Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1854-04-21

was after ME: drew my knife with one
hand, while [ SWAN with the other. Bat
the panther did not mean to be quarrel
some that time. He made but poor
swimming himself, and appeared to be
glad enough to get upon dry ground
without molesting me; so We swan on,
side by side, and not word passed be-
tween us. did not want to make q
race of 1t; SO | let him pass me, rather
than that he should fall behind, and get
among my legs. OF course he landed
first; and could hear by the stamping
of hoofs, that his sudden appearance had
kicked up a jolly stampede among the
creatures upon the island. | could see
both deer and mare dancing all over the
ground, as if Old Nick himself had got
among them. None of them, however
thought of taking to the water. They
had all had enough of that, | guess. |
kept rather near, SO as not to land near
the panther; and climbed quietly up on
the mound. | had hardly drawn my
dripping carcase out of the water, when
heard loud squeal, which | knew to
be the whine of my old mare, and just
at that minute the creature came run
ming up, and rubbed her nose against
my shoulder. | took the halter in my
hand, and siding around little, | jump
ed upon her back, for | still was in fear
of the panther; and the mares back APP
peared to me the safest place about; and
that wasn't very safe, imagine.
II now looked all around to see what
new company had got into. The day
was just breaking, and | could distin-
gaish little better every minute. The
top of the mound, which was above wa
ter, was not over half an acre in size,
and it was as clear Of timber as any 9TH
er part Of the prairie; so that could
see every inch Of it, and everything on
it as big as tumble-bug. | suppose,
stranger, that you will hardly believe
me when tell you the confederation
of vermin that was then and there con
gregated together. | could hardly be
lieve my own eyes when | beheld such
a gathering, and l thought had got
aboard of Noah's Ark, There was
listen, stranger-frst, nv old mare and
myself, and | wished both of us anywhere
else at the time-then there was the
panther, your old experimentation
there were four deel, buck and three
does. Then came catamount; and af
ter him black bear, almost as large as
a buffalo. Then there was raccoon,
an opossum and Il couple of gray wolves,
and swamp rabbit, and darn the thing.
"a sinking skunk. Perhaps the lat
ter wasn't the most dangerous yermin
on the ground, but it certainly was the
most disagreeable Of the whole lot, for
it smells only as an accused pole-cat can
smell.
al have said, stranger, that was
nightly taken by surprise when | first
saw this curious "claniatnfrey' Of crea
lures; but can tell you was still more
dumtounded when saw their behavior
to one another, knowing their different
natures as | did. There was the pan
ther lying close up to the deer--its nat
u.al prey; and there were The wolves
too: and there was the catamount, stand
ing within three feet of the opossum and
the swamp rabbit; and there were the
bear and the cunning old coon; and
there they all were, no moro minding
one another than if they had spent all
their days together in the same pen. 1t
was the oldest sight | ever beheld: and
it reminded me OF a bit of Scripture my
old mother had often read from book
called the Bible, or some such name
about a lion that was so tame he used
to squat down beside lamb, without
laying "A claw npon the innocent creature.
Well, stranger, as | am SAYING the whole
party behaved in this very way. They
all appeared down in the mouth and
badly scared about the water; but for
all that, had my fears that the panther
or the bear-I wasn't afraid of any of
the others-might get over their fright
after the flood fell; and therefore kept
as quiet rs any one of them during the
whole time | was in their company, and
staying all the time close by the mare.
But neither bear nor panther showed
any savage propensity the whole of next
day, nor the night that followed it.
stranger, it would tire you were to
tell you all the movements that took place
amohg these creatures during that long
day and night Never one of them
laid tooth or claw en- the other. | was
hungry enough myself, and would have
liked to have taken stake from the but
tocks of one of the deer, but | dare not
do it. | was afraid to break the peace,
which might have led toageneral shin
dy.' When day broke next morning
after, | saw that the flood was falling;
and as soon as it was shallow enough,
led my mare quietly into the water,
and climbing upon her back, took ST.
.ent leave of M companions. The wa
ter still took my mare up to the Hanks,
so that | knew none of the vermin could
follow without swimming, and not one
seemed inc!inel to try toswim. | struck
direct for my neighbor's shanty, which
/ could see about three miles oil, aud in
an hour or so, was at his door. There
/ did not stay long, but borrowing an
extra gun, which he happened to have,
and taking him along with his own ri
fe, l waded my mare back to the is
land.
W. found the oarna not eyactIv as