El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-13

and prepared to repeat the fire per-
Torrance. When it came as near as l
dared allow did as before, with like
result, only that the fame was not so
bright, and the beast moved off more
slowly and not so far.
The crisis was close at hand. |
knew it could not be far off. l might
burn the remainder of my clothing
trousers and underwear-but this
would only delay for n few minutes
the final encounter | ran wildly along
a narrow. fat ledge of rock at the foot
of the high bluffs looking for and hop
ing to find some vantage ground-an
oVerhanging arm or jutting rock, any
thing, high or low. from which l could
fight my terrible antagonist with a
possible show for life. AS | ran 1 I'M
wound the long lariat from about my
waist and threw it again and again at
projecting rocks from the perpendic
ular wall, thinking to haul myself up
to a place OF safety. This was a fail
ure. l could not make the rope hold;
1 could find no crevice or hole in the
rocks.
Seeing the beast again approaching,
l was about ready to give up in de-
spair or turn and have it out, with
knife and club, in the open, when !
saw some distance beyond me that a
deep gulch split the bluff in twain.
1 ran to the spot, resolved to make
one more effort, and found that the
rocky ledge abruptly terminated at
the brink of a narrow, deep gully at
the base of the farther bluff This
gully or ravine, through which the
mountain torrents found an outlet TO
the lower ground, was u or 10 feet
wide. Just over the gully and some
ten feet above the brink, at the angle
of the bluff, a great rock extended
rough but friendly arm, pointing up
ward at an angle of about 40 degrees
1t required very little time to double
the rope, throw the looped end over
the rock and swing off over the gulch.
l struck the face of the bluff with
force, but held on to the rope and be-
gan climbing hand over hand for the
rock above, which 1 mounted with no
little difficulty.
The lion soon came up, and, after Sc
lecting a footing on the brink of the
gully from which to leap, crouched as
for the spring, then changed its mind
and stood erect. 1t must have taken
mental measure of the distance
separating us and decided the leap
was beyond its ability to accomplish.
I was safe now, beyond the reach of
the hungry creature. The rocky walls
on either side and above me were
perpendicular and shielded me COM
pletely. Only the prospect, fact rather,
of having to pass the night on the
narrow, nestlike rock, less than three
feet wide, attired as l was. made the
situation unpleasant.
1t was a night to be remembered.
The lion never left me, but alternately
moved about restlessly, then stretched
its long body out ON the fiat rocks for
few minutes at a time. Nor did i
close my eyes in sleep. A fall from
the rock would have been the end of
me.
The lion will skulk off with the COM
ing of day, thought L, and leave me
free to go my way. But in this was
mistaken. When daylight at last
came the persistent beast was still
there and showing no intention of
raising the siege
1 began pelting the brute with the
few loose stones l could find and
then with the long end of the rope.
This served only to infuriate the
hungry creature and draw it nearer.
Instantly the thought flashed into my
mind: Why not laSSo the gentleman?
Why not rope him? L can do it.
One end of the lariat l made fast by
a double turn around the great rock,
so arranged that 1 could draw in the
slack as I desired. At the other end l
made a small running noose-that is,
smaller than one would use for lasso-
ing cattle on horses. This done, l coil
ed the strong rope in regulation style
and let fly with the loop end at the
lions head. The cramped position in
which 1 stood prevented accurate
throwing, and 1 missed the mark, the
rope falling across the animals back.
For an hour l kept up the exciting
and, to me, unique sport, coiling and
throwing the rope, sometimes landing
the moose at the proper place, to see
1t deity thrown off ere 1t could be
drawn.
Finally the rope fell true. The lion
made a frantic lunge and in such man
ner as to effectually draw the moose.
He was caught.
Never have /, before or since, seen
such a display of violent madness COM