The San Francisco call., 1897-03-21
THE FIvE-HORNED SHEEP.

I as well now as at any time, perhaps, that
there is the tanned hide of large PULL
dog down at Gila Bend to attest the truth
fulness of every word that l am going to
utter about this fight.
When Jose left Phoenix he took his mas
cot along with him, and this is probab bly,
the only thing he did take except his
trousers. Shirt sombrero, blankets and
boots. They were good boots and he had
use for them.
When near the GiIa Bend the mascot
and the Mexican came up with Hake and
Ti2er. The meeting was somewhat unex-
pected, and Tiger was loose. So was the
mascot. AS this is very near the most ex-
citing part of my story, it is proper that a
halt should be made long enough to ena-
BILE the reader to get into the confidence
of the author to the extent, at least, Of
knowing that Tiger was the famous bull
dog-was, l say, for he is no longer
against whom the Phoenix sports tried TO
have the mascot fitted to a death battle.
And the owner of Tiger was willing
enough. for he had as much, if not more,
conceit in his animal than had Jose in
his fl eak.
But all that was long ago. The scene is
changed from the gayeties of city life to
the heat and quiet of desert ranch.
Four travellers We're wen ding their way
along a dusty road. They are in pairs,
and each pair is approaching the other
approaching also battle royal that the
Phoenix sports would have given their
eyes to have witnessed. The records are
inexact as to distance and time. but about
the main facts of the case there are no
disputes. All at once Tiger spied the
mascot and began to sniff the air. Jose
and his pet came forward quite peacefully.
The freak is very wild-looking beast,
with face as bland as the face of Ah Sin.
Only his queer horns have an ugly look,
but at the same time they are So ponder
Gus in appearance that one would expect
to find them rather an incumbrance in
battle.
Well, the distance shortened between
the approaching parties. Then, suddenly
| there was a streak of dust about 100 feet
long stretching from Hake Nelson to the
Mascot. In much less than another sec-
ond there was a bunch of dust where the
mascot had stood. Aud when the dust
cleared away little Hake and Jose could
see-and, alas, that the Phoenix sports
could notl-a big black and white bull
dog, almost limp and nearly dead, hang
| ing by the neck between the two lower
horns on the left side of the freaks head.
How the thing happened no one will
ever know to n1cety. But there was the
dog dying and there was the freak pant
ing, but still mild and bland. One of the
antlers had penetrated and torn the flesh
of poor Tiger, but although the wound
bled freely it was not sufficient 10 have
caused the death that very shortly en-
sued. Hake and Jose held an inquest then
and there and their unanimous verd ct
| was that Tiger came to his end by strang-
ulation a: the hands-or rather at the
horns-of the queerest animal ever seen in
Mariopa County. The jurors also exoner-
ated the freak. They could have done no
| less, for he was surely not the attacking
party.
The dogs neck was wedged in tightly,
SO that he could only be extracted by main
force. II the five-horned freak ever goes
back to Phoenix the boys will crown him
with laurel. LUKE NORTH.