax him along, and
he took a few steps; but neither flattery nor blows
could induce him to move far.
Seeing that it was impossible to get him along, I
again let him lie, and rode ahead for the wagon, which
I found at the side of a spring. The mules and
horses were turned out to graze, and Drury was lying
asleep at the fire, which he had hastily kindled. I
roused him, and ordered him to assist in hitching up
the wagon again, to go back for Ben. He obeyed,
and we soon unloaded the heaviest of our articles,
and, leaving them at the spring, drove back. As the
country, however, was new to us, and the night dark,
we by some means or other missed the way, and could
see no signs of what we sought. We looked about
all night till daylight, but there was no Ben in sight.
I at last sent Drury in one direction and myself took
another, by which means we succeeded in a few hours
in finding the trail, and finally discovered the bear
lying under his blanket. We gave him water again,
but still he could not walk, and we had to place him
in the wagon, — which could not be done without some
difficulty, as by that time he would weigh in the

336 TULARE LAKE AND KERN RIVER.
neighborhood of four hundred pounds. When at last
we did get him in, partly by our own strength and
partly by his assistance, we drove on to the spring,
and camped.
On account of the bear's condition, we were com
pelled to remain two days at this spring, during which
time I doctored him. My treatment met with suc
cess, and we soon got him on his legs again. In the
meanwhile, as his feet continued sore, I made mocca
sins, as I had done on the Humboldt plains, and
poured bear's oil in them, — which was an excellent
salve for the blisters. The moccasins were bound
tightly to the feet, and a muzzle was put over the
nose, to prevent him from tearing them off. They
worked well, and on the third day after reaching the
spring we hitched up again, and drove on to the edge
of Tulare Lake.
The head of the San Joaquin Valley consists of a
vast area of nearly level country, inclosing several
lakes, the largest of which bears the name of Tulare,
— an extensive body of water, surrounded by a sel
vage, many miles in extent, of tules, or bulrushes.
There appears to be a drainage from the lake into the
San Joaquin River, but no large stream; and at the
time I passed, though there were some sloughs with
water in them, I may almost say that we crossed the
valley dry shod. We could see nothing of the lake
itself, but miles after miles of tule country spread out
before us; and far to the east we saw a line of trees,
which denoted the position of King's River. As we
passed along, we heard the whistling of elks in the

TULARE LAKE AND KERN RIVER. 337
tules, but did not stop. We proceeded on around the
end of the lake, until we arrived in the timber on
King's River, where we camped.
The rivers in this part of the country are very pe
culiar. After leaving the Sierra Nevada, they divide
into a number of branches, in some instances reunit
ing, and in others running separate to the lake.
King's River reunites; but the next stream, called
Four Creeks, after leaving the mountains as one
stream, divides into four, which spread out from one
another like the ribs of an open fan. Their banks are
timbered, and particularly those of the Four Creeks,
which presents a most beautiful and rich valley, full
of fertile land and fine timber. The King's River
country is rolling and rather barren, but in the neigh
borhood of the lake there is timber and tule, and
game is plenty. We stopped there several days, and
killed a number of elks, besides capturing one young
one, which we placed by the side of the others that
we had brought with us in our wagon from the Coast
Range. On the borders of the lake, near the mouth of
King's River, there was an Indian village, which we
visited on the day after our arrival in the neighbor
hood. There were about a hundred Indians in it at
that time, and I engaged two boys of them to take me
to an island in the lake, where there was said to be elks
in abundance, and birds of various kinds in astonish
ing plenty. We set out on foot from the village,
where I left my animals, and, after wading through
the tules nearly a mile, reached a canoe, which was

338 TULARE LAKE AND KERN RIVER.
made of several logs fastened together side by side,
and calked with tules and mud. In this, we crossed
an arm of the lake, and landed on a small wooded
island, which was a place of birds indeed. There
were birds in almost incredible numbers, — ducks,
geese, swans, cranes, curlews, snipes, and various
other kinds, in all stages of growth, and eggs by thou
sands among the grass and tules. There were also
beavers' works in every direction; and we saw also
elks in numbers, which fled into the tules at our
approach. Upon reaching the island, the Indian boys at once
began gathering up young birds and eggs; but Drury
and I pursued the elks, one of which I killed outright.
Drury managed to wound a second, and, after reload
ing, followed it into the reeds for another shot; but
the animal turned upon him, and struck him down
into the mud. He roared for help, and I rushed to
his assistance, in time to kill the elk and save his life.
As I pulled him out of the mire, notwithstanding the
serious nature of the accident, I could not help laugh
ing at the pitiful face he made; but he took my laugh
ing as an offence, and became so very sulky that for
the remainder of the hunt I had to do all the work
alone. While, therefore, Drury sat on the grass
doing nothing, I took my rifle and rambled out among
the small mounds which rose here and there among
the tules, after more elks. While creeping along, I
happened to see a fawn a few days old, which was so
well hidden away that had it not been by mere
chance I would not have seen him. His body lay

TULARE LAKE AND KERN RIVER. 339
flat, almost entirely covered with young tules, and only
his eyes peeped out. I feared frightening him, but
slyly laying aside my rifle, and creeping up, I made
a sudden leap, and seized him. He however bleated
so loudly that, fearing his cries would attract his dam
to dispute my prize, and make a combat necessary, I
held his jaws, and muzzled him. Soon afterwards we
embarked again in the canoe, with the fawn, the
slaughtered elks, and an immense quantity of young
birds and eggs, and returned to the village, where the
Indians gathered around, and discussed our successful
hunting with great interest. Altogether, this island
hunt was as pleasant and interesting to me as any I
had enjoyed during the season.
The next day we proceeded on our journey. We
travelled over a rather barren country, with the tule
marshes to our right, and the white line of the Sierra
Nevada far to our left. We passed a band of splen
did mustang horses, to which we gave chase for a
short distance without being able to overtake them,
and then proceeded on our way southward. The
next day we reached the Four Creeks, where there
was scenery of a very beautiful description, and a
country rich, well timbered, and well stocked with
game; but as we were now well provided, and there
was no advantage to be gained by delaying, we pushed
on from this point for a number of days, until we ar
rived in the neighborhood of the Kern River mines,
where we camped.
The whole of the next day after reaching the
mines, I spent among the miners, looking at their

