864 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



LDbg, 30, 1898. 



more than twenty-five. We reached the northwest point 

 without seeing anything but tracks. Fossom and I sat on 

 a log talking over the situation. I had been here before 

 with Dare and once with Scout Wilson, when I got my 

 first pictures. I thought it useless to go further, as the 

 light was wrong, and the wind would surely give the 

 buffalo our scent. I was proposing that we go back and 

 wait for the morning light, thinking the buffalo would 

 not go far, when we were both startled by four buffalo 

 rushing past us only a few feet away. We jumped up 

 for a shot, but they were too fast for us. I ran one way 

 for a shot, while Fossom followed, but I never saw the 

 animals again. While moving down the hill I crossed 

 the trail of two men going up. I was thinking at the 

 time that the tracks were much larger than those Dare and 

 I had made and of what had disturbed those buffalo to 

 make them run so fast. They had not seen us, neither 

 had they got our wind. I went on to where we had left 

 Dare, got my snowshoes and pack as well as Fossom's, 

 carried them to a good place for a night's camp, when we 

 saw him coming. 



He said he had come across a camp where two men had 

 left their outfit. This was a surprise to us, we supposed 

 there was no one nearer than the Lower Geyser Basin — 

 eighteen miles or more distant. We picked up our stuff 

 and went to the camp. There was a rude hand-sled, a 

 pair of Canadian snowshoes and two 'pairs of common 

 ones, some bedding, provisions and an ax. No gun or 

 rifle did we see. While we were looking at it the two 

 men came in sight. They were more surprised than we 

 were. One was a large man, who looked like a hunter; 

 the other proved to be a soldier from the station at the 

 Lower Basin. I asked them what they were doing. The 

 large man said he had heard that there were buffalo in 

 the Park and that he would like to see them, so he had 

 started in. One of the 

 soldiers had found him on 

 Gibbon Eiver, took him to 

 the station, and from there 

 they had sent the soldier 

 to see that he did not med- 

 dle with the buffalo. I sized 

 him up and concluded he 

 was in there for something 

 more than the sight of buf- 

 falo. I proposed that we all 

 camp together for the night, 

 which we did, making a 

 rude lodge that proved 

 much more comfortable 

 than the shelter we had the 

 night before. The men told 

 us they had seen a big band 

 of buffalo on the Butte, that 

 they had run down the 

 moimtain to the south. I 

 knew then what had sent 

 the last buffalo flying past 

 us. 



In the morning I took two 

 good shots at the camp with 

 the intention of getting a 

 picture of the poacher, if 

 such he should prove. I 

 was quite sure he had a 

 rifle, ammunition and pro- 

 visions hid somewhere near 

 there, but thought there 

 was not much danger of 

 his killing anything for a 

 day or two, and by that 

 time I could report to the 

 commanding officer. 



Fossom and I started out 

 for a shot before the others 

 were ready to move. Dare 

 was to set out for the soldiers' 



station and hotel at the Lower Basin- We traveled 

 around the Butte, found the buffalo had followed the 

 men back to where Fossom and I had been sitting on the 

 log the evening before, and that they had gone back by 

 the Alum Creek trail over which we had just followed 

 them. I saw it was useless to attempt to get a picture of 

 that band, and so contented myself with what I had in 

 the way of pictures of buffalo, hoping that at some other 

 time I could have a better camera for that kind of work. 

 Eeturning to the camp we found the two men away. 

 While eating a bit of a lunch a Canada jay dropped on a 

 chunk of bacon in the frying-pan and began to eat it. 

 We kodaked him at 5ft. I thought it poor game, shooting 

 at camp robbers where I had expected to be bagging 

 whole bands of elk or buffalo at one shot. 



Fossom and I went on to the Foimtain Hotel, getting 

 there before dark. We saw bluebirds, bluejays, robins 

 and other birds, the names of which I do not know. We 

 found the buffalo had not been able to keep the trail down 

 Mary's Mountain open. 



Next day Dare and I started for the Mammoth Hot 

 Springs. My hunt was over with for the season. Fossom 

 rested a day or two at the hotel and then started back for 

 the Lake and Canon, traveling through the buffalo 

 coimtry several times on snowshoes, and later on horse- 

 back. He was successful in getting some very fine pic- 

 tures of buffalo and elk. In one, of a bull elk that he 

 caught out in the deep snow, the animal was obliged to 

 pass within 20ft. of him to get back over its own trail. 

 He took several shots, in one case where it was very close. 

 The bull was gritting its teeth and making a moaning 

 noise as though in pain. At another time he rode up to 

 some buffalo cows and calves lying down. They all ran 

 off but one calf that tried to follow him. It was very 

 young, not more than two or three days old. He had to 

 push it away to get far enough off to get a good pictm-e. 

 _ Fossom got many very fine shots, but most of the nega- 

 tives had some defect, scratches in the film, dark, cloudy 

 places, black and white spots, or were bad pictures be- 

 cause the object was moving too fast for the shutter. 



