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Show BESIEGED BY JAB AXIS." During the summer of 1SS7, while escorting a pany of surveyors, who were engaged in locating the international interna-tional boundary lino between Mexico and our own territories of Arizona and New Mexico, we made camp near some water holes in a wild part of the desert, with no human habitation within several hundred miles of us. The country round about was rocky and desolate, broken into coulees, abrupt mounds and painted buttes, and diversified here and there by stunted Cottonwood trees, petrified limbs and branches of thick chaparral. For a number of days the weather bad been pleasant, but at last a drizzly rain set in, which kept everyone closely confined con-fined to camp. While the moisture was falling thick and fast a Mexican officer, accompanied accompan-ied by an escort, rode up and claimed sheltc- which we were glad enough to grant for the sake of their company. The officer related a startling story of'having encountered four large Mexican Mex-ican lions not two hours previous, which animals seemed quite ferocious and hungry, and actually had disputed disput-ed their passage through the chaparral. chapar-ral. The men of the escort had fired and wounded two of the animals, but the quartet of lions finally took themselves sullenly off and disappeared in the timber. He also said that the country to the south was full of black-tail deer, and as for small game, such as long-eared rabbits, sage hens and chaparral cocks, tnoy were so numerous and tame that they could almost be knocked over with clubs. Rain or shine, this was an opportunity opportun-ity not to. be lost and three of our party, accompanied by one of the Mexicans as guide, at once set out for the hills, where the game was said to be. We rode on through a rocky, half mountainous country, covered wnn stunted trees and sharp-pointed chaparral, chap-arral, and then, far away in the distance, dis-tance, on the summit of a bunch jf crags, we descried a dozen objects outlined out-lined against the sky, which appeared to be mountain sheep of the Sierra Madre variety. It was decided to stalk them. So, after picketing the horses, we divided our party, two of us going up a small canyon to the left.the other two swinging swing-ing around to the right, with a mutual agreement to keep on and finally meet at the base of the crags to compare notes, where the sheep had first been seen. The Mexican guide and myself were together, and we climbed to a ridge where, peeping over, we scanned the country for miles in every direction, hut could see no living creature. Then, saw rather than to the tusks of one of these ferocious creatures. As soon as this drove of jrxballs caught sight of us they abandoned their prisoners, and with loud snorts charged directly down upon us at railroad rail-road speed. We took to our heels and ran for our lives; but the Mexican, who was evidently used to their tactics, grasped my hand firmly, and darting out into the canyon, over the ragged rocks, we ran at headlong pace, until we reached a sort of butte or mound, up the side of which we scrambled in a manner and style that I never dreamed dream-ed possible. Here we in turn became prisoners, and at once began to pick off our assailants, as-sailants, who had formed in a circle around the mound, snorting and grunting , viciously, but apparently without the sense or ingenuity of climbing up after us. Our broadsides had laid nineteen of them low, but somehow this did not seem in the least to discourage-them, for they still circled around the mound, intent upon holding us prisoners prison-ers until the last one of the drove should be killed. We had now about run out of ammunition, am-munition, but just then a shot rang out from the timber, and then in quick succession another and another, each one of which settled the earthly career ca-reer of a jabali. Our two friends, coming down from their original tree and following our retreat, had mounted a second tree, where, at close range, they were able to render us valuable assistance. Each shot told, and finally we counted thirty-nine jabalis lying dead on the ground at the base of the mound. The remaining survivors, six in number, now gave up the fight, and with a last savage, angry snort, trotted away and were soon lost to view in the thick chaparral and stunted brush oak timber. tim-ber. We descended, joined forces, and then started on the back trail. Our comrades had lost their opportunity oppor-tunity for a hunt, so we picked up the venison, which still lay where it had been dropped, and just about dark resumed our march in search of the ponies. The copse where they had heen picketed was found without much difficulty, but here a second and awful surprise was awaiting us. Two of the horses lay dead on the ground, and a third wae so fearfully mangled that we shot him out of mercy. The fourth one was entirely missing. It was a plain story to be read, as plainly and as clearly as from a written or printed page. In the soft mud were innumerable huge tracks, which indicated that the four lions mentioned by the Mexican officer had been at work. The poor, tied ponies, with poseibly one exception, had no doubt been attacked and literally torn to pieces by this quartet of fierce br-'.'tes. In this helpless condition they had been pounced upon by the lions, and after being killed had been partly devoured by their terrible enemies. It was a dangerous position for us to be placed in; and so not waiting to secure bridles or trappings, and hastily gathering an additional supply of ammunition am-munition from the saddle pockets, without losing any more time than was absolutely necessary, we once more set out on the back trail, and made all speed to reach camp. Marching in single file with the Mexican guide leading and carrying a resinous torch, about midnight a detachment de-tachment from the camp with the Mexican officer at their head, met us, and from them we learned that the missing pony, badly frightened and fearfully scratched and clawed, had come galloping back to the camp three hours before. Our friends immediately set about to organize a search party, and it was with a great feeling of relief re-lief that they at last found us safe and sound, for they had almost given us up as dead or lost in the wild and desolate des-olate country that marks the international interna-tional boundary line. J. M. T. Par tello. RAN FOR OUR LIVES from the right, where I was not looking, look-ing, came five beautiful black-tails, dashing swiftly down the mountain valley, and not two hundred yards behind be-hind them were a full pack of timber wolves in hot pursuit. We both fired at once at the leader. Down dropped the buck, tumbling head over heels among the rocks, and the others scampered" away at the top of their speed. The wolves, evidently frightened fright-ened at the loud report, scattered in an opposite direction, and we never saw them afterward. We were now sure of a good supper of venison, and as soon as the game was dressed and quartered, each of us shouldered half and started off down the canyon to the left in search of our comrades. Never shall I forget the scene that met our eyes after we had advanced about four hundred yards through the timber. Even while flawing and preparing pre-paring our own game, rapid and continuous con-tinuous firing could be heard far off to the left, but now, upon approaching approach-ing nearer, loud shouting and hollowing hollow-ing came to our ears, which told that something unusual had happened or was going on. We dropped our meat and went forward for-ward at a run, only to find our two friends snugly up a tree with only one gun between them, and surrounded by at least half a .hundred Mexican jabalis, jabal-is, who held them close prisoners. These pugnacious little brutes are called pecarics in Texas, where they are quite well and unfavorably known, and of all the animals on the American Amer-ican continent, they are, considering their size, certainly the wildest, most belligerent and extremely daring little rascals ever created. They will unhesitatingly un-hesitatingly attack overwhelming numbers, and have never yet learned the meaning of the word fear. Running Run-ning in squads or droves of a few or a hundred or more they generally attack united, and seldom yield a contest con-test until the last member of the band is unable to continue the fight. But while the Texr.s specimens are small, and exceedingly hostile, their cousins on the farther side of the Rio Grarde are a dozen times more dangerous, dan-gerous, for the latter are in size almost al-most equal to a full-grown hog, and are armed with lancet-like tusks, double-edged and keenly pointed. With these feirful weapons, that cut like knives, they often inflict such terrible wounds that one might better trust his 1'nibs to the tender mercies of a buzz- |