BEAR HUNTING IN MEXICO. 49 



middle^ with a vaquero especially detailed to look after 

 me, and approached the chaparal-covered hills. I now 

 saw the danger of the sport ; the ground was exceedingly 

 roughj and the chaparal over the horse^s knees ; any 

 little mistake on your horse^s part^ and " there you are " 

 — not. When we were a little way in, two of the dogs 

 were loosed, and immediately began beating about the 

 bush ; and after five minutes a most terrific series of 

 yelps and growls denoted that his majesty was at home 

 to visitors. It was '' look out, and keep your eyes 

 skinned" now with a vengeance. Bruin, however, 

 seemed disinclined to bolt, and another dog was loosed ; 

 at last a vaquero got as near to him as his horse would 

 allow, and fired a trabuco, or Spanish blunderbuss, loaded 

 with buckshot, into his stern. This had the desired efi'ect, 

 and after a deal of rushing about, howling of the dogs, and 

 shouts from the vaqueros, we were gratified by a sight of 

 an enormous male grizzly — so large, that I really thought 

 it was an elephant. 



We managed to get him into the open, and now the 

 sport commenced in earnest. Of course I need hardly 

 mention that the dogs had never once held on to the 

 bear, but had only snapped and let go again ; in fact, 

 their chief use is to distract the attention of the animal 

 from the hunters. Two vaqueros now advanced, and 

 one, galloping around the animal, threw his lasso, but 

 missed him, lassoing one of the dogs instead. The other 

 one, however, was more fortunate, as his lasso got hold 

 of one of the bear's legs, who was immediately tumbled 

 over. It was an unfortunate shot, however, as the bear 

 got hold of one of the dogs as he rolled over, and in an 

 instant tore him open like a sandwich, and, the lasso 

 getting twisted round his neck somehow, he snapped it 



£ 



