The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1881-12-23


Shapes. Sometimes | was sure they wer
walking silently through the forest, an
then they were dancing up and down
and waving their knotty arms at me.
They appeared To be putting thei
heads together, and holding whisDere,
consultations about me. They n5dde,
their tops, they rushed down mt me
suddenly checking themselves when al
most touching me. Then they all ioineC
hands and kept up a waving waltz a
my side.
Hundreds of such fancies AMI imag
lnlngs went through my head, and every
step 1 took was one Of terror I started
to whistle once, but the lonely sound
scared me, and L stopped instantly,
| walking on .Ip-tae. aud Paa7iIas5 now
and then TO liSssn for ghosts.
"When 1 reached the hollow where /
/ crossed on the log L was sure some wild
! beast was following me- [ heard the
soft tip tip of his feet behind me. and
/ when ! glanced around was sure [
caught the phosphorescent CLEAN of his
| eyes.
" 1t may have been all fancy-and
I'm inclined to think it was, looking
| back to that terrible night but was
then so certain that n panther was at
my heels that, when I came to the log,
l ran mt full speed across.
" How l could DO it IN the dark was
a mystery, but, under a strong mental
strain, a person Is capable of perform
ing seeming impossibilities.
when / was near the middle. the
rotten log suddenly gave way, under the
unusual strain of my hurried footsteps.
The distance was not far, and when [
felt 1t going / made a leap which landed
me ON the other shore Scrambliug up
the bank. [ ran along the path as fast
as l could
"Such reckless travelling was discom-
forting, if not dangerous, and l was not
long IN finding it ont. The path was
not marked very plainly, and l had not
gone very far before a projecting limb
caught me. beneath the chin, and /
thought for minute that it had sawed
my head off. SuH l rushed on. until l
ran violently against tree, nearly
knocking my brains out, when [ came
down to a slower and more guarded
walk.
"Just then I heard a scream in the
woods to my right. 1t rang ont on the
ar with startling clearne-s, and in
stantlv answered it.
g Mother has become alarmed, was
my thought, and she has come out TO
look for me-
cit was a great relief to find that I
was To have companionsmp the rest of
the way, even though that companion
was likely to visit her wrath upon me
Tor disobeying her.
'' So l FASTENED forward, and had not
gone far when the same cry struck my
ear, this time sounding much closer than
before. l answered, and stopped to wait
my mothers coming.
% don't think Z asess =
onds when it suddenly hash6,, i l-.,-
that the scream which I had heard was
made, not by my mother, but by a
panther
Ny hair fairly rose on end. for my
danger was frightfUl. The panther had
doubtless recognized my call at once, and
was rapidly approaching me. He would
he upon thevery spot whore Twas stand
ing within the next i've minutes What
should 1 do
:" Evidently there was but the one
thing that could be done. 1t was use
less to attempt to run away, and SO /
climbed tree.
g In my haste and pauic-stricken con-
-litiOn, l forgot that it depended very
much upon what kind OF q tree / climbed
that Is, whether it was large or small
one.
The panther possesses prodigious
strength and activity, and I have seen
them make leaps since that night which
you would pronounce incredible were /
70 relate them.
81 had gone mp about twenty feet when
suddenly awoke to the fact that [ had
a sapling, which was already
pending feaTfUlly low-sO much so that
t threatened to break OF entirely with
ne
&" I saw that would never do, for when
he wild beast should appear on the
'cene-whlch he was sure to do very
would have DO trouble at all IN
making choice supper of Me.
80 1t won't take me long to find a bet
er tree, l said to myself, beginning to
and I'll climb so high that
leIl have no chance to get a sight Of
ne
8" I had got that far in my musings, |
md was within a few feet of the ground, 1
When the panther screamed again-no I
more than fifty yards distant!
g was thrown into a wild panic, and, /
urning about, went up the tree again, /
With a precipitancy that came within a
lairs breadth of bringing the top and /
myself over upon the ground.
cat the same instant, heard the
,nimal coming stealthily through the (
wood, and | recall that, even in that I
appalling moment, I detected the foot /
steps of another, IN almost AN opposite I
direction, and along the path in front.
@ 1t thus looked as if two fierce pam /
hers were about to quarrel as to which /
should have the privilege of first rend- /
ng me TO shreds, and l was convinced /
hat my last hour had come.
"I crouched down into the sapling at
he highest point L could reach without
pending over the top, and could only
remble and wait, asking heaven to pro-
ect me.
"In less than a minute I distinctly
aw the panther, by the few rays of
moonlight which reached the path.
lowly walk along beneath me. He was
lirectly IN the path, and when he
cached such position that l would
lave dropped directly upon his back,
lad L let go, he gave out that terrifying
cream again.
mo pen can describe the frightful
,lood-curdling cry of the beast when
leard under such circumstances. L
eemed to freeze with alright as l stared
lown through the partial moonlight and
doom at him.
"All at once he stopped and seemed
o be looking around He must have
Inspected that was near at hand and
vas searching for me. As he stood, his
lead was more distinct than any other
,ortion of his body, and l could easily
.etect the glare of his eyes, which were
"'Does he see me :? was the question
put to myself. Yes, he does. He is
down he is gathering him
elf for a spring he can easily leap the
there is no hope / must be
orn to pieces the next minute
"But just then the other noise which
had noticed short time before devel-
ped itself. 1t was nay brother Jack.
Tho had been sent out to look for me,
nd who had heard the scream Of the