Beaufort Republican. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1871-1873, 1873-02-06
The Power of the Eye.

neighborhood of Glasgow.
The Power Of the Eye.
"When I was quite a young map, and
just beginning to make my way as an
actor" says the late Edwin Forrest, who
so we'll knew how to tell story, ~ was
down at Mobile. I had, let me tell you,
quite enough to do. was the leading
man. and sometimes had to cram with
half dozen parts week. EoYever, 1
liked work then. The way I used to
study was to take long walk before re-
hearsal, and read the part through again
and again, until I'd learned it. Well,
about four miles beyond the city-Mo-
bile wasn't then as large as it is now,
nor as cultivated ana peopled round its
outskirts-was a fine sweep of green
and fiat groand, continuing for some
three-quarters of mile, and then bro
ken up by thick belt of palm-trees and
underground. This meadow, as it
would be called here, was fayorite
studying-place of mine. One morning
I'd gone out there with tolerably long
part-Octoroon in THE Mountaineers
and, with my head bent over the book
it was printed copy of the play
was hard ut work. What made me look,
I don't know; but 1 did. Just coming
ont of the clump of palms, I saw what [
at first fancied was large dog. It's
three or four first bounds toward me,
however, convinced me I was mistaken.
1t was a big wildcat, or a puma, or
something of the sort; and, when L
realized what the thing was, began to
shake with something that, if not fear,
was remarkably like it. I hadnoweapon
with mel never carried one. Even
my penknife was left on my writing
table, for I felt in my pockets for it.
Then, for q moment, I thought of run
ming away. What use would my legs
have been against the animals in n race
for life q? Every instant the brute was
coming nearer. 1 remained motionless,
my eyes fixed in n horrid sort of fasci-
nation on the tiger-cat, while I calcu-
lated what sort of chance would be mine
in the coming ssruggle-mine for exist
ence, its for breakfast. All Mt once,
about twenty yards from me, the thing
crouched, its eyes glaring into mine,
and its tail slowly wagging to and fro
in very playful and interesting man
ner What did this pause mean? All
at once I remembered having read some
where of the effect of the fixed glance
of the human eye on the infuriated
brute creation. Had mine magnetized
it? Not at all. Rising. il made two
more bounds forward, and then crouched
as before, right opposite me, its tail
still wagging. I could scarcely keep
my eyes from following it's motion.
However, I fastened the brute's CASTRO
nomical inspection of my carcass with
an unwavering glance. Then it turned
its head on one side and then on the
other. If l only had pistol with me!
I had not, so I waited, as the internal
puma possibly, so it then seemed
to me, some three or four hours-prob-
ably some ten minutes. At last it rose
again, slowly and earnestly contem-
plated me, and then, either appalled, by
nv eve, or taking me for carved i'm
age, as I had not stirred, and not relish
ing q meal of wood or stone, it paced
slowly away. was about making tracks
in the opposite direction from it, when
it was lucky I had not done so-about
forty or fifty PAGES from me, it sprung
round and once more crouched. There
it lay again upon the grass, its tail lash
ing backward and forward, and its head
rocking from side to side, as if it wished
to verify its ideas touching my not
being q creature of flesh and blood.
How long this continued l was only en-
abled to guess afterward. But it did
come to an end. Slowly it again rose,
and, allowing its tail to drop between
it's hind-legs, ran-yes, gentleman, 1T
ran!-away in the most sneakingly,
cowed manner possible. And so did L;
not, however, until it had completely
vanished in the palm and brush belt at
the far end of the meadow. The four
miles-this is mentioned to demonstrate
nv speed-between the spotupon which
had been standing and Mobile, were
covered in less than half an hour"
"And how large, may ask, Mr.. For
rest" inquired one of his auditory on
this occasion, "was the puma ?"
"I didn't measure it, sir.
"Of course. But how large should
you suppose it to have been ?"
"Thirty-five feet from its snout to the
top of its tail, if reckon its inches by
the scare it gave me" exclaimed For
rest, with humorous twinkle in his
eve. "Not half an inch less"