Berkeley High School - Olla Podrida Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

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t As the moon came into view over the tops of the mountains, I suddenly saw- outlined against the bright sky the form of a huge lion, sitting upon a rocky point on the mountain-side. From the point where the lion sat upon his haunches there was a precipitous descent of sixty feet, and then the steep slope of debris and shale to the edge of the stream bed — a distance of a hundred yards — thickly covered with tangled thicket. My friend, said Danton, as he picked up his rifle and stepped back out of the firelight, I guess you have eaten your last supper of burro meat, for you made a big mistake when you came out onto that rock. With that he threw the rifle to his face and pulled the trigger. There was a loud report, a flash of fire, and we saw the lion leap into the air and fall back, apparently upon the rock. Another one of those ugly varmints to my account, said he quietly; it gives me more real pleasure to plunk one of them than it does to kill a half dozen bear, for the}- are the meanest, most treacherous critters that were ever put on earth. If that carcass stays there all night something will tear the hide to pieces, and I want it ; so I guess I w-ill just skip up there and bring Mr. Lion down. You fellows can go on up the canyon looking for Raymond, and I will be down again in fifteen minutes and overtake you. With that he left in spite of our protests against his doing such a foolhardy thing. Replenishing the fire we took our guns and commenced a short search for the burro. We had gone about a quarter of a mile or so when three shots, fired in quick succession, told us that Danton was interestingly engaged. We immedi- ately turned back and ran as fast as we could down the canyon. As we reached the vicinity of the camp, sounds of a fierce struggle burst upon our ears. A flash of light and a sharp report, followed by a brutish scream of rage, revealed to us the nature of the conflict that was taking place upon the summit of the rock. What was to be done? How could we reach him in time? Ah! the narrow canyon and the passage through the brush ! Its opening was just before us, and I now saw that it must lead out upon the hillside near the summit of the rock. To think was to act; and, clutching Craig by the arm, I shouted Follow 7 me ! and dashed into the black mouth of the canyon. Up we clambered, falling over rocks and logs, but never faltering for one instant, even when the closely matted briers tore our hands and faces or forced us to our knees. Now the way became clear, and we sprang panting out upon the hillside. At the same instant I heard a cry of warning, a shot behind me, and the heavy body of a lion struck me with terrific force and knocked me to the ground. I expected to feel its teeth and claws sink into my flesh, but they did not, and I sprang to my feet to find it in the throes of death. No time to tarry, or even to be thankful; we dashed toward the cliff. Danton was gone, but on the ground were tw 7 o great tawny bodies, and, scattered about, were several pieces of clothing, while near the edge of the rock was Danton ' s heavy knife. I peered over the edge. I turned sick at the sight which met my eyes. There at the bottom lay Danton, still and white, while on a ledge a few feet above him crouched a lion. To one side and on the ground was another, his great head low between his paws and his whole body quivering as he prepared to spring. I took in the situation at a glance. The lion on the ledge was directly between Danton and myself. I dared not fire at it. The only thing to do was to shoot the other one, and even that seemed to be a fruitless effort, for 20

