Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser., 1844-12-28
4 Good Panther Story.

| ,1he New York Spirit Of the Times has
The following good story sf Chuncky, an
old hunter 1t Warren, Mississippi:
"Blt it was the FIRST time in my life tia,
I'd bin lost, and that did poster me mighti-
". Well sir, arter studyin' awhile, |
thought I'D better put back towards the
camp, mighty tired and discouraged, / then
tirow'd my gourd round 10 take drink of
ticker. and il were fH.i Nth svateri fact!
thinks 1, .Chuncky, you must have been
mighty drunk last nj ,ht; that made me
sorta low spirited like . oman, and my
heart were as weak as water. N.had
commenced Citing .sorter dark, the wind
were .blowin' and groanin' through trees
aad rivers, and the black clouds were
tiyin'. and was goia' along sorler uneasy
and cussin, when panther yelled OF close
TO me! turnel with my grfn cooked,
! couldn't see ii; presently l heard it again
an out it came, and thc,ianother! Here's
heil!' said I, takin crack and m;ssin to
a eertiniy; and away they darted through
The CANE. drapt my gun TO load, and Ly
the great jackson, there warD't full load
in the goufi! | loaded mighty carefully,
and started on to it some holler tree 10
sleep in. Every once and while "a cit
a glimps of the pan,hers on my trail
'P~n,hers, saJs |, 'rl make child's bar
gain with you; if will let me alone, you
may go along; and ii you don't ,le-e's a
ball into the lead Of onu Of you, and this
knie--hnshs II my knife warnt gone I
wish / may never tas.e bars meat! I
raised my gun trembling like leaf. end
says !, Jim! I'll have your meli!' Wen,
| wur in trouble sure! thought wnr
on the Tahats LEU Like aud watched!
y Well, | did! Oh you may isrf, but lest
Imagine yourself Lost in the cane OF Sky
Lake, (,he cane on Sky Like IS some ,hir-
ty miles long, iron. one TO three vile.
thick IS har on dogs back, and abe Ut
tliity feet highly ont or flick, :, out d. pow
der, your knife gene, the ground covered
with snow, yoa very hungry and tired, and
two pan;h.rs following your trail, and
you'd think you was bewiichcd too. si
Well, here they come, never lclten on,
but ma ing arrar geinenls rs have nv
sea p that night; ! never lciten on, but de-
terlnined they shonld't. The har had Lip
siandin on my head for more Than an hour,
and tie sweat were Jest rolli,' Of nc, and
th:t satisfied me that fight war brewin
atween me and the panthers!' I stopped
woortree times ihinkin they had gone,
but presently they come creepan along
through the cane, and as soon as they'd sec
me they'd stop, lay down, role over apd.
twirl their tales about like kittens blayin;
I'D thcn sho,t, shake The cane, ard away
they'd 60. Oh, they thought they had ne;
in course they did. and determined with
ryself, II they dill le, me 60, il itcy didn't
attack. n,amarmed man. alone and fost;
without ticker, powder or knife; that ths
first time ect panther up Tree. wild.
my whole pack at Tie root, my likcr konrd
full, and ] half full. my twelve pound
wager loaded, and knife in shavin order,
I'd Jet him 60: Yes. Id ]. I 5idsf,
But what did they care? They'd no
more feeling than the devil! / know'sl il
wCuldent. do 10 risk =. iite- IN. the cAnA, and
pushed on 10 find an open place Mhar th.
cane drif "a, and thar I determined IL
stand and fite il oni! Presently here the,
. me, and had s,ra gers 'sm, he'd
thnnsht they were pluyin. they jnn,r
and squat, and bend their backs-lay
dowR and ro!l, ,nd grin like pnpprs,--