The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-11-17
FIFTEEN.

Dan Smith, who lives alone IN a log
hut up in the San Jacinto mountains all
the year round, is the most genuine hunt
CT and trapper in southern California.
While other old time hunters have been
all urged from the forest, the rocky fast
nesses of the mountains, or from lives of
solitude and hardship, by the temptations
Of civilization or a thirst for riches in gold
fields or silver mines, Dan has over 40
years been a trapper and a hunter.
He could fill a volume with thrilling
tales Of adventure, and his observation Of
the habits and characteristics of the 6erc-
est wild beasts and most dangerous rep
tiles we have in America would be an au-
thorlty among uaturalists. He has hunt
ed all over Colorado, Nevada, Arizona and
about half Of California He is difIident
about telling of his adventures, but when
warmed up he can entertain a listener for
hours He recently related a fight to the
death that he saw years ago between
panther and drove Of wild hogs in the
vicinity Of what is now Caliente. in Kern
county Dams language is followed as
near as possible in the story telling:
= About 20 years ago, near's I ken rekoi-
lects was huntin on top of Blue noun
talns in Kern county. 1 had killed a big
buck and had just finished skinnin him
when heard the squealln of q drove of
wild hogs You ken bet hung that buck
IN a tree just as quick as I could for them
critters is the pryenest things and the
meanest ye ever saw. Why, if they get
mad, they II tackle anything. Wen, had
just got my deer safe when I heard them
a-comin, a-squealin and a gruntin.
- had to hunt safe place myself, for
there was of shOOtin one when
there 5 maybe 40. If killed one, I'd had
to kill EN- all They'd never leave long
as one of them was alive I throwed the
gun strap over my shoulders and took to
a good sized tree about 20 yards from
where 1 hung the deer.
Them hogs put in an appearance just
as got on a big limb, about 10 feet above
the ground They was led by two big
bears, and there Wuz 20 of 'en, all told.
They snelled the blood and the deer, root
ed up the leaves and ground with their
long noses and tore around generally I'M
til they found the tree where the deer was
hung Just about this time heard some
thing julDpin from tree to tree on the
lower side Of the rise, and purity soon
saw the biggest painter ever saw jump
on to limb Nv a tree about seven or eight
yards from the limb the deer hung on.
Then hogs hadn't yet Winded the
painter, and they kept up sich a racket
squealin and grunUin that they hadn't
heard him. The painter didn't see the
hogs until he struck the last tree, when he
WIZ almost over them. He jest laid him
self full length on the limb and watched
them, all the time wavin his tail back
and forth and shown his teeth. He
knowed he had to get tibet meat while it
was in The tree or hey the fight of his life
for it if it got to the ground. After q bit
the painter seemed to make up his mind,
for he got his feet under him and squatted-
I tell ye, stranger, tibet wuz a purity jump
That painter jest sailed through the air
and landed plump on the limb over the
deer.
stWhen the painter struck the limb, the
hogs quit squealin and tearin around
ana formed themselves in a ring, with the
r4c
They began to foam at the mouth and
snap their tusks- What a noise they madel
They Wuz the maddest and avvfuIest look
in animals ever saw All tibet time the
painter was trying to haul the deer up to
him with his paw, but every time he'd get
the deer swung around the sinevs with
which It was fastened to the limb would
make it slip back Purity soon the painter
to see the trouble, fur he grabbed
the buck with one paw, while he reached
down and bit the deer loose. There's !
where the painter made the biggest mis- /
take Of his life, fur be couldn t hold the
deer when the fastenin's was cut, and in
spite Nv him it tore loose from his claws
and fell right in the middle Nv the drove
Nv hogs. They jumped on it and tore it 4
to pieces quicken L kin tell ye The
painter wuz mad that he lost his judg-
ment, or he wouldn' t have done such a
foolish thing as he did, fur he gave one /
snarl and wuz among the hogs in a sec /
ond, knockin two NV 'em over as he /
landed. Then there wuz a fight The /
hogs quit the deer and went for the paint /
CT. Now he wuz down and then up.
3" Over went a hog ripped wide open /
here, while another got a wipe with that /
big paw that made him see stars, but the /
hogs wuzn t idle by no means They rip /
ped and tore that painter fore and aft /
They wuz a dozen long cuts on his sides
and legs, and his body wuz covered with /
blood Sich snarlin, screamin, squeal- /
IN, rippin and tearin never did see /
Ia less time than 1 ken tell it II Nv them
hogs wuz laid out, and two or three more I
Huz hurt, bat the painter Wuz purity near /
knocked out too. He wuz layin on his !
back, and every time a hog got in reach +
Nv his claws he would give him q rip /
which would knock the hog out, at least /
fur awhile One hog made lunge at the /
painters head and got caught by the I
throat by the painter, but theU wuz his last I
act, for one NV the bOars drove his long I
5usks into the painter 5 belly and literally 4
ripped him open from one end to the I
other, and in less than three seconds thaS I
painter was torn to pieces.
The hogs took up the pieces, bones and +
III, and crunched and ground them until I
aothin could be seen NV the animal big /
enough to make gun wad. Thet wuz a 7
7attle, sure. There wuz about 10 dead /
logs. and six or eight cut and hashed I
rom snout to tail. / don't believe a sin
gle one escaped some injury, but the liv-
a ones, whether wounded or not, jist +
Kept tearing around till they cleaned up 4
II thet wuz left NV the deer and the paint \
Z.
4 had set on tibet limb and watched the 4
light until it WIZ finished and never +
hought of my gun, and if I had don Z
believe I would have used it, but now the6 I
t wuz over knew I'd hev TO XIII the rest +
" the hogs or stay in the tree all night, .
% I commenced Oh 'em and killed the last