The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-16

| face we could see q sandstorm mere ana
there wiping up the floor of the desert
and sending pillows Of dust In every a.
rection. All around ms were peaks
some jagged and bald as an eagles
crown and others somewhat rounded
and carrying forests Of pine. To the
west was a great mass of mountains
and hills. u~ndulating like n monstrous
sea. ending In the blue distance where
we got a peep at the Pacific. IL was a
Wild and sublime scene. oppressive be-
cause of its desolation and remotervss
from human kind.
Even Ell Cato seemed to be Impress
ed. He stood shading his eyes with mis-
naked arm. his hair streaming back M
the keen wind. He looked for an IN
slant more like a statue h m Indian.
Then he suddenly proved nat he was
alive by exclaiming:
" I think there are borregos here
We hurried down the face OF the
mountain toward the east. which here
formed a sort OF horseshoe. / saw a
doe feeding right below me and fired.
She fell down on a ledg of rocks. Start
led by the shots. a ram n -four
does came Gathering along the rocks.
the ram In the lead. He was a splendid
specimen of the bighorn and II was
enough to give one buck fever to see
him jump across the gullies.
AohAt otAC lOANo NV
Cato. See. He make for the canon.
Shoot!'
Il was much excited, I confess. The
ram was running and leaping In suc.i
agile fashion that IL was impossible
To get a sure shot. / blazed away and
luckily hit him In the ribs. IL wasn't
a pretty shot. but II did the work. and
he tumbled N clattered down the hill
side to land on a shelf 20 feet below.
.(rafn WAS mora QNRifa1 than Ia
jumped along from boulder to boulder.
laughing and yelling. We reached the
bighorn and found him to be a magnif-
icent specimen. weighing all of 400
pounds. That Is. including his horns,
which weighed 3s pounds. We had neg
lected to bring along an axe. and had
no knife worthy OF the name. So we
were reduced to the expedient OF the
primitive hunter-a sharp stone. With
this Cato haggled n smote away m
I'll he had secured a good chunk from
the ribs and severed the horns from the
head. II was hard work climbing back.
100 feet up the mountain. almost per-
.pendicularly. weighted as we were, with
the meat and the horns. But 1 was
bound to have them and Cato was
bound to have a borrego roast, so we
Kept at IL. Cato got a bunch or two
OF wild onions. too. and in half an hour
we were enjoying a rib roast n the
onions-one OF the most memorable
meals l have ever eaten and the most
The X day we came upon a buck
and several does. ] tried the buck. but
made a miserable shot. missing him af-
ter three trials. Then I tried a doe. and
killed her. That day we ran across
deer continually. The n seemed
to be alive with deer. II was entirely
and Cato told me the In
rarely penetrated into the noun
that far.
But / was after b~orregos. and not
Common deer. and we finally paid no
to the latter unless we needed
We crossed over into another
n assembled a barren and ter
IDLY broken mountain. which seemed
20 have been riven by earthquakes. 1t
was about 10 o'clock in the morning
Cato signsled me to step quietly,
rs he got the scent Of game ahead,
around a point of rocks. I say scent
sdvlsedly. for / believe the old Indian
could smell game as well, almost as a
log.
Il obeyed with alacrity. Cato clam.
down from rock to rock. keeping
mis- eyes glued on a point ahead. 1 fol-
as best l could. with my rifle
-eady. As we rounded the jutting head
and a very pretty picture met our eyes
ind temporarily caused me to forget to
shoot. A level mead was before us
heavy rich grass carpeting IL. A
my waterfall near us chartered away.
somewhat drowning the sound of our
and thus perhaps permitting us
draw nearer than we otherwise could.
AL around the glade were white dis
Cinted rocks. standing bolt upright like
unfinished statues. And to complete the
charming picture. there were half a
iozen mountain sheep. a couple Of them
Dighorns. feeding silently. nibbling here
there.
Cato turned and motioned for me to
at the right-hand bighorn. re-
serving the other for himself. l raised
rifle and took aim, when a sudden
,ommotion among the does distracted
They leaped aside. quick as a flash.
rhe bighorns nimbly turned. as IL on a
toward a common center. Then
saw a huge mountain lion leap from
a large rock. uttering at the
instant a piercing scream that
,nded in "A ioa-.
1.-THE peJcefui scene of a moment be-
'ore was o just the opposite. The
big sheep stood their ground stubborn
y. waiting for the lion to attack them.
the tawny brute. falling short I'm
his leap for the nearest foe. crouched
itib STU" iNu a. ht hht iAI |
bile horns. Cato was trembling with
excitement. My own heart thumped. |
rot from fear. but from intense interest
n the combat. The bighorns gave low
stamping their feet. but not
an inch. The lion settled upon
he ground. n by the knotting of his
muscles and fiattening OF his head I
that he was about to spring. |
THE next moment. with another
@r.aV. h. mas tn the aNr YNkA Il
excited even yet when I recall
hat terrible attack. He landed right on
he head and shoulder OF one
II the rams. and began scratching
growing. The bighorn unlim-
,ered. and l saw such an exhi-
,ition OF agility from anything in the
family. He eemed as supple rs
he lion himself. The other ram came
Town on the pair. head down and horns
straight for the lion. They coll
ided. and h thump on the Hons body
vas plainly to be heard. All this time