Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-12-19
A TIGER FIGHT.
A CLOSE CALL FOR A HUNTERS
LIFE.
The Monsters Teeth Tear His Hand in
Shreds.

and hunter of Yuma, has been a con-
spicuons figure in the Colorado and
Gila river districts. lie has taken part
in number of severe brushes with the
Apaches and other tribes, but in his
old age, owing TO the military forces
OH the frontier, and the lessening OF
Indian difficulties, he is not now de-
voting more attention to hunting. His
eve is yet undimmed, and though now
nearly seventy years of age, he is
strong and stalwart. 1t would take
book to tell of his varied experiences.
Moreover he is inclined not to talk
much of himself. However, he con-
sented TO tell of strange experience
he had with a royal Chihuahua tiger,
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 ami
mails in America. They are robust
aud seven or eight feet long, beauti-
full golden color and spotted like a
leopard. The royal tiger of Bengal is
striped and has no dots on him. More
over, his general color is dun, and not
gold, like the tiger of the Aztec races.
A thorough-going cat in all his move
ments, sly and light of tread, and with
the strength of Hercules, man can
not afford to fool round too much
when he meets one out under the
Southern pinion trees. II was in Sep
lember that myself, Tim Estabrook
and John Wilkinson were camped at
our mines at the head of Dolores cam
yon. A party of Mexicans came in
and reported that they had found an
old Spanish mine few miles out.
The Spanish mines were, to a great
extent, covered over and concealed at
the time of the Revolution, and many
of them were lost. Ii was one OF
those lost mines that the Mexicans said
they had found. We set Off after II,
CARRYING our express rifles with us, for
we never in that section go unarmed,
for fear of renegade Apaches, let alone
vicious wild animals.
After an eighteen mile jaunt we
came to the entrance of the mine. The
earth-coveri ng had fallen in, and
though wre ok and ruin were all around.
mere was gpod-sizcd aperture, and
we bad no difficulty in entering it. We
had advanced abou: fifty yards in the
long, desolate tunnel, and if there is
ANYTHING desolaie in this world it is the
dark, damp tunnel of deserted mine.
We carried pine fagots in han TO give
us light, and were moving along in a
STOPPING posture, as miners go, when
all of sudden / noticed great big
tracks in the soft mud at the bottom.
Good Heavenv said |, there are
bears in here. and il we don't get ont
we are done for We beat a hastv
retreat, and reaching 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 cause them
TO shoulder 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
long, and began to talk about other
things. Still nothing came.
We discussed a variety of subjects,
our attention became entirely relaxed,
and was in the midst of story, when
boohl boohl O great golden tiger
eaped over the fire and us with great
bound. In a twinkling another, with
the same boohi boohl and bigger than
the other, leaped the barrier. collided
against Estabrook. knocked him down
and went flying beyond like creased
streak of lightning. Every last one OF
us forgot his gun and went racing
around trying TO find trees TO climb.
An old she tiger and two kittens, with
piercing bowls, next followed, and
went clambering up the hillside after
the other two. BY this time every one
of us was either perched in tree or
shining up a sapling. Our guns
were lying scattered on the ground,
aud, old hunters as we We're, we were
clearly beaten. Perched in our trees,
after our fright was over we INDUCED
in loud shrieks and laughter. The
situation was too ludicrous. But we
resolved to get after these tigers, and
we did 1t.
We got a skilled Mexican trader to
go with us, and we trailed them across
gulches, through shrubs, and finally
catching a glimpse of one perched in
rocky cleft, Wilkinson brought him
down BY shot in the heart. He was
a very fine one, large and powerful
and with a magnificent skin. Into the
next canyon we traced the other tigers,
They travelled almost together, going
only fifteen or twenty feet apart IN
places. The Mexican at last corraled
them in soft limestone mountain,
crumbling in pieces like chalk, and
with holes in one side made by weathel
and animals. 1t was their other re
treat. This time, while we made prep
arations to smoke them out, we station,
ed ourselves one hundred yards away
spread far apart so we could get good
aim ut their bodies while they ran
The first came bounding out like a shot
-. - a rrr,u hrf xxyo xvaf-fn on the alert