The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1899-05-04

shadow of the Big Snowys. During the
winter we had lost several fine heifers,
and knew from the peculiar marks
upon their back, and their torn throats.
that it was the work of a lion. Also
we had heard its peculiar, almost hu.
man cry.
We were not looking for him this
particular day; but it had come to be
habit with us to carry our rifles when
out riding for stock.
There had been light fall of snow
the night before, and it had softened so
that tracks could be plainly seen. We
were about two miles from the house.
although still inside the pasture, and
riding up draw about 100 yards wide,
walled Oh either side by abrupt sand
rock cliffs from 5 tC 20 feet high.
Hawk was riding slightly ahead. He
had just rounded a turn in the rocky
draw, when he pulled up suddenly and
pointed to the ground. There crossing
our trail at right angles was the fresh
track of the lion. Perhaps you have
seen house cats track; tEen. imagin
it about four inches in diameter, and
you have mountain lions track.
We turned our horses and followed
those tracks straight to the sandrock
cliffs. There in the sand at the bottom
of the cliff was the imprint of his sim
ewy body.
Hawk said that he had probably been
lying there, and when he heard us COM
ing, had jumped VI onto the bench and
disappeared.
Rapidly unstrapping our rifles and
turning our horses loose, we hunted up
place, where we could climb up. We
helped the dogs up and then climbed
up ourselves. We got back to the place,
and sure enough, there were the big
tracks again.
We put the dogs on the trail and
away they went. Now we knew that
those dogs would keep out of the way
of that lion. But we knew also that
when the lion Winded the dogs he
would go for tree, lie in wait for
them, drop down upon them and there
would be cut and dog time of it for a
mlnute-(that is if the dogs should be
fools enough to come under the tree.)
A dog has a very handy sense of
smell which generally keeps him out of
danger.
We had been travelling about an hour
when we heard the dogs barking, and
in moment, back they came. with the
hair on their backs sticking straight up
and trembling all over We urged them
forward, for we wanted to locate the
lion. They would go but :little dis
tance and come whining back; so we
knew that our game was near.
Cautiously now. we moved forward.
Carefully we scanned every tree. Every
nerve was strung, every muscle tense.
The dogs were whining at our heels.
Suddenly Hawk, who was slightly
ahead, dropped to his knee and threw
his rifle to his shoulder. Before could
see anything to shoot at, his rifle rang
out. There was crashing of branches,
and about fifty yards away 1 saw
broken branches and snow falling. AS
these struck the ground, the tawny
body of the lion emerge |, and with a
snarl disappeared up the slope among
the pines. Hawks rifle rang out again
as the brute disappeared; then he
turned to me with a look of disgust
and said:
"Why the devil didn't you shoot?"
1 explained that 1 hadn't seen any,
thing to shoot at, till it was too late.
We found plenty of blood and knew
that he was hit, SO we struck out lively
on the trail. The further we went the
less blood there was.
The dogs wouldn't go ahead any
more, and we were taking chances on
being ambushed. We were about to
give up, when the dogs commenced
whining and trembling again.
A short distance ahead was a great
fallen pine tree. The tracks led straight
up to this, and we presumed he had
jumped over it. Its branches held it a
short distance from the ground, so that