Arizona republican., 1907-02-10
A MOUNTAIN SHEEP
PUT UP A FIGHT
A Phoenix Mans Experience With
Buck Which had Assumed the Re-
sponsibiIity Of Protecting the Flock.

/ Bert Ford. the well known local min
| ing man has possibly met with as
many exciting experiences. during his
twenty years of hustling in the noun
tains of Arizona as falls to mortal
man. Bert, has passed through the
terrors OF going without water for
twenty-eight hours during July, while
prospecting in the heart of the Super
stition mountains, has had numerous
encounters with the blood-thirsty
Apache in the old days, been threaten
ed with matrimony and other dangers,
but recently he had an experience that
was entirely new and at the same time
interesting and exciting.
| The adventure was nothing more nor
less than an encounter with a fighting
buck "bighorn," weighing two hundred
pounds, and until the last ball was
fired from his thirty thirty" it was a
question whether "the survival of the
/ fittest" was to be man or beast. Mr..
| Ford has the massive horns mounted
and hanging over his office desk and
all friends from Missouri" are invited
to call and examine them If they are
in doubt regarding this tale. The story
is best told in Mr.. Fer own words:
1T was a few weeks ago that made
trip out to the White Tank noun
tains with a gentleman from Chicago
who is interested in the Ford group of
mines and the trip was certainly en-
joyed by my visitor. We struck out
across the desert in a northwesterly
direction and everything in sight was
source of wonderful surprise to the
man from Chicago. He insisted time
and again on stopping the team to get
out and examine some peculiar desert
growth. The giant cacti, Spanish dag
ger and snakelike ocatilla, were of
wonderful interest while an hour of our
valuable time was spent in gazing at a
sluggish gila monster basking in the
sunshine.
After driving thirty miles across
the sage brush, we finally struck the
foothills and along about four in the
evening we arrived in camp. 1t was our
intention to spend several days in look
ing over the property, hunting and
otherwise enjoying ourselves as much
as possible. As game is plentiful in the
White Tanks, we had brought along a
thirty-thirty Winchester repeater an
automatic twenty-five and a good sup
ply of ammunition.
We'll! it was along about shutdown
and my millionaire friend from the
windy city was sitting on a rock peel
ing spuds while l was getting things all
fixed for a mess of bacon and flap
jacks. when up jumps Shep and begins
barking like sixty. / knew something
was doing and grabbing the thirty
thirty I lit out after the dog. Well
sir; not over a hundred yards away
was a bunch Of about eighteen Of the
largest bighorn sheep l ever laid eyes
on. My companion had come up in the
meantime and we both started to blaze
away. In no time the bunch was off
like a flash. all except the big buck
who started for us with blood in his
eye. his massive horns almost touching
the ground. ! continued to pump lead
at our four-fOoted friend until he was
within fifty feet Of where we stood and
then realizing our danger, 1 yelled to
my companion to light out and climb
the rocks, which he did. working that
little automatic smoke stick of his for
all it was worth. After / had plugged
our strenuous visitor three times with
out effect, 1 seriously thought OF using
the butt-end OF the gun as a last re-
sort before We came together and il
was with considerable anxiety that /
pulled the trigger on my last cartridge,
just as the animal furious with rage
and pain dashed head-on towards me.
At the crack Of the rifle the brute was
within three feet Of me. the bullet
crashing through his bony skull and
the grand old fighter gave one final
jump in the air. and all was over.
Although our supper was somewhat
delayed that evening. we had an addi-
ton TO the menu in the shape of juicy
steaks sliced from our visitor and
roasted on splits before the fire. and
say! that mutton was appreciated more
by my eastern friend than If it had
been Chicago porterhoUse steak"
RIIhKED