A miner was discovered roaming down a river bed minus his nether garments, and lives to this day in the appellation of Shirt Tail canyon.  Two men fought.  One of them lost an eye in the manner indicated by Gouge Eye.  Hundreds of wild geese were wont to gather on a sunny mesa above the river.  It made a splendid level town called Wild Goose Flat.  The plains were covered with “Antelope.”  The end gate of a prairie schooner was lost on a hill, and Tail Gate mountain came into being.

Humbug Creek panned light with gold.  Red Dog, Hangtown, Round Tent Claims, Dry Diggings, Let ’Er Rip, You Bet, Yuba Dam, One Horse Town, and Hell’s Delight shriek for themselves, or should!

This, then, is the tale of Grizzley Bob, who mined in Snake Gulch at the foot of Bear Mountain.

“The bear made straight for me!  Old Bull-doze was hangin’ onto him below, somewhere, but I dropped my Killer (gun) and grabbed my knife, ’cause I knew if I didn’t get in on him with Slasher it was all up with both of us.  Bear and I took a tight grip on each other and I hit straight for his heart just as he gave me a swipe in the face.

“We both fell, the bear on top, and then I didn’t remember anything for awhile.  When I woke I felt something heavy on my stomach, but I couldn’t see anything for blood.”

“Hu-ray!” cheered old Solly Jake, thinking the tale was finished.

Sick Jimmy, from behind the bar, prodded him good-humoredly.

“Dry up, Soll.”

“I am dry,” whimpered old Soll, “I’m dryer’n before I got drunk!”

“Here, then,” pushing a bottle across the redwood slab used for a bar, “the drinks are on Grizzley Bob and Handsome Harry, tonight.”

“Was it such a big strike they made?”

“It sure was.  Go on, Bob,” he called to the tall, magnificently built young spokesman, “then what?”

“After awhile I managed to crawl from under that old grizzley and when I’d wiped the one good eye that was left, I saw him lying there as stiff and dead as a mackerel, with Slasher sticking in his heart clean up to the handle.  It was pretty near dark then, but the sun was just showing hisself over the top of Bear mountain when I got to Rattlesnake Bill’s cabin, and you’ll scarcely believe me but I didn’t have enough grit left to signal Bill I was there.  I just settled down all of a heap-like and that’s the way they found me.  Bill, he got a doctor from Angel’s and after awhile I pulled out all right, but I ain’t been much of a beauty since.  Well, what th — ,” as the door banged open to reveal an exceedingly handsome blond youngster dragging in a cringing newcomer.

“Hi,” he called, while two frolicsome imps danced in his splendid blue eyes.  “Any of you chaps got a rope handy?  Time this fellow was strung up over a limb to be a picture for coyotes to bark at!”

“Hall, you let go, there.  There’ll be no chaffing a tenderfoot whilst I’m around and you know it.”