The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1906-10-04


battle with a giant condor,
.uring IL feet z inches from wing
u wing tip; forced to hunt deer or
ye In a country where deer are
scarce-these are a few OF the
ss that befell T. w. Gopher, of
elty, recently while spending a
DAVIS on the famous Malibu ranch
Ventura county.
Ouner's tale may sound a bit full
.he strenuous life, but he displays
I'm coat and a lacerated shoulder
marks of the fight with the lion,
wings of the huge vulture which
VAS forced to kill to save his own
and saddle of smoked venison
IN shows the gigantic proportions
HE deer that once bore 1t.
he Malibu ranch lies on the wild.
mart of the southern California
N about 35 miles above Santa
lea. So wild and so little trav-
by man is this country that Cop.
party saw not a soul save the
L,led old mountaineer with whom
boarded during the entire length
their stay.
me days trip had been a long,
one, said Gopher, land we were
exactly looking for game or ex
Iment when we wound down the
row trail toward the Dexter cabin
vas about eight o'clock and dark
pitch.
Nar the gate is a giant oak tree,
low, rambling branches. AS I
sed under it heard strange rat
noise in the limbs and leaves
rhead. With glance upward l
the dark head of mountain lion
he out along a large limb and could
" see the huge body Of the cat
eping after. 1t seemed that l could
the fash of his white teeth in the
ness and l could feel the low,
age snarl he let go when he saw
Instantly l jumped; a heavy paw
bed my shoulder, dragging my coat
the ground, cutting the flesh
hugh the heavy clothing l wore,
a long. 1.-the object landed on the
md beside me, almost exactly, in
on the spot where / had been
ndng.
could not have been more than
BIT feet away, and l lost no time in
tglng the 5000 into play. l emp
six shots in the direction of the
K object At the third of these
card a wild snarl, saw the black
launch itself through the air,
betty toward me, and had just pres
Of mind enough to fall fat on
ground. l could feel the wind
sed by the great beast in passing,
have no doubt was as pale as
host the moment he went over me.
seemed to feel, rather than hear,
great beast light on the ground
Ond me, and with a bound gained
shelter of the side hills brushy
gle, from whence, suppose, he
e"
ate that night, when the moon had
be out and the fog had fallen a bit,
= hunters went out again, but could
no trace of the big cat. Next
there was trail of blood lead
away from the scene of the en-.
Enter, but this soon led into rough
rocky ground, and could not be
lowed with any degree of certainty,
the chase was given up.
Battle with the Scavenger.
On the third day of their stay at
old ranch meat ran short, and the
fty, dividing into two bands, struck
j to get a deer. Gopher killed a
r about mile from camp, and, as
day was yet young, determined to
Eh on in search of another buck
frighten away chance coyotes OF
Per small animals from the carcass
covered it with his coat, laying a
bandana handkerchief on the TOP
the pile.
he made circuit of some two OF
Zee miles through the nearby can
Fs and, coming down on his deer
Pm above, was surprised to see
Ped on the carcass, a bird of the
Of a full-grown Newfoundland
3 He recognized the creature as
Of the rare California condors, oil
tures, which now and then appear
the coastwise hills, and shouted
scare it from it's feast, which he
I'd see was rapidly being torn tC
ICES.
10 his shouts the great bird pait
attention. He walked nearer, and
fembering stories he had heard O
F ierocity of the giant vulture wher
E ered Gopher fired a shot from his
oliver over the birds head. There
fine Of some 5000 imposed for thu
ing Of a condor, and he had NJ
ne to incur the penalty, but hi
ID not bear to see his supper van
Ag into the nav of the bird o
b.
Mll the condor failed to move, bu
lnued to tear at the deer, from
20 1t had by this time stripped tn,
thrown over it for protection
her came nearer. and finally pick