The weekly Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1872-1887, 1875-04-17

ing up my trowscr leg; then l Kicked
out at a venture, hoping to pay him fol
his untimciy antics.
My foot hit somctlIing-prctty hard
There was spit, II grOwl, and the flash
OF two fiery eyes in the backncss! In
my fright and surprise executed roll
ing leap over Brown who lay next to me,
and landed plump on the doctor. Up
jumped the doctor, pitching me dowI.
into the hay at his feet AS yet none had
spoken, but the following inquiries ill.,
stantly broke out in the dark:
| "lialloo" from the doctor.
"What's upf' from Brown.
"Wildcats! Wildcats" screamed I
sprawling in the hay.
"lIalloo" from old Sanders, waking
up.
"What's the mattcr1" from Tom.
"CatanountS! Wildcatsl" l vocifcr-
atcd.
There wns an instant scrabblci Every
body was on his feet in no time. Gusts
nf hay flew about!
knowing tho creature was on my side,
| | lcaped over toward the other ran against
| Brown, was taken for wildcat, and got n
Knock which sent me sprawling in the
hay again.
"lIcrc he is!' yelled Brown. "ITerc he
is! Out with your knives"
"llold on! Don't stab!" l shouted.
"Iou are wrong, all wrong"
"Strike light! Strike light" cried
Sanders: with "Opcn the door! Open the
door" from the doctor.
Everybody ran toward the door to push
1t open, all together anil actually ran
square on to the cHt which had also started
for the door. 4 tornado of spits and
snarls arose; the creature bit and dug
away right and left, Sitting open pant
legs, swapping its teeth, and tripping up
nearly the whole party in its struggle
among our legs. The hounds rushed in
to complete the uproar, whiIo voices not
identified cried all ut once:
"Git out"'
"Ste boy"
"DOn't strike hcrcw
"Who you kicking1"
'Avast that knifer' from Sanders.
"For goodness sake, keep that gun on
my head :" from Brown.
All this, with an instantaneous rush for
the other end Of the floor; in fact, another
blind and unintcntional run OH the already
maddcncd animal, which had gone there
ahead Of us. This time the creature
sprung Mt the doctor full tilt, knocking
him against somebody else. Another
outrageous panic followed. Everybody
kicked and struggled ut random And
amid shouts, barks, gTowls and spits, The
beast got through the crowd somehow,
and escaped up the sidc Of the NOV.
"Order! Order" roarcd Sanders, above
The outcry. "Now just stand still Stand
still everybody, till VIC get light"
Matches were fumbled out and struck,
but they only seemed to mal:n the dark
ness denscr, till Sanders found some pine
splintcrs on the floor, which Inc lighted
Putting one of these into the muHzle of
his rife, he thrust it upward, disclosing
an animal larger than the hounds, crouch
ing on the high beam.
"Tilsia lie is! :" cried Tom.
"Tako your gun, Brown," said Sanders {;
''but no, you hold the torch, and let me
shoot"
Brown took the torch, and Sanders,
taking up gun, fired. The cat yowlcd,
and, bounding of sidcwisc from the
beam, came sailing down towards lis with
its claws spread out. Brown jumped
aside to get out of the way. The spiint
fell out Of the gun, on the floor, putting
IT out; and down came the wounded
beast, swapping and snarlng, in the midst
Of us.
Darkness rcigncd, and such n scrim-
mage IA followed there on the narrow
floor! ! remember jumping frcnzicdly
backward upon some one, who pitched
tue hcadlnng again with my face flat on
the creatures horrible fur; but it didn't
move, and have no doubt was already
'lcna
Meanwhile some one had struck out at
random and laid the doctor fat for n mo-
mcnt, and somebody else had hit dog,
who was lamcniing pitcousIy. But order
was at last restored, and another splinter
| lighted, when the creature was found tn
he stone dead in the hay. II was n large
specimen of what Sanders called "bnl,-
cat" which j. the Canada Lynx of tho
naturalists. 1t had probably been in the
barn when we went in, having gone in
like ourselves tn get shelter from ilr
storm. Our noisy entrance had doubtless
given il quite II surprise, and hcing Of nm
inquisitivc mind, il had come down after
| all was quiet, 1" investigate, with the re-
| suliS before mentioned.
The fur was of hcauiifnl slnnc-rrny
color, failing into white upon tho under
parts of the body. The skin was unani.
mously voted to the "doctor," ~ he had
suffered most, tn keep ~ mcmcnio Ot
our night III tho old barn on Bear River
The Rcst BGbg.
\ GESTLEMAH who rode his own marc
In the course Of nm eastern tour, asked ht
Arab attendant IL lc was quite sure sht
always got her allowance. ooh. yea" Il,