340 TULARE LAKE AND KERN RIVER.
work, hearing them talk about their claims, and exam
ining their returns. From this one day's investiga
tion, I became satisfied that there was nothing to be
done at mining. There were, however, a large num
ber of persons in the region who had to be fed; and
I at once determined to turn my attention to hunting
and supplying game, which brought a good price.
The very next day, accordingly, I forded Kern River,
and proceeded about ten miles into the mountainous
country beyond; where, finding the signs of bears
and deer in abundance, I made a general camp, and
prepared for general hunting.
The next morning early, I started out, accompanied
by Drury, my bear Ben, and my dog Rambler, on a
hunt. In a short time, we saw three large grizzlies
feeding among the chaparral on the side of a rocky
ravine. They were far off, and it was difficult to ap
proach on account of the brush; but, creeping around,
followed by my companions, I got within sixty or
seventy yards. The bears, in the mean time, evidently
suspected danger, and began snuffing the air, rising
upon their hind legs, and looking about as if to see
where it was. I gave them, however, little time to
consider their situation; for, drawing my rifle and
firing, I bored the nearest through the heart. As he
fell, I seized Drury's rifle and fired at the second,
when the third turned and fled. The second bear
was evidently wounded, and I urged on Ben and
Rambler, who were uneasily waiting my permission
to rush forward. It required but a word, when the
faithful creatures bounded forth; and a terrific com-

TULARE LAKE AND KERN RIVER. 341
bat took place between Ben and the wounded bear.
Meanwhile, I had drawn my knife, and was rushing
forward through the brush to assist Ben, when the
enemy suddenly turned tail and plunged down the
ravine, with Ben and Rambler at his heels. I fol
lowed, and, upon reaching them, found the bear at
bay, with his back in a dark hole which was choked
up with rocks and brush, while Ben and Rambler
were attacking him in front. I reloaded as quickly
as possible, while they were snapping at each other,
and fired again, but under so great a state of excite
ment as to miss my mark; and the bear again put
off, followed by Ben and Rambler as before. We
pursued at least half a mile, when the country became
so rough as to be perfectly impracticable; and, re
solving to give up the chase, I called off Ben and the
dog, and returned to where the first bear had fallen.
Upon our reaching the spot, the bear was nowhere
to be seen; but a line of blood indicated the direction
in which he had crawled off. Ben and Rambler took
up the trail, and I followed them three hundred yards
through the brush, into the bottom of the. ravine, near a
pool of water, where we found the old fellow stretched
out and dead. The ball with which I struck him
had passed through his heart; and yet he lived long
enough, and had strength enough, to drag himself
thus far. He proved to be one of the largest bears
I ever shot, and I congratulated myself that the
others had not remained to make a more determined
fight. Often since then have I thought of the rash
ness of my rushing into the brush after them, and

342 TULARE LAKE AND KERN RIVER.
can only explain it by the fact that it was my first
bear fight for several weeks.
After cutting the meat up, I proceeded to the
mines and disposed of it, together with a quantity
of venison which I had killed. In a day or two after
wards, we had another bear adventure. On this
occasion, we came upon a female grizzly and two
young cubs, playing on a hill-side. I fired, and
wounded the dam, and then set Ben and Rambler
on her; but the cowardly thing ran, and deserted her
cubs, — an action which a bear of more northern lat
itudes would not be guilty of. It is only in the south,
where heat enervates the species, that such despi
cable natures exist. As the dam ran, Ben followed
her; but Rambler seized one cub by the ear, and
held it till I came up. We then rushed at the other,
and, with some chasing, succeeded in securing it also.
We then called Ben back and returned to camp.
A few evenings after this, having shot a deer near
camp, I went out upon a mule by moonlight to pack
it in. Upon approaching it, I heard a noise, and,
after listening a few moments, satisfied myself that a
bear was making his supper of the game. I dis
mounted, and, motioning Ben and Rambler to keep
behind, I crept up within fair distance, and fired as
well as I could in such a poor light. Fortunately, the
ball struck the bear a serious blow, and I allowed Ben
and Rambler to rush forward. Ben seized hold im
mediately, and a pretty even fight took place; Ben
sometimes on top, and the other sometimes. I ran
up within three or four yards, so that it was easy to

TULARE LAKE AND KERN RIVER. 343
distinguish between them, Ben being considerably
the darker in color. As the struggle went on, Ben
suddenly threw his adversary on the ground, when,
seizing the opportunity, I fired a pistol ball into the
latter, and soon afterwards managed to thrust my
knife also into him. He fought well, but I think Ben
could have vanquished him in a fair fight.

344 THE TEJON.

CHAPTER XVIII.
THE TEJON.
Advance towards the Tejon. Adventure with a cinnamon Bear and
Cubs. Capture of the Cubs. Rambler's faithful Intelligence.
Attack of Sickness. Raging Fever. Errand of Drury. Return of
the Chills. Delirium. Feverous Imaginations. A Visitor. The
Old Spaniard's Prescription. Willow Bark and red Pepper. More
Visitors. A terrific Scream at Midnight. Effect of the Word
"Tarantula." A Scorpion. Condition of the old Spaniard. The
best Medicine in the World. Tobacco and Snakeweed. Symptoms
of a perfect Cure. Mountain Therapeutics. Origin of my Disease.
Drury's Idleness and Vice. Pictures in the Coals. Return of
Drury. His pitiful Story. His Confusion. Over the Mountains.
The Sand Ocean. A midnight Visitor. A majestic Animal.
A few days after the last adventure, business be
coming dull about Kern River, I struck my camp;
and, taking all my animals and goods, such as were
not consumed or disposed of at the mines, I proceeded
towards the Tejon Pass. It is in the neighborhood of
this place that the Sierra Nevada and Coast Range
mountains interlock their rugged chains. My object
here was to hunt cinnamon or red bears, which were
reported to be found in abundance in the region.
After travelling a few days, and approaching within
about thirty miles of the Pass, we camped.
Upon making an early morning excursion into the
hills, we soon came across an old bear and three cubs
of the desired species. Their fur was long and wav
ing, and looked beautiful and glossy in the rays
of the morning sun. I crept up without being ob-

