The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1896-02-13
A LION ADVENTURE.
The Hunters Gun Was ADout az Danger
Gus as the Reast.

| Gus ;ls lIle AeaSL.
Tho hero of this adventure is B..
7. k,lso Of Juniper Flats. Juniper
Flats is Z way down in Riverside
county IN q most of tangled, brush
covered hills bctween Lake View
AMI San Jacinto. Kelso is big,
burlv, bearded man, with Il good bu-
'nored smile and an honest face. Ho
makes his living by digging mama
Tita and grease wood, which IS haul
el TO Riverside and sells for 81 a
cord. Ono day he had his load ready
to start on his weary Grieo across
tho plains, when tho family heard
rhe dogs barking up on the hill back
Of tho house. helso went for his
Gun.
Now, this gun Of Kelso's is fear
fCl and wonderful weapon. It had
once been Il single barreled shotgun,
but it had the misfortune somo time
in the misty PAST 10 have tho whole
stock smashed off. Tho hammer
was left, it is true bat it wouldn't
stand cooked under any circpm-
stances, ard everything apaft the
hammer was gone. Some Of my
brave readers who are not afraid tc
pull q trigger may think il All unde
sirablc job to hold up the hammer
of Kclso's gun with the thumb,
stick tho whole thing ont at safe
distance from the face, shut one eye,
tal;o ain-mako ready-and let the
hammer slip-barg!
Not so with kelso, however. lie
took his fragmcntary relic and
strodo away through the brush TO
see what the dogs wero raising such
q row abort.
The rocks on tho top Of this hill
arc hugo cubes and rectangular
blocks as big as houses fresh flung
from the hand OF Gcd. Tho dogs
were barking about the crevices Of
one Of these. koIso climbed labori-
ously 10 the top of it, so rs TO look
down and ind tho wildcat or what.
ever it might be, when, rs he scaled
Tho crest, Il giant mountain lion made
a rush past him close enough to
touch, and stood glaring Flown say
agely at the yellow dogs switching
MS tail with an uneasy, nervous en-
crgy.
Tho lion made Il spring down
among the dogs, struck them off TO
right and left and won't il great
leaps down tho mountain siio that
slopes toward San Jaointo. The
dogs pursued, and after them flew
the excited Kolso. Down, down
they went for mile or more
through brush, over rocks that
would have cost tho life Of any one
but a moUntaineer.
AT last tho big cat, harassed and
confused by the following dogs, took
refuge in his lair: e cave among the
rocks, sono distance above tho Pico
springs, and when the man arrived.
the dogs wero fiercely barking into
tho mouth of tho cavern, and the |
lion was at bay. KGlso pushed in
among the dogs in tho thick of the
fray. Suddenly The middle dog shot
like aI arrow at tho lion and seized 8
him by the throat 1T q word from
bis master the hound rushed il and
seized the great cat by tho jaw, and
tho fysto followed suit by worrying
bis prey il the lanks. /
The sceno was indescribable. Fur !
and blood, yells, grovls, howls. !
snarls, demoniac cries and shrieks
Glled tho echoing cavern. Kelso
held up the hammer Of his ancient /
shooting iron ard pointed the muz-
slo il toward tho fearful din. 6e
cropt il till be was actually stand
ing On tho lions tail. As tho great
brute raised his head above the
dogs the hammer was re-
leased. For Il wonder tho cartridge
and tho whole top of tho
ions head WAS blown TO smither.
Gems. Los Angeles Times.