The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-31
so THE DUTCHMAN GOT IT.
FAIL OF THE ENCHANTED BUCK or
THE PENASoUITAS.
Antlered Giant Tint Ooned the Guns
of Skilled Hunters, Both white Men and
IndiRns-The Beekeeper Who Got Lost
md INtg Ifaawnnnta Ign,n,utar M N 9nrfo1

ana His UneNpected Encounter Mt n Spring
SAN DIEGO. Cal. July 22.-The enchanted
buck Of the Penasauitas has been laid low.
About every hunter in San Diego county tried
his hand on this big and feet deer without be-
ing able to stop his charmed career. Even the
Indians trailed him for miles over the hills and
through the chaparral OF Black Mountain down
through the cahons back Of Del Mar, and some
times came within good rifle shot of him, but
they could not kill him. "Old Tuerto." q one
eyed Indian famed In these parts for his skill
in woodcraft and on the trail, used to shake his
head when any one mentioned "El Cenddo
encdntddo"-the enchanted buck.
"Se0Uro," he used to say; seouro Is encdn-
tddo. Surely he is enchanted. There is q spell
over his life. have followed him over arroyo
and down the sand Of the Penasquitas for miles.
l have found him standing under a tree. so. I
have taken good aim. l shot straight. knew
the bullet went straight. sds! but the buck
lcaped up and shook his head at me. C6mol
1t is a very strange case"
All the old hunters talked the same way.
Charley Finch. who knows as much about deer
as any man. red or white. said there was some
thing about the big deer that simply caused a
man to lose his steady aim. The deer was so
big. so powerful. 80 handsomel
why. l went out last summer. you know.
with Gordon and John Gay and those fellows"
said Finch, land you know what shots they
are. Gordon will follow a buck till both ofthem
drop. He doesn't know what it is to let up.
We got on the trail OF that big enchanted buck
and followed 1t down through the Penasquitas.
crossed over the Penasquitas. over that little
ridge toward the Poway. and over back OF the
Del Mar Hills into the Black Mountain country.
We were two days on the trip. Gordon es-
pecially was bound to have n crack at that there
deer, Finally we got onto the system. There
was n certain creek where the buck drank.
His trail was worn smooth there. where he
came down to drink every morning and night.
That was Just what we wanted. Gordon was
so anxious to get that there buck that we Just
stood to one side and let him have full swing.
We agreed not to do anything until he had his
try and missed.
Missp he said. kind OF snfn1ng-like: you
just wait till 1 get a crack Mt him. and you'll see
whether his enchantment works. They amt
no such thing as an enchanted buck. and I'll
prove it to you.'
with that we all laid back and laughed. and
gave him all the rope he wanted. We rugged
up a Temporary camp a little ways Off the trail.
and stayed there that night. We swapped lies
till almost daylight. and then Gordon jumps up
and says he must be of after that buck. He
got off something more about enchantment
and so on, Just to lot us know he was onto his
job. After Gordon had started down toward
the creek Gay and me and the other fellows
talked about 1t a little bit and then agreed to
go down the creek a ways and then cross over to
the other hill and wait there to get a shotin case
Gordon missed. Thcy had been so much said
about that buck and the dcefculty OF hitting
him that ! had my doubts about getting him
myself. 1t was Just getting daylight as we
reached our places. where we could see over
the brow Of the hill down to tho creek where
the trail was. 1t couldn't have been more than
ten minutes before we saw that big buck walk
ing out into plain sight. big as life. and his
antlers sweeping the willows to one side.
Bang! went Gordon's rifle, and we could
see the smoke come up from n little clump
about $50 feet from the buck. Gordon was
right onto him, you see. Well. that buck turned
around surpriscd-likc. and then jerkod his
head and lit out. Ho jumped clean acrost the
creek and started our way. In ten seconds he
was going past us. We hlazcd away. but he was
going like an arrow. and l couldn'td do a thing but
level, and shoot. OF course. we missed. But
the laugh wasn't on US. because. you see: he
as be was at the creek. broadside on and stock
stu. Why you EGn,d have bored ah9le clean
W visGHS You n's see. I He E Ead t GRnfF chance mSra9 and T he
missed him. Well. maybe we didn't Josh him
when be got back; We 4sked him why he didn't
go back ard dope himself for buck fever. seeing
he had a downright hard case. We reckoned
he had blank. cartridges. or lost his specs. and
u long time, but we didn't take it in earnest,
you see, and that made him madder still. We
chanted. and so on, till he got so mad he called
us all fools.
Now that there case. and everything I ever
hcord from the Indians. makes me believe that
my case / never, could shoot straight at, that
msEf R RnSs' wS dgi ed T t~S h / R%drsSd fg and a hs
pounds. all skinned and dressed. His antlers
W was ra SiSf ectl w al f bis nntle Th sia T3f bd in iJbH ayI
him. did hep"
ne enchanted buck is 4 story " itself. TIL
the Penasquitas turns into the San Dicguito.
The Penaspuitas does not empty into the San
l,tcguito. because they are one. and the same
cniidi ,h hw sSn %p Isa fa9 5 m2p {nTtbsr the dSw river { Is
the Pamo. Still further it is the Poway. then
the Penasquitas, and Just before 1t reaches the
rancher along the line enjoys the name of his
choice, and the river keeps on running under
The Dutchman's ranch is so sequestered that
nobody but the Dutchman visits 1t. 1t Is miles
off the regular road, Hunters have made their
way down the river to his place. but they don't
count. Tho Dutchman has planted n few acres
OF vines and lemon trees. but makes his living
The rabbits and deer have made his life n bur
den; especially the deer, He could put up a
rabbit-proof fence, but there was no way to
keep the deer out OF his tender vines. The
most troublesome Of all the deer was this same
enchanted buck. One time when Ell Tuerto
was on his way from San Dicguito to the In
dim fiesta ut P,ala the, Dutchman told him to
rally oil the Indians, and make a grand hunt for
the enchanted buck. He said he would give
SD cash for his antlers: This caused Fl Tuerto
and his friends to stir themselves, but all their
wUodcraft failed them when it came to killing
81 eliCdHtddO.
Sc the Dutchman gave notice that he was go
ing, on the warp9th%h himself. He left his bees to
shit for themselves and turned the COW out.
He took down his old shotgun, loaded it with
bucksh3t and started out. He knew, Of this
same place whore the buck came down to
drink, and campcd around il for some time. but
probably he was TO, the windward Of the trail.
because the deer deserted the spot entirely.
The Dutchman, saw no sign of deer all the time
no was there. Then the Dutchman went down
the canon to where there is n natural stone
corral. in which George Merritt once had the
PUCK c0rralled: Merritt shot four times at the
the buck got awoy, The DutGhman hunted all
far as La Jolla MOUNTAINS. where deer were
s4mo,imes found. But there was no sign Of
Finally the Dutchman camc To the conclusion