Butte record., 1854-04-22

no mistake | reckon, stranger. fit
very queer about then. | did not try
to 90 any nearer the the middle of the los
but, instead of that, wriggled back right
plump to the end of it, and sat there for
a good spell, without moving hand or
foot. l felt afraid to make motion, lest
1t might tempt the animal to attack me.
| had no weapon but my knife, having
dropped my rife when l slid fom nv
mares back, and it had gone to the bot
tom long since. | felt in no condition to
stand tussei with the panther, no how,
aud determined to let him alone as lopr
he would me
Well, we drifted on for a good hour
neither OF US stirring. We sat face
to face, and occa,ionally the current
wonld set the log ia sort of up and
down motion, and then the panther and
| kept bobbing at each other ike cou-
pie of bob-savyers. could see I'll the
time that the animals eyes kept fixed on
mine, and | never took mine from his :;
| knew that to be the only plan to keep
him still.
/ soon noticed that we kept getting
closer TO the timber it was not more than
a couple of miles of, but it was a sub
merge except the tops of the trees. l
thought that if the log should float in
among the branches, | might slip off and
get my hands upon tree, without say
ing anything to my travelling companion.
Just at that minute something appeared
dead ahead of the log 1t tseemed like an
island, but what could have brought an
island there Then I recollected that |
had seen piece Of high ground about
that part of the prairie-a sort of mound
that had been made by Indians. This,
then, that resembled an island, was the
top Of that mound sure enough The
loG was drifting in such a way that it
must pass within twenty yards of the
mound I determined, then, as soon as
we should get along.ide. to put out for
it, aud leave the panther to continue his
voyage alone.
On first seeing the island, I observed
something that | took for bushes. But
there were no bushes on the mound, that
knew of. However, when we got closer
| discovered that the bushes were beasts.
They were deer-ior | discovered pair
Of bucks horns between me and the sky.
But there was something still larger than
a deer. 1t might be horse, or an ope-
louise, or an OK, but l thought ii was IA
horse. l was right about that, for
horse it was, or rather, | should say
mare, and that mare was no other than
my old creature. After parting conpa-
ny, she had turned with The current,
and, as good luck would have it, had
swan in bee line for the island, and
there she stood, looking as slick as ii she
had be greas d. The log d by thi ,
time got nigh enough, as l calculated,
and, with as little lunpus as p ,ssible, l
slipp d over the end of the log, and let
90 my ho.d OF it, | was moi right spread
in the water before I heard plump, ard
looking round bit, | saw that the PAN
ther had left the log and taken to the wat r
too. Al first | thought he was after me :;
drew my kife with one hand, and swan
with the other But the panther did
not mean to be quarrelsome that time
He made hut poor swimming himself. and
appeared glad enough to get on dry
ground, without molesting me ; so we
padded on side by side. ! did not want
to make race of it; so l let him pass
me, rather than he should fail behind,
and get among my legs Of course he
landed first, and | could hear, by the
stamping of hoofs, that his sudden ap-
pearance had kicked up jolly stamp de
among the creatures on the islard. |
could see both deer and mare dancing
all over the ground as if Old Nick him
self had got among them. Nom of them
however, thought Of taxing to th water.
They had all had enough of hat guess.
| kept rather still, SO as not to land near
the panther and then, touching bottom,
/ climbed quietly up on the mound |
had hardly drawn my dipping carcass
out of the water, when heard loud
sqeal which recognized to be the whin
OF my old mare, and just at that moment
the creature came running up, and rub
bed her nose against my shoulder l
took the halter in my hand and jumped
upon her back, for was still in fear of
the panther and the mare's back ap-
peared to me the safest place about and
that was not very safe. either. | inau-