Frontier and pioneer life -- Oregon; Frontier and pioneer life -- Washington (State)
take an observation of our latitude and longitude, and also to determine
the exact location of our camp and the best route to it. The western
side of this hill was covered with brush and fallen and dead timber.
While we were standing on the top viewing the topography of the
surrounding country, a large cinnamon bear, affrighted by our presence,
started from his lair, and in all probability his patrimonial jungle,
and dashed at a furious speed down through the brush and over the logs
and rocks of this steep side-hill. We emptied our rifles at him as he
plunged downward at such headlong speed. But one ball struck him and
that broke his right shoulder, much diminishing his speed and almost
entirely destroying his climbing powers. We soon came upon him at the
foot of the hill in a bad humor, but we quickly ended his career. He was
in fine condition; his estimated weight was from 275 to 300 pounds. We
removed the pelt, with his feet, and took them into camp as a matter of
curiosity; we also took the meat into camp, but it was not much
relished. The hide as well as most of the meat was given to begging
Indians.
At Laramie a man and his wife and one child--a little girl between seven
and eight years of age--asked permission to travel with us. The man had
started the year before, got as far as Laramie and had remained there
during the winter. His team consisted of four yoke of young oxen, well
conditioned for the trip. He had a hired man to drive them. He had a
band of forty heifers and cows. Many of the cows were giving milk;
thinking a little milk in our coffee would give it a home flavor, we
readily acceded to the request. We helped him to drive his loose stock
and do the milking. When we asked her, by politeness called his better
half, for a small quantity of milk, we found that we were dealing with a
Shylock. She had milk for sale, but not to give away. We were about to
strike when the husband intimated that our canteens were useful. We took
the hint, and after that, somehow, our coffee changed its color. To cut
this narration short, let me say that while he was six feet tall and
well proportioned, he stood still higher in the class of
antivertebrates--henpecked nincompoops--than any specimen of the genus
homo I have ever known; and she stood higher in her class of imperious
virago. How a child, sweet in her disposition, and lovable in all her
ways, could be the issue of such a union, was a mystery to us all.
Afterwards I had the pleasure of saving the little girl from drowning in
the crossing of Port Neuf near Fort Hall. A majority of the company
voted to go by way of Fort Hall and to cross the Port Neuf near its
junction with the Snake, instead of crossing it higher up, thus keeping
continuously on the highlands. I protested, but finally yielded to this
almost unanimous desire. I think the agreeable companionship of some of
the factors of the company with whom we had become acquainted, at Soda
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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