, 1883-06-14

y VI.
keen me from forgetting next time
Il had no fear Of any particular wild
animal, buS : draH1ed walk through
tie woods at night, SIS many al older
person does.
1.-THE sky had become perfectly clear
during the afternoon. and a bright moon
was shining, Init | think that made my
situation more gloomy and dismal. The
few arrows of moonlight which found
Their way through branches half denud-
eI OF leaves gave gAostiy toUc to
everything.
The trunks OF the trees on my right
and left took all sorts of grotesque
shapes. Sometimes l was sure they were
walking silently throUSu the forest, and
then they were dancing up and down,
and waving .heir knottv arms at me.
"They appeared to be putting their
heads together, and holding whispered
consultations abont me. They nodded
their tons, they rushed down at mc,
Suddenly checking themselves when a
most touching me. Then they all joined
hands and keps up a waving waltz ai
my side.
"Hundreds OF such fancieS and imag-
inRgs went through my head, and every
step I took was one of terror. l started
20 whistle once, but the lonely sound
scared me, and I stopped instantly,
walking on tip-tOe, and pausing now
and then to listen for ghosts.
"When : reached the hollow where I
crossed Oh the log [ was sure some Wild
beast was following me. l heard the
soft tip-tip' of his feet behind me, and
when : glanced around was sire l
caught the Ehosphorescent glenn of his
eyes.
cit may have been al Gapcy-and
I'm inclined to think 1t was, looking
back to that terrible night but [ was
then so certain that Il panther was at
my heels that, wher / came to the log,
' ren at full speed across.
Glow coIid 40 it III the dark was
q mystery, but, under strong mental
strain, a pers N Is capable OF perform
ing seeming Impossibi!ities.
"Wher : was near the middle, the
rotten jig suddenly gave way, under the
unusual strain OF my hurried footsteps.
The distance was not far, and wnru i
fs { it going 7 made leap which landed
me on the o5ber shore. Scramb,mg up
the bank, ran along The path as last
as I could.
"Such reckless travelling was l:scoua-
fortiug, if not dangerous. md / WIS uui
long Ill finding it out. The pa.h wgs
not marked very plainly, and : had no.
gone very lar before q projecting lnGh
CAUGHT tIe beneath the chin, and !
thought Tor a minute that it had save
my heaI of. Still rushed on, until I
ran viol-ntly against a tree, nearly
knoe,-ing my brains ont, when | cam
Down 20 slower and more guATder
walk.
Just then heard a scream in the
woods TO my right. tt rang out on the
air with startling C.carness, and l Ill
SANITY answered It,
''' Mother has become a. rmed, was
my Thought, and she mas come out t.
TX for me.
at WAS great relief to find that ]
vas to have compauionship the rest o
the way, even though that companion
was likely to visit her wrath upon me
for disobeying her.
$50 I FASTENED forward, and had moi
gone far when the same cry struck my
ear, this time sounding much closer tta1
before. answered, and stopped to Wa;
my mothers coming.
"I don't think stood there ten sec.
ouGs Wien it suddenly flashed upon ra
thSt the scream which ! hpt Nerd W.
made. not by my mos.er, but by
panther
"My 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
beupon the very spot where was stand
ing within the next five minutes What
should I 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.
In my haste and panic-stricken con-
dition, l forgot that it depended very
much upon what kind of tree climbed
that is, whether it was large or small
one.
''The panther possesses prodigious
strength and activity, and have seen
them make leaps since that night which
you would pronounce incredible were ]
to relate them.
1had gone up about twenty feet when
j Suddenly awoke to the fact that I had
assembled a sapling, which was already
bending fearfully low-so much so that
1t threatened to break off entirely with
me-.
80 / saw that would never do, for when
the wild beast should appear on the
scene-which he was sure to do very
soon-he would have no trouble at all In
making choice supper off me.
1t won't take me long to find bet
ter tree, 1 said to myself, beginning to
descend; 'and I'll climb SO high that
he'll have no chance to get q sight OF
me
'' 1 had got that far in my musings,
and was within few feet of the ground,
when the panther screamed again-no
more than fifty yards distant
was thrown into wild panic, and,
turning about, went up the tree again,
with precipitancy that came within q
hairs breadth of bringing the top and
myself over upon the ground.
At the same instant, [ heard the
animal coming stealthily through the
wood, and l recall that, even In that
appalling moment, detected the foot
steps of another, in almost AN opposite
direction, and along the path in front.
" 1t thus looked as If two fierce pan
theirs were about to quarrel as to which
should have the privilege OF first rend-
ing me to shreds, and [ was convinced
that my last hour had come.
crouched down into the saplinc at
the highest point could reach without
bending over the top, and could only
tremble and wait, asking heaven to pro-
tect me.
In less than a minute I distinctly
saw the panther, by the few rays Of
moonlight which reached the psth.
slowly walk along beneath me. He was
directly IN the path, and when he
reached such position that 1 would
have dropped directly upon his back,
had L let go, he gave out that terrifying
scream again.
No pen can describe the frightful
biood-curdling cry of the beast when
heard under such circumstances. L
seemed to freeze with alright as stared
down through the partial moonlight and
gloom at him.
All at once he stopped and seemed
to be looking around. He must have
suspected that l was near at hand and
was searching for me. As he stood, his