THE TEJON. 345
served and shot the dam; when Ben and Rambler
rushed forward, first at the old bear, but finding her
dead, then into the bush after the cubs, which had
endeavored to hide themselves. In a few minutes
Ben seized one of the cubs and shook it dreadfully.
I ran up to save it, when a second cub jumped up be
fore me, which I seized in one hand, and rushing up
to Ben made him drop the first; but it was too late,
his teeth had crushed its ribs, and the poor thing after
a few gasps expired.
In the mean time Rambler had ferreted out the
third cub, and now had his paw upon it, and appeared
to be biting it in the neck. As I approached and
seized his prize, the sagacious dog looked up with a
most expressive face and wagged his tail, as much as
to assure me he had done his duty faithfully, which
indeed he had; for I received the cub uninjured.
We soon had the two secured; and packing the dead
ones upon mules, carrying the others, we returned to
camp. The same day, after a hearty dinner of bear's meat,
I started out for an evening hunt; but soon began to
feel queer, though I did not know what was the mat
ter. The farther I went the worse I felt, and at last,
becoming very weak, I sat down to rest; but, con
tinuing to grow worse, I got up again and attempted
to return. By this time, however, , my head ached
dreadfully; and, after a few steps, I was compelled
to sit down again, and all at once was taken with a
violent shivering and shaking. Being unable to pro
ceed I lay down until the chill was over, when a burn-

346 THE TEJON.
ing fever came on; but nevertheless I managed by de
grees to crawl back to camp, where I immediately
turned into my blankets. During the entire night a
fearful fever raged in my veins, and a dreadful head
ache drove me almost to distraction. Indeed, I found
that I had a severe attack of chills and fever.
The next morning the first thing I did was to dis
patch Drury on a mule to the Government post at the
Tejon Pass, to purchase quinine, and he started off.
I hardly knew what to do during his absence; but,
as it happened, the chills did not return that day
The next, however, they came back with increased
violence. Upon feeling their approach, I placed my
self in the sun, and piled all the clothing and skins I
could rake and scrape together on top of me; still I
shook as if I were going to shake to pieces. In the
course of a few hours my head ached as if it would
split open, and then a distracting fever came on, when
I became delirious, and dreamed the most dreadful
dreams, — in the midst of whieh I appeared to wake by
fits and starts and see strange sights. At one time I
thought I was burning up with thirst in the Colorado
desert; at another time I was fighting the judges and
lawyers of Sonora; and at another I thought I was
having a desperate encounter with a grizzly in the
mountains, and that he was literally tearing the
flesh from my bones. Again I imagined that I was
condemned, although not conscious of having ever
wronged my fellow-man, and was suffering the most
excruciating pains in the place of torture. How long
these dreams lasted I do not know, but it seems that

THE TEJON. 347
I must have passed by degrees into a kind of stupor;
for about dark I was roused from a deep sleep by a
violent shake and some one calling, "Americano!
Americano." I raised myself, and found before me
an old Spaniard, who by chance had stopped at my
camp on his way from the Tejon to the Tulare
country. The old stranger asked permission to pass the night
with me, which I gladly accorded. I was now per
fectly conscious again, and described to him my con
dition. He said that he thought he could cure me,
and immediately went to work preparing a mess, con
taining liberal quantities of willow bark and red pep
per, which he told me to swallow. I tasted the mix
ture, and remarked that it was too hot. He replied
that it was just right; and I at length worried the
horrible stuff down. The old man then, at my direc
tion, made himself a cup of coffee, and we both turned
into our blankets. I slept quietly till midnight, when
two more Spaniards, attracted by our fire, rode up,
and asked to stay the night, — a request which I
never refused. I told them to help themselves to
supper; and when they had done so, they also turned
into their blankets on the other side of the fire, by the
side of the old man, and we were soon all soundly
asleep. How long after this it was I know not, but I was
in a profound repose, when a piercing shriek from
the old Spaniard suddenly aroused me. Supposing
that some diabolical murder was going on. I sprang
to my feet in an instant, entirely forgetful of my sick-

348 THE TEJON.
ness, and seizing my rifle in one hand, and drawing
my bowie-knife with the other, I stood on the defen
sive. It was starlight, and I could see a movement
among the Spaniards, but it was too dark to ascertain
exactly what the trouble was. I, however, called out
in a loud tone to know the difficulty, when one of the
Spaniards replied, that the old man was bitten by a
tarantula. The very name of this poisonous spider,
shocked my whole system, and caused the blood to
run cold to the extremities of my body; the idea of
the miserable death he would have to die, almost over
powered me; and for a few minutes I had not the
power to move to his relief. But as the shock passed
off, I seized a torch and passed over to the old man,
who was sitting up, gasping and looking ghastly pale.
I supposed he was dying, but mechanically turned to
the blankets, and remarking that I had seen no taran
tulas in this part of the country as yet, turned them
open, when out fell — a wounded scorpion.
The old man supposed, as we all did, that death
was upon him; but the moment he heard the word
scorpion, he brightened up in an instant, and when I
held the reptile up before him, it acted as well as the
best medicine in the world could have done; for he
well knew that a scorpion's sting is not necessarily
fatal. We then examined the wound, which was in
the thigh, but fortunately not near any large or im
portant blood-vessel, though it was already dreadfully
inflamed and swollen. The Spaniards remarked that
tobacco was good for such a wound, to which I re
plied yes, but I had something better, — referring to a

THE TEJON. 349
weed which is used by the Indians in cases of rattle
snake bites, a supply of which I carried in my wagon,
and proceeded at once to get it, together with a plug
of tobacco. These we picked to pieces, and made a
poultice of them, with which we bound the wound,
and then gave the patient tea made of the snake-weed
to drink. Whether the medicine cured the wound or
not, it might perhaps be difficult to tell with certainty;
but the next day, after a good long sleep, the old man
eat a remarkably hearty dinner of roast bear meat,
and pronounced it mucho bueno. — He was cured.
For a day or two after this, I continued doctoring
myself according to the old man's prescriptions, and
with an eventual very good result. I took the
pounded bark of common willow, and made a strong
infusion, which I drank upon feeling the premonitory
chill on the next regular day of attack. It seemed
to break the disease; and, subsequently, when a
slight fever came on, I crept down to the creek, upon
which I lay camped, and took not only a hearty drink,
but at the same time washed my head and shoulders
repeatedly. This treatment, although contrary per
haps to all the rules of therapeutics, worked admira
bly; as the fever went down, I returned to my blank
ets, and was soon in a sound and healthy slumber; and
I was never afterwards troubled with chills and fever.
This attack of ague, the origin of which was,
doubtless, my constant exposure, for some weeks
previously, to the malarious atmosphere of the Tulare
marshes, broke up my hunting on the San Joaquin
side of the mountains ; and I determined at once to

