The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-04-03
A Morning Call from u Panther.

Morning Call from n panther.
" | suppose you're wondering why /
keep that ugly old chest" said Mrs.
R" and | must own that its not very
ornamental; but it saved my life once,
for all that. | see you think I'm making
fun of you, but I'm not, indeed; and when
you hear the story, think you'll agree
with me that have good reason to value
it, ugly as it looks.
This was how it happened. When
we first came out to India, my husband
was sent to make the survey of the Ner
budda Valley, one of the widest bits in
all Central India; and we really were,
Just at first, the only white people within
forty or fifty miles. And such time as
we had of it! If my husband hadn't
been as strong as he is, and perfect
miacle of patience as well, don't know
how he could have stood what he had to
do. Ii was dreadful work for him, being
up sometimes for a whole night together,
or having to stand out in the burning sun,
when the very ground itself was almost
too hot to touch. And as for the native
wOrkmen, never saw such set-always
doing everything wrong, and never liking
anybody to put them right. When the
railway was being made they used to
carry the earth on their heads in baskets:
and when Mr.. R served out wheel
barrows to them, they actually carried
them on their heads in the same way! l
could not help laughing at it, though it
was terribly provoking. too. And that
was just the way they all were: if there
was n wrong way of using anything
they'd be sure to find it out. Even our
butler, or hitnutgdr, who was much
better than most Of them, came one day
and begged pair of old decanter-labcls
that my husband was going to throw
away and when the man came in next
morning, lie had positively turned them
into earrings, and went about quite
gravely with Port in one ear and
Sherry in the other
However, if the native men worried
me, the native beasts were fifty times
worse. 1t was no joke, can assure you,
to he awakened in the middle of the night
by the roar of Il tiger close under thewin
dow, or by an elephant crashing and
| trumpetingi through the jungle with
noise like 4 mail coach going full gallop
into n dollhouse. Well, as soon rs that
was over, the .iackals would set up a
squealing and whimpering like SO many
| frightened children: and then dreadful
native bird. whose name I've never found
out Il suppose because nobody could in
vent one bad enough for it). would break
out in succession of the most horrible
cries-iust like somebody being murdered
until the noise fairly drove me wild.
And then the ants! but you've seen
them for yourself, and needn't tell you
about them. But all this while I'm neg
lecting my story.
"One day Git will be long enough be-
| fore ! forget it) my husband was out as
usual at his work. and the nurse had gone
down to the other native servants at the
| I'll, and pf tha .enn1nnunH ns W. on IL
this big inclosure, and | was left alone
in the house with my little Minnie yon-
der, who was then just about year old.
By this time | had got over my first
fears, and didn't mind Bit being left by
myself: indeed. all the lower windows
having bars across them, | thought that
| was safe enough; but / little dreamed
of what was coming.
Il must have been sitting over my
sewing nearly an hour, wits the child
PLAYING about the floor besides me, when
suddenly heard a dull thump overhead,
rs if something had fallen upon the roof.
| didn't think anything of it at the mo-
mcnt, for one soon gets used to all sorts
of strange sounds in the Indian jungle:
but, presently. thought could hear a
heavy breathing in the next room but
one, and then began to feel frightened
in earnest. | rose rs softly as | could,
and crept to the doorway between the
rooms. This doorway was only closed
by curtain, and gently pulling aside the
folds, lpeeped through-and found my
self within few PAGES of the largest
panther had ever seen inmy life.
For one moment it was Just as if
had been frozen stiff, and then the
thought came to me just rs if somebody
had spoken it: The big chest!'
u knew that this chest would hold me
and my child easily, and that I could
breathe, for the overlapping edge woulC
save my fingers from the panther
, In a second | had it all clear before me
but had the brute not stopped short a
sight of the curtain, | should never hav,
had a chance of trying it. Luckily fol
me, the Indian panther, savage as he is
is a terrible coward, and suspicious a
: any detective. I've seen one go rount
and round trap for more than half al
} hour, before he made up his mind t
spring at the bait. So, while my trienC
was puzzling himself over the curtain
and wondering whether it was meant fo
! trap or not, ] took up Minnie (who
poor little pet, seemed to know there wa
something wrong, and never uttered
sound) and into the chest l crept, making
as little noise as i could.
Il was hardly settled there when
? heard the 'sniff-sniff' of the panthe
: coming right up to where l lay, and
, through the chink 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 m
mouth when ! heard his great claw
. scraping the edge of the lid, and tryin
to lift it up; but, happily, the chink wa
too narrow for his paw to enter. But
: the paw couldn't, the tongue could; an
soon he began to lick my fingers, raspin
A.; them so that hardly knew how to bea
it. Still, the touch of Minnie's littl
: arm around my neck seemed to give m
courage.
e But there was far worse than this t
0 come; for the panther suddenly leape
S right on top of the chest, and his weigh
4 pressed down the heavy lid upon m
: fingers, until the pain was so terribl
{ that, unable to stand it any longer,
: screamed with all my might.
Q 1.-THE scream was answered by shou
1 from lust outside, in which | recognize
s my husbands voice. The,panther hear
+ it, TOO, and it seemed to scare him, for b
! made a dash for the window, either fol
5 getting or not noticing the iron bars; br
g lust as he reached it, there came til
: crack of rifle, and / heard the heav
brute fall suddenly upon the floor. The
all the fright seemed to come back upo
/ me at once, and / tainted outright.