St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-04-11
a Morning Call from a Panther.

One day lit will be long enough be-
lore L forget it, my husband was out
as usual at his work, and the nurse had
gone down to the other native servants
at the end of the compound" as we
call this big enclosure and l was left
alone in the house with my little Min
ME yonder, who was then just about a
year old. By this time l had got over
my first fears, and didn't mind a bit
being left by myself; indeed, all the
lower windows having bars across them,
l thought that 1 was safe enough but
little dreamed of what was coming!
must have been sitting over my
sewing nearly an hour, with the child
playing about the floor beside me, when
suddenly l heard a dull thump over
head, as if something had fallen upon
the roof. didn't think anything of it
ut tie moment, for one soon gets used
to all sorts of strange noises in the
Indian jungle; but, presently, thought
l could hear a heavy breathing in the
next room but one, and then l began
to feel frightened in earnest. L rose as
softly as could, and crept to the door
| way between the rooms. This door
way, was only closed by curtain and
gently pulling aside the folds, peeped
through,-and found myself within a
few PAGES of the largest panther had
ever seen in my life
For one moment it was just as though
| had been frozen stiff, and then the
thought came to me just as if somebody
had spoken it /: ''The big chestr
| knew that this chest would hold
me and my child easily, and that
could leave Il chink of the lid open to
let us breathe, for the overlapping edge
would save my fingers from the pan
ther. In second | had it all cleaI
before me but had the brute not stop
ped short at sight of the curtain,
should never have had Il chance of try
ing it. Luckily for me, the Indian
panther, savage as he is, is n terrible
coward and suspicious as any detective
I've seen one 20 round and round d
trap for more than half IN hour, befor,
he made up his mind to spring at the
bait. So while nay friend was puzzlimg
himself over the curtain, and wonder
ing whether it WAS meant for a trap ol
not, took up Minnie, who, poor little
pet, seemed to know there was some.
thing wrong, and never uttered il sound
and into the chest | crcpt, making IA
little noise as | could.
was hardly settled there when
heard the ''sniff-snitf" of the panther
coming right up to where lay, anG
through the chiDk that had left open
the hot, foul breath came steaming il
upon my face, almost making me sick
1t seemed to bring my heart into my
mouth when heard his great claw,
scraping the edge of the lid, and trying
to lift it up; but, happily, the chinl
was too narrow for his paw to enter
But if the paw couldn't, the tongu,
could and soon he began to lick my
fingers, rasping them so that | hardly
knew bow to bear it. Still, the touci
of Minnie's little arm around my necl
seemed to give me courage.
But there was far worse than this t.
come, for the panther suddenly leape,
right ON top of the chest, and hi
, weight pressed down the heavy lid up
on my fingers, until the pain was 81
terrible that, unable to stand it any
lonGor, screamed with all my might.
The scream was answered by Il shout
, JUST outside, i'll which | recognized my
husbands voice. The panther hearC
1t, too, and 1T seemed to scare him, fo
. he made Il dash for the window, eithe
forgetting or not noticing the iron bars
but Just as he reached it there came the
crack of rifle, and heard the heavy
brute fall suddenly upon the floor
Then all the fright seemed to com,
back upon me at once, and | tainted
outright.
heard afterward that Mr.. R haC
, | hapDened to want some iuStrumen
which he had left at the house ano
not wishing to trust it in the hands o
the natives, he came back for it him
self,-luckily, just in time, fol the bul
let from his rifle killed the panther
But, as you see, my hand is pretty stiff
yet.-St. Nicholas, for 4priI.