Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-07-11
SHfcNiDS. n GrI,izziK.

From Forest and Stream and Rod and Gun
There were four OF us, we'll mounted on
horses that sawed a rope as well as any
vaquero that ever straddled saddle OF
threw a ratio. We left the rancho house
about an hour before day, and riding
through the Arroyo Hondo, reached the
big mesa, at the foot Of Rattlesnake
Hill, when the morning star was bright
est.
Two nights beforera big grizzly had
killed cow in little canon opening
into the arroyo at the foot of the mesa,
and the day before we had dragged what
was lett OF the carcass about half mile
out into the mesa with our riatas. A
rata is plated rope made generally of
four, sometimes of six, strands of raw
hide, with hard rawhide head, or loop,
at one end of the rope to play through
when used to catch anything. These
ropes become very pliable with use, are
kept carefully creased with tallow, and
out OF the wet and reach Of rats and coy
otes. Ours were the best kind; six
strands, and sixty feet long; when the
moose is fast on the animal, or anything
to be dragged, the other end of the rope
is retained in-~the hand, and q turn is
taken in the horn of the saddle.
We had left Chapo, an Indian vague
70, hid'in the cottonwood, to watch the
place from which we had dragged our
bait. He reported that early in the
night the big grizzly had come down the
mountain and followed the drag, and
that he had heard another cross the ar
royo some distance below him within
half an hour. We waited for daylight.
smoking cigarritos, eating tonaales, and
telling whoppers of bear stories in Span
lsh whispers, with many q carajo valgame
dos thrown in as wadding for want of
aguadiente. We were Felipe, Juan de
Dias Valiente and I, sometimes called
Ell Guero, and old Chapo, who took a
horse and RATA we brought him. All
had riatas, knives and pistols, and Chapo
had an old English musket half full of
powder and bullets. When the first
streaks Of light colored the gray of the
morning, and the quail commenced call
ing, we frightened our cinches, and de-
ploylng along the mesa at intervals of
about forty PAGES, advanced abreast,
rlatas in hand, toward the carcass. We
were between our bait and the mountains,
and hoped to drive the bear into attempt
ing to cross a wide opening, free from
bushes, on the other side of which
was thick moute. We rode
first at a walk, then ,obre poso, a pace be-
tween walk and trot, peculiar to
Spanish horses. AS we reached the short
sage brush we put our horses on the lope
then on the run. Daylight came quick
over the mountains. [ had just passed
the halt when saw the bear straight be-
fore Us, going at a shambling lope, and
apparently not much in hurry. Felipe
yelled at him; he stopped and reared up;
my horse sheered off to the left: passed
him, and in breathing we were all four
around him; circling, turning and twist
ing; every horse on a keen jump, all of
us ready to take the first chance to get a
rope on hind leg (hind legs the best
hold(. He looked awful ugly, and was
too full of fight to run, but stood doubled
up or reared up, making short lunges at
our horses as we dashed in to try and
start him. Nobody wanted fore leg
hold, and it wasn't very easy to get, for
he flung his arms about like boxer and
it took the spur to get a horse to run
close by him. Pretty soon he got so he'd
chase the horses twenty or thirty yards
at stretch; he was clean crazy with
anger, and at last, as [ dashed my old
buckskin by him, started in for a race in
good earnest. We fairly burnt the
wind; the mesa was almost bare, but he
held his own-almost was gaining, when
the boy reached him. Felipe made the
first throw, went for forefoot, but was
hot and excited, caught head and leg to-
gether in the loop, which pulled tight
across the neck, chest and under fore
shoulder. No horse could hold such a
hold, and Felipe dropped the RATA
Valiente tried for a hind leg, and missed
it. Juan de Dios caught both hind feet
and stopped him. AS he doubled back
and grabbed for the RATA, I dropped my
rope on a forefoot, and stretched it with
all the force my horse could put on the
RATA. Lord! how [ would like to have
seen old Chapo and his musket for a
minute. knew that with the bears head
and one fore leg free, he'd soon get my
tightly stretched rope in his mouth.
Then goodbye RATA.
There was some tall twisting and
struggling.
Juan held on as coolly as if it were
only bullock lassoed for the butcher.
Felipe, reaching down from his saddle,
picked up his RATA, but the way it held
could help but little. was thinking OF
stacking my RATA, and taking chances
for both forefeet. Loosened it would slip
from the forefoot [ had, and with both
in my rope [ thought Juan and might
hold him, when all at once his loose foot
struck Felipe's rope, dragged it up to his
mouth, and, like flash, it was in two
pieces!
Just then Valiente got the loose leg
His rope caught near the shoulder; under
the strain it slipped gradually down t.
the ankle and held He was a thorough
bred grizzly, but we had him. Lord
didn't he hate us, and show it. HI
looked numbering crazy, and tried very
earnestly to get his mouth on the RATA
with which we stretched his forelegs a
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