Santa Rosa High School - Echo Yearbook (Santa Rosa, CA)

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8 THE ECHO. then, as the airship glided downwards and was ready to light, he realized that he was enjoying his trip, but perhaps it was because his first flight was nearly over. Mirandy, standing up in the wagon, gazed anxiously at the machine as it glided down, saying, “They're comin’ back to earth; They're comin’! Oh, my children, ain’t we all thankful! See! they're gettin’ lower and lower; but I hope they won't be caught in those trees. Now they've lit; they've lit at last, and soon our Sill be back to us!” Five pairs of eyes gazed eagerly over the track. At last there appeared in the distance a person, at whose sight everyone smiled. Poor Si, worn out by fright, came forward, waving to his beloved ones and calling, “Oh, Mirandy, it was grea t! and ain't you proud of me?” The hearty greetings over, Si and Mirandy turned their horses home- ward, after thanking the smiling Mr. Cooke for his generosity. Si, driving with one hand, and with an arm about his Mirandy, could only say, “My goodness, but it was great when we were comin’ down!” And Mirandy, her face wreathed in smiles, was too happy and too proud for words. Bear Hunting YO) e EAR HUNTING seems to possess a peculiar attraction. It Al 9 ») gerous and exciting big game-hunting is the quest of the is a sport in which there is plenty of danger and one that requires the hunter. to be constantly alert. The most dan- erizzly bear. Here the hunter often becomes the hunted. Of course, with the modern automatic rifles, there is little danger; but in the days of the old muzzle-loader, when one had to kill with a single shot, it was far different. The grizzly, unlike most bears, likes to fight. He would rather fight than eat ripe wild blackberries. He will al- ways take the offensive, never taking to his heels like his brethren. Man- hunting is as much sport to him, as bear-hunting is to the man. Hugh Patten, a hunter of Sonoma county in the early days, had an ex- perience with bear-hunting that was not of an enjoyable nature. One even- ing about dusk, he was up in the mountains, coming home from a hunt. Be- tween two ridges there was a low place that had hardly any outlet. In the winter time this place was filled with water, forming a lake which covered about twenty acres. The water, when nearly dried up in the summer time, afforded an excellent bathing place for animals of all sorts. Wild hogs, ‘coons, and bears congregated there to splash about in the shallow water. Hugh was tramping hurriedly toward home, neither noticing his sur- roundings nor expecting to encounter any game, after having been unsuc- cessful during the day. But the unexpected happened. Just as he emerged from behind some trees that had hidden a part of the lake, he saw two large grizzlies enjoying themselves in the mud, while trying to keep off the mos- quitoes. They were playing like a couple of cubs, boxing and biting each

