St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-05-01
His Thrilling Adventure Down
in the WildS of West
ern Texas.
Dodging Around a Tree in
Frantic Haste to Escape
an Enraged Beast.
A Graphic Story From the
Budget Of an Old-Time
Plains Hunter.

go tt the San Miguel country. near the
source of the stream by that name,
about hundred and sixty miles west of
San Antonio de Bexar, says the Phila-
delphia Times. The annual six weeks
hunt was in prospect. and, as it formed
new diversion for me. my anticipa-
tons were enthusiastic for pleasurable
and profitable sport.
AS a general thing our party was
composed of fearless and experienced
huntsmen and exceptional marksmen.
Injured to rough outdoor life. We were
provided with two-hOrse wagon, all
the necessary equipments of the camp
provisions, ammunition and splendidly
armed.
The section which we had selected
for our hunting operations was con-
Sldered the best hunting grounds in all
West Texas, as there were thousands of
deer, wild turkey. some bear. wild bulls
and leOpardS, or Mexican spotted tigers,
as they were sometimes called-the
last two named producing the
most valuable skins of all the game in
the wilderness. selling for from IS to sl2
the great center of trade for all West
Texas and Northern Mexico.
We reached our hunting grounds
after four days travel over country as
pretty as ever saw, killing on our way
game sufficient for camping purposes,
and without special incident except
a small escapade by one of the
party. Jake Vandewatcr, a rollickipg
German. who was ''ShuSt as praye as
no potty." as he expressed it. Jake had
ventured alone one day while EN- route
and Vas freed by pack of five ieopardS.
He had found one alone and had
wounded if. when il set up such roar
that it brought four others to its assist
ance from chapparel near. and Jake
was forced to take tree. 1t so hap
pened that the others of the party were
in hearing of his horn.and a Shrill blast
brought all to his relief. We captured
two of the leCpardS. the others making
their escape to the thicket.
We found a beautiful place for our
camp, near the source of the stream, at
a large spring OF clear aud excellent
water. and all other conyenienceS cal
culated to make an agreeable and pleas
ant stopping place. By the next morn
ing we had arranged our plans for the
first days sport, which proved the most
excitinn and altogether the most profit
able of any single day of the six weeks
hunt.
The plan adopted for the days hunt
was as follows: Three were detailed to
remain at the camp and attend TO the
cooking, jerk tile meat and dry the
hides and keep house, generally.
Three. including myself and Vande-
water, were. by ''drawing StrawS," de-
Aail trxf xaIl In In IN 70
wagon.
The hunters were paired off in cour les
to describe circle of five or six miles.
each couple having horn. and each
couple being bound TO keep in hearing
of each horn and meet in the evening at
a gwen point. 1t so happened that the
detail left one man to go alone, and
this by common consent fell to Roland
Simmons, raw young freshman, a
g0od-natured fellow, with great conf
dence in his own powers. of which he
was very boastful, and had guyed Jake
numerically on account of his escapade
with the "toigers." declaring that they
were nothing but kittens and that he
could have surrounded the whole litter
ay 'em and brought 'em in aloive."
Roland accepted the situation with an
air of dauntless bravado.
"A llC patty illu DCCu OuI oOiIC
two hours a terrible blast was heard
from Roland Simmons horn, and re-
peated in such rapid succession that
Jake. in his native manner, expressed
the opinion in the greatest anxiety that
Roland had an elephant up q tree, or
had killed all the deer in the county at
one shot, as they had heard the report
from his gun just before the horn
sounded.
Roland had suddenly come upon a
very large wild bull lying down i'll a
slight depression of the ground, quietly
chewing his cud, and, quickly raising
his rifle. he fired, wounding Master Bull
i'm the neck, which so enraged the an
imal that he turned on Simmons before
he could load and pursued him IN such
haste that he barely had time to clflnba
stunted me squit, reaching the top,about
seven or eight feet from the ground.
He saw his danger IN an instant. ana
had just time to sound his norm when
the bull ran against the bush with such
force that it broke off near the ground,
throwing Roland about twenty feet
from the monster, from which, as he
stated it. he ''raised a-rnnnin'," aid
succeeded by superhuman effort in beat
ing the now desperately Infatuated
beast to a large live oak some 200
yards away.
We hurried the wagon ON to the as
sistance of Roland, as we were ac-
uuainted with tie danger that caused
the distress sound from ROland'S horn !;
and lust as we came in full view Roland
was putting in some of the tallest run
ming known to the chase, and, as Jake
putt, sit was nip and tuck who should
git to the tree fust." The bull grazed
the side of the tree with his horn as RO-
land lodged behind it, and the game of
s'hide and seek" was kept up for few
seconds, when, dS Roland afterward
said. an idea struck him, and that was
TO hamstring the beast, and with his
belt knife i'm hand he came down upon
the bull from behind, and, with a
powerful stroke, cut the large tendon
above the hook, letting him down be-
hind and Gripping him so badly that he
was left powerless for further mischief.
Then came the reaction. Roland's
nervous system completely collapsed.
and lie lay PROSTATE on the grass as
| helpless as a babe until We had dis
patched the bull and secured his hide,
when he recruited sufficiently to get
into the wagon.
At this juncture the sound of the
hoIn was heard in another directionan and
! we had all we could 90 the remainder
of the day to take care of the game. AS
we never skinned deer lower than the
| loin, leaving the fore-quarters behind
and only retaining the hind quarters or
| saddle. with the skin on, we could take
| care of the venlson and hides with great
| dispatch.
We went into camp about dusk with
thirty-nine saddles of veniSOn. three
tigers and one wild bull, and with feel
ings of the highest enthusiasm over our
success. 1t is impossible to find words
to describe the scene that followed the
sumptuous frontier supper which these
woodsmcn knew so well how to prepare.
Suffice it to say that we had songs,
dances and eXtempore speeches, and
last, though not least, divine service
was held with hymn and prayer. led
by devOut man by the name of Capt.
Burchard. and we closed the nights fes-
tlvities by voting Roland Simmons the
hero of the day.
Our sport was kept up for six weeks
pretty much in the same order each day,