184 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[ April 0, 188i\ 



fttc fyorktijmi ^atmii 



LOST ON THE RA.TON MOUNTAINS. 



TO show you that life here in this corner of Colorado is 

 not u perpetual Fourth of July excursion, I will try to 

 ilescr! lie a little experience that I had last January. It had 

 been snowing a little every day for a week. 1 had hunted 

 white-tail deer every day/ and* was sated. One afternoon I 

 sat alone Iry the tire in ray big adobe sit Ling-room, wishing 

 that 1 had an American to talk to. when the dogs commenced 

 to bafk in. that peculiar tone that means "men coming." I 

 went out, and in a few minutes Messrs. Pid ton and Garret 

 Roberta rode up, brothers who live on the Purgatoire River, 

 and Who have been till lately engaged in the cattle business. 

 They, like most ranchmen, are quite eccentric. Fulton is a 

 great talker, and tells long stories, interlarded with shocking 

 oaths, Imt always ascribes this profanity to some one of the 

 Characters of his story. Garret is a quiet, stem man of fifty, 

 and was one ojE the California '49-ers. 



The two men reined in their steaming horses, and I, after 

 calling a man to take the ponies, led the way iuto the house; 

 and produced a small keg holding about three gallons. A 

 friend gave me the "barrelito" when he returned from a trip 

 down into Old Mexico. It was filled with wine from the 

 Rio Crande Del Norte. A goblet full will cheer but not 

 inebriate, and it is said that even an excess of the fluid will 

 leave not a pang behind. My cook soon called supper, 

 which consisted of venison, "chile con huevas" (red peppers 

 with eggs), "tortillas", (thin bread cakes), potatoes and coffee. 

 My present cook is Sirs. Inez Trebinia, a Nauvoo Indian 

 lady who was stolen by the Mexicans while small, and 

 raised by them. She is' at least fifty years old, is the color 

 of an old saddle, and has no nose. She is very fond of me, 

 and always calls me padre (father). As I am thirty and she 

 on {he shady side of fifty, it seems queer, but I make no re- 

 monst ranee. 



After supper Fult. went to the door, and, gazing up at the 

 mountain, said: "I am going over to Waters' raiie.h to-mor- 

 row; won't you go with us and show us the best path 

 across'?" I bated to say yes, for I knew that the snow was 

 deep, but the Roberts men are my friends, and I could not 

 refuse. 



The next morning at daylight we were up and had the 

 horses, I saddled a tough little Mexican pony, slung my rifle 

 scabbard to the saddle, shoved in my Winchester, the* best 

 gun that man ever carried for excursions on horseback, and 

 away we went, up, up, up, with the snow two feet deep on 

 a level. When we came to a hollow the snow was three or 

 four feet deep, and we had to get off and walk, as the crust 

 would bear us up. but not our horses. They had to wallow 

 across the best they could. Just as we came to the final 

 ascent, a band of white-tail deer ran across the slope in front 

 of us, and I fired with the Winchester as they bounced across 

 the path at about 200 yards off, and down came a flag — the 

 white-tail deer generally puts his tail between his legs like a 

 whipped dog when hard hit. It was a big doe. She turned 

 down toward us, leaving the band, and after a few bounds I 

 brought her down with another shot. We skinned her, and 

 taking a. hindquart.er to carry over to Waters, I hung the rest 

 of the meat, in a tree enveloped in the hide to await my 

 return, and off we went. In a few minutes we struck the 

 last ascent, and struggled up on foot, with the snow up to 

 our waists. Once on top of the mountain w r e had an easier 

 time; snow was only two feet deep on the ridges, in the 

 "arroyas" (gullies) it was about five feet. We kept the high- 

 est ground as well as we could, and after a tedious walk readied 

 the path that descends into the Unio Del Gato Park — park of 

 the cat claw bushes — a park of 10,000 acres of the fairest 

 land of New Mexico. Thence we struck a bee line for 

 Waters' house. When we were still a mile from the house 

 we met Waters going to a turkey roost. He told us to go to 

 the house, and said that he would be back iu an horn orfwo. 

 W'e soon readied the ranch and unsaddled our tired horses 

 wilh an admiring audience of dogs — foxhounds, shepherd and 

 our own, about nine or ten of 'em — all barking at once. 

