| Show methods of the navajo indians in capturing the timid animal PD la hundred of the arr csatar are corralee Corr aled t carl practice that should be checked few people in the west ana scarcely any in the east have any idea of the unique manner in which the navajo indians have from time immemorial caught antelopes writes a correspondent at helen N M thousands of the beautiful creatures crea turea still abound upon the vast tablelands table lands of this territory in the country just south of the navajo reservation and between it and the atlantic pacific railroad one frequently comes upon long straight rows of the trunks of trees and the branches of cedar and pine stretching for miles across these treeless plains in many places says the chicago journal they are nearly rotted away and only the larger limbs and trunks now mark these lines these are the ruins of ancient antelope corrals or pens the large bands of antelopes have long since been destroyed in this part of the country and only small herds of from five to ten can be seen these are mostly hunted down upon the american or white mans plan however directly south of winslow about fifty miles distant large bands of these graceful creatures still roam and there is in existence there a new corral that is in running order at the present time it is here that the old men of the tribe alio believe in tha ancient manner of catchine game enjoy their annual hunt this corral was built in 1890 by the order of the old chief gano and his on many horses A place was selected where a slight hill was found upon the border of a wide prairie not oven a bould be seen and trees for the corral had to be brought from the cedar covered hills nearly ten miles away they were cut and dragged to the place by alie men and boys on horseback A close pen circular in form about one hundred feet across was first built against the steep side of the hill BO that the tops of the posts used could not be seen from the opposite side two lines of trees were then dragged and laid loosely upon the ground but close enough to appear like a brush fence these lines at the pen aro about twenty yards apart and run almost parallel for one hundred or and then spread apart at an an lc ol 01 about thirty degrees aid ex te 1 r bosq the plains for four and a half or civo miles vt h u the party reaches the corral for the annual hunt the chief first selects the officers four to watch each point of the compass around the pen for each a pit is dug deep enough to put him out of sight the less space required the more the occupant is esteemed and considered worthy 0 promotion later on the chief and his assistant then take their places at the right side of the entrance to the pen standing in a hole dug for tho purpose and just deep enough to hide all except their heads from five to eight indians on the fleetest horses are set out at daybreak to surround a band of aua ia i a aiu me corral an antelope when startled keeps as far as possible away from any place where an enemy might be hiding hence they keep as far away from the wings ot the corral which are on either side of them aa they can after being closed in upon they cannot turn back as the drivers are in hot pursuit and they make a dash for the top of the hill which to them appears to be the only opening between the horrid lines of brush fence but alas for them they find themselves in a stout pen around which they run in a circle never trying to jump over the shouts and yells of the indians at length so completely terrify the poor animals that they stand trembling and apparently unconscious of the indians who now approach and kill them with clubs hatchets stones or anything at hand As many as two hundred and fifty have been caught at one time in this manner and for wholesale destruction of game it surpasses any murdering process in vogue and should be stopped entirely |
