Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-11-06
AN EXCITING EXPERIENCE.
An Exciting Experience in Lumber
Camp-'.Chopping Him Down."

AN EXCITING EXPERIENCE.
An Exciting Experience in Lumber
Camp-"Chopping Him Down."
For myself, l was ''chopped down.
once, and once only. 1t happened in
this way. In the midwinter of 1879, |
had occasion to visit the chief camp of
! the Little MadaWaska. Coming from
the city, and to a camp where | was a
! stranger to all the men, | was not IN
naturally regarded as a pronounced
| specimen of the greenhorn. | took no
pains to tell any one what the boss al
ready well knew, that is, that had
been frequenter of the camp from
my boyhood. Many and many a neat
trap was laid for my apparently "ten-
DER feet, but l avoided them all as if
by accident. AS for climbing a tree, I
always laughed at the idea when it
was proposed to me. l always sug-
gested that it might spoil my clothes.
Before long the men, by putting little
things together, came to the conclusion
that | was an old stager; and, rather
sheepishly, they gave over their at
tempt to entrap me. Then | gracious
ly waved my hand. as it were, and
was frankly received as a veteran,
cleared from every suspicion of being
green.
AT last the day came when did wish
to climb tree. The camp was on a
high plateau, and not far off lowered
a magnificent pine tree, growing out
| of the summit of knoll in such way
as to command all the surrounding
country. It's branches were phenom-
enally thick; its girth of trunk was
magnificent. And this tree | resolved
one day to climb, in order to get
clear idea of the lay of the land. Of
course | strolled off ptitiously,
and, as | thought, unmatched. But there
| was much mistaken. No sooner was
| two-thirds of the way up the tree
than, with shouts of laug hter, the lum-
bermen rushed out of the surrounding
cover and proceeded to chop me down.
The chance was too good for them to
| lose.
| concealed my annoyance, and made
no attempt to descend. On the con-
trary | thanked them for the little at
tention, and climbed a few feet higher
up, to secure a position which | saw
would be safe one for me when the
tree should fall. AS | did so per-
ceived with gasp and a tremor, that
l was not alone in the tree.
There not ten feet above me stretch
ed at full length along large branch,
was Il huge panther, gIaring with rage
and terror. From the men below his
| form was quite concealed. CHANGING
restlessly from me to my pursuers. the
| brute seemed uncertain just what to
do. As carefully refrained from climb
/ ing any further up, and tried to as
sumo an air of not having observed
him, he apparently concluded that I
was not his worst enemy. In fact, |
! dare say he understood what was 90
! ing on and realized that he and | were
| felloW-sutferers.
| laughed softly to myself as !
| thought how my tormentors would be
taken back when that panther should
come down among them. | decided
that, considering their numbers, there
would he ut least no more danger for
them than that to which they were ex-
posing me in their reckless foolng.
And, already influenced by that touch
of nature which makes us so wondrous
| Their would succeed in making his es-
! cape.
The trunk of the pine was SO thick
! that | might almost have reached the
| ground before the choppers could cut
it through. At last it gave a mighty
shudder and sagged to one side. | bal
anced myself on the upper side, steady
ing myself by a convenient branch.
The great mass of foliage. presenting
a wide surface to the air, made the fall
4 comparatively slow one; but the
treme ndous sweep of the draught up
ward as the tree-top described its
! gigantic arc. gave me sickening SEN
saton. Then came the final dull and
thunderous crash, and-in an instant,
[ found myself standing in my place
Jared but unhurt, with the snow
threshed up all about me.
The next instant there was another
roar, or rather sort of screaming yell,
overwhelming the riotous laughter of
the woOdsmen; and out of the con-
fusion Of pine-boughs shot the tawny
form of the panther in a whirlwind of
fury. One of the choppers was in his
path, and was bowled over like
| cluuiSN ulHt-plu. Iue HeAI oouliu
| brought the beast on to the backs of a
yoke of oxen. and his cruel claws Sc
verely scratched the oxen's neckS. As
the poor animals beloved and fell on
their knees the panther paused, with
some idea apparently, of fighting the
whole assembled party. But as the
men, recovering from their first amaze
ment, rushed with their axes to the
rescue of the oxen. the panther saw
that the odds were all against him. He
turned half round and greeted his ene-
mics with one terrific and strident
snarl, then bounded off into the forest
at pace which made it idle to pursue
him. The owner Of the oxen hurled
an AK after him, but the missile flew
wide of its mark Charles g. D. Rob
erts, IN ST. Nicholas.