 Hobbling our horses and turning them loose to do the best 

 they could, for Waters always has more dogs than hay, we 

 went iu and were welcomed by Mrs. Waters. Waters soon 

 came in with a big turkey-gobbler on his back, and we sat 

 down to supper. After supper the Roberts men and George 

 talked silver mines and San Juan, while I told Mrs. W. the 

 latest gossip from Trinidad and the Purgatoirc. Waters is a 

 Georgian, lie moved with his family from Georgia to Texas 

 by wagon after the war, and from Texas overland to New 

 Mexico, more than 2,000 miles in all. He has accumulated 

 a snug little property within the last four years, and will be 

 rich before four more are past. He is a thorough sportsman 

 and a good fellow generally, as all sportsmen are. 



After a night's refreshing sleep and some breakfast, the 

 Roberts men started again on their journey, thanking me for 

 my services; and George and I decided to go hunting. There 

 is a splendid hunting ground on the side of the mountain 

 above the house; so off we went afoot, up hill and down, 

 Availing in snow and at times fairly wallowing along. We 

 finally decided to separate, and I went slowly down the side 

 of a, deep ravine that furrowed the mountain side. Iliad 

 not gone far before f saw the track of defer, fresh. I knew 

 tfhey must be Hear, and cautiously creeping along, 1 soon saw 

 i he game, three of them standing in a little bare spot at a 

 distance of about 100 yards and considerably below me. 

 The}' did not suspect my presence, and I slowly sank clown 

 behind a ruck and looked at them Avith my hat 'off and only 

 hair and eyes poked over the edge of the boulder. Three 

 Avhitetail bucks— one Avith horns like a dead cedar bush, at 



i : seven years old, the other two smaller, but, pretty good 

 deer. I stole a glance all around. Waters was not iu sight, 

 and I knew he 'must be far below me and off to the right, 

 There was nothing to scare them, and I knew I could take 

 : 0J& r i lie pig buck stood racing down hill, and if I 

 might hit him in the rum)), and I hate to spoil the 

 liindquarfer. The other two were broadside, but I wanted 

 the big on". Hove to lie and Avateh them when I get a 

 chance. One of the small ones lay down. The big buck 

 Itched his ear with Iris hind foot 'and turned broadside to 

 (id my old felt hat to the edge of the rock, laid the 

 . it, drew in my breath, and at the crack of the gun 

 i he old fellow jumped once and fell. I fired twdshot&at 

 the others ajS they ran off in Waters' direction, but they only 

 , : ter. In a. minute 1 caught a glimpse of Waters 

 running down a ridge, and then the mountains rang with 

 the crack of his rifle, I cut up my deer. Oh, how hand- 

 some he was, so smooth and round — stone dead, shot through 

 the heart. I looked, in his mouth and the teeth said seven 

 years or more. J soon went over to help Waters. He had 



one dead and the other was badly wounded. We searched 

 for him a while, but couldn't find 'him, and after hanging up 

 his deer whole in a cedar tree, we Avent borne, intending to 

 come up for the meat after dinner with horses and fetch the 

 hounds along. After dinner we were soon on the ground 

 and turned loose. Ring and Bell. After a few preliminary 

 circles, Ring pointed his nose straight up iu the air and an- 

 nounced that he had found a nice trail with that long drawn 

 howl that 1 love to hear so well. In twenty minutes they 

 had deer n umber three in a tight place. We found himat 

 bay "with his hip broken. George ended the performance by 

 killing the deer, and in fiVe minutes both clogs Were full of 

 liver and didn't, care a cent for deer. 



Packing all three on the ponies, Ave went home and spent 

 the rest of the day playing casino and swapping yarns. 



1 heard the monotonous grind of a coffee mill and w T oke 

 slowly, with aching bones from yesterday's tramp through 

 the snow. 1 1 was dark yet, but when Waters poked his head 

 into the bedroom door aud remarked— "Breakfast is ready 

 and it is a splendid day to hunt; four inches of snow fallen 

 during the night," 1 began to feel better right off; and when 

 I had drank two cups of coffee and eaten a pound of venison 

 steak, I was ready to travel. 



