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

balls flashing in the gloom, and heard
their roars constantly coming nearer.
| set my feet firmly on the ground,
and cooked my revolver. -Four shots
were followed by four howls of pain,
and the noise produced by branch af
ter branch in the fall Of the wounded
cats.
This attack aroused sinister up
roar. The red wolves rushed with
wells on the victims, for which they
contended with the urubus and vul-
lures. A rustling in the leaves reach
ed my ear, and mass it was impos-
sible clearly to distinguish cleft the
space and lodged with roar on the
rock. With the butt Of my rifle |
struck out in the darkness, and the
t,-.tl-., =; IL :. u vI,v4I 5l. Ill, r0ll0d LOl
the base Of the rock. | heard mon
strouS battle, which the cougars and
wild cats waged with the wounded
panther, and intoxicated by my tri-
umph and even by my danger, l fired
two shots into the crowd of obstinate
enemies snarling before me. Sudden
ly all these animals ceaSing their con-
test, as if by common consent, united
against me, their common foe, and
their rage was turned against the rock,
from the top Of which appeared
They climbed up the projections. The
wild cats were the first to arrive, and
fast as l felled them, others leaped
upon me. | felt my strength and en-
ergy gradually diminishing.
As if suffering from nightmare, l
struggled in vain against the swarmS
Of asSailants that were constantly re
inforced. I felt on my face the warm,
fetid breath of the wild cats and red
wolves, while the roars of the cougars
and the mocking muling of the pan
theirs filled my ears with a frightful
melody that gave me vertigo. Hun
dreds of eyes sparkled in the shade,
and at times the heavy wings of the
vulture8 and urubus lashed my fore
head, which was bathed in a cold per-
spiration.
Every feeling Of self died out; no
longer thought; my life, so to speak,
had become entirely physical; my
movements were mechanical, and my
arms rose and fell to strike with the
rigid regularity of a pendulum.
Already several claws had been
buried deep in my flesh. Wild cats
had seized me by the throat, and | had
been compelled to struggle with them
to make them loose their hold my
blood was flowing from twenty wounds
not mortal, it is true, but the hour was
approaching beyond which human
len from the rock and peri8hed under
the teeth of the wild beasts.
At this solemn moment, when all
seemed to desert me, a loud cry burst
from my boSom-a cry of agony and
despair of mdeinable expression,
which was echoed far and wide by the
rocks. 1t was the last protest of the
strong man who contesses himself
vanquished, and who, before falling
calls his fellowman to his aid, or i'm
pIores the help of Heaven.
| cried and cry responded to mine
| was amazed, and not daring tC
count on a miracle in a desert which
no human being had ever yet penetrat
ed, believed myself under the impress
sion of dream or an hallucination
still, collecting all my strength, and
feeling hope rekindled in my SOUL
uttered a second cry, louder anC
more ear-piercing than the first.
"Courager
This time it was no echo that ans
wered me. Courage! This one wore
was answered me on the wings Of the
wind, though faint as a sigh. Like
the giant Ant8us, | drew myself W
+ and seemed to regain my strength
and recover that life which was al
= ready slipping from me.
| redoubIed my blows at my innu
merable enemies.
Several horses were galloping in tht
: distance; shots lit up the darknes
. with their transient CLEANS, and men
? or rather demons, dashed suddenl,
? into the thicket of wild beasts, ant
produced a fearful carnage.
F Suddenly was attacked by two tt
ger cats, and rolled on the platform
o struggling with them.
? The wild beasts had fed befor
the new comerS who hastened to ligh
: fires to keep them at bay during tn
night. Two Of these men, hole
8 ing lighted torches, began seeking me
whose cries of distress had besough
their help. | was lying senseless o
I the platform, surrounded by ten or
q dozen wild cats, and holding in m
o stitfened fingers the neck of a spangle
d pajiro. .Ua
was gently raised by the hea
h and feet, and with infinite precaution
transported from the improvised fo
# tress where had so long fought, an
a laid on bed Of leaves they ha
A gotten ready near one of the fires.
, was saved. t
@ The Knoxville (Tenn.) Wing say
that when the news of Johnson's fin;
4 acquittal on Tuesday week was r.
% ceived at Morristown, about six of tt
4 Conservative citizens of that tow
ir gave vent to their JOY by tearing fro
the wall of the barber'S shop in Noah