Year: 1879

Mcclellan and went up stream some four
or five miles to a very wild place, the haunt
OF noted mountain hon, which the men
had been trying TO kill for some time past,
but as yet all attempts have failed; partly
because he is SO hard to get ut and partly
because men are afraid of him. At last
one day we came across him unuwarcs,
about Il half Il mile from his stronghold
was in a little bottom where the grass was
nearly waist high. Mac and | were push
ing along narrow path when | happened
TO sec the lion jump over log just ahead.
we both broke for higher ground ut once,
but kept sharp lookout; for in case he
should follow, we would have had to fire
on him and might have caused fight at
close quarters, and that we didn't want, if
we could get out of it. lIc didn't come,
and we made the high ground. We then
tried to stone him out and succeeded in
getting two or three shots at him before he
would leave the bottom, but Macs las, shot
struck him and then he left for the ground
that was faircr; but before he did leave il
looked as if he was going to give us call.
Mac got his knife out and was arcudy to
give him another shot before he could close
and my knife was easy TO get at but he
changed his mind and broke from The grass
little ahead of u.s. and Judging from the
way he made tracks, it didn't look as if he
was very much hurt. We both followed
him rs hard rs we could and opened fire on
him whenever we could. lie went right
along the creek bottom, first in the brush
and then on the open ridge. He soon got
back to his haunt, and it was rather dan g.
gcrous, as well as being almost hopeless, to
follow him. But Mac is Il plucly fellow,
and said he would follow him if / would;
and as l am just crazy to kill IL lion, we
went III after him. We could not see him,
or sec anything for that matter 1t is one
OF the most wild and rough places l ever
saw, and thick with brush. We here and
there ran across drops of blood but could
follow him better by the everlasting grnm-
bling and growing which he kept up. lie
was now climbing the mountain, and it was
some time before we got up ont of the
thick brush and timber, but after awhile we
found ourselves on the open, but rough side
Of rocky, or rather Il Big Horn Mountain,
and to our surprise there stood Mr.. Lion on
a ledge about five hundred yards above,
and to the left of us, wagging his tail and
grumbling. Five hundred yards is right
long distance. We both took aim; |
counted one, two, three, and fired We
missed him; but you could See chips of the
rock fly from the ledge close by him. At
this he moved along the cliff and mountain
toward us; and cannot say how Max felt
just about then, but felt little scared.
we waited till he got within three hundred
yards, and then both fired rs before. We
hit him this time, and down tho mountain
he came, bringing a mass of loose rock and
earth with him. 1t was well for us that we
were not right under him. for the rocks TINT
roll down these mountains arc not easy
things to Dodge, for one never knows which
way the dcvilish things arc going except, of
course, down the hill. Well down they
went TO the left of us, lion, stones, and nll


| thought we had him, and after the rocks
had got through their cracking, and bang
ing, and splashing into the creek below we
moved over and followed down. There
was lots OF blood all the way down, but to
save us we could not find Mr.. Lion; neither
could we hear him, and not feeling alto
gethcr comfortable in that ncighborhood, I
proposed that we should "git,' and we
tpOt ~