Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-07
SPORT IN CALIFORNIA.
SHOOTING JACK RABBITS WHILE
RIDING AT FULL GALLOP.

Voice of 2 Dying Neutrality-suspicious. OF
an Enthusiastic Engiishman-Lassoing
an Angry Bear.
The following day we found horses at the
door and a pack of hounds II am going to
show you, gentlemen" said our host, ''some
California sport after my own ideas. Bring
up the horses, Bob" be shouted, and Bob
forthwith led up three mustangs. fully sad
died. that appeared to have been kept in the
stable for months on highly excitable diet
for our especial benefit.
Finally we mounted, and the host put his
nag at the fence several times, just to warm
him up. Now, gentlemen" he said, as we
lcped along the hard road, "the country out
here way is well supplied with jack rabbits,
and the scheme is to ride them down on
horseback and shoot them with the rife I"
The colonel had supplied US with rifles and,
like certain Pickwickians we were in for it.
The country was gently rolling, and we
soon came out into q low brush, with patches
Of cactus here and thera All at once n
small brown creature, with black ears, darted
up, and In q moment was away like q flash.
The horses caught the infection, and tn a
second were upon dead run, fairly crazed
with excitement, snorttng, their eyes blazing.
and running like the wind
'Look out for holest" shouted the colonel,
rs his horse took a badger burrow. But it
was too late; one Of the mustangs landed
knee deep in burrow, stopped short, while
the rider kept on. He was an old hand at
this sort of thing, however. and clearing HIM
self merely landed ON bis feet and ran twenty
or thirty feet to return and examine the
mount. Luckily, no bones were broken, and
leaping into tho saddle the field was away
again. The jack had escaped In the mean
time, but another took his place, and horses
and riders were soon making the hard ground
shake. To hit an animal so small as rabbit,
at full run, with a rife, was seemingly an
impossibility, yet the valiant colonel did it.
His horse took him within twenty feet of tho
flying jack, when, dropping the lines, ho
raised the light weapon which had been hung
upon the saddle, and in an ofhand way fred.
The jack bounded three feet into the air Like
q bal, and fell, moaning like child
''The rife was loaded with shot, colonel"
shouted some one Zone shot," laughed the
colonel as be stopped from the saddle and
picked up the game by tho ears. "It's mere
practice; any one can do it, but win confess
| have been about ten years getting into the
habit There goes anotherin and away went
the horses, who knew q rabbit half mile
away, and enjoyed the sport as much as the
riders. Jacks appeared as if by magic; every
bush seemed to afford cover for ono or more.
The sharp reports of repeating rifles began
to sound in rapid succession, and little clouds
of dust puts like smoke rose here and there
all about the flying game, showing how diff
cult a thing it was to hit such q mark.
"There is no use in trying to take accurate
aim," said the ''shot," Is the hors,s came up
and rounded to. ''Itis matter of intuition
1 believe take 10 aim, but point the rife
where think the rabbit will be when the
bullet gets there, and in some way they man
age to make connection"
Riding across country OF such speed in
the clear, bracing air was most e1hilarat-
ing sport, and the excitement it caused was
astonishing The horses fairly went mad
There is something unpleasantly human
about the voice of dying jack. The first
ever took in coursing was In the valley, and
my greyhound had started TO the east and
gone out Of sight. A deep arroyo stopped
my horse, and was standing In the saddle
trying to follow her with my eyes when I
heard piercing SCREAMS Ind then means from
the road directly behind me. Thinking that
a child had been run ever or injured in some
way. dropped into the saddle and made for
the road, to find my dog standing over
dead jack. She had cifcied and turned him,
and brought it to finish immediately be-
hind me- Often when shot on the run tho
Jack viii utter o piercing, half human shrek,
and bound into the air to fall dead; SO to an
oversensirive person the slaughter of hun
dreds Is by no means a pleasant sight.
AS the hot sun began to pour down We
wended our way back to the ranch, and
whiled the time away listening to the yarns
reeled OF by the colonel. whose experience
had been rich and raoy.
Talking about sport" he said, reminds
me Of a little experience l had with an
Enyishman some years ago UP in the main
range He came down from Frisco with q
letter of introduction TO me, and wanted to
got into the heart Of the big game country.
1t so happened that had 400 or 500 head Of
cattle up valley and O camp there: 50 took
him up and introduced him to half dozen
cowbOys-regular old timers-and they
guaranteed to show him all the bear he
wanted. They got it into bis head that it
was unsportsuanhke to shoot a bear, and
that it should be taken with Q lariat; 30 he
practiced with rope at steers, dogs, stumps
and men until he was very fair hand at it,
and finally one day went of on q regular
bear hunt
"Ib so happened that the boys knew where
there was large patch Of wild grape chat
black bears are fond OF. and they made for
II, fairly sure to find one or more, and surs |
enough they did Coming down little side |
canyon, they came out into level spot, with |
a patch of trees covered with vines in the |
center. Some Of the dogs were put in, and |
in few minutes out came an old brown |
bear, snarling and showing her teeth |
in terrible fashion 'Now's your
chance yelled the boys, and they |
a chance. ! tell you he was no SLOUGH; he
put his horse up as near the critter as be
would go, and riding around, dropped his
rope over tho bears shoulders the minute
'he rared up. When she felt the rope she
grabbed at it, but the pony settled back;
hen down she went, and began just what
he boys expected, the rolling business.
over and over she went, winding the rope
.bout her, getting snarled up, but coming
learer and nearer the pony all the time.
The pony was the first one to tumble to it,
IS the boys saw, and began to snort and
PUCK; but it was no use. the old bear kept
'oming, getting more ard more entsngled
very moment and finally the pony turned
all and began to drag her, she yelling and
and scratching gravel, the horse
raSed; and in this shape they came to the
ids Of the hill Over the horse went, buck
ng, the Englishman cussing things until
hey were blue When half way down, the
ope broke, and, fearing the bear would get