Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-06-04

this way and that, for . little space,
then found the track, and came swiftly
out toward the ombu, clearing q rod at
every leap.
The. beast had not yet seen the boy,
but was following on scent.
1t went bounding past the tree for q
hundred yards or more, when suddenly
missing the trail, it circled round and
round for some moments, ahd at length
fell to searching every inch of the
ground. ..s..-....
Ere long it came to the roots of the
ombu and there taking the fresh scent,
the hungry brute at once glanced up
ward and discovered the object of its
search.
With a thrill of mortal terror,
Gundy" felt its glowing eyes fix on
him.
For the space of fEll minute, as it
seemed to him, the "tiger crouched
on the roots, never moving its eyes
from of him, while its long tail whip
ped the ground. r@
Then with a sudden, eager yell, it
began springing ur to the 10 v branches,
losing its footholI and topping off, yet
instantly leaping up again, and grow
| ing the more furious from each failure.
Ordinarily the iaguar is unable,
from its size and weight, to climb trees;
but in the low ombu, this creature pres
! emily got foothoid, and then rearing
up beside the middle branch, stretched
| up its great fore.paws within two yards
of where "Gundy" clung, drawing up
| his feet into the crotch, and holding Oh
7 with one hand. while he grasped his
knife in the other.
So violently did the beast shake the
branch with the claws, that the lai
only kept its place with the greatest
difficulty.
Worse still, there was such horrible
fascination in the sight OF the crea-
lures red, parched mouth and fiery
eyes, that strange weakness came
upon him, and he was seized with fits
of shud iering which he Was powerless
! to resist.
But the tiger. at length, fell out of
the tree. No doubt it was, as the H.
| dians have often affirmed, blinded by
its own bafh I'd eagerness and rage, from
the suffasion of its eyes by bloody hu-
| mors.
1t could no longer sec, but ran
blindly about the tree, yelling, flashing
itself, and even tearing at its own flesh.
After every few moments it would
make Intellectual attempts to leap into
the tree again, then lie painting and
frAntically switching the ground.
From his cramped and painful posi-
lion, as we'll as from fright. the lad was
now well-nigh exhausted, and felt that
he could not much longer endure it..
hours already.
Meantime the return of "Gundy's
! horse to the puesto had caused some
| alarm for his safety.
The writer's father, on whose estan-
! cha tue rancho was situated, was then at
the puesto.
Immediately after the moon rose,
Manuel, the head shepherd, set off on
horseback to look up the Grant lad,
and my father accompanied him. AT
another puesto they were joined by two
! other shepherds.
At first they rode 10 the parana, fol-
lowing the trail of Gundy's horse; and
while making detour of the thickets
| along the bank OF the river, they were
seen by the lad from his treetop.
He hailed them Justify; and pres
| emily Manuel heard him.
The party rode towards the ombu,
but when within two hundred yards
were stopped by Gundy" calling
out to them to beware of "El yagoua.
rete."
They then saw the beast beneath tho
tree, and heard it growl.
My father had carbine, and fred at
it from the saddle. It was despatched
by two or three shots.
So crampod or paralyzed by terror
had "Gundy" become, that they bad
to climb the tree and take him down
the fork of the branch in which he had
sat wedged 80 long.