"Let's go over to the knob and kill blacktails," said 

 George. He didn't say hunt, for it's a sure thing that when 

 George Waters, of TJnio Dei Gato, goes out after a snow that 

 he brings home meat. And off we went on horseback across 

 the valley, steering for an enormous pillar of rock that 

 stands on the mountain slope in plain sight from the ranch 

 door. There are always blacktail deer who use these, as the 

 Texans say; and if you doubt it, go to Waters's ranch and 

 he will help you kill one within half a mile of it any time, 

 and he'll be glad to see you, too. We rode to the first bench 

 of the mountain, and dismounting, picketed the horses in a 

 bare spot and up we went afoot, along the side of the 

 arroya (ravine), where the deer generally lie under the scat- 

 tered cedars during the day. There Avere plenty of tracks 

 leading up the ravine, and George whispered that he' had 

 belter go aAvay from the arroya and get to I he runway at the 

 knob Avhile I followed up the arroya "and jumped the deer. 



After waiting ten minutes I commenced moving slowly 

 along as quietly as possible, eyes and ears strained to catch 

 sight of deer or hear them bounce. I knew that the deer 

 were within 200 yards of me, but I couldn't see them. 

 Moving a few steps more I stopped and looked carefully 

 under every tree and bush in sight—not a thing. Yes, there 

 are two long ears and the top of a doe's head sticking up 

 above a low grcasewood bush. It is the only oue in sight. 

 She is on the far side of the bush from me and I will have to 

 shoot off-hand standing if I shoot iioav, for if I squat her 

 head will be out of sight. Well, here goes; I aim between 

 her ears and slowly drop the gun a little, see hair lief ore the 

 sight, touch the trigger, and as the gun cracks the arroya is 

 alive with deer; a dozen jump up from behind scrubby 

 cedars and little bushes and bounce around, anil I pump the 

 lever at the old buck as he runs straight away up (he hill 

 toward where W. is concealed; crack, and* his hind leg 

 breaks above the ankle, two more shots aud ho disappears 

 slowly up the path. 



I hear one shot from W. and I know that the buck is dis- 

 posed of or I should hear more, and so I scramble down one 

 side of the arroya and up the other. T wade up to Avhere 

 George is — about a quarter of a mile. He is sitting on a rock, 

 his feet on the dead buck to keep them out of the Snow, and 

 is enjoying a smoke. "Well, I have got him, Dick." We 

 went back to the horses, loaded on our deer and went home. 



Talk about being tired, every joint in my body ached. 

 My hunting has mostly been horseback, while Waters gener- 

 ally takes his afoot, and he seemed surprised when I said I 

 was tired. 



When w t c got home, Parker Johnson, a cowman from 

 Texas, was at the house, and he and W. had a hunt fixed tip 

 for the next day in ten minutes. I inwardly resolved I 

 wouldn't be then', and the next morning at breakfast said 

 that I thought I avouUI stay at the house' and help Mrs. W. 

 for the day, as I was tired. Waters grinned and went off 

 with Parker. The clouds settled from" the Batons into the 

 valley, and (he snow began to fall by nine o'clock, and I 

 read an old paper and Avoudered what kind of legs W. had 

 that, could stand a AA T eek of such work just for pure love of 

 sport. And, occasionally, as the time went by, 1 regretted 

 that I hadn't gone too, when in came Harley, Waters' son, 

 a boy of thirteen, and said: "Oh, Mr. Dixon! come to the 

 door and hear the hounds yell. They are running something 

 on the hillside across the valley." I Avent to the door, and 

 clear and sweet came the cry of the old dog and the yell of 

 the bitch as they worked along through thesnoW; and pretty 

 soon the racket stopped travebng and I knew that whatever 

 it was thai they were running was treed or holed. "Let's go 

 OA r or and see what they have, " says Harley. I forgot that 1 

 was tired, and away we went at a jogtrot. When we got to 

 the scene of action — a big cedar tree in an arroya — the first 

 thing f saw Avas a big wild cat on a limb, looking very com- 

 fortable, and the dogs barking at him. I dropped him With 

 a bullet in the head, and before he had done kicking, Harley 

 said: "Here is another on this side of the tree,, and there is 

 another in the very top of the tree." Two more shots kiUed 

 them both. Harley wanted the skins, and so I pulled them 

 off and we. went home. 



George got home at dark with a deer he had shot on the 

 rim. It had a billlel hole through the ear. aud was the same 

 deer I shot at the day before, lying down, for he shot it in 

 the shoulder and hit it but once." 