I am convinced that I want a longer-focused instrument 

 than any hand camera made, if I am to get first-class 

 game pictures. Then, too, one has not to get so close, 

 and he can take more time without trouble to himself or 

 disturbing the game. One more thing and I'm through. 

 I would like to know imder Avhat head a man who hunts 

 with a camera comes — whether he's a "pot hunter," 

 "sportsman," "ti-ue sportsman," "skin hunter" or just a 

 "hunter" (without any handle). One who never kills for 

 the pleasure of killing, but who can enjoy the sight of 



game, Ukes to see it aU about him and would rather have 

 a picture of it than the finest set of antlers in the Park. 



E. HOFEE. 



CAPTURING A BABY JAGUAR. 



"DAT boy Ebat he cotch tigre negro, boss," exclaimed 

 Queen as he stuck his head through the doorway. 



"What's that? Ebat caught a black tiger?" I demanded. 



"No, tigre cotch Ebat. He ain't dead, on'y scratched 

 on he haid," 



"Where is he?" 



"He here, boss," and Ebat came forward. He was 

 scratched, in truth. The blood from the wounds in his 

 scalp had run down his dark face and breast and dried 

 in scaly streaks. I soon had him washed and patched 

 up, and ready to teU his story. 



"Dat John he go troo bush so," said he, bending low as 

 he stiffly took , a few steps across the room. As he did 

 so he exposed four holes in each hip, where the hinder 

 claws of the big cat had sunk into the thick muscles. 



"I was go 'long so," he continued, "behine. Den I go 

 down an' my nose was in de groun' so I see nothin'. Dat 

 tigre debbil she jump on my back and strike my haid so, 

 and cut dem slash in my hair Hke four knife. My 

 machete, I can't do nothin' 'cause it gone out my han'." 



"What then?" 



"John he tu'n 'round quick an' push gun at de tigre an' 

 shoot. Dat's all." 



J ohn told about the same story. Going along hunting 

 for peccaries, his head bent to pass under the branches, 

 he heard a noise from Ebat. He turned and was scared 

 out of whatever wits he may have had. The tiger had 

 jumped on the boy as he bent to pass beneath a vine. 

 Her weight drove him, face down, to the carpet of damp 



A MOUNTAIN PASTURE. 

 Photographed from life In the Yellowstone National Park by W. H. Weed. 



leaves. John instinctively turned the muzzle of the gun 

 toward her and poured a charge of shot in the general 

 direction of the beast. She was frightened off by the 

 noise and smoke, and possibly a pellet or two tickled her 

 ribs. 



"Black debbil! She got baby tigres close by not fur 

 'way," John declared. "Mus' git um for pay her for tear 

 Ebat all up." Ebat seemed to concur in this view. 



Queen, John and I started a day or two later across the 

 sandy prairie for the place where lay a young heifer 

 killed by a jaguar the night before. Twenty young cattle 

 had been killed near the village within a year by jaguars 

 and public opinion was strong against these American 

 timers. The villagers were as a unit in crying for 

 reform. 



Curs of eveiy degree of worthlessness frolicked before 

 us, behind us and beside us imtil we had tramped some 

 three miles. Then those in the lead turned back, tails 

 down, looking fearfully back as they sneaked toward us. 

 They plucked up courage and yelped along the trail when 

 they saw us coming. A minute or two later we came 

 upon the carcass of the heifer lying in the thicket. Her 

 neck had been broken and her throat was torn. 



• "To-night she come for git um," said Queen. "She 

 keep um for baby tigres. We wait here, mabbe she 

 bring um baby." 



But I had no intention of waiting there. It was not 

 yet noon. 



"Send the dogs after her, Queen. We can't wait here," 

 said I. 



"Boss, dem dog he no good for tigre. He nebber go." 



"Nonsense. You've bragged that they were the best 

 tiger dogs in Honduras. Now I'm going to see whether 

 they are good for anything or not, and I tell you now 

 that every dog of them will get a biiUet through him if 

 he flunks. If they will not hunt tiger I'll see to it that 

 they shall feed tiger before we leave this bush; so they 

 may as well go ahead." I spoke with great emphasis, for 

 that pack of curs had been a howling, thieving, garden- 

 destroying nuisance, and I was quite willing to see the 

 last one of them properly punished. 



There was no protest, but the dogs started on the trail 

 when they saw that we were following. The younger 

 ones were frisky and noisy, but the old dogs were unusu- 

 ally steady and quiet. 



They led us at least five miles through avenues under 

 arching corosos and bamboose, through thickets of thorny 

 palmettos, and into a forest of giant silk-cottoii trees and 

 Santa Marias. They made little disturbance as they went. 

 Perhaps the old dogs felt that the occasion wm too solemn 



for nonsense, and the young ones may have been im- 

 pressed by the example of their seniors. 



Suddenly they bayed in that tone which says that a dog 

 is in earnest. We tore through the woods as fast as the 

 brush permitted. The Indians wore no clothing other 

 than cotton pantaloons, and those were rolled as high as 

 possible so that they were not much more than breech- 

 clouts; therefore the men could slip around through 

 thorny bushes much more quickly than I could . And 

 many of those bushes were thorny. From root to top 

 they were thickly set on every side, and on leaf stalks as 

 well, with black thorns that were literally as slender and 

 sharp of point as needles. When one touches those spines 

 they enter the skin a little way, then break. It is well to 

 keep away from them. The natives had quicker eyes than 

 I had, and more skill in getting along in thorny places, 

 and soon left me behind. 



