The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1910-07-09

gan to fight for his head, and it was
only by a merciless use of bit and
spurs that the man kept him going
directly toward the jaguar.
Finally, rising high in the saddle,
| he sent the moose in snaky line
| straight at the jaguar's head. With
a snarl, the brute bounded sidewise,
| and the moose fell harmlessly in the
| grass. Hardly checking speed. AL
| fredo jerked it in, and hastily coiling,
sent the circle out again, higher this
time. and farther over. Out, out it
| sailed, over the great black head, and
dropped!
Chock-k. came the strain upon the
| saddle-horn, and the snorting little
| horse squatted fairly back upon his
| launches, head down and forefeet far
| out and apart. The jerk of the taut
| rope just back of the angle of his
jaws whirled the jaguar in a COM
plete somersault.
Up he was in flash. tearing fran
| tically at the slim something that ate
into his neck and choked him, and
| that his claws would not catch, rear
ing, tumbling, his jaws working spas
| medically in one awful, continual
| snarl Of demoniac rage. But all the
| time the horse kept backing, backing,
its nostrils wide with terror and ex-
citement, and keeping taut the slen-
der rope-now seemingly turned to
vibrant steel bar.
Surely and not very slowly, the
| choking torture was subduing the
animal. It's struggles lessened, the
jaws ceased their spasmodic working
but remained in a fixed snarl, the
tongue protruded, and the deep-set,
pale eyes assumed CLASSY, bursting
/ glare, accentuated by the blackness
of the fur round them. Then it SIM
ply fought to hold its ground, clawing
deep into the soil and rank grasses,
but always losing, until at last its
strength seemed all to give way, and
it dropped Imply, with its breathing
reduced to few raspy little gasps.
the cuu VI Tic lldld W Tie
saddle-horn and allowing the horse
to keep it taut, Alfredo took a coil
of rawhide thongs from the saddle
bags, and noosing each forefoot sep
arately at the wrist-joint, he hauled
them up and tied the two cords over
the back Other nooses fastened the
hind legs and feet together, and a
heavy stick bound with them pre-
vented bending the joints. Then,
Selling a short stick, he thrust it
crosswise into the creatures mouth,
where the teeth instantly closed on
it. A moose promptly dashed the jaws
to the stick, and a few turns round
them before and behind it effectually
prevented any danger from that
source.
This done, he slipped the end of
the RATA loose from the saddle-horn
and pulled the moose from the ia
guar's neck. Even the little breath
ing seemed to have ceased, and the
great sleek monster lay as If dead.
Alfredo gave little cry of dismay.
Had he not worked fast enough?
Then a long inspiration shook the
form, and the eyelids trembled. An
other and another, and suddenly. as
il aware of his foe, but not realizing
his plight. the jaguar made a con-
vulsive effort to get upon his feet.
The cords frightened and creaked, but
did not give. With breathing now
free and his strength returned, he
writhed and twisted like some great
caterpillar. After a while these strug-
giles, too, ceased, as If to denote the
breaking of the fierce spirit. The
man watched him for some moments
and then, laughing, patted him on the
head and queried, humorously,
"Pronto?"
Blindfolding the horse with his
handkerchief, he led him over and
dexterously threw him near the ja-
guar. With the aid of his RATA,
he dragged the latter into the saddle, a
and after the horse had struggled to l
his feet beneath the load, dashed it G
firmly in place. Patting the great
head again, he started back toward L
the hacienda, leading the horse, and S
of what a splendid appear l
ance his captive would make safely /
installed in the Jardin Zoologico in l
Companion. I
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