350 THE TEJON.
cross over to the Colorado side. I was the more
induced to do this, by news which reached me of the
conduct of Drury, whom I had sent to the Tejon for
quinine, as before stated. The idle fellow, upon
reaching the settlement, had fallen in with certain
Spanish women and Indian squaws, and, without a
thought of his duty, spent the money I had commit
ted to him, for liquor, and gave himself up to all
kinds of vice and immorality. This news gave me
great uneasiness, showing how utterly worthless he
was, and how impossible it was to place any confi
dence in him; though I had cause to expect nothing
better from his conduct, upon setting out, in the
spring, from Corral Hollow.
On the evening of the day previous to my intended
departure, as I sat crouching over my camp fire, read
ing those strange fancies which appear to spring out of
the changing hues of burning coals, I was unexpect
edly aroused by the appearance of the fellow coming
back. He saluted me as if nothing had happened,
and I returned his greetings; but my manner was
certainly not very gracious. He noticed this, and,
seeing me not so communicative as usual, volunteered
a pitiful story about having lost his mule at the settle
ment, and the great trouble he had been at to regain
it. This falsehood was merely adding insult to in
jury; and, turning towards him, I recalled his beastly
conduct in the commencement of the campaign, and
accused him of a repetition of it. I made use of
the information I had gained from others, of his
conduct at the Tejon, to confound him; and he soon

THE TEJON. 351
stood abashed and ashamed. Had it not been inhu
man to dismiss him in so wild a place, I should at
once have sent him off; but, as it was, he was allowed
to remain.
The next day, we packed up and started off into the
mountains; and, after several days of travelling over
a rough country of cliffs, ledges, and rocky places,
arrived at the mouth of a gorge on the southern slope
of the mountains. In the upper part of this gorge
there was a spring, but the place was too rough to
reach it with our wagon; and we were therefore con
strained to leave it below, and pack our goods up
to the spring, where we pitched our general camp.
From this point the Great Basin, like a sandy sea,
was seen lying at our feet; and, from our height, we
could look out over the dreary, desert expanse, with
the feelings of men who view the ocean, — knowing
that but a fraction was seen, and that uncounted miles
lay beyond, with their curious and strange wonders:
We were weary with the labors of the day, and
turning into our blankets early, fell into a deep sleep.
I was suddenly aroused at midnight by a fearful snuff
ing and snorting among my animals; but what to
make of the noise I knew not, except that there was
danger at hand. It was starlight, but too dark to
see; and raising myself in my blankets and seizing
my rifle, I listened with all attention. In a short
time, I distinctly heard the lapping of water at the
spring, which was about fifty yards distant; and,
looking in that direction, beheld two spots, like balls
of fire, glaring at me. I expected an encounter, and

352 THE TEJON.
prepared myself for it; but the stranger beast unex
pectedly, after uttering a low growl, turned and lei
surely retreated, as if he did not deign to attack,
much less to fear me. I could see that he was of
large size, — a majestic animal of the lion genus; but
this was all I could see.

THE JAGUAR.

JAGUARS. 353

CHAPTER XIX.
JAGUARS.
Excitement of my Imagination. Following the Track. Discovery of
the Den. Appearance of the Den. My Plan of Attack. The Coun
try round about. Mountain Sheep. Watchfulness of Mountain
Sheep. Attack upon them. Its Result. Coyotes upon my Track.
A Coyote summarily disposed of by Ben and Rambler. Search for
Timber. Packing Timber up the Mountains. Horseback, Mule-
back, and Bearback. Commence Trap-building in the Gorge. A
Roar at Night. Indications of a strange Animal. Progress and
Completion of the Trap. On watch with Lady Washington, Ben,
and Rambler. The Roar again. Spotted Animals of the Tiger
kind. A lordly Voice. Movements of the Animals. Construction
of a Pit-fall. View of the Animals. Conjugal Attentions. Love
throughout the Animal Creation. Characteristics of the Ani
mals. Their Sagacity. Avoidance of the Snares. My Ill-success.
Worsted in a Fight. Jaguars.
My curiosity, as well as my love of adventure, was
so much excited by the sight of the magnificent but
unknown beast, that during the remainder of the
night I could think of nothing else. My imagination
presented me with the picture of an animal whose
capture would exceed in interest all the adventures of
my previous days; and no sooner was it light in the
morning than I started out with Ben and Rambler to
follow the track and reconnoitre the country. The
trail led us four or five miles over a rough country,
and at last into a gorge, — one of the roughest and
craggiest places man's eyes ever beheld. The only
way I could work through it, was by crawling, clam-

354 JAGUARS.
bering, climbing, and pulling myself from cliff to cliff,
and thus getting along by slow degrees. In among
the huge rocks, which were scattered all over the
country, there was here and there a space of soft
earth, where the prints of the animal's feet were
plainly to be seen; and it was by these marks that I
pursued the trail into the gorge. Here the marks
were better defined; and after following them across
the gorge up to the face of a ledge of rocks, I came
to a cave, which there was no difficulty in recognizing
as the den of the animal.
The cave was elevated on one side of the cliff, so
that a man could with difficulty reach it. In its
mouth, and scattered below it, were multitudes of
bones and skeletons of various kinds of animals, and
among others, of mountain sheep, making the place
look like the yard of a slaughter-house. I endeav
ored to reach the cave for the purpose of looking into
it, but was unable to do so, and therefore withdrew to
consider plans for operations, determined as I was to
leave no stone unturned in my efforts to secure the
unknown but evidently ferocious animal which made
it his haunt. Considering the matter in every point
of view, I resolved at last to build a trap on the trail,
near the den; but, there being no trees in the neigh
borhood, before proceeding farther I had to go out
and search where I could find timber.
The country in the vicinity was the roughest that
can well be conceived; and it was only with great
labor that I was enabled to climb the side of the
gorge, and pass along the ridge which separated it

