The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-07-03
HAND TO HAND.

From the Santa Fe Review.
Miguel is the name of tall, lank |
Indian who is just now the lion of the |
hour in the Pecos river settlements, |
just across the mountains from Santa |
Fe. He is well known as a steady, in |
dustrlous fellow, pretty well ad- |
vanced in the acts of west. |
ern civilization, and last year
did good service in the employ
of the Pecos River Mining company
as laborer in the mines near Hamii-
ton. lie is counted dead shot every
time; in fact, is an expert with almost
any weapon, and can handle the bowie
knife with rapidity akin to light.
ming and a certainty that is deadly.
He has had some experience as bear
hunter. This class of "varmint" has
been quite destructive to stock in the
| Upper PecoS valley the past winter,
and this spring the fact has been
demonstrated to the ranchmen that
] there are more bear in the adjacent
mountains than has been known be-
fore for many years.
These animals have been growing
more bold in their depredations for
for some months, and have made such
havoc among the herds owned by Mr..
McRay, a leading ranchman of that
section, that he was forced to cast
about for some method of retaliation.
Knowing Miguel to be good hunter
he sent for him, and employed him to
put in his whole time hunting bear in
and about the grazing land frequent
ed by his stock. As a result the In
dian has already killed five bear this
SeaSon-certainly a record that any
frontiersman might be proud of. But
Migueis encounter with the last two,
fine specimens of the black
variety, came very near put
ting a short stop to his
"reg1ar business" as bear hun
ter. He jumped up this pair while
engaged in playful wreStle in a
mountain canyon on Friday last, and
his first shot sent the male bear howl
. ing to the earth; then another shot
and its companion rolled over pierced
right through the heart. But by this
time the male animal had regained
his feet and vas making for the In.
: dian with blood in his eye and death
in his paws. Miguel waited second
thinking to make sure work of the
second shot when the bear got nearer
,, but the weapon failed him. 1t was
a repeating rifle, and the lever refused
: to work. The situation was critical
A second time he wrenche(
, the leayer, but to no eff
Z feet, and by this time h
desperate brute, rendered so by tn
, bullet in his side, was fairly upol
l him. He had nothing to do but t,
"club his gun" and go at him, ant
: this he did with venh eance, but tn
bear brushed it from his grasp as if
: had been handful of straw, and wit
his huge paw clutched the Indian b,
the left arm, between the wrist an,
I elbow. Then Miguel remembered hi
I trusty bowie-knife. 1t was unsheath
Q ed in a jiffy, and he thought to cate
; his antagonist in the short-ribs wit
his keen point, but the willy brut
seemed to discern this, an,
,, the next moment had torn tn
flesh from the arm tina
e held the knife. BY this time it was
J. clear case of hug between the ma
/. and beast. AS the Indian lodged tn
bears desperate blows he caught tn
IL knife in his left hand and then spran
!, forward and clasped the animal tigh
q around the body. This lasted SCI
p ond-certainly not longer for tn
IS bear was then in good way to grin
l. the man into mince-meat; when, wit
o a remarkably cool move, Migut
IS reached around the bear with hi
re right hand, took from his left tn
y knife and in the next instant plunge
e it through the animals side into hi
ID heart.
T, 1t will be some weeks before M1gaC
a will be able to do any more hunting
q He now wears each of his arms il
q soft cotton bandages.
o Parties in from that section to-da
e say there are great many bear i
q the vicinity of the Woodruff Parl
n Not alone the black bear aboun
e Whereabouts, but the cinnamon and 81
e ver-tip varieties are plentiful, AFFORD
{, ing rare sport for all who have tn
: nerve to hunt them.