Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-11-04
srRyreGLE FOR LIFE.
,sand to Hand Combat Between
~ Man and q Panther.
r.o.a tnA YaIdosta t0o.1 7smss.

- for the Okefenokee expedition OF
- had many remarkable adventures
.0'y' r life OF 40 years about the great
~amn. He settled In that region among
~ indians back in the tnirtes. ne was
me NH the deserters who hid In the Islands
RmIns swamp during the war, and he
OF VIC od and recrossed the great morass
cr ,,S I,s In ,75-the first party OF white
VIII N At ever penetrated to and through
reI at of the swamp. Often when we
tne n9 '"rouned around camp fire at night
WeIe , inc day had been dull of adven-
nOTTmcle Ben would give US OF his
5o store of adventurous stories TO
tsIgne tbe time away. he was not land
Wiz hut a squatter. Much OF the land
O%o,lt the swamp, especially Uhat parton
sno Islands, has never been surveyed ana
Srsnted or sold, hence perhaps ne was
not much to blame Tor oelng squaCseI.
w. NV Ever lived long at one place. In his
ne So had made the entire circuit OF the
timv almost. never moving very far at
;" .iraa Int always hugging to the
n,r mr. as near as he could get to 1t
"S teen out the mud and bamboos. AT
anu mo- he lived in the ''Pump kin Patch"
ono sn,a1i hummock near the point where
A." Suwsunee river runs out or the
suU In fact, believe the pumpkin
pstcb', ia in, and part OF, the "Pocket"
a neninsular running into the swamp.
II said that 1t got its name from the lact
mat Billy Bowlegs. the Indian chiei, grew
nnmpkins IN that hummocK, ana thaC tTeh'
F0yd's troops found tnem growing Inere
during the Indian war.
"T unrIe Rem had a small cabin in this
r,oca and a few acres under cultivation.
b. had a few hogs. etc., and several
bichIy nrized dogs, which he found very
useful at times.
One dav while out looking after his
bocs. unarmed, his dogs got on hot trail
and we're not long making "tree," and
Thor NOT tar away. A hunter does not
live TO leave his dogs at ''tree" or on a
Ustand y and Uncle Ben, thinking tat
n0ssum or a nice young coon could be
had for climbing, determined, without
much debate, to go to his dogs winch
we're perhaps 100 yards In the swamp
near at hand. He penetrated the jungle
and found the dogs clrcilng angrlIy, put
cautiously, group OF small trees, the
ions of winch made dense mass OF limbs
and green leaves about 30 feet above
ground.
As soon as he saw old Ring,
very large and muscular dog, being half
hull. he knew from his actions, from the
rUfled state OF the hair running down his
spinal re gion, that there was something
unusual up. Uncle Ben was without his
gun and he paused for debate with him
self. and was in the act of beating re-
treat when a "tiger," as he called it,
sprang out of the tree tops with great
force and fury at MIN, but he was just
little too far off, and the great cat struck
the ground right at old Ring, and they
grappled. The other four dogs were no
coaiHog n TN CTR laadnr @
into it they flew to the rescue.
Uncle Ben knew that If he ran the
panther could soon Overtake and destroy
him after she fought the dogs off, and
having great confidence in the pluck of
those devoted animals, he thought they
would naturally fight harder when he
was into 1t with Them, and that it was the
better plan for them he and the dogs to
make a common fight of it on the spot.
80, instead of precipitately fleeing from
the spot, as the writer and the reader,
too, would have done, Uncle Ben drew his
pocket knife, and shouting to the dogs adj
Vanced on the enemy.
Ring, as was said above, was a pow er-
full dog, and although he had smealt his
own blood on many hard fought battle
field he had never been whipped. and
therefore he faced the music with grim
and logged determination. The panther
fought him of from her throat until the
other dogs began to get In their work on
her rear, but when her attention became
somewhat divided Ring succeeded in
fastening her immense teeth in the
brnte's throat. To use Uncle Ben's own
words, "he lock his jaws and threw the
KEY away."
Uncle Ben kept shouting to the dogs
ana inching up with due caution, looking
Ior chance to get IN a blow. With
Kings deathlike grip on vital part, and
with the weight Of the other dogs on her
neither parts, the great cat could not
handle herself to the best advantage, but
enc was far from being whipped or dead.
Inc mass OF panther and dogs rolled over
ana over and beat the bushes in terri
Die struggle. She would throw herself
on ler back, and endeavor to bring her
hihd claws 10 her throat to tear Ring
away, but the resistance of the weight of
tne other dogs would In part foil her eff
i0fts, although ste succeeded in clawing
tne sides OF The dog and at every pass
would bring hide and blood.
UGce Bennoticed that when the brute
YOU'D make this effort her tail would
n@su t"Ii length outfrom her at an eleva-
ton Of or 5 feet, and fearing that Ring
"ou'u soon perish or tall powerless at the
next thrust, he decided that if he was to
.ake band in the fight the time bad
Vome lor resolute action, for if Ring fell
lne jig was up with them all.
utuhg MS knife ia his teeth, 50 that he
ooulo use Doth hands, and In an instant
oelAe Tue open knife If necessary, he ad-
sanoea nearer, and, picking his opportu-
my, ne seized the brute's tail at the mo-
t SienI she made another thrust with her
u D claws to clear her throat. Uncle
pen threW all his weight and power on
sue tali, and thus, with the aid of the
,Uut oogs, he would pull back the hind
t",S ol the animal and prevent further
TTamage To old Ring from that quarter.
naCn eHOrt OF the brute in this direction
soa met with counter effort, and the
Seea" process kept UP some time. The
Gai .ooh Iresh courage when they saw
tb be ~! masters hand was in the fight and
dasr vaserD doubled her efforts. 1t was a
5rde, tate struggle indeed. Ring at the
wb VIA, lnh9Nloie, Insensible to pain. or
m1at not-Uncle Ben, a powerful man.
%lnging like grim death to the "taii
wv, and the four dogs getting in their
, 1UlA as best they cOuld-presented a PIC
ule perhaps never seen before or since.
tn, tue struggle Uncle Ben was once
tneu Gown and the brute's claws made
arn V .d oh nls thigh, the signs OF which
vst W oe seen to-day il that old man is
1 1os Ia Ine land of the living. That hap
b,t"eu When he let one hand loose to use
A. ESAile. Although he suffered this in
s,s,oh IL proved to be the crisis in the
iorusSie, Tor he made his lick and sent the
IN oiaoe with unerring force to the hilt
~ t pe oeasVs side not far from the region
ar,an5. neaIt. lie evidently struck an
ann; lor tne blood gushed out, and the