JAGUARS. 355
from another of much the same character. After
travelling a few miles, however, I saw, at the distance
of four or five miles farther on, a valley containing
trees; but as the sun was now declining, I did not
visit it this evening. Turning back towards camp, on
the contrary, with the intention of taking the next
day for visiting the wood, I proceeded over the ledges
for some distance, and suddenly came in sight of a
flock of forty or fifty mountain sheep, which were
grazing on the scanty herbage of the cliffs. They
were very wary, constantly keeping their eyes about
them. While feeding, they would slap their heads
down, pick up a bunch of grass, and then look around
as they were chewing; and thus they seemed to be
continually on the look-out. As there was a number
of them, some heads would be up at every minute, so
that it required the greatest care not to alarm them.
With extreme caution I managed to creep upon them,
and taking two in range, fired. My rifle had been
loaded heavily, in expectation of larger game, and the
ball passed through the heart of one sheep into the
neck of the other; so that I got two with one bullet.
The remainder of the flock of course scampered off
at the fire; and as it was impossible to pursue and
keep up over the rocks, I did not attempt it.
After dressing the meat of those I had, I took one
hind-quarter on my shoulder, and proceeded towards
camp. It was now dark, and in the course of a few
miles I was startled by the howl of coyotes, which
were attracted by the smell of the meat, and pursued
me. Ben and Rambler, who during the whole time

356 JAGUARS.
had faithfully followed my footsteps, wished to turn
back and fight when the coyotes opened on the trail,
but for some distance I would not allow it. The coy
otes, however, became very saucy and impudent, and
at last approached very near, when I gave the word to
the bear and dog, and they turned in a moment upon
the pursuers. They both seized upon the most for
ward coyote, and in a few minutes tore him to pieces,
while the remainder of the cowardly pack ran off, and
we went the rest of the way undisturbed.
The next day I explored the country farther, and
visited the timber which I had seen the day previous,
where I found good grass and water. I at once de
termined to remove my camp to that place, and ac
cordingly did so, although it was eight or ten miles
from the den of the beast, with which my imagination
was now filled. As, however, it was the nearest tim
ber to the cave, there was no other way than to cut
the logs for our trap there, and transport them the
best way we could; and, accordingly, going to work,
we cut a number of cotton wood logs, which were
light, but at the same time sufficiently strong for
our purpose. When we had enough to pack the two
horses, two mules, and Lady Washington, • — the sticks
being about ten feet long, and six or eight inches
thick, — I fastened two on each side of each horse and
mule, and one on each side of the bear, — the logs being
tied to the saddles at one end, and the farther ends
dragging on the ground. With this singular looking
caravan, followed by Ben and Rambler, we proceeded
up the heights towards the den.

JAGUARS. 357
Most of the way was very rough and uphill, and it
took quite half a day to reach the spot pitched upon
for the trap, which was a small rocky rise in the midst
of the gorge, about a quarter of a mile from the cave.
At the same time I took up my tools, as it was my
intention to commence the work immediately; and as
soon as the animals were unloaded, I sent Drury back
with them to cut more timber, and bring it up next
day in the same manner. The bears and dog I kept
with me, and they were good company as I worked
upon the timbers in that wild and lonely region.
Upon the approach of night, I picked out a spot to
sleep, but did not allow myself a fire, for fear of dis
turbing the game. I went to sleep, but in the course
of the night was aroused by a roar, which I supposed
to be that of the beast which I was hunting; it was
loud but clear, short but piercing, different from any
roar I had ever heard; and, as a new fact in regard
to the beast, it added to my wonder, for I had already
come to the conclusion that the animal was of a differ
ent species from any I had ever known. The track
was peculiarly large and firm, indicating an animal of
great strength and noble bearing.
It is unnecessary to detail day after day the prog
ress of my trap building here, and the slow and tedious
manner in which we had to transport our timber from
a distance of eight miles. Suffice it to say that the
arduous undertaking was at length accomplished, and
the trap completed. No sooner was it finished and
baited, than I picked out a hiding-place, about three
hundred yards from the cave, and in such a position

358 JAGUARS.
that I could see the length of the trail, the trap, and
the den; such a place, indeed, as would give me a
full and fair view of all that took place in the gorge.
Taking Lady Washington, Ben, and Rambler to this
place, I tied them together, and seating myself at the
side of them with my blanket about me, I determined
to watch the first night and see how the trap would
work. There was at this time a new moon, and the gorge,
a doleful place even in daylight, was darker than I
liked; nevertheless, I could see if any animal passed
the trail, and this would be some satisfaction. I there
fore watched the twilight passing over the mountains,
and saw it grow dusky, and at length dark, when,
overpowered by the fatigues of the day, I curled
down by the side of Ben, and fell into a slumber.
Barely were my eyes closed, however, when a roar
roused me, and I started up and strained my eyes
along the trail from the den to the trap, but could see
nothing. In a few minutes the roar was repeated,
but in an apparently subdued tone; and directing my
eyes in the direction from which it proceeded, I saw
a spotted animal, resembling a tiger in size and form,
with two young ones. The view was very indistinct,
but I could see that the animal was crawling out of
the rocks. She went ahead for a little distance, then
turned around, and appeared to call the little ones,
which followed, playing like kittens. My first thought
was to kill her and catch the young; — and I have
often regretted since that I did not take the risks and
fire; but I considered that the trap which we had

JAGUARS. 359
built, would be both a safer and a more certain
method to secure them.
Remaining silent, therefore, I watched the beasts
disappear in the darkness, and neither saw nor heard
anything more of them till near morning, when I was
aroused by the same masculine roar, which I had
heard two or three nights before. I recognized it im
mediately, and strained my eyes to see the possessor
of that lordly voice. It was, however, so dark that I
could not see, though I distinctly heard the tramp of
the beast; and it seemed that he was accompanied
by his consort and the young ones, which I had seen
in the evening. It was evident to me that they had
passed near the trap, but they had not entered it;
and on examining the tracks in the daytime, I found
that they had passed around it.
Seeing thus that the trap had been passed by, I
determined to dig a pit with a falling door; and, ac
cordingly, going to work, in the course of a few days
we completed such a trap, eight feet long, six feet
broad, and ten feet deep; and fixed a door over it,
swung upon an axle in such a manner as to turn and
drop any animal, that trod upon it, into the pit. The
door was covered over with dirt, grass, and leaves in
such a manner as to resemble the ground about it;
so that I supposed it would be impossible for an
animal to detect the deception. I then hung a piece
of raw mutton over the door, and retired to my place
of concealment, to watch during the night, as usual.
Soon after dark the male animal again made his ap
pearance. As he came to the mouth of the den, he