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THE ECHO. 7 “Now, Mirandy, don’t you start a-cryin’, ‘cause Mr. Cooke, he’s all right, an’ even if anything does happen, remember your Si’s a hero. I ain’t got no overcoat, but Samanthy Ann, you give me that buggy robe, and I'll be as warm as can be. Now, Pete, remember you’re a man, an’ if anything hap- pens to your dad, be good to your ma and the kids. Goodbye, Reuben; bye- bye Sally and Mandy. Mirandy, I’m a-goin’, and if I don’t come back, you— why, Mirandy! you always wanted me to be a hero, so you musn’t cry that way. Mr. Cooke’s waitin’, so—so long.” With this, Si departed, a large red bandana before his eyes, and an old buggy robe over his arm. From the wagon came a mingled sound of crying and calling. Between the sobbing of Si’s children, came Mirandy’s pitiful calls, “Oh, Si, you ain't leavin’ us for good, be you? Si, goodbye; Si, you are a hero sure; but I want you, oh, so bad; Si. I can’t stand it any longer, come back, come back.” But Si was already seated in the biplane, trembling and shaking, with a robe wrapped about him, and Mirandy’s shawl about his head. As the biplane left the ground, a loud and mighty scream was mingled with the roar of the machine, for Si was afraid. As they rose higher and higher, he entreated Mr. Cooke to let him off, but the latter was either too absorbed in his work, or did not hear him. Meanwhile, on the ground, more eyes were centered upon the pitiful group in the wagon than upon the airship. Mirandy, almost hysterical, breathlessly gazed heavenward. “They’re goin’ too high,” she moaned. “Now, where are they? I can’t see “em. So high, you say, Pete? Ain’t they comin’ down now? Oh, oh; they are both on their last journey, for they’re sinking; they’re falling! Oh, Lord! have mercy on Si. Save my Si! And now they’re gone; they have fallen over there, and my husband is gone; he'll never talk to us'any more. Oh, how can I bear it!” By this.time Mirandy was in a sad condition, hysterical and wild with grief. People gathered about, trying to reason and comfort her, but of no avail; for indeed, many thought something had happened, as the airship had swooped suddenly downwards, then seemed to fall on the side of Taylor mountain. Suddenly a mighty shout arose, and, as Mirandy raised her head, she beheld in the distance, over the mountain, a speck, which steadily grew larger and larger. Was it really her Si coming back to her; or was she dreaming? No, it was her Si, for everyone said so. She was thankful; so, after giving thanks for so much good fortune, she again watched eagerly. “Why, he’s comin’ lower and lower. Surely he ain’t goin’ to land on top of us! No, they’re goin’ up again. See, Samanthy Ann, your father is a real hero!” Mr. Cooke guided the graceful machine over the track, circled over Santa Rosa, and continued to circle about, until Mirandy forgot her fears in the enthusiasm over the flight, wondering how Si was’enjoying himself. Si, high up in the air, was not enjoying it. Besides being cold, he had a strange feeling whenever he opened his eyes, so he kept them shut. Grad- ually the shawl about his head became looser and looser. He thought to himself, “What if that shawl should come loose and get torn in the ma- chinery, then Mirandy would fix me even if I am a hero; but I dare not lift my hand to fix it!” Finally Si did lift his hand to hold the headgear; and

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THE ECHO 9 other. Hugh immediately got back under cover and began to plan a way to bag both of them. He began to creep around so that he could get one at short range and kill the other before it could reach the brush. Things work- ed splendidly until one of the bears looked toward the skulking hunter. The old grizzly grunted, clamored out of the water, shook the mud from his fur, and started out after Hugh, closely followed by the other one. Hugh did not need to read their minds to find out their purpose; it was only too apparent. He immediately started for the only large tree near, an aok close to the lake. The bears did their best, but Hugh reached the tree first and climbed up among the branches. The bears considered siege operations for a while, but presently decided to storm his position. Hugh was frightened. Two bears and only one shot; for his gun was a muzzle-loader. He saw that he must do something at once, for both bears were scratching their way up the tree. Hugh took careful aim at the foremost bear and fired. The beast, rolling out of the tree, struck the second bear and knocked him down. Enraged by the death of his mate, the remaining bear, growling savagely, again climbed the tree. Hugh was in a desperate predicament. Climbing frantically to the top of the tree, he be- gan to reload his gun. The bear was clawing and grunting his way up the tree trunk, while Hugh worked desperately to ram the charge into the old gun. He finished his task none too soon, for the grizzly was close upon him. Hugh, now feeling secure, raised the gun, took careful aim and pulled the trigger; but there was no report; the cap gave a dismal snap that sent a thrill of terror through the hunter. He struck blindly at the great beast with the useless gun; but the bear sent it clattering to the ground with a sweep of his paw. The terrified Hugh then kicked savagely at his enemy and had his shoe torn off by the latter's ever-ready teeth. The bear’s pull on his foot toppled Hugh from his perch and sent him crashing through the branches to alight on a long, lower limb of the tree. The bear proceeded to calmly de- scend to the level of his intended victim and to creep out on the branch. As he got closer and closer to Hugh, their combined weight caused the branch to creak and groan threateningly. This frightened the bear so that he paused and crouching low, he whined with fear for his position and growled angrily at Hugh. Hugh got a sudden inspiration. Why not drop from the end of the branch and make a run for it? The bear would have to crawl back to the trunk and clamber slowly and awkwardly down the tree, thus giving the frightened fugitive a good start. So, hanging by his hands, he dropped to the ground, and ran for his life, leaving his gun, his shoe and his hat behind. The result was as he had hoped; the bear followed as fast as possible, but Hugh had a good start and by, running like a deer, soon reached open ground, where his pursuer was afraid to follow. Needless to say, Hugh never again attempted to bag two grizzlies at one time, or as he expressed it, “Never tackle a grizzly without a gatling gun.” [Regi Began