The Evening Herald

A Costa Rica Cowboy's Death Stroke to a Vicious Jaguar.

A wounded and maddened jaguar is a dangerous enemy, but a Costa Rican cowboy unflinchingly faced one not long ago, and Forest and Stream describes the encounter. A large cattle ranch had lost several calves and young mules, and the cowboys reported that they had seen a big jaguar sneaking away from a dead calf. The manager, therefore, offered $25 to any man who would kill the beast. This is a large sum to a Costa Rica cowboy, and all the old muzzle loaders on the ranch were immediately loaded to the muzzle. One morning, soon after the manager's offer, a day old calf was found with its skull crushed in. The meat had not been touched, and, believing that the big cat would come back that night for his kill, a hunt was arranged, every one going, including the dogs, and a start was made late in the afternoon. A short ride brought the hunters to the spot where the calf had been that morning, but the carcass was not there. It had been dragged a little way off to a clump of bushes. The scent was red hot, and all the dogs were off at once, one old hound in particular baying at every jump. The cowboys and the other men followed closely.

Suddenly the barking of the dogs broke out louder than ever. They had the jaguar treed, and when the manager reached the tree the old hound lay dying from a blow of those terrible claws. The jaguar was far up in a big mountain guava tree, hugging a limb, showing only his little ugly head

The men blazed away with their old muzzle loaders, but the cat was so high and the buckshot scattered so badly, that the fusillade had little effect, except to make the cat change its position. As it sprung for a higher limb, the manager raised his Winchester and fired The result was startling. Down came the jaguar, striking the ground like a bag of salt. The ball had cut the spine, so that the hind legs of the animal were paralyzed It struck the ground about eight feet from where the youngest cowboy, Pedro, stood The boy had no gun but like a flash his machete was out and he sprang at the beast. The Jaguar, with open mouth, made a vicious grab at his leg, but the boy ran his machete down the brute's throat with all the strength that was in him, and when he drew it out the jaguar was dead.

Pedro got his $25 and something else that money could not buy—the respect of the whole ranch.