360 JAGUARS.
looked around and snuffed the air, and then leaped
down, and going a few yards placed his paws upon a
rock, and stretched himself, yawning at the same
time as if he were waking up out of a sleep. In a
few minutes afterwards the female appeared, and ap
proaching, lapped his brawny neck. Pleased with
this conjugal attention, the male threw himself upon
the ground, and after rolling for a few minutes, stood
up, shook himself, and then, with a proud step, trod
away towards the traps; and his consort followed him.
Their manner towards each other induced the reflection
in my mind, that nature works much the same in all
species of animals; for even among human beings,
I had rarely seen a more expressive indication of con
jugal love than was exhibited here.
The male beast, as nearly as I could see, was twice
as large as the ordinary cougar, and appeared to be
covered with dark round spots of great richness and
beauty. His mien was erect and stately, and so
majestic and proud in bearing, that it was with pleas
ure I contemplated him. As he approached the pit,
my heart fluttered; now, thought I, is the time of my
success; but, alas, for my hopes! the animals, when
they reached the place, evidently suspected something
wrong; and, after smelling about suspiciously, made
a circuit and passed on. They next stopped at the
trap, which they appeared to examine attentively;
they even entered it, and I strained my eyes to see
the doors fall; but no, alas, for my hopes again! the
animals came out and went off, without disturbing the
bait, and soon disappeared over the ridge. I watched

JAGUARS. 361
the remainder of the night, but neither saw nor heard
anything more of the beasts.
For several weeks after this time, I continued mak
ing all endeavors to trap these animals. I caught
live bait, and tried to inveigle them with the choicest
morsels, but all in vain. On several occasions, subse
quent to those mentioned, I obtained a sight of the
animals, but only a passing one; and at last, confi
dent that it would be impossible to trap them, I de
termined on the first opportunity to shoot. The male
I never afterwards saw; but the female and her cubs
I unexpectedly came across one day, in a gorge far
removed from the one containing the den. Ben and
Rambler were with me at the time; and, as I fired
upon her, they bounded forward and engaged with
her in a terrific combat, but she tore them dreadfully,
and managed to escape. Poor Ben was so badly in
jured in the encounter, as to require my surgical care
and assistance for a week or more afterwards; but,
though I hunted and hunted, I could find no more
trace of the beasts, or of any animals like them. I
was, therefore, not able then, nor am I able now, to
pronounce with certainty upon their character. If
they were not jaguars, which had strayed up beyond
the usual range, I know not what to call them.

362 THE COAST RANGE AGAIN — CONCLUSION.

CHAPTER XX
THE COAST RANGE AGAIN — CONCLUSION.
Returning to Winter-quarters. Mustang Country. Loss of my Horses.
Despondency. Dependence on my Mules. Mustang Hunting.
Horse Flesh. Travel. Moonlight View on the Salinas River.
Imprudence. An Upset. Further Imprudence. Stalled in the
Quicksands. Packing ashore. Amusement of the People. In
terest in the Animals. Progress. The Animals. Consideration
for Dog-fanciers. Another Upset. Injuries to Animals. Repair
of Damages. On the Way again. A Grizzly-troubled Ranch.
Indications of a huge Bear. My Preparations for an Attack. On
the Watch with Ben and Rambler. Appearance of the Bear. Zeal
of Ben and Rambler. Our Attack upon the Bear. The Combat.
Death of the Enemy. Delight of the Spaniards. Heroism now-a-
days. Arrival at San Jose*. Exhibitions. The Pacific Museum.
My Animals around me. Recollections of my Adventures. The
End. My last Wish.
The fall now approached, and the rains might soon
be expected, so that we prepared to return to winter-
quarters, either in Corral Hollow, or in my favorite
ground in the Sierra Nevada. Accordingly, gather
ing up and packing our animals, we hitched up our
wagon, and took the road over the mountains back to
the Tejon, and thence to the west of Kern Lake, in
tending to take the west side of the Coast Range of
mountains on our way back.
In a day or two after leaving the Tejon, we came
to a camp of persons engaged in catching mustang
horses, — multitudes of which covered the country in
all directions. Here, unfortunately, during my ab
sence hunting in the neighborhood, Drury allowed

THE COAST RANGE AGAIN — CONCLUSION. 363
my two horses to break away and get among the mus
tangs. I knew it was doubtful whether I would ever
recover them again; and the most desponding thoughts
took possession of me for a while. I could expect
nothing better of the fellow; but to think that I had
passed through so much, and to lose them at last
under such circumstances, appeared to me a peculiar
hardship; and for several days I was morose to the
last degree. However, I searched the country far
and near, and used every possible exertion to recover
them, but all to no purpose; I could neither see nor
find a trace of them, and at length gave them up
and turned my hope and trust to the mules, — those
patient animals which had stood by me so long.
While in this country, I made several excursions
after mustangs, and succeeded in shooting a number.
They were small, but in good condition, and their
flesh made very good eating; indeed, many an excel
lent steak of horseflesh have I enjoyed. I also dried
a quantity of it for provisions upon my travel. After
thus preparing ourselves, finding that our horses were
irretrievably gone, we struck towards the mountains,
with the mules alone attached to the wagon; and,
travelling among them for five or six days, we came
to the neighborhood of the mission of San Miguel, on
the Salinas River. It was moonlight when we came
in sight of the village, which we saw lying about a
mile below us, with the shining stream not far off;
all presenting a peaceful moonlight picture of great
beauty. It was certainly imprudent in us to attempt to

364 THE COAST RANGE AGAIN — CONCLUSION.
descend so steep a hill, as that upon which we ap
proached the place, in the night time; but we wished
to reach the river bank, and determined to try it.
As we might have expected, notwithstanding all our
precautions, and Drury's hanging to a hind wheel, we
had not got more than half way down, when over
went wagon, mules, bears, Drury, and all, tumbling
everything helter-skelter; but, fortunately, injuring
nothing seriously. It had been my luck to be upset
more than once before; and I may say that I was
used to it. Without delay, therefore, I went indus
triously to work, and gathered up the scattered arti
cles and the frightened animals; and towards morn
ing, having again got in travelling plight, pushed on
to the river. The stream seemed shallow, and I
thought I might as well cross and camp on the far
ther side; but, as it happened, we got into sand in
the river, and, as I foolishly stopped to allow the
mules to drink, the wagon wheels sank. When I
urged the mules on again, I found that we were not
only fast, but that the wheels had sunk over their
hubs. There was no use geeing and hawing; and,
in fine, all that could be done was to unhitch, drive
the mules out, and carry the animals and goods to
shore the best way we could. Luck seemed to be
against us; but we worked on in spite of it, and suc
ceeded, by dawn, in getting everything ashore but
the wagon. Leaving that to take care of itself in
the river, being very tired, we rolled ourselves in
our blankets, and, weary and wayworn, soon fell
asleep.

