Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-11-02

actly like cats when intent on seiz-
ing mouse. He appeared to be in
the very act Of making his spring and
the result depended entirely on which
of us should be the quickest in our
operations. My Rife was presented
in an instant, and as | caught
good sight on his breast felt
thrill Of Joy rush thro' my heart, i
felt that was safe. At the instant
the sharp report of my Rifle was
heard, he made a tremendous bound
towards me, and the report aud his
spring was SO simultaneous that
feared he had rose from the ground
before the bullet struck him, but for
tunately this was not the case, he
passed several feet above my head
like streak Of lightning, and as he
did so, he gave a scream so piercing
and so frighlful, that it cugdled every
drop Of blood in my veins, ana APP
peared to affect even the very mar
row Of my bones. was for mo-
ment completely paral zed and TN
conscious, for when recollec,ed
myself | had turned abound and was
gazing on my adversary as he lay
struggling IN the agonies of death on
the rocks below me. My Rifle lay
at my feet, and | held my hunting
Knife in one hand and my Toma-
hawk in the other, but how they
came there ! know no more Than the
dead. have frequently been placed
IN situations of imminent danger,
and several times as Unexpectedly as
IN this instance have encountered
Bears when failure of nerve might
have been faIal, but in these cases
have never forgotten myself but have
acted promptly, and my nerves for
the moment appeared of iron, al
though when the necessity for action
had passed felt as weak as child
and have tembled like an aspen
leaf.
have often heard the expression,
As quick as thought, but never
should have had full conception of
this expression without having been
placed in a situation of danger. In
my own case have found that when
danger has suddenly appeared before
me, multitude Of thoughts have
rushed into my mind at once. not
one after the other in swift success
sion, but they appear to be presented
10 the mind all at once the best
comparison that | can make is the
sight. You know that the eye will
take in many objects of different
kinds at a glance, aud it appears to
me that the more imminent The dan
yer the more rapid will be the action
of the mind. | have often reflected
upon this and have recalled TO my
mind the different thoughts that have
occurred 10 me on certain occasions,
and II required considerable time
to do so, although on the spur of The
occasion they pass with the rapidIy
OF The lightning's flash. have Of
ten thought of my encounter with this
Panther, and whenever | do so, the
same thoughts and the same feelings
| then experienced return wildly 10
my remembrance. recellect
clearly how joyful felt when
found he gave me time TO take an
accurate aim before he made his
spring which much feared he would
not do and | remember also, dis
tinctly, tina, when | pulled the trig-
ger and he sprang towards me that ! /
felt sure he had made the leap before
! had fired, and the sudden revision
of feeling was tremendous, and that /
scream was horrible, IT is ringing in /
my ears still. ! was sure he had /
turned the tables against me at the |
very moment ! felt secure of success.
| have no recollection of dropping
my Rifle or of graspIng the Knife and
Tomahawk, nor of turning round
This was all done mechanically, OF
rather IL did ITSELF aud had it been
necessary should have commenced
using them also, perhaps, who knows
On examination found had shot
him through the heart found also,
near by, the greater part of noble
Buck that he had buried, and it may
have been his intention to have add
ed me 10 his stores, or he may only
have intended furnishing me for my
temerty for inlrudlng myself uain-
viled, on his feast, be lha, as il may,
so ended the Panther