Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-07-21
A PANTHER,S MORNING CALL.

keep that ugly old chest" said Mrs,
R, ."and | must own that it's OF
very ornamental; but it saved my nfe
once, for all that. | see yon think I'm
making fun of you but Pm 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 is how it happened: When we
first came out to India, my husband was
sent to make the survey of Nerbudda
valley, one of the widest bits III 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
miracle of patience as well, / don't know
how he could have stood what he had to
do 1t was dreadful work for him, being
up sometimes for 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! | couldn't help laughing at it,
though it was terribly provoking, too.
And that was just the way they all were !;
If there was wrong way of using any
thing, they'd be sure to find it out. Even
our butler, or kbitmsubdr, who was much
better than most of them, came one day
and begged a pair of old decanter-labels
that my husband was going to throw
away; and when the man came in next
morning, he had positively turned them
into earrings, and went about quite
grayely with Port in one ear and Sherry
in the otherl
However, if the native men worried
me, the native beasts were fifty times
worse. 1t was no joke, | can assure
you, to be awakened in the middle of
the night by the roar Of tiger close
under the window, or by an elephant
crashing and trumpeting through the
jungle with noise like mail-coach 60
ing full gallCp into dollhouse. Well, as
soon as that was over, the iackals would
set up squealing and whimpering like
so many frightened children; and then
dreadful native bird, whose name I've
never found out Ct suppose because no.
body could invent one bad enough for
IT'D would break out in a succession of
the most horrible cries-just like some
body being murdered-until the noise
fairly drove me wild.
And then the antsl but you've seen
them for yourself, and I needn't tell you
about them. But all this while I'm neg
lecting my story.
One day (it will be long enough before
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 | was left alone in
the house with my little Minnie yonder,
who was then just about a year old.
By this time / had got over my first
fears, ard didn't mind bit being left
bymyself; indeed. all the lower windows
having bars across them, I thought that
was safe enough; but | little dreamed
of what was coming!
| must have been sitting over my sew
ing nearly an hour, with the child play
ing about the door beside me, when sud-
denly | heard dull thump overhead
as if something had fallen upon the
roof. | didn't think anything of it at
the moment, for one soon gets used to
all sorts of strange sounds in the India
jungle but, presently, thought I could
hear a heavy breathing IL the next
room but one, and then I began to feel
frightened in earnest. / rose as softly
as could, and crept to the doorway be-
tween the rooms. This doorway was
only closed by curtain, and gently pull
ing aside the folds, [ peeped through
acu found myself within few PAGES of
the largest panther had ever seen in
my life.
For one moment it was just as if had
e~+.{ Il l. IL. =
came to me Just as if some BODY had
spoken it: The big chestr
I knew that The GHOST = uld hold me
and nv C anu that L could
leave chink of the lid open to let us
breathe, for the overlapping edge would
save my fingers from the panther In a
second had it all clear before me but
had the brute not stopped short at sight
of the curtain, / should never have had
a chance of trying it. Luckily for me,
the Indian panther, savage as he is, is a
terrible coward, and suspicious as any
detective. I've seen one go round and
round trap for more than half an hour,
before he made up his mind to spring at
the bait. So, while my friend was puz-
zling himself over the curtain, and
wondering whether it was meant for a
trap or not, I took up Minnie (who, poor
little PEI, seemed TO know there was
something wrong and never uttered a
sound) and into the chest / crept, MAX
ing as little noise as could.
was hardly settled there when I
heard the 'snit-snit' Of the panther
coming right up to where | lay, and,
through the chink that I had left open,
the hot, foul breath came steaming in
upon my face, almost making me sick.
If seemed tn brino NV heart into INV
mouth when | heard his great claws
scraping the edge of the lid, and trying
to lift it up; but happily, the chink was
too narrow for his paw to enter. But if
the paw couldn't, the tongue could and
soon he began to lick my fingers, rasp-
ing them SO that hardly knew how to
bear it. Still, the touch of Minnie's
little arm aronnd my neck seemed to
give me courage.
But there was far worse than this to
come: for the panther suddenly leaped