Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-06-19
A Terrible Adventure.

covered the landscape, and mourn
full silence prevailed in the desert
where chance had carried me.
My horse devoured space, leaped
torrents and ravines without troub-
ling myself about my horse. AT length
the noble steed, utterly exhausted,
stopped on its trembling knees, and
fell on the sand.
"Where am | ?" | mentally said, as
| tried to discover my whereabouts.
But the moon, concealed by clouds,
shed no light; the wind blew violent
ly; the branches Of the trees clashed
together, and in the depths of the des-
ert the bowling of the wild beasts be-
gan to mingle the deep notes Of their
voices, with hoarSe mewlings Of wild
cats
My eyes sought in vain to pierce
the obscurity. went up to my horse,
which was lying on the ground and
painting heavily; moved with pity for
the companion Of my adventurous
journeys, bent over it, placed in my
waist-belt the pistols that were in the
holsters, and unfaStening a gOurd of
rum hanging from my saddle-bow, be-
gan washing the eyes, ears, nostrilS
and mouth of the poor beast, whose
sides quivered, and which this seemed
to restore to life. Half an hour. pass
ed in this way the horse, somewhat
refreshed, had got its legs, and with
instinct that distinguishes the race
had discovered a spring close by,
where it quenched its thirst.
"All is not lost yet" | muttered.
But deep roar broke forth a short
distance away, repeated almost imme-
diately from four different quarters.
The horses hair stood on end with
terror. | trembled.
"MaIedictiOn = | exclaimed, II am
at a watering place of the cougars"
At this moment | saw, about ten
PAGES from me, two eyes that shone
like live Goals, and looked at me with
strange fXedness.
| was a man Of tried courage, auda-
ciOus, and even rash on occasions, but
alone in the gloomy solitude, in the
midst Of the black night, surrounded
by ferocious beasts, | felt fear assail
me against my will; breathed with
difficulty; my teeth were clenched, an
icy perspiratiOn poured down my
whole person, and | was on the point
of abandoning myself to my fate
! This sudden Encouragement disap-
peared before powerful will, and l.
sustained by the instinct of selfpreS-
ervatiOn, that hope which springs eter.
nal in the human breast, prepared for
-~-- -.-T ooI us9s7i~-
The horse burst into a snort Of ter.
ror, and ran off.
"All the better" thought, per
haps it will escape"
A frightfuI concert of hOwls anC
roarS broke out on all sides at the
sound of the horses flight, and huge
shadows bounded along past me. A
violent blast swept the sky, and the
moon lit up the desert with its mourn
full, 8ickly ray,
Not far off the Rio Negro ran be
tween two scarped banks, and | saw
= all aronnd me the compact masses of
j. virgin forest, an intricable chaos of
rocks piled up pell nell, and of fis
sure, out of which clumpS of tree
grew Here and there creepers were
g intertwined describing the wildes
i curves, and only stopping their ramii
cations at the river. The soil, com
n posed OF sand and that detritus, whicI
t abOundS in South American forests
r gave way beneath the foot.
= Inow discovered where | was.
= was more than fifteen leagues iron
d any habitation, on the outskirts of al
d immense forest, the only one in Pat
1 agonia which no ranger had as ye
t been bold enough to explore, sue
e horror and mystery did its gloom
e depths appear to reveal.
T Near the forest a limpid strear
It burst through the rocks, whose bank
e were trampled by numerous traces o
: the claws of wild beasts. This strear
e served them, in fact, as a waterin
n place, when they left their dens afte
: sunset, and went in search of foo
S and drink. As living testimony o
y this suppOsition, two magnificent t
o gers, male and female, were Standin
e on the bank, and watching with an2
Il iOuS eyes the sporting of their cubs.
l. Hum" said !, "these are DANCE
J. Gus neighbors.
1t And | mechanically turned my eye
I away. A panther, stretched out on
< rock in the position of watchful Ca
'e fixed its in1amed eyes upon me.
q who was well armed, according t
le South American fashion, had riff
le Of wondrous accuracy, which | ha
1t leaned against a rock close by me.
Il Good" | said, sit will be a toug
"a fight at any rate"
p raised my gun, but at the momel
ID when | was about to fire, plainti'
e mewing made me raise my head.
le dozen wild cats, of great size, perc
as ed on branches of trees, were lookir
le down at me, while several red wolv,
IN were crouching in front.
h A number OF vultures, urubus ar
I'd caracacas, with half closed eyes, we
ut seated on the surrounding rocks al
On apparently awaiting the hour for the
IT. meal.
NJ Jumped l upon a rock, and then,
en- the help of my hands and knees, gal
er ed, after extraordinary difficulties,