4b E AMBLES AFTER SPORT. 



bouring ranch erons^ tliouglit nothing of giving a haile 

 or fandango where the wine alone would cost them IbOl.j 

 or of gambling away lOOOZ. at a single sitting. 



The entire country for miles round may be described 

 as one vast plain, with some low hills in the distance 

 covered with clia])aral or scrub bush. Over these plains 

 roamed in unrestricted freedom countless herds of oxen 

 and bands of antelope, while in the chaparal occasion- 

 ally a bear was found, but not often. The grizzly bear 

 is a scarce customer anywhere now; but formerly, 

 when I was first in California, many of them could be 

 obtained within easy distance of San Francisco, especi- 

 ally near Santa Cruz, about which I shall have something 

 to say in a future chapter. These bears are captured in 

 Lower California in an entirely novel manner, as will 

 be described; and when caught, the great delight of 

 the vaqueros is to bait the bear with a bull, or a bull 

 with him, as the case may be. The antelopes are some- 

 times hunted by endeavouring to encircle them and 

 lasso them — a plan which rarely succeeds — or by walk- 

 ing slowly alongside of a loose horse, and when their 

 curiosity is suflBciently aroused, potting them with a 

 long-range rifle. No horse can come near them in 

 fair running ; and I never heard of a dog doing so, 

 though I should say a stout greyhound or half-bred 

 deerhound could do so with some trouble. 



After two days spent entirely in introductions, spree- 

 ing, and fandangos, at which Don Miguel and Don 

 Alfonso, my two friends, seemed bent upon spending 

 all their money, I at length prevailed upon them to 

 think a little about ^^le sport, ■'^ in my meaning of the 

 word; and so, after one final terrific "bender^^ as a 

 wind-up, we all turned in about 5 a.m., having given 



