The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-08-12
A PLUCKY WILDCAT.
1t Whipped Two Dogs and Gave Their;
Master a Tussle Before 1t Was
Killed.

1t Whipped Two Dogs and Gave Their;
Master a Tussle Before 1t Was
Killed.
Norman Fink. hunter and trapper,l
who lives a short distance south Of
Gouldsboro. had 10 90 on an errand to-
a neighboring settlement on Monday
| last writes a Scranton Pa-) cores
pondent to the New York Sun. 1t was
nearly five miles from Fink's house toi
the settlement, and the quickest way forj
him to make the journey was across thei
fields and through the woods on foot.
Fink invariably carries his double-bar-l
relied gun with him whenever he goes oni
jaunt of that kind, and if any crows
or other small game get within thei
range of his gun they generally ac1
knowledge the fact that Fink is not fari
away by turning up their toes and lyl
ing still. All of the crows in that part
of the country have got Fink's habits
down to so fine a point that they make
bee line for the most elevated piece of
woodland whenever they see Fink step
| from his house with his gun on hisi
shoulder. |.
AT about ten o'clock Fink loaded both
barrels of his gun, slung his trusty, wea-l
pom over his left shoulder, called hisl
two dogs to his side, and started on hisi
| journey. One of the dogs was large.
quiet and obedient fellow, and prettyl
fair hunter, while the other was cur of
low degree. whose principal ambitioni
was to bark almost necessarily from
darkness to daylight, and to run after
and bark at the two or three wagonsl
which usually passed his masters house,
daily. He was a good-natured cur with
al, and he had the faculty of keeping
more meat and other tender food from
spelling than the larger and quieterl
hare hunter. But he would bark on the
slightest provocation. and his bark wast
shrill and loud, and to everyone except
Mr.. Fink very unpleasant indeed.
Two miles or more of Fink's journeV
was through thickly-timbered forest
of spruce and hemlock. He had to goi
about a mile before he reached theI
woodland. The dogs kept close TO him
through the open field, but as soon asI
he entered the forest they scamperedl
away in search of game. The barking
cur of low degree was unusually exuber-
ant and every bird that fluttered up
from the underbrush as he skipped
about was sufficient cause for him toii
bark like everything.
Fink kept trudging along through the
woods and saw the dogs only once or
twice during the next half hour. Pres
emily he heard the slnalI cur barkingi
furiously. He whistled to the dog, and
the only response he received was FROM
the quiet hare hunter, who bounded out
of the bushes in front of Fink to see
what his master wanted of him. Fink
then stopped and listened, and the in
cessant noise indicated to him that the
cur had become stationary a few rods
to the right, and that he was probably
barking at some animal that he hadi
run across by chance. Fink then hast-
ened to the spot where the cur was
barking, keeping his gun well in 'front.'
of him to be ready to shoot whatever
the noisy cur had brought to bay. He
found the dog at the foot of an Ordina7
ry-sized spruce tree. on point among
the ever green branches of which his
eyes were fixed. Fink looked into the
thick-limbed tree-tOp from every possi-
BILE standpoint, but was unable to dis,
cover anything. The forest was so
dense that only here and there were the
rays of the sun to be seen from the
ground, and, though Fink could not
make out what the dog was barking att
he felt certain that some kind of an ani-
NAL was among the limbs. The next
thing he did was to take the cur by the
nape of the neck and try to pull him
away, but as soon as he let go the cur
sprang back to the tree, and barked as
though his heart would break.
Then Fink made closer inspection,
and on one of the topmost trees he
thought he saw the bright ewes of an
animal that was keeping very still. He
peered through the limbs again. and,
being almost fully satisfied that he
could see an animals head, he raised
his gun and shot at it. The cur was
still for few seconds, and then he be-
gan to bark again. By this time the
quiet hare hound had come up to see
what was going on, but, as not much
was going on there except the old fam
iliar barking of the cur, he sca:npered
away unconcerned. As Fink was re-
loading the empty barrel something
came splitting and sissing down through
the limbs of the tree into which he had
fired in a way that startled him. He
jumped back involuntarily, keeping his
eye fixed on the tree meanwhile, and
tine next thing he saw was 4 wounded
wildcat run down the trunk of the tree
and pounce savagely upon the still bark
ing cur. The wildcat was furious with
rage, and he scratched and bit the cur
before the latter had chance to run
for his life. Instead of barking, the cur
now yelped and howled as though his
hide was being torn off
Before Fink could make up his mind
what to do, the hair and blood flew
from the head and the nose of the dog,
while the wildcat kept splitting and siss-
ing and scratching. In a short time
the cur got loose from the cat and stuck
his bloody nose into the dead leaves
and rooted around as though he was
suffering intensely. Then the cat tackled
him again, and was making him yelp
worse than ever when Fink fired at it
The entire charge of shot went into the
head of the cur, and he tumbled over
and died. The wildcat then pitched at
Fink, and he beat her away with the
butt of his gun.
just then the hare hunter sprang out
of the bushes and looked surprised
Fink told him to take hold of the Wild
cat, and he grabbed it in the middle of
the back at once and began to shake it
Before he had injured it much the cat
broke loose and made the fur fly from
the dogs shoulders. 1t was more than
the dog could stand. and he ran away
like dog with a tin can tied to his tail
Fink then put a bullet through the Wild
cat, slung it over his shoulder and re-
sumed his journey.