The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1874-11-13
A Cougars Leap.

An Eastern tourist read to his COM
panion the following newspaper para
graph
The cougars are killing a great
many sheep in Washington Territory"
In New York." said he, " they
protect their sheep from those insects
by rubbing tar on their noses it keeps
trils'
A Sacramento man. who was down
mere attending the pioneers celebra-
t1on, heard what he said, and remarked
One OF them once attacked me. and
L am OF the opinion that tar on my nose
would not have been of much benefit to
| me-"
! was not aware they troubled men. {"
sIhey have got to be pretty hungry
before they will do so.'
Inc pioneer then informed the tour
1sI tnat ne was laboring under a mis-
feroc1ous animal, not sheep insect.
| he complied with the request to re-
late the particulars of his ENCOUNTER
with one of them, and commenced hv
saying: -
'' suppose it was the spirit of ad-
venture which brought me here twenty
i've years ago that prevented me from
remaining in San Francisco. where
could have amassed fortune. and made
me the Wandering Jew of the many
| w1dely-spread mining regions I was
| among the first that went to the newlv-
discovered diggings on the head waters
of the Missouri river. My partners and
myself had discovered quartz ledge
| and were sinking on it in hopes of find
ing the paymaster. It was situated
near the summit of the Rocky Noun
tains. The road leading to it was un-
| frequented, and all the wild animals
| to be found in that region were oul
neighbors.
:" One day, when returning from g
| neighboring claim, where / had been to
get drill sharpened, stopped to rest
under the shade of large pine tree.
had placed one end of the drill on the
ground, and was in the act of sitting
down, when was startled by strange
noise over my head. L looked up ane
saw a cougar just in the act of pounc
| ing down on me. His huge mouth
was open and his eyes shone like fire
balls.
'' Men who lead lives fraught will
danger, in moments of great peri
think rapidly. The thought flashed tt
me that / must catch the cougar OF
my drill, or be his breakfast. dropped
on my knees and aimed the drill a
the place where thought his breas
would come.
When I recovered enough from the
shock to realize my condition, foun6
myself on my back with the carcass o
the monster on top of me. For some
time 1 thought my arms were broken
on finding they were not, I managed
to roll him off. I next thought my
legs were broken; they were numb an6
remained that way long time. NJ
one part of me was injured more thar
the others but all parts were nearly
murdered. Instead of penetrating hi
breast, the point of the drill had en-
entered his mouth, passed down hi
throat and came out near his backbone
1t was long time before I fully re
covered. The drill had only partl,
broken his fall, and the monster hat
nearly crushed me to death but I hae
the satisfaction of knowing that out
generated him, and spoiled his appetit
} for miners"
After the pioneer concluded, the tour
ist congratulated him on his escap
from a horrible death, and admitte
that mans life would be lost on sue
an occasion, if he had nothing but ia
on his nose to defend himself with
San Francisco Golden Eagle.