OCR Text |
Show California's Terribles Battles with Mountain Lion and Condor Exchkf Experience of a Huater oa the Soathera Peaiasala WoHadi aad Tom Clotkiag as Remiaders ef His Adventure. Los Angeles, Cal. Attacked by a hugo mountain Hon In the Cyclopean darkness of a mountain gorge; forced into a battle with a , giant condor, measuring 11 feet 7 inches from wing tip to wing tip; forced to hunt deer or starve In a country where door aro very scarce theso aro a fow of tho things that befell T. W. Copner, of this city, recently while spending a few days on tho famous Mallbu ranch in Ventura county. Conner's talo may sound a bit full of tho strenuous life, but he displays a torn coat and a lacerated shoulder as marks of the fight with the lion, tho wings of tho hugo vulture which ho was forced to kill to save his own llfo and a saddle of smoked venison which shows the gigantic proportions of tho deer that once bore It. Tho Mallbu ranch lies on tho wildest wild-est part of tho southern California coast, about 35 miles above Santa Monica. So wild- and so littlo traveled trav-eled by man Is this country that Cop-ncr's Cop-ncr's party saw not a soul save tho grizzled old mountaineer with whom thoy boarded during the entire length of their stay. "The day's trip had been a long, hard one," said Copner, "and we were not exactly looking for ga'mo or excitement ex-citement when wo wound down the narrow trail toward tho Dexter cabin. It was about eight o'clock and dark as pitch. "vrear tho gate Is a giant oak tree, with low, rambling branches. As 1 passed under It I heard a strange rattling rat-tling nolso In tho limbs and leaves overhead. With a glanco upward I saw tho dark head of a mountain Hon movo out along a large limb and could dimly sco tho hugo body of tho cat creeping after. It seemed that I could see tho flash of his whlto teeth In tho darkness and I could feel tho low, savago snarl bo let go when he saw me. "Instantly I Jumped; a heavy paw grazed my shoulder, dragging my coat to tho ground, cutting tho flesh through tho heavy clothing I wore, and a long, lltho object landed on the ground beside me, almost exactly, Indeed, In-deed, on the spot whero I had been standing. "I could not havo been moro than eight feet away, and I lost no timo In bringing tho 30-30 Into play. I emptied emp-tied six shots In the direction of tho dark object. At the third of these I heard a wild snarl, saw tho black body launch Itself through tho air, directly toward me, and had Just presence pres-ence of mind enough to fall flat on the ground. I could feel tho wind causc.d by tho great beast in passing, and I havo no doubt I was as palo as a ghost tho moment ho went ovor me. "I scorned to feel, rathor than hoar, the great beast light on tho ground boyond me, and with a bound gained tho sliolter of tho sldo hill's brushy tangle, from whenco, I supposo, ho carao." , Lato that night, when tho moon had come out and tho fog had fallen a bit, tho hunters went out again, but could find no trace of tho big cat Noxt day thcro was a trail nf blood leading lead-ing away from tho scene of tho encounter, en-counter, but this soon led Into rough nnd rocky ground, and could not bo followed with any degree of cortalnty, so tho chaso was given up, Battle with the Scavenger. On tho third day of tholr stay at tho old ranch meat ran short, and tho party, dividing into two bands, struck out to get a deer. Copnor killed a deer about a mile from camp, and, as tho day was yet young, determined to push on In search of anothor buck. To frighten away chanco coyotes or other small animals- from tho carcass ho covered It with his coat, laying a red bandana handkerchief on the top of tho pile. Ho mado a circuit of some two or thrco mllos through tho near-by canyons, can-yons, and, coming down on his door from above, was surprised to see, sodtod on tho enroass, a bird of tho slzo of a full-grown Newfoundland dog. Ho recognized tho crentnro as ono of tho raro California condors, or vultures, which now and then appear In tho coastwlso hills, and shouted to scaro It 'from its feast, which ho could seo was rapidly bolng torn to pieces. To his shouts tho groat bird paid no attontlon. Ho walked nearer, nnd, remomboring stories ho had hoard of tho foroclty of tho giant vulture whon angered, Copnor fired a shot from his rovolvor over tho bird's head. Thoro Is n flno of somo $200 Imposed for tho killing of a condor, and ho had no deslro to incur tho penalty, but ho could not bear to sco his suppor vanishing van-ishing into tho maw of tho bird ot proy. Still tho condor fnllod to movo, but continued to tear at tho door, from which It had by this tlmo stripped tho coat thrown ovor It for protection. Copnor camo nearor, and finally pick- ; . Ing up a stone, threw It at the bird, striking it on ono wing. Evidently this roused tho vulture's wrath, for, spreading Its great wings, it rose with a loud hiss high Into tho air. Copnor stepped forward to sco what damage had been done to his quarry, when, without a sound save the rush ot air through Its great pin-Ions, pin-Ions, tho condor fell from tho height' to which It had ascended and struck tho man squarely between tho shoulders, shoul-ders, tho while tearing at his head with benk and talons. Knocked down by the force ot tho blow, the hunter fell forward over tho body of the deer and down Into a lit-1 tie gully. Doubtless this alono saved his life, for had .the groat bird succeeded suc-ceeded In landing one blow on his , skull with Its heavy beak It must surely have split his head wldo opon. Rolled Into the gulch Copner had presence of mind enough to Ho still for a fow momonts. Then, raising himself to a sitting posturo, ho saw tho vulture, Its hideous head turned sideways tho hotter to watch his hiding hid-ing placo, seated on a hugo bowlder Just back of tho body of tho door. Dropping down again Copner reached for his revolvor (his rlllo was lying bcsldo tho doad door) and, raising himself very cautiously from tho gulch, took a chanco shot at tho bird. Onco again It rose Into tho hcavons and onco f gain foil Hko a thunderbolt, this tlmo nlmlng at his head, which ho ha'd carelessly exposed when tho bird flow up. Ho drew back Just In tlmo to escapo tho blow .and thon realized that It was now a fight for llfo between himself and tho vulture, thoroughly mnddened by tho loss ot Its moal. Again and again ho fired his revolver, revolv-er, apparently without effect At longth ho had but ono cartrldgo loft In the gun and, determined to end tho battlo at onco, ho sprang from his placo ,of concoalment Just as tho bird alighted again on tho bowldor. Point blank ho fired at tho hugo black form and this tlmo tho shot took effect In ono wing, so crippling tho vulturo that It jcould not fly. Copnor rushed ovor to his rlflo, Intending In-tending to end tho llfo ot his too, whon, waddling and fluttering from its perch, tho vulturo struck him again nnd again. It seemed as It everywhere every-where ho turned thoro was tho great bird.' Hs trousers wero soon in ribbons rib-bons nnd tho sharp beak of tho bird mado cruel cuts In his logs and tho lowor part of his back. As It stood up tho condor's bond reached far above his waist lino, and tho battlo In tho fnco ot so poworful nnd so hoavy a bird was no light ono." At length, howover, ho succeeded tn picking up his rifle, nnd, clubbing It, ..struck tho bird a poworful blow alongside tho head. Even tho vulture could not stand such a. blow as this iand fell over dead or dying In the .pamo littlo gully from which Copner' had Just crawled. |