Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1888-11-29

Il
has been conspicuous figure in the
Colorado and Gila River districts
He has taken part in Q number Of &C.
we're brushes with the Apachss and
other tribes, but in his old age. owins
to the military forcss on the frontier
and the lesssning of Indian difiieul.
ties. he is now devoting more attsn.
ton to hunting.
His eye is yet undimmsd, and
though now nearly 10 years Of age,
he is strong and stalwart. It would
take a book to tell of his varied ex-
perisncss. Moreover. he il not in
clined to talk much Of himself. How
ever, yesterday he consented to tell
an Exansiner representative of a
strange experience he had with royal
Chihuana tigers. an animal of which
nothing is known quite so far north
as San Francisco.
"You must know" said he "that
these tigers are the most beautiful
animals in America. They are ro-
bust and seven or eight feet long, Of
q beautiful golden color and spotted
like a leopard. The royal tiger of
Bengal is striped and has no dots on
him. Moreover, his general color is
dun. and not gold. like the tiger of
the Atzsc races.
"a thorough-gOing cat in all his
movements. sly and light Of tread,
and with the strength of a Hercules,
man cannot afford to fool around
much when he meets one out under
the Southern Pinon trees.
ut was in September that myself,
Tim Estabr and John Wilkinson
were camped at our mines. at the
head Of Dolores canyon. A party of
Mexicans came in and reported that
they had found an old Spanish mine
a few miles out. The Spanish mines
were to large extent covered over
and concealed at the time of the rev :
olution, and many of them were lost.
1t was one of these lost mines tha I
1U a 0mF
off after it, carrying our Express ri
fies with Us, for we never in that sec
tion 60 out unarmed for fear of rene
gade Apaches, let alone vicious wild
animals.
After an eighteen.mils jsunt We
came to the entrance of the mine.
The sarth-covering had fallen 10, and
though wreck and ruin W g oil around
there was a good-siEed aperture and
we had no difficulty in entering it,
We had advanced about fifty yards in
the long. desolats tunnel, and if there
is anything desolate in this world il
is the dark, damp tunnel of desert.
ed mine. We carried pine faggots in
ore hand to give us light, and were
moving along in stopping posture,
az miners DO, when all of q sudden
noticed great big tracks in the soft
nud at the bottom. Good heavens =
said l, there are bears in here, and
if We don't get out we are done for.
We beat hasty retreat and reached
the open air again, and gathered dry
bushes and sticks to smoke them out.
We stacked them up pretty high in
the mouth of the tunnel and threw
dirt on them to cause them to smoul.
der and throw the smoke backward
Then We sat down with our guns tc
await the enemy. We had sat there
fifteen or twenty minutes, and were
tired holding the guns so long. and
began to talk about other things.
Still nothing came. We discussed a
variety Of subjects; oar attent tion be.
came entirely relaxed. and I was in
the midst Of story, when, boob
boob huge golden tiger leapsd
over the FIRE with great bound. In
twinklinS another with the same
boob boob! and bigger than the
other leaped the barrier. collidsd
against Estabrook, knocked him down,
and went flying beyond like q CREASED
streak Of lightning.
Every last one of us forgot bis
gun and went racing around trying
to end trees TO climb. An old sbe
tiger aud two kittens with piercing
yowls next followed, and went clan.
bering up the hillside after the other
two. By this time every one Of us
was either perched in tree or shin
ming up a sspling. Our guns were
lying scattered on the ground. and.
old hunters as were. We were clearly
beaten.