I blundered from the trail to cut off a detour, and 

 stopped to rest and listen for the voices of the leading 

 dogs. I leaned against the thin, wide roots of a ceiba — 

 buttresses that spread full ten feet from the great tree 

 which they stayed. A nest of dry leaves was close to the 

 ' base of the tree, and almost hidden by incurved folds of 

 i the roots. There lay two kittens as big as house cats. 

 They were perfectly still, but their bright eyes were fixed 

 on mine. They knew that some strange being, probably 

 1 an enemy, had found them, but their mother had no 

 ! doubt told them to not stir before she came back, and 

 they would obey her orders exactly. Still, I had little 

 faith in their remaining quiet if I should touch them, so I 

 Ufted up my voice exceedingly. Two or three such yells 

 ( brought an answer, and in a few minutes Queen joined 

 me. 



"Look there, Queen." 

 ' "Hi! I fix um! I kill li'l dibbils quick," he cried. 



"No. Can you catch 

 them alive?" 



"All right. I ketch um," 

 he responded, as cheerfully 

 as though I had merely 

 asked him to capture a 

 hummin2:bird. 



He pulled down one of 

 the slender vines that hung 

 from a tree near by. In one 

 end of his liana he fixed a 

 running noose, which he 

 dropped over the nose of 

 one of the kittens. It 

 blushed tlie loop aside with 

 an impatient stroke of its 

 thick and fuiry paw. The 

 noose swung iiac-lc against 

 its nose, to be ao-ain hnislied 

 away. Tlie I'aw way raised 

 rpady to strike wl en the 

 vine swung back again; but 

 this time there was a quick, 

 disconcei-ting dip of the 

 loop, and when it was in- 

 stantly drawn up it firmly 

 held that paw against the 

 kitten's neck. 



At once the temper of the 

 little beast was awake and 

 ugly. Its forepaw clutched 

 at the liana, and its hind- 

 feet carae pron ptly up and 

 scratched vigorously at the 

 vine, which served only to 

 draw the noose tighter about 

 neck and forearm. 



"Hoi" um so that way," 

 exclaimed the Indian. 



I held the liana with the 

 brute dangling at the end. 

 It spit fiercely and clawed 

 desperately, but the thin root of the ceiba stood between 

 those sharp, curved claws, so that they could not touch 

 our legs. In fact we had the kittens at mean disadvan- 

 tage. Queen made three other loops in as many bits of 

 vines, and skillfully dropped one after another over the 

 legs of the victim,' until each paw was fast, Then he 

 reached down and caught the kitten by the nape of the 

 neck, and held it up until I made fast the lianas so that 

 the little demon was securely bound. All this kept us 

 busy a minute or two. Then my companion looked about 

 uneasily. 



"S'pose ol' mamma tigre come, boss, huh?" 



"She's busy. She can't bother us. The dogs and boys 

 are looking after her," I replied. 



"Mebbe two old tigre. Who knows?" 



I hadn't thought of that. It was possible that the male 

 was somewhere in our neck of the woods, so I said, 

 "Hurry, Queen, and tie the other cub. Then we'll go 

 help the boys." 



Queen did hurry. But there seems to be a great differ- 

 ence between young jaguars in the matter of temper. As 

 soon as the paw of this one was caught they set up a yell, 

 and kept it up. That scared Queen so that he couldn't 

 work as fast as he had with the first kitten. His eyes 

 roved about the brush and searched the treetops. Still he 

 bravely stuck to his work, for he was bolder than any 

 other of the Mosquitos I had seen, and we had our second 

 captive safely tied when we heard a shout and the voices 

 of the dogs. They were coming toward us. 



"Look out, boss; ol' debbil comin'," cried Queen. 



"Let her come. Pick up these youngsters and cut for 

 the savana. She can't jump us there in the open." 



That was where we blundered. We should have left 

 the cubs in their nest and ambushed the dam. But Queen 

 caught up the two and made good time through the bush. 

 I hurried after, my thumb on the hammer of my rifle. 

 The dogs hurried after both of us. We hadn't the least 

 doubt that the tiger was between us and the dogs. She 

 could get over the ground like a race horse, and would 

 surely soon overhaul us. I was close behind Queen, for he 

 was burdened by the two cats. 1 fancy that he was quite 

 willing that the repeating rifle should be near him. He 

 would be safer so than far ahead, with a raging tiger 

 himting the thief who had robbed her of her young. 



"El tigre, et tiger grande!" he exclaimed. But I cannot 

 see how he heard her sooner than I did. 



I stopped and faced the brute, then backed up to a big 

 tree. Queen as promptly put the tree between himself 

 and me, and was out of sight of the tigress. .Just then 

 oae of those little whelps gave a half -choked cry. 



