Blood Claim.

Gold Fever

When gold is discovered, the hills of California become overrun with prospectors looking for the mother lode. Marcus Winfield told investors there was gold in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and they didn’t need to use a pick and shovel to dig it out. That was too primitive. Winfield was convinced technology would make his dreams of striking it rich come true. Hydraulic mining would flush the gold out of the mountains.

Geology expert and mining engineer William Epperson had poured over topographical maps and assured Winfield there were several likely locations they could mine. It would be expensive. The area was remote, the mountains daunting, but the reward could be great if they struck a rich vein. Winfield was enthusiastic. He’d already found another interested investor—Holden Bauer. The mining company formed by Winfield, Bauer, and Epperson planned to begin operations without securing a title to the land, figuring they could settle any dispute with the courts or with guns if need be. They had no idea the claim’s owner wasn’t interested in money.

The mining company couldn’t offer him enough to sell, and Cal wouldn’t abandon his home, not even when the company hired men to kill him. With the help of his mentor, Cyrus Pike, he swore that no timber cutting and no mining would take place on his land. Cal McLachlan was willing to shed blood to hold on to his legal claim. The Sierra Nevada Range became the rugged battleground in an intense struggle between the owners of the Nevada Central Mining Company and Callum McLachlan. However, there was a wild card in the conflict neither side had counted on, Old Gimp. A massive grizzly, old, lame, and always hungry, also staked a claim on the hills. Just like Callum McLachlan, he couldn’t be bought and was just as stubborn about moving. He’d staked his claim in blood.

      

Callum McLachlan watched the clash of the titans, wide-eyed as Cyrus Pike grinned at the expression of awe on the young lad’s face. The bellows gave way to groans and almost pig-like grunts as the two animals collided in a chest-to-chest embrace. One grizzly was lighter in color than his opponent. The blond-tipped fur caused the animal’s coat to appear to be golden in the summer sunlight. The other bear was darker, with a hint of a red tinge that made the boy think of rust.

“There must be a female somewhere near,” Cyrus whispered. The mountain man, Pike, knew grizzlies. He’d lived with them, hunted them, and on occasion been stalked by one. “Summer is mating season. Each of these two boys is tryin’ to stake a claim to this area. Keep your eyes peeled. We don’t want the sow to surprise us,” he told his young companion, nodding in the direction of the combatants. “Pay attention, Cal. If you wanted to survive in the mountains, it pays to understand which animals you might need to eat and which ones might eat you.”

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