The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-05-12

sS WILL
night providers. but start off on their
excursions before night in order to be
near water holes by the time other
animals come to drink. In the noun
tains away from the ranches, where
they must depend IN the chase and
not thievery for their food, they fol-
low deer. wild sheep n other game
UP and into the mountains as the
summer advances and return with
them when the higher ranges are COW
cred with nOW At Whelping time they
generally unit some secluded place
high up. an almost inaccessible cliff,
if there are bears in the vicinity, Il
cave. if they can find one. Once an
old lioness and her cubs were found
in the hollow caused by the uproot-
ing Of a sugar pine. Drifting leaves
and spruce needles had almost filled
the hollow. making an excellent bed.
In hunting Z grizzly it Is nine to
one that when found he will fight. In
| hunting a mountain lion there is AN
element of uncertainty about it whetn-
er there will be a fight or q chase.
Surprise them at their kill whe
they are hungry and they will fight for
it. If their cubs are in the vicinity or
if they are cornered there is apt to be
Il quick, hot and dangerous fight on
your hands, possibly before the hunter
is ready for it. At such times he
must not be crowded. nor yet should
a CHARGE be waited for, as with the
grizzly. In n leap a mountain lion
| can clear about twenty feet on q
| level. Any part of his body is more
vulnerable han that of a grizzly, so,
if a lion is coming on at leaps and
bounds, hunters do not wait for a
read or a heart shot, but shoot at the
| forequarters if they can, but they
must shoot and shoot quick. But, as
a rule, they are cowardly brutes de-
spite their size and strength.
They have one uncany characters
tic in common with the smaller mem
bers of the feline family. On a de-
serted street late at night one often
notices he is being accompanied by a
house cat. Not at his heels as a dog.
but first on n side. then on the other.
sometimes ahead, sometimes behind.
slipping along in the shadows of the
buildings or quickly across a ray of
light from some window; he does the
same, apparently not noticing, but
surely keeping company.
A mountain lion will do the same in
the hills. Up in the Cajon country, in
San BernandinO county, an old hunter
left q prospect he had found and start
ed for camp one evening just about
shutdown. The camp was a good four
iIlIleS away DOWN the canyon.
Up near the head of the canyon
where he was it was not over twenty
yards wide. deep, with slipping wall
I covered with chaparral. He had not
gone one-third of Il mile when he saw
q long, yellow body slipping through
the bushes on his left, and all the
weapon he had was a small pole pick
For over two miles the big brute KEEP
him company. first on one side anC
! t1nn ON tho nthar CnnoAtinonc ohooI
but generally keeping the same dis,
lance.
In the evening or late in the after
noon. when the sun has dropped be
hind the mountains, leaving thu
gulches in semi-twilight. it is certain,
ly not conducive to ~buoyancy of spirit!
TO glance back up the gulch and Sc,
about fifty yards behind one of thes
brutes trOttins demurely along on tn,
trail. A few moments later n i
: may be seen on one side or the other
f and the next time it may be on a shell
of rock alongside the trail directl'
: ahead, watching for the man.
There is something decidedly uncan
ny and grewsOme in the situation, an,
2 1t is ten to one hat if one is a tender
foot his first impulse will be to strea,
: it for camp. 1t is the worst thing h
could do. If the lion really mean
J, business it could overtake him in
dozen leaps. The chances are a
against the animal attacking. Tha
4 it is alone and following is evidenc
that there are 10 cubs in the vicinit.
The main thing is avoid passing With
4 leaping distance of a tree or roc
above the trail if the winter season b
t on and the snow is deep on the highe
o mountains. In that event the brut
may be hungry. but there is sligf
probability Of its attacking on the ievt
e under such circumstances, it prefel
ring to leap from a height of ten {
twenty feet.
# However. if the hunter has n sadd
= o. yenisOn ~ 4 Junk of bear meat an
d docs not care to risk a s~ingle-hande
e fiCht he may drop the meat and 8
right on.-Eew Orleans Timas-Dem,
+ Graf