Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1869-02-11

t the gymnast, resuming his stor,,
| the next time l met him, ''reache,
it in ample time, for the jagua
| was still long distance off, as
could tell by his roars. TIL
/ ground was so uneven that coul,
not see him, but / heard him ol
ten enough.
"phe tree was tall and slim
therein lay its value, you compre
hend. There was only nest Of
branches away up at the top, ant
none but trained climber coulC
ever have got up. But climbing
is.a part of my trade, you know
| went up that tree lively, | car
tell you. 1t was far from strong
tree, and my climbing it made i
shake and sway; but it was of
tough wood, and l managed tc
| get into the top.
'Did you ever see bird light
on a hollyhock stalk? Then if
you have you know how the stalk
will sway and quiver under the
birds weight. Well, what that
bird was to the hollyhock, I was
to that carob tree. 1t swayed and
shook under my weight just like
that hollyhock under that bird
But / knew the tree was tough,
and | didn't feel afraid-not of
that--my thoughts were on some
thing else-very much more dan
gerous.
"Yonder the jaguar came,
bounding along on my track, smell
ingof the ground every now and
then, like pointer dog, and then
setting up that appalling roar that
no man can hear without his flesh
creeping. That's a fact, sir
whether the man is afraid or not,
it's curious and well known eff
feet of the jaguar's roar that it
makes the nerves tingle in that
way that we call flesh-creeping.
"When he had got within about
fifty rods of the tree he seemed to-
lose the track. He cot off to one
side, and paused, uncertain. He
put his nose to the ground, shifting
eagerly, and dashing around at /
last in fierce fury of rage at
having lost my trail. He dashed
his body with his long tail; he
bounded about; he rent the air with
his screams of anger; and alto
gether he would have been splen-
did sight to look at if l could have
felt safe. But / knew he would
presently get on my track, and
then-well, | would not have bid
very high on the chance of getting
OH, assure you,
"He was in a passion by this
time: and in his circle about kept
nearer to me in the tree, !
though he had lost my trail. He
was a magnificent specimen of his I;
kind-about two feet and a half ]
high, and six feet long, without
measuring his tail; his hidea fierce 8
yellow, spotted all over with dark {
-ings. So much could see while /
le was quite way off. 4
sat last he got the trail again, a
md being by this time perfectly
urious from being SO long baked I
# his prey, he sent up a wild
creech that made me shiver, and t
10 mistake. On he came, with b
;reat bounds, by the side OF which n
runaway horse wouldn't stand s.
he least show. In
GA mirnte more and he saw me. n
"The neXtinstant he had sprung
,rward and grabbed the tree with
is hugs, paws, and was standing o.
n his hind legs, staring up at le
ne with his fierce, red eyes. The g
tile tree trembled under the IN d
uence Of the beasts weight; and il
ever you are up in a tree, with I'll
hungry man-eating jaugar stand hi
lg up against it, his fore paws a la
bod eight feet up on the slender 70
'unk, giving it a convulsive trem- hi
ing that makes it seem to be a hi
art of the jaguar's own body,
livering with rage and blood
lirstiness--well, | hope you nev- tV
will be, but if you are, you'll II
now what / mean when | say n
lat felt like fainting and falling cl'
1t of the free to be eaten up. an
Finding he couldn't climb such b
slender trunk, the jaguar got ba
'wn, drew back and gave one Sc
eat leap at me. He couldn't OF
imp to where ] was though. But az