THE COAST RANGE AGAIN — CONCLUSION. 365
As the day advanced, the people of the mission
beheld the curious spectacle we presented; and we
were roused, after a few hours' sleep, by a troop of
Spaniards and others, who came up laughing and
making merry over our misfortune. We were well
chastened by this time, and bore their sport with
patience; indeed, we joined in the laugh, which was
a good-natured one. When it was over, the people
offered to help us; and, with their aid and that of
several horses, we pulled our wagon out of the sands,
and soon had it packed again. The people viewed
my curiosities, and particularly the bears, with the
liveliest interest, and seemed so much pleased that
they invited me to dine with them. I would fain
have eaten a civilized dinner, just for a change, but
my expedition had left my garments in a rather un
presentable condition. I had therefore, on account
of the shabbiness of my dress, to decline their gen
erous offer, — and drove on.
On my way through the settled portions of the
country, the people all expressed great curiosity to
see my animals, and gave me milk to feed the small
ones. For some reason or other, however, this diet
did not suit them, and several died. As for the Lady
and Ben and Rambler, they thrived well all the way.
I allowed them to follow me at liberty a portion of the
road, until we came in neighborhoods where dogs
were kept, when I found it prudent to tie them up.
This I did, not for their own protection, as they could
vanquish any number of dogs, but to prevent difficul
ties with dog-fanciers, that irritable class of individ-

366 THE COAST RANGE AGAIN — CONCLUSION.
uals, who are often more ready to fight for an affront
to their puppies than for an insult to themselves.
We travelled on thus for several days, and at last
came to' a sideling hill which skirted the river. While
passing this place, one of the mules balked, and sud
denly wheeling down hill, we toppled on the brink. I
saw in an instant that we must go over; and, drop
ping the reins, I jumped out in time to save myself;
but the wagon tumbled on the mules, and then down
into the river, making an almost perfect wreck, break
ing the bed and tongue in several places, killing a
young deer and elk, fracturing the leg of a small
bear, and severely injuring one of the mules, which it
dragged down with it. Here again was I the victim
of misfortune; it seemed truly as if only bad luck
was in store for me; and had it not been absolutely
necessary for the preservation of my animals to exert
myself with vigor, I should have been discouraged;
but, as had happened twice before, we soon began
getting the animals together, gathering up our scat
tered luggage, and repairing damages to the best of
our ability.
After making a new tongue, mending the bed, and
repacking the wagon, we drove on upon the main
road towards San Jos6. The injured mule, however,
was so lame, that our progress was very slow, and we
felt compelled to stop at the first ranch we came to,
where I determined to lay over for a few days to
recuperate. At this place, as it happened, the ran-
chero complained that he was greatly troubled by a
grizzly bear that killed his calves; and he desired to

THE COAST RANGE AGAIN — • CONCLUSION. 367
know of me whether I could help him. I replied that
I would gladly undertake to rid him of the trouble
some visitor; and we forthwith proceeded to the cor
ral, or cattle-pen, where he showed me the body of a
calf which had been killed by the grizzly the previous
night. Upon inspecting the tracks about the place,
I found unmistakable evidences that the bear was a
large one, not unworthy the honor of a meeting; and
forthwith I made arrangements for an encounter with
him. The corral was a pen about five feet high, made of
perpendicular wooden stakes, which were driven firm
ly into the ground, and lashed together with raw-hide
strips; and it was in this enclosure that the calf lay.
I directed the other calves and cattle to be driven
out, so as to leave the body of the calf there alone,
and, when evening came on, all the dogs about the
place to be tied up, and the Spaniards to retire to
their beds. As it grew dusk, I concealed myself,
with Ben and Rambler, in a pile of logs near the cor
ral, and commenced my watch.
It was a beautiful moonlight night, and I could per
ceive with considerable distinctness for some distance.
I think it must have been about ten o'clock when the
bear made his appearance. His step was bold and
apparently fearless; but as he approached the corral,
he raised his head and snuffed the air a number of
times. For a few moments I supposed that he per
ceived us, but it soon appeared that he did not; for,
approaching the side of the corral, he leaped over it
without suspicion. As he went over, which he did

368 THE COAST RANGE AGAIN — CONCLUSION.
with great ease, I could plainly see that he was a very
large animal, and that it was going to be a triumph
to kill him. I might have shot him as he went over;
but it struck me as more prudent to let him fill him
self first. It was with difficulty that I could restrain
Ben and the hound; for, not having had a fight for
some time, they were almost crazy to engage; but I
kept them back; and the bear, being busy with his
meal, did not observe our neighborhood.
As soon as I supposed he had eaten enough, I
crept forward to the side of the corral; and, placing
my rifle over the edge and taking fair aim at his
shoulder, I fired. He fell, and upon my calling to Ben
and Rambler, in an instant, they leaped the enclosure
and were upon him. They all rolled and scrabbled
together; and as soon as I could get a second load
down my rifle, I sprang forward, and watching my
opportunity, gave the old brute another ball, which,
however, did not yet kill. Meanwhile the noise, which
was terrific, aroused the Spaniard and all his house
hold; and they all came running out with their dogs;
but I peremptorily ordered them all back, and again
turned to the scene before me. The wounded brute
now had the hound in his mouth and was shaking him
dreadfully, while Ben was doing his best to attract
the enemy to himself. I at once jumped over into
the corral, and rushing up, buried my knife in the
brute's neck; when, dropping the dog, he turned upon
me and tore my buckskins; but that was all the
damage, for Ben, noble Ben, now redoubled his ener
gies and drew the beast's attention from me. As he

