Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-05-15
aCOTA'S DEFENSE,

nCUl "a y UE.F ENJEG
3sz5751s751S1S7Sis 1s1S2s1s2s75ss1sa
When was In Lower California,
several years ago, found employ.
n1ent with an American who was
erecting a stampmill at Aqua Dufce,
small mining forty miles east
OF Ensenada. Among the freighters
engaged In hauling the machinery was
. Mexican named Jose Gotta, a noted
horsenan and hunter. n, ),
One evening, when the wagons were
camped at the mine, 1 joined the team
sters and swampers who sat round the
lire telling stories. Gotta told this one.
An apology is due for not reproduc-
II him In his own quaint vernacular.
Gotta was on his way to visit a
relative quite distant one, he ma
lively explained, being the cousin OF
MIS- mother-in- law who lived at the
end of trail across three hundred
miles of mountain and desert.
Not wishing to leave all his family
bShind. he rode the calico-colored
Pinto. this animal being Just like a
brother" and besides, according to
Cola, the best horse in all Mexico.
For the fOx-trot OF Pinto excelled In
softfooted ease OF effort that Of the
1.-The 5bushy-tail for whom the gait was
named. -
Then. too. Pinto would eat brush
and grow fat like burro; all this
despite the fact that he was in years
past twenty. The narrator elaborat-
ed these points in order that we might
better understand him further down
the story. ~
Travelling with the excellent Pinto
and In addition Gotta had a pack
mule that followed like dog or.
dinarily insured safe and pleasant
Journey. Doubtless the jacal OF the
distant relative would have been
reached without adventure had 1t
not been for an untoward meeting
Just over the Pichango divide.
81 Gotta was riding along trail that
! out Into the face of a bullying precf-
pice OF dizzying height and driving
his mule before him IN order that he
might keep an. eye on the. pack, when
both animals halted abruptly and
stood snorting.. u rs,
Looking ahead, the traveller saw a
big grizzly bear coming toward him
: round amount of rock about SO yards
8 distant. Even on the narrow trail 1t
would have been a simple matter for
beast with claws to right.about-face
and retreat and Cato fred his re.
syoiver In the air, fully expecting the
beareto make of In alright.
as But 1T is hard to divine the moods
and motives OF a grizzly. This one
chose to consider himself cornered
or attacked, and started forward on
a swinging shuttle. Then both of the
travellers animals tried to whirl on
q trail where there was no room to
s whirl, and on the brink Of a sheer
descent into canon where the cot
tonwoods dwindled to the size of sage
brush.
It CHANGED that Gotta had his RATA
in hand, having used 1t to urge the
pack-animal across dangerous places,
and no sooner did the mules ears say
Il turn" than the bite Of the raw.
hide rope struck him on the cheek.
The blow turned him to the cliff,
and the mule. blinking, stiff-necked
and desperate, began scuttling re.
treat. &
Gotta gave way rapidly, holding Pin.
to to thewall, and pulling him back,
back, back on trail where false
movement of his hind legs could mean
nothing less than a mangled pile
at the base Of the precipice. with
every step to the rear the mule at
tempted to head about, but his vigilant
master literally held him in place by
q shower OF singing blows with the
doubled riata.
II Fast and furiously he swung the.
rawhide, with delicate dexterity he
reinsd and spurred Pinto, and trembl-
ing and snorting and sweating from
fright, the animals were kept in or
derby retreat.
Then wheezy grunt from the APP
preaching bear drove the mule entire
I " frantic, and squarely against the
raining blows he turned Douling him
self, he whirled nimbly sidewise. draw.
ing his forefeet far under him in
an attempt pivot. But his run1p bump.
ed the face Of the cliff and toppled
him forward. With muscles tense as
cables, the scared brute struggled for
moment to recover his balance, and
then fell headlong.
Gotta declared that up to this time
nothing but Pinto's stock-driving in
stinct had rendered him comfortable;
that upon the moment he found him
self without an animal ahead to keep.
In place he became as crazy as a
beetle.
It seems more reasonable to attrib:
ute. the mustangs panic to the wild
furry Of the mule and the unobstruct-
ed view Of the approaching grizzly;
but at any rate, with the fall of the
pack-animAl Pinto lost his head COM
pletely.
OblIvious to the pressure OF the
cruel Spanish bit, he sessayed des-
perately to pivot about, Gotta sent
him back to the Cliff with a bloody
spur mark upon his shoulder, where.
upon the little horse stood as If dazed5
for second. then shook his head
HI the violent, angry way that pres
ages bucking or rearing.
Long experience with all sorts OF
horses had taught his master the sig
nificance Of that movement. and the.
exact and only way OF offsetting the
certain destruction it threatened. Rails
ing himself In his stirrups and at the
same moment drawing and reversing