The sun., 1899-04-30
GOAT HUNTING ON CRAGS.
SPORT WITH RATA AND RIFLE ON
SANTA CATALINA ISLAND.
DIisndyenture of n New York Sportsman
Big Goats Pursued Among Dangerous
Rocks-Story of the Grateful Rather
Told by the Tony Weller of the Island. |

shouted the fat jolly-taced man who held tho
ribbons OF the siX-in-hand. All aboardH'
echoed tall. thin man. Four or five rifles
were handed up. tho luncheon slowed in tho
capacious boot. and with a snap OF the long
whip. Tom Green. the champion six-in-hand
whip and mountain coach driver OF California
and Arizona let things loose and the coach
started away up the Catalina Island mountains.
Tom Green is character at Santa Catalina.
He built the famous coach road that runs along
the rugged edge OF nothing. and now drives
tho horses up to the summit in an hour and q
half. and down in fourteen minutes 1t Is said
he once made IL In ten minutes. and that tho
black horses that went up came down pure
white: but that is ono of Green's yarns. He
Is the personiilcation of good nature and the
embodiment Of nerve. He wears suit Of
corduroy. u broad sombrcro. and perennial
smile. and is the Tony Weller OF Santa Cata-
lima. The way he picks up the reins. shortens
UP at tho turns guides his fiery team by
touch OF the brake. and brings them in on time
is delight to the eye
The road winds up from the town OF Avalon
and is one of the big things Of California. Civ
Ing the ridera changing view OF the blue ocean,
the distant mountain peaks OF the Sierras
snow capped. a hundred miles away. and
the cahons OF tho isle of summer that creep
up snuousIy from tho sea like living things
The road skirts the cahons. rising with q 10
per cent. grade as smooth as a floor and ten
feet wide. On ono side is the wall of the
mountain. on the other almost n sheer drop OF
anywhere from 100 to 500 feet. 1t follows the
indentations OF the mountain. making grace
full horseshoe curves
Tho enthusiasm of tho passengers increases
with the altitude. The horses are walking and
on big curve Green Jams the brake into the
wheel and they stop to rest.
Il had q curious experience hero last week."
he says.
How was that? ?" asks n Boston educator and
observer of nature. who had the box seat
Why" replied Tom Green. ms went by
saw big rattlesnake lying across the road.
and not wishing to crush the life out of him
stopped and Just put him one side like and
drove on. The next day there was the same
snake in the same place, and again. actuated
by tho humane sentiments which had been in
stillcd into me in early youth by revered
parent. removed the snake. On the following
day did the same. and when was on the way
down what do you suppose that snake did
Why. he followed the coach and I couldn't get
rid OF him. Regularly took fancy to his pre-
server; So. being affected BY thu, affection Of a
box. and a few day after went 70 Los Angeles
left, him in my room. and when | got back at
night kind OF late. heard a great disturbances
u robber in my room. / rushed upstnirs three
steps al, a time. and what do You suppose
1t T1T E1r.9 bnaTS ePonEh Ny
by the coat, holding him down while his tail
was hanging out OF the window rattlng for tho
hnu CONT meyer tel! me that animals don't
Ts arSe onS iSSengs Ing ana Gr%S1 M cuckt at the lead
down the canon iik" % pistol lis OF shot hmp '""' '''RS
the TS G ana bmGns and
started into a run and the coach howled out On
seeming cape that aprarsptIy ended in moth;
almost on themselves then. crossed the road
and ran down. rounding M in full form nt n
finer, and Tom Green told stories at every turn
that filled the educators :, with annzemcnt
whe other 6" hT Bras mo @y he 2aa
the way. It was March. but cverythinss vel
ow ETS flowers IN dostai great matches Of YET
curious cactus with yellow blossoms the wild
lilac c, a, and many more. Finally the coach
ing Gminencc overlooking, sea and island and
ta taS distant mainiapd al below vas the maz" Of
syey ye wes nS fooS%g f he
the cahons like rivers of vcrdure in marked
tSIntrast to n" bqH Of the ocean 50 far below
4 strange island this a maze Of mountains,
a head with rugged almost volcanic peaks
cAhons winding away. here. there. and every
where. discovered in 1912 by Cnbrillo. 1t was
mouths OF cahons. Where are they now i? Even
Tom Green cannot answer that, and he waves
his whip upward to the blue heavens. Wiped
out of existence. the race is represented only
hy the strange implements that are found on
the old townsites.
Green touching them with the whip. we are Of.
down grade now into the goat country On
brIIlo Mountains. cut into hy cafions, which in
turn are cut by others, To the east are two
entrance OF canon running In that direction
the coach comes TO halt and the go9t hunters
jump out. Around bend tho guides have
lean saddles, and soon the sportsmen are fol-
lowing Mexican guide up the precpitous
You, gcntlcmen ever run down an rope
goat. ehf' asked the man in n tall silver
m or oaa sInT Is hs t4 made Wau% ndt .btv out
They would. Each novice now noticed that
there was rata tied to each saddle and the
taken out the cayalcade moved on. All were
good horsemcn. but the strangers were green
Einincd was a simple matter; and 30 1t certain
% TS 9SssSi wsfsa Ike eE assS tsS as %S
rSeR Of nsm hs great
blue opaine haze black ana White spots were ere
seen seid fpreepIhG ere slowly a3Wng Heaps OF goats
SaWn SaiG me mh 5Mexiean' We go and run them
SO the horses were headed directly down n
seemingly impossible preciplce But they did
net no, mindit when they could not walk they
slid and IL was slide from top to bottom over
g 2country that. would have given Mysteries to a
Scw YORK goat OF the old Harlem stock. BY n
brook beneath some willows the hunters
waited while the guides investigated,
-, HEAPS OF goats In the valley" said the ban
66it; When t w they run they run ur and all
At the word the little cavalcade rode up the
side OF the arroyo and out into the canon to some
low trees beyond which the goats, Il score or So
SGud si%nd be ,bu seen at the base q hil At The
goats stoprcd feeding for, an instant. glanced
a. s,e ane enemy enemy. Men turned and dashed up tho
sending down showers OF rock. lodging the
cactus, and gaining on the goats. which
tTa were forced to r. stop climbing and skirt
headed them on, driving them down a steep
slope over which horses and goats Slid. and
sprang into u wel-woodcd canon. Here the
6 goats G3insd A ana soon we're seen on the slope
well in, swinging his RATA. The mouptain
dead trees. and L took good riding to avoid
them. But the New Yorker gained at every
lnmn; and at propitious moment let his RATA
fly, The rope went whirlng through tho air