Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-01-29
DESPERATE ENCOUNTER
Between "Old Hank and q Big,
Ferocious Cougar.
The Brave Hunter. Though Taken by Sur
prise and Severely Wounded At
the First, Proves too Much for
the Powerful Beast.

the Powerful Beast.
A few days ago Mr.. H. P. Woodson,
Familiarity known all over the country
as "Old Hank" was brought into town
to have broken arm and several severe
wounds looked after. He was indebted
for these, he said, to an enormous cou-
gar he had encountered the day before.
Old Hank is a famous hunter, and is
probably the best shot in the State,
having subsisted for the past thirty
years almost entirely on the game
killed by himself. He was the first
white man to take up his habitation in
Tom Green County, and on first coming
to this section built himself, some six
miles from here, on the Middle Fork of
the Concho, small log hut, in which he
Is still residing. This hut is literally
crowded with trophies of his skill, each
of which has some interesting story
connected with it. When it was learned
that Old Hank was in town with fresh
adventure to relate, he soon had large
audience collected to hear it. The
sturdy old hunter, who is nearing his
sixtieth birthday, was found decorated
with splints, bandages, and yard or
two of court plaster, but though one
cheek had been laid open to the bone,
he was quite willing to entertain US
with the narrative of his desperate
fight with the cougar. In his own
words the story is this:
81 was jolting on toward home with q
ctr hnh nd hot
Just killed piece up the river. 1t was
nearly dark, so l slung him up, all bleed
ing as he was, and the blood kept drip
ping all along the road, and it must have
been by that that the cougar tracked
me, for the first thing l knew a scream
broke out behind me that made the air
ring like a bell. Ever heard one of
those beasts yell? Sounds something
like a woman with a powerful pair Of
lungs screeching at the top of her voice
as II she was in mighty distress. My
horse knew what that scream meant,
for 1t wasn't the first time he and had
heard that sound together, though it
hadn't been lately, for the beasts are
scarcer than they used to be. He
jumped forward, and il hadn't held on
pretty tight would have fallen almost
on the caugar, for he wasn't but two or
three feet behind me. spurred up, for
they're pretty tough customers, with
mighty little or no scare in them, and
had just come to part Of the road that
ran through patch of live-oak trees,
which cut off all light from the moon,
which was just rising, so If l could man
age it thought I'd rather not tackle
the critter.
But it seemed like he meant to
tackle me, or rather to have that deer
at all hazards, for as looked back at
him saw the brute gather himself up
into ball, and before l could wheel
around he landed with one spring on
my shoulders, bearing me to the saddle.
The horse staggered, and fairly yelled
he was so badly scared, and as / rolled
of him broke down the road in a gallop,
taking the deer with him. The cougar
and fell together, with me underneath.
The fall with that heavy weight on me
stunned me for q moment, and l lay
still, but to be real scared acts some
times like bucket of cold water doused
on you, so / came to in a little while,
he chung so tight l couldn't even bulge
him; then l tried to roll over and over,
thinking l could make him let loose
that way, but he was too heavy for that,
and besides my left arm began to hurt
me like fits and couldn't lift it. My
fix was getting desperate. when the
cougar, thinking he had me, reckon,
stuck his head around to get at my
throat. That's their way, you know, OF
killing their prey-just catching it un-
der the throat, tearing a hole, and
drinking the blood as it gushes out.
This was my chance, for as the great
cats head reached around / dug nay
finger as deep into one Of its eyes as
could. 1t howled like fury and snap
ped at my cheek, giving me this beauty
spot, but / knew it was nip and tuck
now, 50 / goaged and gouged till the
thing let go. The moment it did made
break up the road, for knew mighty
we'll the matter wasn't ended, aad
wanted to get out of that dark belt o.
wood to where the moon would let me-
see what ! had 70 fight for, take my
word for it, that sort Of Q rumpus ism
pleasant in the dark. Sure enough hert
came the cougar. but was better pre-
pared for him this time, for, though
had dropped my gun when fell OF m.
horse, 1 had my hunting-knifs out b,
now, and / planted my feet as firmly o.
the hard bed Of the road would let me-
and waited for him to spring.
The moonlight showed him to me-
plainly, and, tell you, he was splendid
looking creature with that black line O.
trees behind him. Fully ten feet from
the end of his nose to the tip OF mas tail
he stood quivering all over as he gath
cred himself for his jump, his yellow
hair erect and his long, sweeping tail
curling at the end. waving to and fro
like you've seen q pussy cats do
One OF his eyes looked like ball Of fire
but the other was closed, and he wa
snarling like q devil, with his whitf
teeth cleaning ut me, an ugly threat in
every tooth. waited until he rose on
his launches, and then stepped aside SC
that he landed just beyond me. Withoui
waiting for him to recover himself, !
flung myself on him. and, aiming fol-
his neck, drove my knife through hil
hide With all the strength had. But
instead Of striking vital part and kin.
ing him Instantly, - hoped, ! only