The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1909-01-25

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large 4 ore ~ tie boy had ever seer
dRob shovel Old Pat he track and a
4 Twas on at ono: Just then q htnne.
that one ~ 5ths; boys was ding kIeke'
DIR best Dung dos ! and such q how
as he vet up: We thought our hui.
/ was Of, Tor lie $howled as Il ibis &c;
was broken. and old Pat was TOO fa
to- 90 far alone, but no, for when 5w'
carried that pup TO "a track and pu
his nose TO Il. he changed his how!
forgot his wound and was soon up viii
Pat. We were soon on the edge q
a canyon and Rob left his horse an.
took inyafoot with the dogs. They fol
lowed III: the canyon short distance
and then went out on the opposite
side: II found a place where COW ha'
gone down, 50 slid my horse into Il.
canyon; and by hard work managed U
get out on the other side. After trail
Ing over a measa and across anoth y
very large and deep canyon the boys
bounced the lion and each Of them gpi
some shots al It. but It was RUNNING
so fast and the bushes wer ESQ thicl
they failed to even wound 1t. It was
at least six miles from where We frat
struck Its trail, until Il was bounced
After bouncing It, It took back ar:oss
the canyon and came back almost tc
where We had found Its trail. Rob and
Nick were now both walking and II
was getting late, the dogs tired and
sore-footed, and the boys were almost
shirtless, for they we're ton much ex'
cited to heed thorns. | say 1t was be-
coming late and the dogs seemed 10
have lost the trail and everything
seemed to look tliscouraging when
Nick said to Rob. II think see him
in that pine" and Rob said, yes.
think | do too but they were look.
Ing at different trees, for you mas: re.
member that when one knows that
he Is close upon a lion the imagination
Is very vivid, and each went to the
tree in which he thought he saw It.
In order to get to these trees II was
necessary to climb around the si11e Of
a very steep canyon and when Nick
was within a few feet OF tn tree in
which he had thought he had seen It.,
he looked up and was within thirty
feet Of that lion. He shot 1t through
the shoulder before # had chance to
move. and then shot It twice more as
It fell. The dogs had trailed 1t to the
tree and as they could not see it they
would not bark, not having been train
ell as yet to tree: but as soon as it
fall they were soon there and with all
those wounds The lion went half mile
farther down the canyon and tried to
climb another tree. It was only after
Rob shot It again that Il died. Next
morning Nick and went back and
skinned It, The lion was nine feet
long and must have weighed two huE.
bred pounds. We are told that a hon
Is n coward and will not In the 0pcn
and lnhnrt attack man. but even know.
Ing all this. show me the man that
would not have some fenrs MS De
would look at that lion In that tire"
only one little leap above him, at taoce
awful eyes as they g1arel and shot Are
ut you, at those terrible claws and
teeth, and above ALL at hearing those
terrible growls and snarls. How many
of YOU think YOU could have faced It
as Nick did and have Gecn cool
enough to have hit II three times With
a thirty.thirty as It fell? Old Hon
hunters that have seen the, hide say
IL is as large as they have ever seen
Figuring that this lion was only ten
years old. II mist have killed and cat.
en- fully n thousand colts during lis
time. During the day was complete,
ly lost at times, for the snow had dis
appeared in SO many places ! could
not follow the trail. and It was while
| was lost that saw, two herds o. deer.
Ammunition was plentiful. nscl it..
but in spite Of all my bombar,lment.
I got no meat. | did not have the
"ague" and could hit all a rour': them.
hut they must have all been does, for
It costs lis fifty to kill doe. so | told
the boys they all looked like docs and
7 was Just seeing how close eonll
shoot to them and not hit them. The
next day Rob and Ben reported they
had found both a Ion and bear truck.
It Is difficult to decide which levels
the. more excitement, the prospects Of