COWBOY’S ADVENTURE

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 October 1926, Page 8

COWBOY’S ADVENTURE

LASSOING A MOOSE. One of the strangest adventures eveY recorded even in the wild lands of British Columbia conies from the remote Horsefly Lake country of the Cariboo district. Victor Furrer, a cowboy, was on his way back to his ranch from a hamlet known as Lone Butte. The trail lay many leagues through country inhabited only by big game, the most numerous of which are moose. The cowboy was a narrow trail through jackpine thicket when, suddenly, a bull moose appeared, lac ing him square in the middle of the trail. There was no possibility of turning back, or out of the trail. Being unarmed, his hand instinctively went to the rawhide lariat tied to Ins saddle and, in a moment, he had the huge moose securely lassoed by the I horns.

Then begun a strange battle. The moose weighed not less than 1,5001 b ; I the horse not more than 10001 b. Hie end of the lariat was bound fast to the horn of the saddle, and the latter was cinched firmly about the horse. The moose, terrified as much as the horse and his rider, crashed into the thick forest, dragging the horse and rider after him at breakneck speed, for in spite of his huge horns, no animal is fleeter in ns native forest than the moose. Mina 11 limbs of trees were smashed like matchwood in the rush and then, angered in its inability to shake itself free, the moose turned suddenly and pursued the horse and rider, who both narrowly escaped the horns as the animal plunged at them. Again the moose turned and lied from his assailants. The cowboy, knowing that the battle would soon end in favour of the moose unless he could break free, attempted to cut the lariat r with his knife, hut a sudden jerk on the line shook the knife from his hand. Once again, in frenzy, the moose turned, and the rider, with great presence of mind, took a few swift turns round a bunch of jackpines, entangling the huge beast so that it could do no harm. Dismounting, he cut the ’’ope and made it fast; then he rode to the nearest ranch-house, and obtained a rifle, with which h.e returned and shot the moose.