Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-11-30

| wool that ClOgreQ tnem, ana l retained
my hold in sheer desperation, striking
in with my knife whenever | got 6
chance, but usually baflled by the
tenac Gus armor of my inyulnerable ad
versary.
Charlie, a few feet distant, sobbine
piteously, at the same time crying aloud
in appeal to Guacbos, whom he knew
"Sanch ~ "Diegol" Gel Negro l'-to
help "Mirry Warburton :" for the dear
little fellow, delivered from his agony
of alarm, seemed now to think only of
my peril. The lea was good one, al
though the child's weak voice could not
Of course reach far. Exertiny the full
strength of my lungs, ! twice shouted
forth the well known desert cry when a
jaguar is sighted: "Mozos, mi !-El
Tigre MO zos and fancied, as
uttered the second call, that | heard a
dist mt answer, like faint echo. But
| had need of all my muscles, for the
infuriated animal with which | fought,
tearing the cloth of the soft mantle to
pulp, was gradually getting its grim
jaws free. Twice already had my wrist
and arm been grazed by its keen teeth
i bear the white scars to this day
and the horrible odor of the creature,
and the remorseless glare of its small
bloodshot eye, impressed me with the
fantastic notion chat my enemy was
something evil beyond the mere furious
greed of wild beast. Yet | grasped
| the whalebone whip handle, and drove
in the knife with all the force of an
arm that was fast growing exhausted.
Spent, breathless, giddy, was dragged
| down, and, in kneeling attitude, ex-
erted the remains of my waning strength
in stab at the alligator's throat. The
blade broke short off by the handle as
it lodged among the stout scales of the
| neck
just then | heard a shout, and the
tramp of horse coming up at full and
furious speed. On they came, the steed
foam fecked and gored by the spur, the
rider brandished high above his heal
the spiral coils of the lasso. recog-
nized the horseman in an instant. 1t
was Juan, the boldest and most dex.
ferrous of all that Centaur brotherhood
and he knew me, and comprehended at
a glance the state of affairs.
"Stand back, Englishman-stand
back p he cried aloud, "and I'll do the
rest; Mo-zos Eel Tigre Mo. zos ;
And he whirled the lasso high, squirting
his frightened horse nearer and nearer
to the spot.
Events which it takes many words to
describe, inadequately, sometimes oc,
cupy but very few seconds or minutes
of actual time and from the period of
my hurrying up in response to young
n'c F,, bal 70 bat cf
Juan the Guacho's arrival on the scene
Of action, probably but few moments
had passed. But, to judge by my feel.
ings, they might have been ages. | had
rushed to the rescue Just in time to
save the tender limbs of Don Miguels
heir from the greedy jaws of the mon
ster, and had made as good fight as |
could, nearly paying my own life for
the young life | had saved, when this
new champion rode in hot haste to en-
counter the common fo:. Keeling,
breathless, and dizzy of brain, | under
stood the Gaucho's meaning sufficiently
to stand back, letting go my hold of
the whip handle, which, with the tat
tered poncho wrapped around it, l had
hitherto obstinately kept between the
alligator's churnlng jaws. The infu-
rated brute followed me up with bitter
hate, his hateful snout all but brushing
my knees as | staggered back. But
Just at that instant, whirr crack came
the well-known sound of the heavy
lasso whistling past, launched with un-
erring aim, and, as | gazed about me
with haggard eyes, | saw the moose was
tightened round the reptiles neck
while Juan, with the end of the stout
cord fastened to his saddle, had started
off at canter, towing along the ALI
gator after him, as he had tugged along
many bull and many wild steed.
For an instant it seemed as if the
Guacho's would be an easy triumph;
but it was only the surprise Of the
shock that had mastered the alligator,
very large one, and the great weight
and strength of which soon began to
tell. l saw the horse brought, with a
jerk, to stop, and then, to my dismay,
beheld the steed and rider dragged by
sheer force toward the lagoon, vainly
trying TO resist the superior power of
the gigantic tyrant of the waters.
Juan drove in his spurs, urging his
painting and terrified horse by voice,
hand, and knee, to put out its whole
strength but it soon seemed plain that
unless hesaddle- girth gave way, dragged
down into the pool he would be, horse
and man, while there could be in such
case little doubt of the issue of the
conflict. To cut the cord would have
been the only mode of separating the
combatants in this unequal duel; but |
had let fall my broken knife in the long
pampas grass, and a Guecho clings to
his lasso with the same mechanical i'm
pulse that causes seaman to hold fast
to shroud or stay. Let go the rope !"
called out to him as loudly as could.
Loose the end from the saddle ring,
and let the brute go!" But Juan paid
no heed to my advice, but spurred his
stru ggling horse, uttering, at the full
pitch of his voice, the "tiger call" of
the herdsmen.
The child had crept close to me, and
was holding to my coat weeping and
calling on his absent father, ard his
presence embarrassed me; for wearied
and disarmed as l was, | felt eager to
come to the aid of the bold lad who had
| saved me from the very jaws of death ;
| but just at the moment that the mu-
! latto girl, Charles nurse, came running
down the hill with sobs and outcries in
search of the truant charge who had
strayed off while she was threading
scarlet berries for necklace, four OF
our mounted men came laundering
down with CHEEKY shouts and lassos