The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1886-02-27
A PlUCKY pUSs,
The Fight for Life Betw cen . Tom.Cat
and o RaccoOn.

anu u faccOOn.
After wandering around for about an
hour and not hearing Sans dog
"chirp," l concluded to rest for
awhile, found an old log upon forty
or fifty feet square of table land, near
which was a small pool, supplied evil
IDENTIFY from a spring above. NV dog
nestled down beside me, and Sam went
on. had not been there many min
utes, when 'Cal," the dog, made a
low growE. I looked around, and a
short distance from me was a black
cat, the largest l had ever seen. I
silenced the dog and called Tom
kindly, and he came up to me. After
stroking and caressing him for ID few
moments, l noticed that he seemed
interested in a small sapling hard by,
and almost Immediately a coon sprang
to the ground, as if to make for his
lair. "Tom' was too quick for him to
enable him to get far, for with about
two bounds he was on the coon's back.
The coon tumbled to his fighting posi-
ton on his back and at it they went. l
was dazed for a moment or two by the
suddenness Of the situation, but as l
gained my self-possession'I jumped to
witness the fun. The fighting was ter
rifle. l had never heard such screams
and yells before. "Cal' didn't seem
to "want any of it in his" but he
danced around as if master of GER
emonies.
The cat seemed to be skirmishing all
over the coon from head to foot and
around him SO fast that he looked like
a spinning jenny revolving on the
central spinal vertebra as a pivotal
point. This stage of the fight lasted
for some time, but as the strength of
the two began to ooze their unearthly
screams seemed to pass down the ga
NUT until they had nearly reached the
subdued sobs around a death-bed.
Suddenly both became silent. Evident
ly the cat had encountered a new sys-
tenn of tactics, and although fighting
with such lightning swiftness, he
seemed to have had some very rapid
thoughts upon the subject, and had
formed his conclusions. As suddenly
as the noise ceased the cut stepped
back a pace. My conclusions for the
moment was that the cat had been
whipped, but not so. Tom reached
his back and slowly elevated his tail.
He poised it for a moment, and then
to wave the black flag at
its end. The arch slowly passed from
his back, and with death-like silence he |
lowered himself to a crouching posi-
ton, and there remained to gather
breath.
The coon in the meantime lay on his
back; but after recuperating a little he
seemed to conclude that he had van
pushed his foe. and made a sudden
turn to his feet.
This was the opportunity Tom was
waiting. One strong, lightning leap
brought him upon the coon's back, and
n an instant his fangs were deeply I'M
1edded in the back of the coon's neck.
The movement was performed so
that the coon had not time to
lrop to his fighting position on his
Jack. He tried it all the same, but it
would not answer. Tom held Oh, and
hey rolled and tumbled. The coon
ose to his hind feet, shook himself and
airly screamed. Toms articulation
vas almost inaudible, and he was hug
ing the coon with all four legs with
eath-like tenacity. The coon repeat
dly, with all known tactics, endeav.
red to dislodge his adversary.
Each attempt was weaker than the
ast, for the weight of the cat and the
eadly fangs firmly planted and as
held in the neck were fast telling
tale. The coon's strength of body
nd of voice had descended from a
to a basso profundo cultural.
e finally ceased his struggles, and
idly and quietly stretched himself
pom the burning earth. The steamy ,
g almost obsured them from view. ]
there they lie, the cat embracing {
G coon, spooning him as a child does t
5 mate in a cold bed. i
l wondered what Toms next move f
be. He dared not let 60 to COM 1
ence any new scheme of tactics. v
ley lie only a few feet from the pool c
water. Now or never was Toms 5
'portunity for a strategic movement. V
} was gaining strength while his ad- p
rsary was breathing slowly and $
avily, but systematically. As his II
nclusions broke fully upon his mind, II
quietly released his leg grasp, and p
bounded with his prey for the a
oil, and down they both went. They p
re out of sight for a moment, but a
m CAM up first, and took a COM p
position on the bank. The c.
IN came to the surface, and keenly ~
Tom watch for any warlike demon
alton, but none came, for the O o
S in deaths last grasp. l spoke t
IDLY and e%ncouragingly to old Tom,
1 picked him up wet and bloody,
e eye had left its socket and was nj
nging by a thread. l played oculist til
clipping it off with my knife. 81
fiSbad tho ,oop ont ;,s+ n, Co,, h,