George wanted me to stay and hunt longer, but the next 

 morning I decided to start across the mountains as the 

 weather cleared up a little, and I was worrying about my 

 cat lie at home. They always drift off during a storm. So 

 saddling my little mare and bidding good-bye to Waters aud 

 family, I started. Before I had reached the top of the moun- 

 tain, which is n rolling prairie twenty miles long aud six 

 miles wide, it was snowing a little. i had a great mind to 

 turn back, but I am a little proud and I av as more afraid 

 that W. would laugh at me than of the storm, and so on I 

 AvallOAved, 



1 jumped a .wildcat among some big rocks, and when he 

 paused a, moment to lake a. good look - at me, 1 knocked him 

 off at 100 yards, shot through the lungs. I lied him on the 

 saddle and want on, intending to skin him when I got home, 

 not liking to stop and do it then, if was so cold. 



When I reached the plain on top I could just see my land- 

 mark, a hill in the centre of the plain called Monte Colorado, 

 Red Hill. I took my course and noticed the winrl was at 

 my back and plowed 'along. The storm grew fiercer, I could 

 not see a hundred yards ahead, I got on a ridge and fol- 

 lowed it up, crossed to another ridge through a deep hollow 

 where the Bnow alinosl struck the mare and then decided to 

 turn back; but where? I was lost. The wiud had gone 



down and risen again and my backtrack was obliterated. ButI 

 traveled on in thecourse that Ihoped was right. The ther- 

 mometer goes down to 40deg. beloAV zero up (here quite Ire- 

 quently, and there is but little wood. I knew thai iwo Mexi- 

 cans had frozen to death up there iu a storm in May, 1877. 

 It Avas growing colder every minute, toward night' it par- 

 tially cleared up, and I found myself near one edge of the 

 Mesa. I left the mare on the ridge and Avent down to I lie- 

 edge, where there is a precipice 200 feet down; and When it 

 cleared a little I could seethe Trinchara Valley and Cartel; 

 Temple's ranch far below me. 



I was about three miles out of my way, aud ten miles from 

 home. 1 could hang up my saddle on a scrub oak, leave the 

 mare Up there to freeze or wander off and die. clamber down 

 somewhere and get down to Temple's before be'dtime, or I 

 could stay up on the momttain, find wood, build a fire, and go 

 on next day. No, I would not gh-e up the mare. My heart 

 came back and I weut up to where she stood, and started up 

 the mountain toward the going doAvn place. 



Just about dark I came to a little canyon, with a sheep 

 corral and a deserted hut that was built 'something like a. 

 bird cage, more cracks than house. The corral would give 

 me plenty of wood. The snow Avas not over a foot deep m\ 

 one side of the canyou, and the marc could get a little grass 

 by pawing; so 1 camped. Getting most of 'the snow out df 

 the hut and banking it outside on two sides. I started a big- 

 fire on the ground inside, pulled the saddle off the mare, anil 

 prepared to put in the night. The little mare would paw 

 around for grass awhile and then come across to the hut and 

 get close, to the fire with her head inside the hole that 

 answered for a door. I alternately froze one side of I 

 and scorched the other. The wind rose. I made a. hollow 

 in a little log, and melted snow by heating stones in the tire. 

 The water Was pretty good, but I had nothing to eat. 1 had 

 nothing else to do, and so I thought I would skin my wild 

 cat. No sooner said than done, fiisflesh-was white and la- 

 was fat. I put a piece on the coals; it sputtered and smell, 

 savory. I tasted if; it was good. I broiled all his rilis and 

 one hindleg, and picked the bones clean. Then I hungup 

 the rest of that twenty-pound cat for breakfast. 1 was happy 

 as a clam, but a trifle cool. The rest of the night, was spent, 

 in building fire aud longing for day. 



