The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-08-16
The fright of the animal was now of

way at furious rate, dropping the say
ages from view almost in moment. Les
lie was badly wounded and bleeding rap
idly, but he managed to keep his sea
for two or three miles, gradually grow
ing weak and dizzy, however, and expect
ing at every leap to be hurled to the
ground.
Suddenly the crisis came as the horse
gave an unusual spring to clear small
stream. On went the terrified animal al
swifter gait than before. but poor Les
lie fell like dead man into the dashine
current of the brook
Fortunate for him was it that he
dropped where he did, for the cold bath
revived him at once, and rs he crept
down the stream in search of hiding
place the waters covered his trail from
the pursuing Shawanese.
A moment brought him to an over
hanging bank upheld by the roots of a
large tree, beneath which he crept as the
only concealment possible for him to gain,
with one useless limb and such deathly
weakness. But as he was painfully
crawling under the bank another danger
appeared.
An enormous panther, probably at
tracted by the smell of fresh blood, en-
tered upon the scene, and spying the
wounded man. sprang fiercely up the
trunk of leaning tree few feet away,
to watch him like cat about to seize a
mouse. The position of the leaning tree
was such that when Leslie had perfected
his concealment as we'll as he could, there
was still an opening among the roots,
through which he and the panther looked
each other in the face.
This state of affairs continued for half
an hour or more, the creature flashing its
tail and drawing its claws along the bark
of the tree, as if just about to spring,
when Leslie knew from the beasts sud-
den change of action that the Indians
were approaching.
The poor fellows suspense was agoniz-
ing as the panther turned around aud be-
gan to howl at the presence of the new
foe. Having traced a victim to the hole
among the roots, the great cat was en-
ragged at the appearance of rival to its
feast of blood.
But the interval was brief. Again the
sharp crack of guns rang out, and the flu
rious creature sprang into the air and fell
heavily on the ground out of Leslie's
sight.
Then he surmised, from the sounds,
that the red men were removing the pan
theirs hide, and for half an hour longer
he was on the rack of anxiety lest they
should discover his hiding place.
But to his indescribable relief he gath
i IL l. Al
they intended to follow the horses trail,
not knowing that the rider had dropped
from his seat and was near them.
In little time be heard their tread as
they crossed the roots within a couple
of yards of his head and fastened away
on the pursuit.
But had not the horse been also wound
ed so as to mark its continued flight with
blood, the savages doubtless would have
come back to the brook where Leslie fell
and searched him out. Little cared they
for the injured animal, and much for the
scalp of its rider; but the continuous red
trail deceived them, and saved him.
AS it was, he did not dare stir from his
hiding place until the afternoon of the
next day, lest, returning past the place,
they might discover him.
All this time he was half immersed in
water, and suffering untold agonies from
his wound.
Finally, toward night of the second day,
after nearly thirty-six hours in living
grave, he crawled forth, like hunted
fox, from its lair. AT first he put out his
head to look and listen and then, dis
covering nothing alarming, he crept fee
bly, into the open air
But ah! what situation for wound
ed and exhausted man, long days jour-
ney from the nearest help, and surround
ed by an unfriendly wilderness. His
rifle he had left with his wife for her de-
fence if needed, for pioneer women were
often expert with a gun; and hence his
hunting knife was his only weapon.
But he was more troubled concerning
his girl wife, alone in the distant cabin,
than about himself
The pain of his wounded limb was for
gotten in the keener anguish of fear lest
the blood thirsty Shawanese should fol-
low the trail to the stockade and succeed
in killing or capturing the woman who
constituted its only garrison.
As he lay on the autumn leaves in the
afternoon sunshine, filled with such fore
bodings, hunger began to clamor within
him, and crawling painfully to the Car
cass Of the panther, he cut off and tried
to eat some of this most unsavory meat
At this moment the faint jarring OF
distant steps came through the forest ST.
lence to his ears, and feeling his inability
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