THE COAST RANGE AGAIN — CONCLUSION. 369
turned to Ben, I made several blows with my knife
behind his shoulder, and in a few moments rolled him
over as dead as his worst foe could have desired.
As soon as he expired, I called the Spaniards to
see the individual that had been killing their calves;
and, as they looked at him and then at me, they
exclaimed, Mucho bueno Americano, — being highly
delighted with the death of what they styled the
infernal calf-killer. As the story of the exploit got
noised about, I felt myself elevated into a personage of
considerable importance among the rancheros of the
neighborhood, and might have sported it in the region
as a hero of the Hercules type; but playing the hero
of this kind is out of fashion now-a-days, and, to use
a homely but expressive phrase, "will not pay."
In a few days after the above incident, which was
the last of what I call my adventures, we hitched up
again and proceeded to San Jos6, at which place I
began to give exhibitions. Thence I went to Santa
Clara, thence to the Red Woods, and from there came
to San Francisco, where, in the course of the next
year, I established the Pacific Museum. I have by
degrees gathered all my animals together, and have
them now, a goodly company, about me. As I look
around upon them I am reminded of the freshness
and freedom of the forests, and live over again in
imagination the golden days when I trod, in pleasure
and in joy, upon the mountain side. Lady Washing
ton, Ben Franklin, — noble Ben, and his foster-brother
Rambler; they are all here. The monster who rat
tles his chain in the cage yonder, and fairly shakes

370 THE COAST RANGE AGAIN — CONCLUSION.
the building, is Samson; and the white-coated rogue
by the side of the Indian dog is Funny Joe. The
black and cinnamon bears, the panthers, wolves,
foxes, wild cats, elks, deer, and other animals ranged
around, all these I have sufficiently spoken of before;
each recalls its own special adventure; and what
there is of pleasure in reviewing an active career, in
which I can recollect nothing to be ashamed of, that
I enjoy. As I come to the end of my book, I cannot but
reflect that my life likewise approaches its close. I
have looked on death in many forms, and trust that I
can meet it whenever it comes with a stout heart and
steady nerves. If I could choose, I would wish,
since it was my destiny to become a mountaineer and
grizzly bear hunter of California, to finish my career
in the Sierra Nevada. There would I fain lay down
with the Lady, Ben, and Rambler at my side; there,
surely, I could find rest through the long future,
among the eternal rocks and evergreen pines.

POSTSCRIPT.
To complete the foregoing narrative, a few words
remain to be added. After exhibiting his animals in
San Francisco for several years, Adariis, as stated in the
Introduction, removed to New York. He took pas
sage with them on the clipper ship Golden Fleece,
which sailed on January 7, 1860. The voyage re
quired three months and a half. Upon arrival at
New York he made a contract with Phineas T. Bamum
and thenceforth exhibited in connection with Bar-
num's shows.
The reader will remember that in the spring of
1855 Adams had a severe encounter with a grizzly
dam near his old camp in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
He was on that occasion stricken down by the brute,
and, though he finally succeeded in killing her, it was
not before she had inflicted serious wounds upon his
head and neck. At the same time his bear Ben Frank
lin, who had materially assisted him in the fight, was
also injured. Ben always afterward carried the scars
of the conflict upon his face, though they did not in
any respect disfigure him. As for Adams himself, when
his scalp-wound healed, it left a depression about the
size of a silver dollar near the top of his forehead, which
looked as if the skull underneath had been removed.
When Adams went to New York, it was without
Ben Franklin. That noble fellow, who had formed a
371

372 POSTSCRIPT.
conspicuous feature of the Pacific Museum and was a
great favorite with all visitors, had died from some
unknown cause on January 17, 1858. The event not
only affected Adams deeply, but was a subject of re
gret to the San Francisco public in general. It was
noticed at considerable length by the Evening Bulletin
of January 19, 1858, in an article entitled "Death of
a Distinguished Native Californian."
After making his arrangement with Barnum, Adams
gave exhibitions in New York for six weeks. Before
the end of that time, however, he had become a very
sick man. It was said that in the course of a severe
struggle with one of his animals on shipboard, while
doubling Cape Horn, the wound in his head had been
torn open afresh. However this may have been, it is cer
tain that, after his reaching New York, the wound
became exceedingly inflamed; fever supervened, and
Adams's condition of health became alarming. Upon
consulting a physician, he was informed that he had
not long to live, and was advised to cease labor. But
he insisted upon continuing at work and made a new
contract with Barnum to travel in connection with a
circus and give exhibitions through Connecticut and
Massachusetts during the summer of 1860. And, by
sheer force of will-power, he managed, though with dif
ficulty, to comply with his agreement.
On the completion of his contract Adams retired to
Neponset, a small town near Boston, where his rela
tives resided. Upon reaching that place the sick man
at once took to his bed; and he never rose from it
again. The excitement of the exhibition ring had

POSTSCRIPT. 373
passed away, and his vital energies sank. On the
fifth day, his physician told him he could not live until
morning. He received the announcement with ap
parent indifference; but at the request of his relatives
he sent for a clergyman.
According to Barnum — to whom we owe these last
particulars — Adams said to the clergyman that, though
he had told some pretty big stories in the exhibition
ring about his bears, "he had always endeavored to do
the straight thing between man and man." In answer
to questions about his faith, he replied: "I have at
tended preaching every day, Sundays and all, for the
last six years. Sometimes an old grizzly gave me the
sermon, sometimes it was a panther; often it was the
thunder and lightning, the tempest or the hurricane,
on the peaks of the Sierra Nevada or in the gorges of
the Rocky Mountains. But whatever preached to me,
it always taught me the majesty of the Creator and
revealed to me the undying and unchanging love of
our kind Father in Heaven. Although I am a pretty
rough customer, I fancy my heart is in about the right
place, and look with confidence for that rest which I
so much need, and which I have never enjoyed upon
earth." He then desired the clergyman to pray, after
which he took him by the hand, thanked him for his
kindness, and bade him farewell. In another hour his
spirit had taken its flight. It was said by those present
that his face lighted with a smile as the last breath es
caped him — and that smile he carried with him into
his grave.