Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1895-01-24
FIFTEEN.

II IL Il lZ4l1ys
Dan Smith, who lives alone In log
hut up In the San Jacinto mountains all
the year found,,is this most genuine hunt
er and trapper in southern California
While other old time hunters have been
all urged from the forest, the rocky fast,
6esses Of the mountains; or from lives OF
solitude and hardship, by the temptations
Of civilization or thirst for riches in gold
fields or silver mines, Dan has over 40
years been a trapper and hunter.
He could fill volume with thrilling
tales Of adventure, and his observation of
the habits and characteristics of the ferc-
est wild beasts and most dangerous rep
tiles we have id America would be an au-
thority among naturalists. He has hunt
ed all over Colorado, Nevada, Arizona and
about half of California. He is iliffident
about telling Of his adventures, but when
warmed up he can entertain q listener fof
hours. He recently related a fight to the
death that he saw years ago between
panther and d f.-o7e OF wild hogs In the
Vicinity of what is now Caliente, in Korn
county. Dams language is followed as
near as possible in the story telling:
About 20 years ago, near's 1 ken rekol-
lect, l was hllntin on top of Blue noun
tain; i'll Kern county. ! had killed big
buck and had just finished skinnin him
when heard the squealin of drove of
wild hogs You ken bet I hung that buck
In tree just as quick as could, for them
critters is tho pryenest things and the
theanest ye ever saw. Why, if they get
mad, they'll tackle anything. Well, had
Icf n 20 r IL
a-comin, a-squealin and a gruntin.
II had to hunt safe place myself, for
there was no use of slootin one when
there's maybe 40. II killed one, I'd had
to kill 'em all. They'd never leave long
as one of them was alive throwed the
gun strap over my shoulders and took to
a good sized tree about 20 yards from
where hung the deer
Them hogs put in an appearance Just
as got on big limb, about Is feet above
the groand. They was led by two big
boars, and there wuz 80 of 'em, all told
They smelled the blood and the deer, root
cd up tho 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 I heard some
thing julnpin from tree to tree on the
lower side of the rise, and purity soon 7
saw the biggest painter eyer saw jump
on to limb NV a tree about seven or eight
yards from the limb the deer hung on.
Them hogs hadn't yet winded the
painter, and they kept up SIGH racket
sQuealin and gruntin that they hadn't
heard him. The painter didn't see the
hogs until he struck the last tree, when he
wuz almost over them. He jest laid him
self full length on the limb and watched
them, all the time wayin his tail back
and forth and shown his teeth. He
knowed he had to get tibet meat while it
was in the tree or hev the fight of his life
for it if it got to the ground. After bit
the painter seemed to make up his mind,
for he got his feet under him and squatted
tell ye, stranger, tibet wuz apurty jump
That painter jest sailed through the air
and landed plump on the limb over the
deer.
when the painter struck the limb, the
hogs quit squealin and tearin around
and formed themselves in ring, with the
body of the deer in the center above them.
They began to foam at the mouth and
snap their tusks What a noise they made!
They Wuz the maddest and awfulest look
in animals I ever saw. All thet time the
painter was trying to haul tho deer up to
him with his paw, but every time he'd get
the deer swung around the sinews with
which it was fastened to the limb would
make it slip back. Purity soon the painter
seemed 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 mado the biggest mis-.
take of his life, fur he couldn't hold the
deer when tho 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
to pieces Quicken I kin tell ye The
painter Wuz SO mad that he lost his judg-
ment, or he wouldn't have done such a
foolish thing as he did, fur he gave one
smart and wuz among the hogs in Il sec
ond, knockln two Nv 'em over as he
landed. Then there wuz a fight. The
hogs quit the deer and went for the paint
or. Now he wuz down and then up.
over went hog ripped wide open
here, Whllo another got 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 dozen long cuts on his sides
and legs, and his body wuz covered with |
blood. SIGH snarlin, screamin, squeal-
IN, rippin and tearin I never did see.
In less time than I ken tell it II NV them
hogs wuz laid out, and two or three more
Wuz hurt, but the painter wuz purity near
out too. He wuz layin on his |
oack, and every time q hog got in reach !
Nv his claws he would give him rip
which would knock the hog out, at least I
fur awhile One hog made lungo at the
,ainter's head and got caught by the
hroat by the painter, but tibet wuz his last
let, for one nv the bears drove his long
usks into the painters belly and literally
clipped him open from one end to the
'ther, and in less than three seconds that
PAINTER was torn to pieces
The hogs took up the pieces, bones and
III, and crunched and ground them until
lothin could be seen Nv the animal big
nough to mako a gun wad. Thet wuz a
'attle, sure. There wrz about Is dead
logs, and six or eight cut and dashed
rom snout to tail. don't believe sim
&c one escaped stane injury, but tho liv-
Il ones, whether wounded or not, list
,ept tearing around till they cleaned up
IL thet wuz left NV the deer and the paint
r.
y had set on thct limb and watched. the
ght until it wuz finished and never
hcught of my gun, and # had don't
c!lievo would have used it. but now tibet
wuz over knew ia hev to kill tho rest,
y the hogs or stay in the tree all night,
0 commenced OH en- and killed the last
no NV 'cn. After the first shot the liv-
4 ones surrounded my tree and tried to
ct at me, and they staid all night there
III keeled over tho last one After I had
leaned them out / started for home, and
u the first time in q long while got there
'ithout any meat. ''-Exchange
Did Her Best.
Miss Elderly ~ shall never marry.
Laura-Probably not, but you made a
paVo finbf Tiff, g