West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1878-02-23

fully / have killed as many as eight or
ten in one week
But you did it with nitro-glycerine.
or by rigging a masked battery and then
pouring In deadly charge of canister
shot Perhaps YOU baited trees and sat
up aloft and fired explosive bullets at
these bears. Don't tell me that YOU
used any less secure means
Oh, yes, the lasso and the knife. |
never used gun in my life in hunting a
grizzly
You never did,"
" No. Four Of Us would go out to-
gether, well mounted, of course a
bear once found was lass'ed at once, and,
by holding him taut, the fifth man could
come in and do the finishing touch"
No danger in all this|
Some; you must not miss, Your
lasso must not slip, and YOU must not
get within reach of the bear II YOU do
you will not have an opportunity of
hunting any more bears There is no
appalling danger unless you meet bear
upon the side Of a mountain. 1t is
hard to play him them, or get away
from him, if need be-"
This was the end of the talk upon the
street. i thirsted for more information.
and one bleak day during the holiday
season | called upon Pacheco | found
him in one of the upper rooms of the
National Hotel, shiyering over an open
coalgrate fire. He had never known
such cold weather, and il curled him
like frost-bitten plant.
Under the kindling influence of a
hospitabIe, bubbling glass of wine, he re-
viewed without one word Of pretense,
eNaggeration or aifectation, some of the
thrilling incidents of his early life.
He lived in Southern California when
1T was n part of Mexico His people
owned vast acres or land, and fed their
cattle upon a thousand hills. They ex-
ported beef, hides and tallow TO South
America and the States Pacheco was
brought up in the sea service. His peo-
pie owned several merchant vessels, and
he was employed in the shipment and
sale of cargoes for many years Where
he learned to ride and use the lasso was
in bringing in cattle for shipping. He,
at the head of party of u1queros, would
ride inland some sixty or seventy miles
across the widest of Territory. and
drive in great herds of cattle captured
with the lasso. The country was also
overrun with wild horses. Years of ex-
perience in gathering in stock with the
lasso, upon horses so skillfully trained
that they would jump over a precipice
at the order Of their master. gave
Pacheco and some of his most daring
men the nerve and experience to tackle
a grizzly. The experience required TO
properly throw the lasso demands in
ce'sant and arduous work A properly
trained UdquerO can swing a lasso with n
rope of six feet and throw it fifty feet
and 80 grade the loopin the throw so as to
catch so small an object as the leg Of a
poodle dog. This Pacheco gave me bv
way of prelude. From that to the close
of the call he related three incidents in
his grizziy-bear hunting experience.
Once said Pacheco as his ewes
glistened with the fierce light of be-
wilderingly excited memories, "I was
out with three OF the boys trailing a
bear. He passed up a ravine Three
went at the head Of it TO drive him
back. ] waited at the foot I did not
have TO wait long. A horse knows when
a grizzly is coming. My horse planted
himself and ! could hear his heart 90
pound pound as the bushes cracked
and huge bear emerged and charged
i was ready. / lassoed him, and
caught his forefoot, aud then dashed to
the right, but my lasso trailed around a
tree. ] saw in a second that an instant
would bring the grizzly and me together
dropped the lasso like shot, and my
horse sprang away as if the devil was at
his heels. The bear jumped down in a
gully where there was a small creek and
wallowed there. He had my rope upon
him still and ] hated b lose IL. The
gully was about ten feet down. The
boys came up, and we rode along the
edge OF the gully watching for a chance
TO lass him. / rode up right over
him, feeling perfectly secure at that
height The bear glanced once at me
sideways. Bears never look straight at
you. Then in a second, before / could
breathe after the look he sprang from
the bed Of the creek to the haunch of
my horse. / went on 10 the horse's neck
In second. ] was never so scared in nv
life, but the boys were as quick as he
scarcely had he struck my horse than
two lassos reached him and dragged him
off Then we soon dispatched him.
But il was a close call.
The only time ] was ever whipped
out and out, by bear was i'm 1910. A
dead whale had drifted ashore. near our
Ia"N~B Oh bllf DADA VI 81 tANfUufl IN
land many miles. IL brought out many
bears, as they are very fond Of eating
this kind of carrion. There was a
tremendous bear that was spotted. com
ing down one evening Bears, you
know, do not move until dusk, and after
a party Of us, fifteen in all, went out 10
the bluff overhanging the sea. and there
resolved 10 wait for the bears return.
The path leading down was all greasy
and slippery with whales blubbcr. It
was q beautiful moonlight night. clear
and soft. We grouped about the
head of the path and waited II was
not long. lie was below, and, scent.
ing US, came up at once for attack. I
saw his head above the bluff when we
least expected him, and sang out.
Here he is boysn as I sent my la-so
whistliug for him Then began one Of
the most remarkable fights ! ever en-
countered The bear was powerful, and
80 greasy that our lassOs slipped Of when
he did not snap them off with his power
ful jaws. He charged us and fought out
Of every entanglementfor one hour and
q half, until we. dripping with perspjra-
tion, our horses blown and las-os de.
stroyed we're glad 10 retire and escape
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