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of the San Gabriel river. We reached the canyon by the middle of the forenoon without mishap, and took a half-hour ' s rest in the cool shade. The rest of the day until nearly dark was spent in winding along between its rocky walls, sometimes forcing a path through tangled masses of chaparral and manzanita, or picking our way across the stream on the boulders; again creeping along the mountain-side, where there had been a semblance of a trail, or making a wide circuit around a dangerous fall. The sides of the canyon rose almost perpendicularly for two or three thousand feet. The sun passed below the moun- tain-top at a little past three o ' clock, and by five it was getting dusk. Then we looked about for a secure camping place — one in which we would be safe from intrusion by any of the denisons of that region. Soon we came to a level, open space, well sheltered from the strong current of air that always circulates in these canyons, some ten feet above the rippling stream; and, as it was so near night, we concluded to camp there. After removing the pack from the burro and tying him to a clump of bushes a short distance from camp, Danton and I began to collect logs and brush for our camp-fire during the night, while Craig prepared a bag of quail I had shot during the day. In our search for fuel we explored a steep and narrow side canyon which was literally matted with buckthorn and manzanita, except a well worn trail down the water way, which had evidently been kept open by the continual passing of animals. The brush closed over our heads and the passage became so narrow that we had to stoop painfully in order to make any advance. Traces of the presence of game became abundant, and the odor of the thicket was like that of a menagerie. Our curiosity led us farther than we intended, so we resumed our search for dry fuel nearer the camp. When our task was finished we sat down to enjoy a hearty supper around a cheerful fire. We had hardly commenced when Danton stopped abruptly in the middle of a sentence, fixed his eyes upon some object in the darkness and slowly reached behind him for a rifle. Following the direction of his gaze, I saw two balls of fire gleaming in the darkness about a hundred feet from us, but which disappeared before he could get the rifle to his shoulder. Lions, said Danton; and before morning we had good cause to think lions. In a few minutes the fiery orbs reappeared in another place, and almost at the same instant two more pairs gleamed out of the darkness at different points. Well, said Danton, it looks as if there is going to be a reception here to- night, and, unless we bring Raymond in close to the fire, he will have to play host alone. With that he arose from his supper, and, picking up his rifle, started off in quest of the burro. The next minute we heard an exclamation of surprise, and then the voice of Danton calling from the darkness that Raymond was gone, rope and all. Here was a predicament — a totally unknown region, a lion ' s den, and no burro! Knowing a lion ' s failing for burro meat, we realized that poor Raymond was gone for good unless we could find him in a very short time. We sat down around the fire for a few moments to discuss the situation and to decide whether the burro was worth the risk involved in a search through those dark canyons, infested with such treacherous creatures as mountain lions. But we had another motive in our delay, for the eastern sky was bright with the light of a full moon, and in a few minutes its rays would penetrate the darkness of the canyon. 19

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at best I could stop but one of the fierce animals which menaced the life of our companion. Even as I looked there was a tawny streak through the moonlight. I shut my teeth in despair and fired blindly. The report of Craig ' s rifle rang out with mine — the body fell heavily across Danton ' s chest, sprang convulsively into the air again, and dropped; our shots had been true. But while the reports of our weapons still rang in our ears, the second lion, somewhat disconcerted by the appearance of a new foe, sprang down beside Danton ' s body and stood defiantly over it. We were helpless ! Not one chance in a thousand to shoot without killing Danton if indeed he were yet alive. Then- -a blast as of the last trumpet shook the very mountain-side — redoubled its volume by its echo from the confining canyon walls — seemed to shatter the very air with its deafening intonations. Out of the thicket close under the rock emerged the head and shoulders of our beloved Raymond, his slender neck outstretched, his nostrils distended, his mouth open, and out of it pouring tumultuous torrents of sounds that were sweeter to our ears than any symphony. The startled lion, with one terrified leap, disappeared into the brush. In a moment we reached the bottom and found Danton alive but quite unconscious. Glad? I could have done the Highland Fling on one foot. I threw my arms around Raymond ' s neck and cried for joy, and he seemed almost to know what he had done, and proceeded to extract a couple of cartridges from my belt by way of refreshment. With great difficulty we carried Danton to camp and made him as comfortable as possible for the remainder of the night. A careful examination showed that he had suffered several painful, though not fatal, injuries. It was ten days before he was able to get about again, but he recovered sufficiently to enjoy several successful hunts before our three weeks had passed. Raymond, dissatisfied with a comfortable place in which to pass the night, and with the juicy grass which surrounded him, had, in some mysterious way best known to himself, loosened his rope and worked his way up, up through the brush to the foot of the rock. There his rope became entangled in the manzanita, and he found himself a captive in unpleasant surroundings. We returned from our trip carrying three skins, which now stretch their tawny lengths on our respective parlor floors. And often, as I sit in the evening gazing in reverie into the coals of the grate before which the great rug lies, I go over the fearful hazard at which it came into my possession. Percy Warner, ' 98. 21