The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1868-05-08

gently as oil from water. l came
back laughing, quite tickled to re
member how funny the crestures had
looked squatting SO solemnly about
my fire. But the mirth died out wher
/ saw them every one stink quietly
back to his place, and sit Jdown.and
stare again. The mirth was gone
but still / was not u but alarmed
Only they looked so ghostly some
how, with their pale, shadowy coats
and burning eyes. But when l drove
them off again, and they still came
back on the instant, began to shiv-
er little.
81 lay down and pretended to sleep,
watching them. For ten minutes
they rested perfectly still, never NOV,
ing q muscle, nor blinking their eyes
1.-The hair of my flesh began to stand
lup, and l half doubted whether these
we're living, blooded things st all
Then one of the biggest rose up, and
moved few inches nearer; the 9th.
ers followed his example. Then they
sat again and stared for ten minutes.
II was a horrid nightmare, and the
sweat poured off me ON to the ground
Than the movement was repeated
again, and again, until the nearest
dog, the leader Of the pack, was with
in two feet of my body, and his eyes
blazed over me like green lamps :
and / could see how his lips were
drawn back and the big teeth were
set. . --' -. .'
81 could bear it no longer. Seiz
ing the gun beneath my shoulder, 1
Isprang up and fired. He dropped
dead among the blazing logs, and the
others bounded away into the under
wood. That had settled them,
thought, with great sigh of relief,
dragging the body out by the hind
legs. waited for half an hour, and
all remained quiet. So at length
WEAKNESS overpowered me, and
slept. .,ts
"My dreams were so horrid and
ghastly, that l woke up with start.
In fancy I had seen Che coyotes,
grown to a size gigantic AMI of as
pect terrible, creeping closer and clos
er toward me, and when / opened my
eyes-Gran Dios the dream was re-
allied! Round me they were squat
ting again, the pallid devils, watch
ing my face! Madly / rushed at
them, and they vanished-only to
stink back as before. Then / looked
out for tree to climb, for knew my
next doze must be fatal. i hunted
all about by the light of a blazing
brand, but not a trunk in that sol
emn, cruel forest practicable. The
coyotes followed me, sliding from
cover to cover, noiseless and ghostly.
1 grew mad with fear and supersti-
ton. Suddenly, while I stood amaz
ed and painting, wet with cold sweat,
and glazing wildly into the darkness,
a laundering, reverberatiiig roar
made the forest trees qniyer and the
very ground to shake. For nearly a
minute, it echoed among the trunks,
then died away. I knew the. sound,
for many time had it reused me at
dead of night, with a cold shudder
of fear Few men there are who have
blessed God to hear the voice Of a
jaguar, but I cried out my thanks
giving aloud. j
.sCbe coyotes rushed past me in
every direction, and / could trace
their hasty. fight by the crack of
broken sticks and the rustic and
swish of the underground. was
not q bit fearful of the tiger. 1t
seemed to- me that Heaven had sent
him to preserve nay body from those
devilish monsters, and I knew he
would not injure me. Straight
went back to the fire and fell asleep,
feeling confident In the guard Of my
preserver. That seems odd, doesn't
it? That q man should lie down
hsppily.within few yards of a hum
cry jsguar, and thank God for his
presence! But so it was. Next
morning I found his trail, circling
round and round the fire, as if he had
mounted guard over me all night |
and spmetimes-sometimes still, l
think the blessed saints themselves
sent that beast to save me.
"Such was my night with coyotes,
senior, on the head waters of the
Wanx, and that memory 1t is which
makes me tremble to hear the whim-
psring of those demons in the dark
ness"