The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1886-08-26

FIGHT VVarsa AN INDIAN DEVIL.
Ben Davis and myself had built 1
shanty and just got comfortably settled
down for season on the st. Louis river
Minnesota, when the old man came il
from the traps one forenoon with his face
as long "a q shingle and sort of worried
look in his eyes.
Thieves about ?" l asked.
"Wuss'n that. There's An Indian devi
hanging around here"
Well, what of it P"
What of it!' the old man shouted
"Why the chances are that he'll drive us
clean out Of the woods, and Well be luck y
to escape with whole hides"
had never heard of the beast called
an Indian devil, but Ben gave me in
formation which opened my eyes 10 fear
and amazement.
"To begin with," he said, "the crit
ter is half wildcat, half panther. 1t looks
like no other wild animal on airth 1t
can climb, dig, swim, run and almost fly.
1t has all the fierceness of tiger, aud al
the cunning Of an ljun. We've either
got to pull up ss"s"s or Sit ready fur a
bloody fight"
The old man had visited the two dozen
traps we had put out the day before
Five or six of them had caught game, but
in every instance the Indian devil had
robbed the trap. Our two dogs had
made the rounds with him, and he said
that as soon as they struck the scent of
the devil they showed signs of fear and
refused to follow the trail. We had been
to great deal of trouble to reach our
hunting grounds and erect shanty, and l
was not willing to be driven off by an ami
NAL We had not seen. We counseled over
the matter for a while, and concluded to
await further developments.
In day or two we not only had out
fifty traps for mink, otter and rat, but we
set two of our big bear traps at points
where there was some hope of the devil
getting fast. In addition to this we
dosed several pieces of meat with poison
and left them in reach of the varmint,
but out of reach of the dogs. Ben was
doubtful if any good would come of our
trouble, saying that the devil had more
brains than the sharpest Indian in the State,
but was quite enthusiastic. If that
beast came bothering around, did not
see how he could escape disaster. That
evening, while we sat smoking and talk
ing in front Of the shanty, with the dogs
close at hand, both animals made
a break for some object in the woods, but
they returned in half a minute with their
tails on the ground and bolted into the
house. l picked up my rifle and fired in
the direction in which the dogs had come,
and the report was answered by a scream
which just lifted the hair on our heads
Davis tumbled head over heels into the
shanty and | followed suit, anil though
we soon felt bit ashamed of ourselves,
we made the doors fast and did not leave
the place again until daylight.
AS we started out to investigate the
traps | felt sure we had encompassed the
destruction of our enemy, but was
doomed to disappointment. In three in
stances he had taken game from our traps.
In two other cases we had set the bear
traps to catch him if he approached the
smaller ones. Each of the smaller traps
contained a mink, bat the devil had not
approached them. He must have scented
the poisnoned meat at three or four places,
but he had left it severely alone.
I" It's just as / told you," said old Ben,
as we returned to the shanty at Boon.
"The Internal cuss is too sharp fur any
man what ever sot trap or fred rifle.
While he may not attack us, onless we
come upon him suddenly, he'll keep the
game out of our traps, and he'll put his
paws on the dogs sooner or later"
He wanted to strike camp at once and
move up the river, and we should proba
bly, have gone bat for an accident which
happened him while we were preparing
dinner. A dead limb fell from tree and
struck him on the head, inflicting bad
scalp wound and temporarily laying him
up. 1t would be two or three days before
he could pack a burden through the
woods, and it devolved upon me to go
out and set the traps that afternoon or
leave them Undated. Although the old
man advised against it, determined to
90, and about 3 o'clock l took the dogs
and started out, leaving Davis bunked
down on the blankets with the door
secured. l found mink in three of
the traps, and 1 skinned them and threw
the bodies into the river. Some of the
traps needed new bait, and others were
all right. About 4:3O O'Clock l ap-
preached one of the traps near which
we had concealed bear trap. One of
the dogs ran on ahead, and was calling
him back, fearing that he would blunder
into the trap, when a terrible scream
echoed through the branches overhead,
and l saw a body descend from a limb
and light on the canine. The other at
tered yelp Of terror and was off for the
shanty.
What took place when the devil sprapg
down from his perch was more than l
could follow with my eyes. He doubt
less lighted on the dogs back, and the
canine. though taken by surprise, gave
him fight. They rolled over and over
like a great ball, and stood there dazed
and helpless, when suddenly ! heard the
rattle Of the bigtrap. Next instant saw
that the devil was Q. prisoner. having been
caught by both bind legs. The dog lay
there beside him literally torn to shreds.
The stout chain attached to the trap was
made fast to tree, and it was we'll for
me that nothing else broke. The devil was
a long-legged, long bodied animal. weigh
ing about seventy ponnds, having short
ears and stump tail. His expression of
countenance beat anything in the wide
world for ferocity and bis strength was
something won3erfnl,. He screamed and
hissed and spat and jumped, every spring
being made toward me, and it was three
or four minutes before / got the nerve to
open fire. gave him the bullet in my rife,
.nd +bon f,red FIVE shots from nv revoly-