The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1879-05-29
, A Cali From a Panther.

the night.
- - ----..-- Lax - =. s.:saa
A Call From a Panther. %
~ suppose you're wondering why .
keep that ugly old chcst,' said Mrs. r.
'',nd / must own that it's not very orna
mental; but it saved my life once, for al
that. l see you think I'm making fun o
you, but I'm not, indeed; andfwhen yol
hear the story, think you'll agree wit
me that I have good reason to value il
ugly as il, looks. y sg@s2 eI1 itf
"Thisi was how it happened. Whenw
first cameeout to India, my husband wa
fsent to make the survey .ot the Nerbuad
Valley, one. of the widest bits in al
Central India; and we really were, just a
first, the only white people within fort,
tor fifty miles. And such a time as w
had of it! If my husband hart been a
strong as he is, andsa perfect mircale 0
patience as well, / don't know how b
could have stood what he. had to do
It was dreadful work for him. being III
sometimes for whole night together, o
having to stand out in the burning sun
when the very ground itself was almos
| TOO hot to touch. And as for the native
workmcn, never saw such. a set = al
ways doing everything wrong, and neve
liking anybody toiput them right: Wller
the railway was being made, they USED
to carry the earth on their heads in bas
kets ;and when Mr.. r. served out wheclbar
rows to them, they actually carried then
~, +ho;r bo,lc ~, flo ca,,1 ~. =, II ,o,,lr,,
help laughing it, though it was terri
bly, provoking, too. And that was jus1
the way they all were; if there was 8
wrong way of using anything, they'd be
sure to find it out Even our butler, OF
khitmutgar, who was much better than
most of them, came one day and begged q
pair of old .decanter labels that my hus,
band was going to throw away; and when
the man came in next morning, he had
positively turned them into earrings, and
went about quite gravely' with sPort' in
one ear and Sherry in the other. Gna =
However, if the native men worried
me, the native beasts were fifty times
worse. 1t was no joke, l can assure you,
to be awakened in. the middle of the
night by the roar of a tiger close under
the window, or by an elephant, crashing
and trumpeting through. the jungle with a
noise like a mail-coach going full gallop
into hot-house. Well, as soon as that
was over, the jackals would set up :.
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 enaugh for it), would break
out in succession of the. most horrible
cries-just like somebody murdered
until the noise fairly drove me wild. ,aa
"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.
lccting my story. sarallI taagb
cone day Gt will be long enough be-
fore I forget iD, 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 cali this big
inclosure; and I was left alone in the
house. with my little Minnie yonder, 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, l thought that was
safe enough; but / little dreamed Of what
was coming!
81 must have been sitting over my
sewing nearly an hour, with the child
playing about the floor beside me, when
suddenly heard adull thunlp overhead,
as If something had fallen upon the roof
I 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, l thought 1 could hear a
heavy breathing in the next room but one,
and then I began to feel frightened in
earnest. I rose as softly as | could, and
crept to the doorway between the rooms.
This doorway was only closed by a .cur
tain, and gently pulling aside the folds,
l peeped through-and found myself
within few PAGES Of the largest panther
I had ever seen in my life! .zss
''For one moment it was just as, if l
had been frozen stiff, and then the
thought came to me, just as if somebody
had spoken it, The big chest"
''I knew that this chest would hold me,
and my child easy, and that could leave.
d cllnh ol Tie llu open " leI US 5nIeatlle,
TOR the overlapping edge would save save
my fnger from the panther. IN second
l had 1t an clear before me put haa the
orute not stopped snort at s1ght OF the :.
curtain. l snouid never haa chance ol
Trying II. Luckily 1or me-, the lnalan i 4.
panther, savage as he is, is a terrible COW
ara, ana ana suspicious as any detectlve. I've
seen one go round ana round trap 1or
more than hasf an hour, bciore ne. mace
up has mlnd to spring at the bait 80,
while my friend was pulling himself
over the curtain,and wondering whether 81 IT
was meant Tor trap or not, l took up
Minnie ne (who, poor little pet, seemed to
know there was something wrong, ana
never uttered sound) and into the chest
I crept, making as little noise as | gould. gould
II was hardly settled there W1en ! |
heard the 'snitt-snltf OF the panther conf
ing right up to where lay, ana, through
the chlnk that | had lett open, the not
toul breath came streaming IN upon my
lace, almost making me SICK. IL seemea
to bring my heart cart into my mouth ltl, when en- !
heard his GREAT claws ScraDlnV the GUvc