The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-10-26


made camp as evening approached on
the edge of q thicket of live oak and
mesquite that bordered the Arkansas
rivor bottoms. He tethered the horses
on the open prairie near by and then
went into the thiclset for firewood. Re-
turning with small armful and
scrambling through the dense bushes
into Il small open space. he suddenly
came on u large panther lying asleep
full length on the ground, and another
few yards away sitting on its
launches regarding him. The panther
on guard gave n muflled purr, and the
other cat sat up quickly and glanced
around. Then it walked leisurely
across the small clearing and sat down
by its mate. Neither showed the least
desire to run. and John, taken by sur
prise, stood looking at them, as they at
him. He had no weapons, and he
knew better than to make tracks. For
tunately with the firewood he had
gathered was stout mesquite stick,
about as heavy as base ball bat, and,
taking that in hand for club, started
across the open space past the pan
theirs toward the camp.
The big felines got up, but did not
retreat as he came within forty or fifty
feet of them, and as he struck into the
bushes again the largest one walked
slowly after him, perhaps more in
curiosity than otherwise. John was
within hundred yards of camp now
and he made a dash for the prairie,
and | dare say, came as near lowering
the running record for the distance as
the thicket and brush would let him.
AS he burst from the bushes TO where
his packs and rifle lay another panther,
to all appearance considerably fright
ened, sprang past him into the thicket.
This fellow had been, with a spirit of
investigation, turning Johns packs
over, had clawed his saddle-bags open
and eaten part of u fresh rabbit that
had been intended for supper. John
quickly buckled on his revolver, seized
his Winchester and started after the
last panther, but could see nothing of
it. Then he went back to the small
open space where he had seen the two
cats and found they had disappeared
also. He hunted the thicl1et for half a
mile back and forth, till it got too dark
to see, and returning to camp ate a
bite of bread and canned stuff and pre-
pared to turn in. Before doing so,
however, he thought of a mare and colt
among his horses and afraid that the
panthers might spring on the colt and
drag it beyond reach of the mothers
out and turned the mare loose with u
halter on. That night, for the first time
in his life, he had his rifle for # bed fell
low and his siX-shooter where he
could catch it up in a moment.
Nothing disturbed his slumbers
till nearly morning, when he was
suddenly wakened by a commotion
among the horses and galloping of
hoofs that came rapidly nearer, and
the mare and her colt emerged from
the darkness, dashed forward almost
running over him, and then stopped by
him.
With rifle in hand he peeped into
the darkness. but he could see nothing.
But the mare had turned about, and
he observed that the sharper-eyed ami
ness. John watched her closely and
presently she began to show unsual
excitement, putting her ears back and
stretching out her neck and head,
''looking devilish," as John said. He
followed her glance and then could
barely distinguish a dark object close
to the ground coming near them.
He fired quickly, point blank. The
panther raised itself on its hind legs.
either slightly wounded or stung by
the dust and gravel that the bullet
picked up. and then, pumping another
cartridge into his rifle, John fired again
more steadily. There was muffled
bowling and growing and, to use
Johns expressive vernacular, that
'that painter just cussed his luck fur
about minute" and then disappeared.
When daylight came John took the
mare back among the other horses and
tethered her again, and then taking up
trail of blood where he had shot the
panther followed it for about mile, to
come suddenly upon the cat stretched
out and dying, while another panther
sat near watching it. Two rapid shots
killed them both. They were probably
the same two that he had seen the
evening before.
John told me that the most interest
ing chase he had ever seen was that of
pack of hounds after panther. The
eight dogs in the pack were powerful
animals, used to run down wild hogs.
They came across the cat on the open
prairie and cut off his retreat to the
brush, and the chase continued across
the prairie to grove of live oak. The
dogs rapidly overlook their quarry and
com menced to worry him on all sides,
and the panther, unable TO get away
from the pack by even his long leaps,
would, when too closely pressed. wheel
about suddenly and make vicious slap
at the nearest hound. then make a bold
stand for moment, while the dogs
would how and run around him and
come as close as they dared, gnashing
their teeth fearfully, till the worried
feline would dash away for few leaps
and then turn about again. Several
times the dogs seized the cat from be-