In the morning, after a simple breakfast of cat and Water; 

 I saddled and set out upon my homeward journey. It Avas 

 a fine day and f worked my way up tow'ard tile place to 

 descend the mountain, reaching it* at about three o'clock iu 

 the afternoon. The little mare and I slid down the path 

 pretty Avell, and when I reached the slope at the bottom of 

 the precipice the snow was not so deep, and there I mounted 

 and rode down for home. 1 killed a deer on-a little point 

 about a mile from home, and tying her on behind the saddle 

 soon reached the ranchc. My major domo (foreman) came 

 out and took the mare. I hobbled into the house with iny 

 feet feeling like blocks of wood, tried to pull my boots oif 

 but could not do if. Called my major domo and he pulled 1 

 bke a Trojan, but could not start them. So I had him cut 

 them open on the instep, and then found my feet nicely 

 frozen on top of the ankles. But with snow aud ieeuatcr 

 I got the frost out, and an application of boiled onions (ov a 

 few days fixed me all right. 



And there are more deer there to-day than when George 

 Waters and 1 hunted them in the TJnio Gato Park, and I 

 learned to eat tomcat without salt on the Trinehera Mesa. 

 And 1 am going to kill some of them next October if 1 can 

 get there. Wont some of you come and help me? AV, J. D. 

 EecK Horn Ranch, Rita Azul, Colorado. 



M 



fray. 



"PODGERS" IN FLORIDA. 



II,— AT JONKS'S OX THE HOMOS ABBA. 



ONDAY morning found me fresh as a lark after a good 

 night's rest and a splendid breakfast, and ready i u the 



The gentlemen composing Mrs. Jones's family, consisting 

 of about fifteen enthusiastic sportsmen, began to make 

 preparations for the occupation of the day. Home were 

 going to fish, some to shoot, and some to indolenlly enjoy a 

 book and a lounge tinder the shade of the orange ti'G ■ 

 hammocks on the Avide piazza. Each sportsman was pio 

 Added with a boat and a 15th amendment man to row and do 

 the laborious part. Guns, rods and lunch-baskets wore 

 passed aboard, and one by one they departed, some up the river, 

 some doAvn, some for the creeks and bayous for ducks, and 

 some over on the island for deer. 



1 being a new-comer and not familiar wilh the best ground, 

 Uncle Peter, the most reliable and trustworthy of contra- 

 bands, was called from his work to the orange grove aud 

 assigned to me as my man for the day. Nothing loth for a, 

 change. Uncle Peter soon had the boat ready, and rods and 

 lunch-baskets having been passed in. he took 'the sense of the 

 meeting by inquiring what kind of fish Ihe boss wanted to 

 catch. It Was voted that anything would do, hut sheepshead 

 would be most desirable, to which Uncle Peter answered 

 "All right, boss, sheepshead it is." My rod, a good one 

 changeable from a striped-bass to an elongated" one, was 

 rigged, and a feathered spoon for trolling Avas soon skipping 

 on the, surface as Uncle Peter propelled the boat along el as 

 easy gait. We had not got two hundred yards from Hie 

 wharf before there Avas a strike and fish No. 1 came in. 

 "What is it, Uncle Peter?" "Dat ar a black has,. 

 In two minutes I had No. 2. "What's lids?" "Dat ar a 

 trout." Hp/was .a beauty — symmetrical, spotted, and wilh a 

 large, round, black spot on his tail, reminding me of Hie 

 round ball of the olden tune painted on the fore topsail of 

 the Liverpool packef ships. Reckon this fellow belonged to 

 the old black hall line. The next was a cha unci bass; the 

 next a skipjaek, and so on, seemingly a different variety and 

 ii h time. And so it went ' on all the way up the 

 river, until near the head, about three miles from our start- 

 ing point. Uncle Peter look in his oars, and said, "There's 

 yer place for sheepshead." I looked over the side and in 

 feel of water Avith white sandy bottom ami corn] 

 rocky formation, I could see more fish than f ever dreamed 

 of. "The water was as clear as crystal, and I could see them 

 with perfect distinctness, passing' and repassing just like the 

 human crowd on the sidewalk on Brdadwfly — big fish, little 

 fish, bas^, troul, cavalli and sheepshead by the hundreds, I 

 dropped a hook OA'er baited with crab, and before it had 

 reached bottom there was a rush for it. A four pound 

 sheepshead was elected, aud I was soon gazing with admira- 

 tion on bis beautiful black cross-barred silveraud goldllecked 

 sides. Such colors as the sunlight brought out! I had never 

 seen anything so beautiful, not'evenin the iridescent colors 

 of the dolphin. 



For an hour I continued to haul in every variety, mostly 

 sheepshead, as long' as the crab bait lasted. ' I wan 'ashamed 



