The Saint Paul globe., 1899-04-30
LASSOED A MOUNTAIN LION,
Daredevil Feat of Vaouero in Southern Cali

fOrnia.

| LOS ANGELES, Cal, April 1o.-No one
! save his kind, a wild, hot-headed, impul-
| sive, daredevil of q Mexican vaquero
would have thought Of it. to say nothing
| Of doing it, lassoing, or. in the vernacu-
lar, roping full-grown mountain lion
out Of a tree. Think of 1T. you sport
loving fellows; spur fiery and badly
frightened bronco to within a roping dis
lance, throw your moose, see 1t settle
about the tawny neck then wheel, spur
away and ride, ride hard and fast. too.
for the devil himself is after you In the
shape of an infuriated mountain lion
measuring ten feet from tip to tip, and
he will not only give you a race for your
money, but your life. That was the fool
hardy act and wild ride of Felipe. va
quero on the San Ysidro rancho one day
last week.
Fel1pe always was a wild devil, full of
rich, red blood and the old Nick, and was
In MS element at the head of STAN
pede of thousands of crazed cattle plung-
Ing through darkness, while the thunder
doomed and crashed and the lightning
bridged the chasms from peak to peak
with bands Of dazzling light, then left
q.
see an electrical storm In the mountains
of Southern California? It's worth see
Ing, and you will remember 1t. too.
mexican COWBOY with rope and pony
That obeys the slightest pressure of his
knees Is an ugly customer to be up
against. I would as soon see him charge
me with six-shooter as to come bearing
down standing in his stirrups his body
poised forward and that fatal moose cir
cling round and round his head They
would much rather rope an animal than
shoot 1t, and If two or more of them
find grizzly i'll an open bit Of ground
where their horses have chance to play
well, an impromptu circus and men
agerie follows. But started to tell you
Of the lion.
and his route lay along the mountain
side Of the range. 1t was just after
breakfast. and he was swinging along
caught sight of the carcass of young
steer partly eaten. With scarcely a
pressure on the reins. the pony stopped,
almost settling back on his launches,
while his riders black eyes scanned the
carcass and the ground around which
showed signs of a struggle. "Leones''
was his only comment; in the sandy soil
amid the sparse vegetation were the
tracks of big mountain lion leading to-
ward the mountains. The trail led into
a little nook in the foothills, in which
was a clump of wide-Spreading Hveoaks.
Toward these rode Felipe, and as he
neared the first tree he refined back.
There he is In the tree" senor," he
called with some show Of excitement
hnr ho I,t1cra foIla
his long, powerful body lying at full
length on a limb almost as large as the
trunk of the tree, and not over fifteen
feet from the ground, his sinewy tail
waving softly to and fro, his head partly
raised. ears f1attened lips drawn back.
showing his cleaning fangs, his steel
like claws working convulsively and tear
ing bits Of bark from the limb. Ugh,
but he was an ugly, vicious, magnificent
looking brute. I fingered the forty-five
six-shooter in my holster nervously and
decided not.
ride out little ways and watch him,
Felipe. while l go back to camp for q
rifle"
mo, no, senior, will rope him. I have
often helped rope grizzly bears. but never
a mountain lion; never did I hear of It
being done, and Felipe of the San Ysidro
will be the first; 1t will be something to
talk about, and when Miguel Of the Santa
Margarita comes again to boast the boys
may tell Of what Felipe did," and he be-
gan untying the 4O-foot rawhide rope
about his saddle horn "If 1t was
hair rope 1 should like 1t better, but
what matter. it will only add to the tel
ling"
.But when you are near enough to
throw you will be within leaping distance
of him. Felipe measured the height of
the limb with his eye.
'sNo. I think not-quite; he will not
spring until he feels the rope tighten,
then-but ride wide of us, senior, If the
rope breaks shoot If he runs. If he comes
on give your horse his head"
Dismounting he frightened the cinch un-
til his pony fairly groaned, then swing
ing into the saddle he arranged. the moose