The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-02-07
TURKEY couRs,Nc IN MEXICO.
Caught With Dog and Lariat After an
Exciting Chase.

Exciting Chase
| A writer gives the following bright
picture Of wild turkey hunt in Mex
leo. He is the guest Of an old friend il
| the San Bernardino bottoms, and from
his hacienda they thus sally forth fol
| their sport:
"We are in the saddle at dsybreak
for the turkeys come down early te
| drink and feed in the open vegas, O,
| parks. The greyhounds. which have
| not been fed since sundown, have an
eager, hungry look about them that
presages keen, quick run when the
game is found. 1t is a gathering en-
famille The young ladies are mount
ed-one on stylish-looking pinto; the
other on bitten roam, who is bet
ter than he looks You are surprised
to see them astride and in semi-mascu.
line costume; but no matter. You will
see riding to-day, and of kind that
disbars the use of a habit And then
who could expect TO use the RATA in any
other position?
The Don on his big black. and Pedro
(the peon) on his clay bank, leading a
pack mule, bring up the rear. For our
selves we have pair of iron grays we'll
Injured to the business. and at each
pommel hangs light buckskin lariat,
made especially for this work. Pedro
alone carries my Winchester. in case OF
emergency, or on the chance of big
game, and with the hounds in leash.
we head for the mesa. near Elias creek.
We a4e on the ground now, in the
shelter II the timber, and every eye is
straine@ for the sight of the game.
Dolores points quickly toward NOV
ing object in the edge of the woods,
two hundred yards away, and you ut
ter an exclamation of astonishment,
for, there, with an undulated sweep
like wave on the sea beach, you see q
line Of glossy plumage surge out on
the open stretch. Ten, fifteen, twenty
minutes pass, and still they come. Then
the last straggler has entered the
chaparral, and we uncoil our lariats
Sit deep in your saddle now and ride
as you never rode before! The air in
front of you is black with rushing
forms, but their flight will be short,
and there is open ground ahead The
thorny chaparral tears at your legs
and you know now why the senoritas
Mark them in the van, with lassos
playing a rataplan on their horses
tanks, and their hair streaming in the
wind. Now we, have reached the open
ground, and already we see the lead
ers drop to the ground and break into
o run. The hounds are closing up rap
idly, and in a moment will be upon
them. A frantic gobble of terror, and
the hindmost springs into the air, but
his fat body has been over-nurtured by
the abundance of mast, and the take
off is slow A streak of tan-colored
hair springs up after him. and in an-
other second we hear the champ of the
jaws as he rolls him over in the
loose soil. Another leap through the
cloud of dust, and the other hound is
fast to a magnificent gobbler. which
is still kicking as we ride up
''Bravo! Flash! Good dog! Swift
After them, boys!" and leaving the dy.
ing birds for Pedro to pick up, we fly
onward in swift pursuit Three times
is this repeated, but the flights are get
ting shorter, and now the hounds kill
them on the ground. They scatter
confusedly, and Dolores swings her lar
lat over her head. ZIP! and there is a
laughing cry of triumph as the flying
moose encircles the head of big COB
bier and doubles him up with broken
neck. Whizz! and my own lariat crosses
Conehita's, as we both pull our birds
up standing. and rapidly haul them in
hand over hand. A blow on the head
from the loaded end of our Cuertas
(whips), and we leave them where they
lie, and coil our ropes anew But you
have not been idle. Well thrown, my
friend! But your loop was trife large,
and the outstretched neck is very long
and thin. The moose catches him
around the body just in front of the
wings, and he will be loose Immediate
ly. Turn your horse now and gallop
like mad through yonder clump Of
greasewood, dragging him through it
where he shall catch and break his
neck in the branches. ''Bueno! Ami
60" and you have roped and killed
your bird in gallant style. But see
yonder! For the third time the old
Don is coiling his rope on the run. A
huge turkey leaves the ground in last
spasmodic fight, but the big black is
almost on him as he raises Once, twice,
thrice the old mans arm whirls
above his head; then the slender
coil leaves his hand in an unbrolsen
circle, and, gradually diminishing as it
goes, falls in an eight-inch ring direct
ly in front of the turkey, who drives
his neck into it with thud which is
distinctly audible from where we sit,
watching that superb cast The train
ed black wheels instantly, and in a
cloud of dust and glory, with his prize
bounding like a huge rubber ball at
the end of his taut rata, the old va
quero comes galloping up to us, bow
ing to his pommel in graceful ac-
acknowledgement of the enthusiastic
praise we shower upon him.
We literally choke off the dogs now
and assist Pedro in picking up and
packing our game. We have eighteen
turkeys in the panniers and only stop
long enough to let you try your hand
again on one old fellow of aldermanic
which we find skulking in
the brush Amid a running fire of jest
and laughing raillery we run him to
standstill and. after a score of futile
in which you successfully
catch your hat, your horses neck, and
mesquite boughs, your
rope settles down fairly on his bronze
neck. and he is hauled out amid mir
ic thunder of applause shooting and