The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-10-23
ACOUGAR,sLEAn.


An eastern tourist read to his com
paniOn the following newspaper para
graph:
"The cougars are killing q grea
many sheep in Washington Territory. >
SIN New York." said he, "they pro
tect their sheep from those insects BY
rubbing tar on their noses; it keep
the cougars from going into their nos
trils."
A Sacramento man, who was dowr
ton, heard what he said, and remark,
ed:
"One of them once attacked me, ant
l am OF the opinion that tar on my
nose would not have been of mucl
benefit to me-
81 was not aware they troubled IN n. ;
''They have got to be pretty hungry
before they will do So"
The pioneer then informed the tour.
ist that he was laboring under a mis-.
take, and told him that a cougar was
a ferociOus animal, not q sheep insect
He complied with the request to re-
late the particulars of his encounter
with one of them, and commenced by
saying:
81 suppose iC was the spirit OF aGVen-
ture that brought me here twenty-five
years ago, that prevented me from re-
naming in San Francisco, where
could have amassed a fortune, and
made me the Wandering jew of the
many and widely-spread mining re-
giOnS. l was among the first thai
went to the newly discovered diggings
on the head waters of the Missouri riV-
er. My partners and myself had dis
covered q quartz ledge and were sink
ing on it in hopes of finding the pay
master. 1t was situated near the sum-
init of the Rocky Mountains. The
road leading to it was unfrequented
and all the wild animals to be found in
that region were our neighbors.
"One day, when returning from d
neighboring claim, where | had beer
to get drill sharpened, stopped tC
rest under the shade of q large pine
tree. / had placed one end of the drill
on the ground, and was in the act oil
sitting down, when 1 was startled by q
strange noise over my head. l looked
uD and saw cougar just in the act Oi
bouncing down on me. His huge
mouth was open and his eyes shone
like fire-balls.
"Men who lead lives fraught witt
danger, in moments of great peril
think rapidly. The thought flashed t
me that must catch the cougar OH my
drill, or be his breakfast. [ dropped
on my knees and aimed the drill at the
place where thought his breast would
come.
"When recovered enough from the
shock to realize my condition, fount
myself on my back with the carcass o
the monster on top of me. For some
time L thought my arms were broken
on finding they were not managed t.
roll him of. next thought my leg'
were broken; they were numb and re
manned that way long time. No on,
part of me was injured more than the
others; but all parts were nearly muir
dered. Instead of penetrating hi:
breast, the point of the drill had en-
tered his mouth, passed down hi:
throat, and came out near his back
bone. 1t was long time before full
ly recovered. The drill had only part
ly broken his fall, and the monster hal
nearly crushed me to death; but / hat
the satisfaction of knowing that out
generated him, and spoiled his appetite
for miners"
After the pioneer concluded, the
tourist congratulated him on his es
cape from horrible death, and admit
ted that mans life would be lost o.
such an occasion, if he had nothing bu
tar on his nose to defend himself with
San Francisco Golden Era.