Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-11-28
AN EXCITING EXPERIENCE.
An Exciting Experience In Lumber
Camp-"Chopping Him Down."

An Exciting Experience In Lumber
Camp-"Chopping Him Down."
For myself. / was chopped down"
once, and once only. 1t happened in
this way. lin the midwinter of 1879, |
had occasion to visit the chief camp of
the Little ~Madawaska. Coming from
the city, and to n camp where l was a
stranger to all the men, | was not I'M
naturally regarded as a pronounced
specimen of the greenhorn. l took no
pains to tell any one what the boss al
ready well knew, that is, that | had
been a frequenter of the camp from
my boyhOod. Many and many neat
trap was laid for my apparently "ten-
der'' feet, but / avoided them all as if
by accident. As for climbing tree,
always laughed at the idea when it
was proposed 10 me. always sug-
gested that it might spoil my clothes.
Before long the men, by putting little
things together came to the conclusion
that l was an old stager; and, rather
sheepishly, they gave over their at
tempt to entrap me. Then l gracious
~ waved my hand. as it were, and
was frankly received as q veteran.
cleared from every suspicion of being
green.
AT last the day came when did wish
to climb a 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 Il 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 a
clear idea of the lay OF the land. Of
course | strolled off surrepttiously,
ard. rs thought unmatched But there
| WAS much mistaken. No sooner was
| two-thirds of the way up the tree
than, with shouts of laughter, the lum-
bermen rushed out of the surrounding
cover and proceeded to chop me down.
The chance was too good for them to
lose.
l concealed my annoyance, and made
no attempt to descend. On the con-
trary | thanked them for the little at
tention, and climbed few feet higher
up to secure position which saw
would be safe one for me when the
tree should fall. AS l did so per-
csived with gasp and Il tremor, that
was not alone in the tree.
There. not ten feet above me stretch
ed ut full length along large branch,
was huge panther, glaring with rage
and terror. From the men below his
form was quite concealed. CHANGING
restlessly from me to my pursucrs. the
brute seemed uncertain just what to
do. As l carefully refrained from climb
ing any further up, and tried to as
sumo IN air of not having observed
him, he apparently concluded that |
was not his worst enemy. In fact, |
dare say he understood what was 90
ing on and realized that he and were
felow-sufferers.
| laughed softly to myself us /
thought how my tormentors would be
taken back when that panther should
come down among them. | decided
that. considering their numbers, there
would he at least no more danger TOR
them than that to which they were eX-
posing me in their reckless fooIing.
And, already influenced by that touch
of nature which makes us so wondrous
kind, | began to hope that the pan
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 II mighty
shudder and sagged to one side. l bal
anced myself on the upper side, steady
mg myself 10y a convenient branch.
The great mass of foliage. presenting
Il wide surface to the air, made tie fall
a comparatively slow one; but the
tremendous sweep OF the draught up
ward. rs the tree-top described its
gigantic arc. gave me Il sickeuing sem
saton. Then came the final dull and
thunderous crash, and-in IN instant,
| found myself standing in my place,
Jared but unhurt. with the snow
lhreShed up all about me.
The next instant there was another
roar, or rather q 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 IA whirlwind of
Obc WI SHVppO'o was ih no
path. and was bowled over like II
clumsy nne-pin. The next bound
brought the beast on to the backs of II
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. lie
turned half round and greeted his enc
mics with one terrific and strident
smart. then bounded otf into the forest
at pace which made it idle to pursue
him. The owner OF the oxen hurled
an ax after him. but the missile flew
wide of its mark. - Charles q. u. Rob-