Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-06-15


and that buck ne must have. Your
humble servant vas noted to be the best
ssot on the run in the party WIS sc-
csfdingiy sent to the upper sud of the
pralrie n take nv stand. 9 hils the 9th
| ers beat the brush TO start the antlered
Beauty out. The plan succeeded, and
ne bounded across the prairie some
| seven or eight rods from me- / fired
and shot him through the thigh. He
plunged on, however. through the dense
fern toward the river. followed slowly
after him. cGambering over and crawl
ing under logs. believing that / would
md him dead or dying at the foot OF
the nrss embankment that be descended.
soon neared dry gully, and I ap-
preached the brink carefully and. look
| ing over the bank. there, not more than
twenty feet from me, lay the deer, dead.
Eus Immediately over him stood large
male cougar, gazing int=ntly IN the eye
OF the deer. | raised my rife B. nv
face, took a quick airs, fired. and the
cougar fell dead.
For some uHaccountable reason |
did not reload my rifle, but quickly slid
down the bank, taking TOY gun with me.
| Strengthened out his tail, as be was a
very large one ! was In the act Of
passing TO get his length, when. to my
| astonishment. some fine bark fell on
my head and before my face. turned
and, on looking mp into an overhanging
ash tree, there, erouched on a limb, not
twenty feet away, was the female eou-
gar; her hair Mas all standing like q
mad cat, and her tail was vibrating from
side to side. could not run, because
the brush and logs were too thick, and
my trusty rifle was empty. / fixed my
eyes on the pa6dened brute, raised INV
powder horn to my mouth, pulled out
the stopper with my teeth. felt for the
muzzle of she gun and poured the pow
der In. When thought had plenty |
dropped the horn, got a bullet from my
pouch and ran II down unpacked. TAX
ing a cap from my vest pocket, placed
IL on the nipple. As | raised the gun
she doubled over the limb. fired ina
msdiately, aud as the gun cracked |
jumped back, and the animal bounded
through the air toward me, brushing
my shoulder as she went past. A man
will do a great deal of thinking under
such circumstances IN a very short
time. i thought from the way she
sprang that had missed her, but she
fell on the ground and did not attempt
to rise again. | was glad to see her
lying dead, for I must confess that l
was little bit - yes, a great deal
frightened. l had my hunting knife
In my hand, and was fully determined
that. had it come to a hand-to- hand
encounter, to sell my life as dearly as
possible"
Judge" said the rancher from Sno-
homish, THAT was narrew escape
m -, 49,
with FEELS coneoior. You were luckier
than John Davis, a friend of mind, who
Ia logger mp on the Snohemish river,
and his residence 10 on the banks of
that classic stream. Amongst other
of some very fine chickens, of which he
that one was missing, and the next day
two more. He registered an oath that
he would have vengeance on the thief, |
thinking possibly that it might be a
siwash who was the depredator. Care |
fully leading some shells with No.
shot and placing his gun where he could |
reach it quickly, he waited quietly for |
revenge. One night he was awakened |
by his hounds barking furiously. From |
the noise they made he knew that some |
thing unusual was in the vicinity; so,
taking his gun, he ran out, not even |
stopping to dress himself. As soon as |
the dogs saw him they made rush at |
some large animal, who Immediately |
jumped over the fence and ran up the |
hill into the woods. John followed
swiftly after, and was delighted to soon
hear the dogs barking steadily in one
place, as this indicated that the game
was freed Hurrying along as fast as
the nature of the ground would permit,
he soon reached the place where the
dogs were, which redoubled their noise
when they saw him approach. Looking
up fir tree, he saw the 1.-the, tawny
form of a cougar stretched out upon a
limb, intently watching the dogs below.
Raising his gun he fired one barrel,
aiming at the animals shoulder. This
shot seemed TO have ns effect, but at the
report of the second barrel the cougar
fell from the tree, striking the ground
at his side. Instantly recovering itself,
the cougar crouched and sprang at him,
striking him on the shoulder with its
chest, knocking him down and falling
upon him. At this critical moment one
of his dogs seized the now Infatuated
brute by the side. Instantly releasing
its hold on the man, the cougar caught
the dog by the bend, and enc bite was
sufficient to place the dog struggling in
death.
Davis by this time had regained his
feet, and tbs cougar. dropping the dog,
Jumped at him again. Leaping aside,
be struck it with his gun, bat with no
effect other than Ia break the stock of
the barrels without apparently injurine
the cougar in the least, for the brute
turned and sprang at him once more;
but he, moving quickly to one side,
elnded it, and as 1t Was passing in the
cir threw his left arm around its body
Just behind its fore legs. Then. throw
ing his weight upon the animal, he
forced it to the ground. Instantly rails
ing the gun barrel in lis right hand, be
struck it terrific blow on the head and
quickly followed 1t up with another,
and then continued to strike until he
could strike no longer, when the cougar
had ceased to struggle and lay dead be-
meath him. Strange TO tell, with the
exception of few scratches he was I'M
injured, his greatest loss being his new
sixty dollar breech loader and suit of
underclothing that Was torn to shreds
during the encounter. Going quietly
home he went to bed, and did not even
iDcutlOu t4o Causc VI utH 0cidl BIS
wife until the next morning. When he
and his neighbors went to the scene of
the fray and skinned the cougar, il mea-
sured eleven feet. Cougar skins are no
curiosities here; one can be procured at
any time; bat that cougars skin was
cut MP into fragments, every hunter in
the vicinity claiming a piece as a me-
mento of the strength and courage of a
brave man."
As the rancher ended his tale the
judge arose and announced his inten-
sion Of going home, not paying any
heed to the tenderfoot. who was calling
loudly for another story aud could only
be- Quoted by being promised that the
gang" would meet the next night and
relate what they knew about bears.
SEArTLE, W. L.