The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1889-06-07
AN EXCITING ADVENTURE.
Fighting a Quintet Of chihuahua
Tigers In the Dolores CANYON,

AN EXCITING ADVENTURE.
Fighting Quintet OF chihuahua
Tigers In the Dolores Canyon.
1t was in September that myself.
Tim Estabrook, and John Wilkinson
were campcd at our mines ut tho head
OF Dolores canyon, says II writer in the
San Francisco Examiner. A party of
MeNlcans came in and reported that
they had found IN old Spanish mine 4,
few miles out. Tho Spanish mines
were toa large extent covered over
and concealed ut the time of the lcvo-
luton and many Of them were lost. 1t
was one of those lost mines that the
MeNicans said they had. We set off
after it. carrying our express rifles
with us, for We never in that section
go out unarmcd for fearof renegade APP
chcs. let alono vicious wild animals,
After an eightccn-mic jaunt We came
TO the entrance of the mine. The earth
covering had fallen in, and though
wreck and ruin were all around, there
was a good-sizcd aperture and We had
no difficulty in entering it. We had
advanced about fifty yards in the long,
desolatc tunnel, and If thcro is any,
thing desOlate in this world IL is the
dark, da!ap tunnel of deserted mine.
We carried pine fagots in the hand to
give lis light, and were moving along
III STOPPING posture, ;ts miners 20.
wheh all of Il sudden | noticed great
blg tracks in the soft mud at the bot
tom. Good hcavcns..H said |, .tlcrc
are bears in here aud if We don't Get
out we are done for" We beat !, hasty
retreat and reaching the open air
again 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 10
snoldcr and throw the smoke back
ward.
Then we sat down with our guns to
await the enemy. We had sat there
fifteen or twenty minutes. and were
tired of holding our guns so lony, and
began TO talk about other things. Still
noihln" came. We discussed a variety
oil subjects; our attention became en-
tlfcly relaxed, and | wa, in the midst
ol IL story when boob. hooh. "A great
golden tiger Iraprd over the fire ~,
us with IL great bound In IL twinklin.r
another, with the same hoDh. booh,
anu bigger than the other. lcaI,ad the
barrier, colli'lrd against E.s,abrooi.
knorkcd him down. and went flying
beyond like Il CREASED sire lk of light
ming. Every one of us forgot his mrn
anu went racing around trying to find
trees to climb. An old She tiger "nd
tvs" kittens, with piercing howls, next
I"l'"wcd, and went cl;lmbcrny up the
hillside alter the other two By this
time every Que of us was either perch
ed in a tree Or shining up IL sapling.
Our guns were lying scattered on the
ground, and. old hunters as we were.
VIC We're clearly beaten. Pcrchcd i'm
our trees, after our fright was over.
VIC imdulgcd in loud shricks and LAUGH
ter. The situation was too .,licro,s
fnt we resolved to got after those iir-
crs, and W" did ii. We rot n skilled
traced them across gulclles, thr rough
shrubs, aud finally caught Il glimpse
of one pcrrhcd in u rocky cleft
Wilkinson brought him down by IL
shot in the heart lie was Il very fine
one. largc aud powerful, and with !.
magnificent skin
In the next canyon We traced the
other tigers. They travelled almost
together. going only lft"cn or twenty
feet apart in places. The Mexican at
last corr.,llcd them in Il soft limestone
mountain. crumbling in places like
chalk, aud with holes in one side made
by the weather and animals L, wus
their other rrtrcat. This time. while
we made preparations to smoke them
out, We stationed ourselves lob yards
away. spread far al,a,t So We could
get ii good aim ut their bodies whilc
they ran. The first came bounding
ont like II shot out of Il gun. but we
were on the alert this time aud three
bullets pierced him aud laid him low.
Then the old one and her young came
along. We shot into them, wOundinT
the big one, and she turned ON us.
Est..br0ok WAS caught and his coat
torn of. Turning to fee the tiycl.
caught him by the left hand and put
her teeth through and crus he'd it.
The kittens, weighing about 100
pounds apiece, would not run aud nd-
vamrcd To aid IN the fight. y rifle ball
from one Of lis crippled one and laid
the other low, and on we rushed firing
all the whilr. to the aid of Es,abroui.
We had to fire with the greatest ,.nrc
to keep from hitting the hunter, and
it seemed to me it was fully five min
ntcs before wc planted II fatal ball in
her.
E>tabrooi was SO badly manned by
the teeth of the tiger that he has new
cr recovered from it. His hand was
SD torn that two of his fingers hung
by shrcds Of flesh and his arm above
the wrist wits also laccritcd.