Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1871-07-05
Pantherss and AIligators.

SC' ohSO OlCdtu' OoJ was OnSV
WITNESS to a singular battle on
1.-THE banks Of a lonely lagoOnin
the forest.
lie had killed. a Black pan.
ther at this place-more in
self defence than for game, for
he was chasing wild cattle that
day-and leaving the carcass,
to return, possibly, by.and-by
for its skin, hurried forward on
a trail which he expected would
Head to the object of his hunt.
He came back before night
with the trophy of a wild bull
hide, and passed the lagoon
where he had encountered and
killed his dangerous assailant
in the morning. Savage cries
and sounds of Brutal struggle
informed him, before he came
to the place that some deadly
battle was going on among the
beasts of the forest. -.
He soon came in full view Of
the scene, and sanguinary
one it was. Four black pan.
theirs were ferociousIy dispu.
ting the possession of the car,
cass of the dead panther with
two enormous alligators~ The
object of the combatants on
both sides appeared to be the
same, viz, to eat the carcass !;
and for this both" fought with
bloody tenacity, tugging at the
bone of contention by way of
seeing how much had been
gained.
The panthers were superior
in numbers, two to one; but
the alligators had much the
thicker armor, and could fight
with their tails as well as their
heads, so that the battle was
pretty nearly equal. One of
the big reptiles had a panther
on his back, plying his flank
furiously with his hind claws,
and another was holding him
by the foreleg with jaws like a
tiger. When he succeeded in
shaking off his savage assailants
his foreleg was broken, and a
slit was made in his side nearly
through the flesh into his en-
trails.
Meantime the other alligator
was making frantic efforts to
get the third panther into his
mouth. He had nearly sue
ceeded, when a tremendous
swing of the huge tail of his
fellow.saurian Knocked out the
panther and weighed itself firm
ly between his jaws. The teeth
snapped together like a pair of
copper-mill shears, and one of
the tail.thrashing combatants
was minus his weapon.
The fourth panther, that had
been viciously busy with teeth
and claws at the eyes and
throat of the curtailed reptile,
now redoubled his attacks, and
with the aid of two others, in
front and rear, soon disabled
him. The third panther, ow-
ing to his entrance and exit
through his enemy's jaws, was
"hors du combat" with broken
back.
The fight was now between
a single alligator and the three
remaining cat-savages. One of
the three, however, was by
this time badly damaged
Some terrible stroke or bite
had completely scalped him,
and the skin hung down the
side of his neck, tapping as he
fought. Another, apparently,
had a rib or two broken, but
did not seem to mind it. The
odds in the battle were still
not so very great.
+, Only the advantage Of ce.
lenty was vastly on the side of
the panthers, and when the al
ligator, with much difficulty,
succeeded in seizing one of
them, he was SO slow about
crushing his prey, and made so
much awkward mouthing of it,
that ne put himself almost at
the mercy of his antagonists.
Still his powerful tail was
free, and the cat-like creatures,
in springing about to find his