Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-12-08


good fight that put an end to the struggle
with the knife, fearing lest it might MAIN
one of the hounds. .:s
Next morning We started early, intending
to 60 to Juniper mountain, where we had
heard that cougars were plentiful: but we
had only ridden about half an hour from the
ranch when we came across trail which by
the size we knew must belong to an old
male. From the plains below we watched
the hounds working to and fro until they
entered patch of pinyons in which we were
certain the cougar had killed deer, as
ravens and magpies were sitting around in
the trees
In these pinyons the hounds were again
at fault for little while, but at last evidently
found the right trail, and followed it up over
the hill-crest and out of sight. We then gal
loped hard along the plain to the left going
around the end of the ridge and turning to
our right on the other side. Here we en-
tered deep narrow valley or gorge which
led up to high plateau at the farther end.
On the left it was still sleeper. the slope
being broken by lodges and precipices. Near
the mouth OF the gorge we encountered the
hounds, who had worked the trail down and
across the gorge, and were now hunting up
the steep cliff-shoulder on our left. Evident
ly the cougar had wandered to and fro over
this shoulder, and the dogs were much puz-
zled and worked in zigzags and circles
around it, gradually getting clear to the top.
Then old Boxer suddenly gave tongue with
renewed zest and started off at run almost
on top of the ridge, the other dogs follow
ing. Immediately afterward they jumped
the cougar
We had been waiting below to see which
direction the chase would, take and now put
vine, climbing the hillside on our right so as
to get a better view of what was happening
A few hundred yards of this galloping and
climbing brought us again in sight of the
hounds. They were now barking freed and
were clustered around pinyon below the
ridge crest on the side hill opposite us. The
two fighters, Turk and Queen who had
been following at our horses heels, appre-
ciated what had happened as soon as we did
and, leaving It's, ran down into the valley
and began to work their way through the
NSCp SHOW vi TIC HlilSluC OppOSltC lOWdlu
where the hounds were.
Ours was an ideal position for seeing the
whole chase. In minute the cougar jumped
out OF the tree down among the hounds, who
made no attempt to seize him. but followed
him as soon as he had cleared their circle
He came down hill at great rate and
jumped over low cliff, bringing after him
such an avalanche OF snow that it was mo.
ment before | caught sight of him again
this time crouched on a narrow ledge some
Is or 20 feet below the brink from which he
had jumped, and about as far above the foo,
of the cliff, where the steep hill-slope AGAR
began The hounds soon found him and
came along the ledge barking loudly, but not
venturing near where he lay facing them
with his back arched like great cat Turk
and Queen were meanwhile working theil
way up hill. Turk got directly under the
ledge and could not find way up Queer
went to the left and in minute we saw hel
white form as she made her way through the
dark-colored hounds straight for the cougar
"That's the end of Queen" said Golf. "he'l
kill her now, sure" In another moment she
had made her rush and the cougar bounding
forward, had seized her. and as we afterwart
discovered, had driven his great fangs righ
mass in society would have been greatly dis recen