Daily Kennebec journal., 1875-08-23
NO. 1879.
#isesllaaepas.
FOLLOWED BIZ 4 CeUGIR.

As a test of nerve. the experiences az =
wayfairer, travelling wooded road near
Olympia, Washington Territory, was re-
markable as any on record. The man waaa
speculatOr looking out wild land, and he
trudged through the forest, following the
almost unused path formed by an old
road made by pioneers in the wilderness.
His mind was devoted to one subject =
the critical examination Of the trees upon
the land about him, and of the character
OF the soil, and he failed to notice for some
time pit pat" upon the dead leaves
near him. he at first scarcely looked
down, when he felt something rubbing
against his legs and heard . light purring
sound, but when he did look, his heart
came up in his mouth and cold sweat start
ed as suddenly as though he were sus-
pended by weak rope over Niagara.
Pressing itself softly against his legs. twin
ing about him as he walked, moving its
fexile body swiftly, but with never .
sound, turning up fierce eyes with spme-g
thing almost like terrible laugh in them,
was a huge couger!
No chicken was this man in the woods,
but his account of the manner in which
his hat was raised by bis hair is not to b.
considered as apocyphal at all !; sleek and
supple and muscular the beast glided about
and at intervals it would come close agaipsl
and press its body against the legs ofthA
man, Inc light touch making goose-fesh Of
every inch in his form. It was terrible
experience, that interview with the cou-
ger in the forest primeval. and it was
well for the man that his nerves were OF
the kind to do honor to frontier adven-
urer. Steadily pursuing his course with
steps that would falter q little occasionally
he kept on and with him the beast contin-
ued his treacherous gambols. At times It
would glide few PAGES to the front, and
roll over and over In the road, and wait
for the man to come up, and then 1t would
circle around him again until the impulse.
almost too strong to be resisted, would
come upon him to spring upon the brute.
opposing fists to fangs, and ending the in
tolerble suspense at any risk. The move
ments of the terri BILE animal were butsas
the playing of cat with mouse, ana The
man knew it. t tS 800 80 ssa&ksS'
The moment came at length when the
strain could be borne no longer, ana tlis
man kicked desperately at the beast !, Il
passed him. In an instant it bounded ia
front and crouched for q spring, growing
hoarsely and showing his teeth. ThemaQ
stopped and shouted h0pelessly, tor Aid,
while the cougar did not spring at onss,
but appeared waiting to crafty IL hnnra
little longer. The shout fortunately was
not in vain. sEss ssass . sss 2sSA4 80
There were hunters and dogs m the
immediate vicinity. as rare fortune wOuld
have it, and the hounds dashed suddenly
from the covert, as the cougar, seeing
them, leaped for tree. A few moments
later the beast fell victim to bullets, and
the man with whom it had been taking q
stroll was telling his story and trying to
restore the normal condition of his nerves
by internal applications from a small flask
1t was one of the episodes which turn
mems hair grey-one which would. doubt
less. have brought to death q man with
less nerve than the hero of the affair.