Year: 1877

die or threw ratio. We left the rancho
house about all hour before day, and
riding through the Arroyo Hondo,
reached the big mesa, at the foot OF
Rattlesnake Hill, when the morning
star was brightest.


Two nights before big grizzly had
killed q COW in little canon opening
into the arroyo Mt the foot of the mesa,
and the day before we had dragged what
was left of the carcass about half mile
out into the mesa with our riatas. A
,foto is plated rope made generally OF
four, sometimes of six strands of raw
hide, with a hard rawhide head, or loon
at one end of the rope to play through
when used to catch anything. These
ropes become very pliable with use, are
kept carefully creased with tallow, and
out of the wet and reach of rats and
coyotes. Ours were the best kind; six
strands, and sixty feet long; when the
moose is fast on the animal, or anything
20 be dragged, the other end of the rope
is retained in the horn of the saddle.


We had left Chapo, an indian vanque-
ro, hid in the cottonwood, to watch the
place from which we had dragged our
bait. lie reported that early in the
night the big grizzly had come down the
mountain and followed the drag, and
that he had heard another cross the ar
royo some distance below him within
half an hour. We waited for daylight,
smoking cigarritos, eating tomales, and
telling whoppers of bear stories in Span
ish whispers, with many cdrajo cal
game dos thrown in as wadding for
want of aguadiente. We were Felipe,
Juan de Diss Valiente and 1, sometimes
called Ell Guero, and old Chapo, who
took horse and RATA we brought him.
All had riatas, knives and pistols, and
Chapo had an old English musket halt
full of powder and bullets. When the
first streaks of light colored the gray of
the morning, and the quail commenced
calling, we frightened our cinches, and
deploying along the mesa at intervals OF
about forty PAGES, advanced abreast, RI
atas in hand, toward the carcass. We
were between our bait and the noun
tains and hoped to drive the bear into
attempting TO cross wide opening, free
from bushes, on the other side of which
was thick moute. We rode first at a
walk, then sobre poSo, pace between
q W oih hbNt a tiOtt DCCulldl W CDdIlSll
horses. AS we reached the short sage
brush we put our horses ON the lope
then on the run. Daylight came quick
over the mountains. had Just passed
the halt when | saw the bear straight
before us, going at shambling lope,
and apparently not much in hurry.
Felipe yelled at him; he stopped and
reared up; my horse sheered off to the
left passed him, and in a breathing
we were all four around him; circling,
turning and twisting; every horse Oh a
keen jump, all of us ready to take the
first chance to get rope on a hind leg
(hind legs the best hold). He looked
awful ugly, and was too full of fight to
run, but stood doubled up or reared up,
making short lunges at our horses as we
dashed in to try and start him. Nobody
wanted fore leg hold, and it wasn't
very easy to get, for he flung his arms
about like boxer and it took the spur
to get horse to run close by him.
Pretty soon he got so he'd chase the
horses twenty or thirty yards at a
stretch; he was clean crazy with anger.
and at last, as dashed my old buckskin
by him, started in for race in good
earnest. We fairly burnt the wink
the mesa was almost bare, but he held
his own-almost was gaining, when the
boy reached him. Felipe made the first
throw, went for forefoot, but was hot
and excited, caught head and leg to-
gether in the loop, which pulled tight
across the neck, chest and under fore
shoulder. No horse could hold such a
hold, and Felipe dropped the riata.
Valiente tried for hind leg, and missed
it. Juan de Dios caught both hind feet
and stopped him. AS he doubled back
and grabbed for the RATA, l dropped my
rope on forefoot, and stretched II with
all the force my horse could put on the
riata. Ford how l would like to have
seen old Chapo and his musket for q
minute, l knew that with the bears
head and one fore leg free, he'd soon
get my tightly stretched rope in his
mouth. Then goodbye riata.


There was some tall twisting and
struggling.


Jnan held on as coolly as if il were
only bullock lassoed for the butcher.
Felipe, reaching down from his saddle,
picked up his riata, but the way ii held
could help but little. was thinking OF
Stacking my riata, and taking chances
for both forefeet. Loosened ii would
slip from the forefoot had, and with
both in my rope | thought Juan and l
might hold him, when all at once his
loose foot struck Felipc's rope, dragged
it up to his mouth, and, like flash, il
was in two pieces


Just then Valiente got the loose LEG.
His rope caught near the shoulder; un-
der the strain it slippedgr adually down
to the ankle and held. He was thor
oughbred grizzly, but we had him,
Lord! didn't he hate us, and show it.
He looked numbering crazy, and tried
very earnestly to get his mouth OH the
riatas with which we stretched his fore
legs as far apart as we could get them.


Juan kept both hind legs stretched
straight out from the moment his rope
tightened About this time Chapo rope
up, riata in hand, with the old musket
tied on the behind his saddle, and told
us he had had sharp race after another
bear, but was afraid TO tackle him sin.
gle handed We wanted our bear for Q
bull and bear fight, and with the help
of Chapo's RATA, started to draw him
backward across the meso; but he was
so heavy and savage, and made so much
trouble, that we had pow WOW and
determined to kill him. Chapo was de.
tailed for this purpose. Untying his OLD
old Queen Bess, and carefully shaking
in painful of fresh priming, he left his
horse standing, with the RATA taut on
the horn of the saddle, and walked
around toward the head of the bear
Chapo is little pot-bellied, bandy-leg.
ged fellow Che doesn't read English)
and was awfully anxious to massacre q
bear. In the midst of a shower Of cau'
tions not TO shoot horse or cut RATA
he held the old cannon about yard
from the bears head q declare fell
sorry for the bear), and pulled II off.


There was puff OF white smoke from
the pan. After waiting, 1t seemed to
me a full minute, Chapo moved TO re.
prime. The butt of the gun had scarce.
ly left his shoulder, when there was 8
rnar like q caisson axnloslon. the Gun