Evening star., 1924-01-20
HUNTER USES AN ARROW TO AY AFTER HE HAS SKED THE M
Biz Cat More Stea Although No Less Courageous Than When
When Hunted by Indians of Earlier Daysreat Cougar of Pco

the ferns and brakes. Seeing him
thus was little satisfaction to us. for
We had lost our dogs.
We started with two saddle horses.
q pack animal and five good lion dogs.
On the trail to the Ventana noun
tains we came across lion tracks and
followed them for a day, then lost
them; but we knew that a large male
and a young female were ranging
over the country. Their circuit ex-
tended over a radius OF ten miles.
They are great travellers.
On the morning of the second day
of our trailing this lion our pack was
working down in the thick brush be-
the crest of Rattlesnake ridge.
when suddenly they raised a chorus
of yeIps. There was a rush OF bodies
in the chamise brush and the chase
was on at 4 furious pace. We rode
up to an observation point and saw
the dogs speeding down the canyon
side. close on the heels Of yellow
leaping demon. They switched from
eide to side. as cat and dog races
have been carried on since time i'm
memorial.
We rode around 10 a spur of the
hill that dipped into the brush and
overhung the canyon. From this we
hen rd occasional barks away down at
least a mile below US. II was a Diff
cult situation. Nothing but a blueiay
could possible get down to the creek
below. / never saw such a jungle.
So we waited for the indications that
the lion was treed, but all became
silent.
Evening approached, We ate our
supper and then sat on the hill above,
sounding our horns. Their vibrant
echoes rang from mountain TO noun
tain and returned TO us clear and
sweet.
Way down below US, where 4 pur-
pie haze hung over the deep ravine.
We family heard the answering
hounds. In their voices we caught
the dogs response to his master and
friend. 1t said. I'VE have him. Come:
Come" We blew our horns again.
The elrlaud notes returned again and
gain. and with them came the call
Of the faithful hound, 1--WE are here
Come. Come"
Now. there WAS a pitiful plight. No
zane man would venture down such
a chasm, .inpenetrable with thorns.
and night descending. SO we built
beacon fire and waited for the dawn.
All during the long dark hours we
! card the distant appeal of the
| hounds, and We slept little.
= r r
| A I the first rays Of dawn we took
"A a hasty meal. fed our horses ana
sIrIppins ourselves of every unneces-
sary accouterment, we prepared TO
descend the canyon. Our bows and
| ouirers We left behind because II
would have been impossible to drag
them through the jungle. Ferguson
carried only his Colt pistai: LOOK
my hunting knife.
Having surveyed the topography
carefully. we attacked the problem at
It's most available angle and slid from
view. We literally dived beneath the
! brush. For more than two hours we
VOL med our way down tho face OF the
mountain. crawling like moles at the
base OF the overhanging thickets OF
rois on oak, wild lilac, chamisc. sage.
maEzanita, hazel and huckthorn. At
| :ast we reached the depth of the can
yon and. findinE a little water we
bathed our sweat-grimed faces and
cooled of. .-
| No sound OF the dogs was heard,
hut pressing forward we followed the
| bovlder-strewn bottom Of the creek