The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-07-01

| ~~SsS--S~ q 1O66S.J CAAOW 6bIOdh 90 q mOu-
strous female panther jumped from a
big limb, some twenty feet up, directly
toward our guide. was so weak and
overcome by the suddenness of the
previous combat that 1 involuntarily
shut my eyes, expecting to hear the
| hunters death cry. Instead of that l
heard peculiar sound like cloth tear
ing or ripping, and then ensued the
most internal bowling, scratching, yell
| ing and screaming, that L recollect of
! ever having heard.
l opened wide my eyes, and once a
| strange and most peculiar sight burst
upon them. There, not fifteen. feet
from me, and not ten feet from the
guide, was the old panther, literally
spit upon big lightwood stump. A
| medium sized pine tree had been burned
all save its heart-at some time. This
latter, about seven feet tall and one
foot in diameter at the butt, tapered to
very sharp point at its top. The old
guide lodged behind this when he first
saw the panther. The latter in its
blind rage to avenge the death of her
mate, did not notice the stub, and in
jumping for its intended prey fell short
and was impaled an the short spit. The
force of the leap forced the iron-like
wood through the animals body, the
point projecting a foot or more.
There the animal was, and as it ragged
to get off its anger seemed
fury, rage, and pain. 1t could not
touch the ground with its feet, but its
paws splintered the wood of the old
stub its mad efforts to raise its body up.
1t snarled at US and at the dog, and
then it would bite off huge splinters of
wood, and savagely chew them up into
bits. Old Jack recovered his surprise
first and made leap for the panther.
He miscalculated, however, and the
panther's long claws raised the skin on
his back in one long, cruel-looking
wound.
With howl of pain and madness the
dog turned, and watching his chance,
sprang on the cats launches and began
tearing off huge mouthfuls. Our guide
had by this time recovered from his
stupor occasioned by his surpris-
ing deliverance and having loaded
his rifle, placed the muzzle close to the
head of the now dying but still savage
panther and killed her at once. 1t took
US but few moments to skin the two
animals, and after had washed up and
repaired my torn clothing and attended
to my painful but not serious wounds,
we started on again, bnt with a deal of
caution. The old cracker was greatly
pleased at his good luck in securing two
such skins and lost his iIl-humor at
once.
The sun was casting his last chances
athWart the sky, when my cracker
friend pointed out his cabin, a rude log
shelter, cellarless, and supported on
So1r-aI h1AnHc r. Jnh Fec
dinner of venisoD, baked 'possum. sweet
vans, backed by the typical Florida
dish of fried hominy and bacon, chicken,
topped off with strawberries, blue ber-
ries, wild orange sauce and bananas,
the family gathered around the blazing
FIRE of fat pine and listened to the
strange tales of hunting adventures told
by Pop"
Stirring stories of gator and bear
hunts were numerous. In oEe of these
he told of his method of killing the
Saurian. After spying his intended
victim be would steal up to him and,
if possible, jump astrlde the animal,
just by the neck, and sticking the
fingers of one hand in the reptiles |
eyes (thus serving the double purpose |
of binding him and giving the hunter
good ciutch), he would strike the |
base of the gators tender snout with |
club to produce conclusion of the !
brain. Another method is for the |
hunter to cut the reptiles throat, a
most vulnerable part, as the soft skin |
there offers no defense.
Game is abundant in this section, as |
was evidenced by the old hunters |
yarns and the many skins and other |
trophies displayed. Brown bears and |
deer are numerous, as also wildcats, |
foxes, etc. Panthers are still numerous |
in the deeper woods and prove very |
ugly customer to tackle, as many old |
time wounds on the old mans body tes-
titled to. 'Possums, coons, rabbits and
foX-squirrels are abundant. Game and
plumage birds are plentiful, and scores
can be secured by few hours hunting.
Quails audaciously pipe their Bob
White" not infrequently in the front
yard of mine host, and are thick in the
pine woods. Wild turkeys, quail, wild
pigeons or doves, and duck are the
especially the soft shell land
specimen. and makes a toothsome NOR.
sci. Among some of the finest plumage
birds are the heron and the crane of
several varieties, pelican, paroquet,
egret and many others. All in sll,
these wilds are veritable happy hunting
grounds.
The following morning, after hearty
breakfast of venison, fried bacon, hom-
my and pone cake, my cracker
friend and myself set out for
civilization. After forenoon's
walk through the intricate paths of
this deep forest, was glad to see the
Ferry railroad bridge loom
ing up ahead, and Richard was him
self' again. My entertainer refused
all compensation, saying that he had
as much fun as had, and that we
'uns was quits.
learned afterwards. that probably 1
was the first "Yank" to ever stay with
him over night, or even be treated
courteously, as he disliked company,
"Yank hunters"