The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-10-24

! ne was cordially hatcd by ell the In
! diaus. Finding that the silver gray
was not to he caught in traps, the
white trappcrs pnt out their hounds.
aud secured every runway for miles
around. Although they took plenty OF
the common red foxes they could not
| get even smell of the silver gray.
meantime John Turkey attended
quietly to his traps, and kept his
hounds off the runs.
"The fellow was shy and sensitive,
and senscd the feeling that had bee IL
worked up over the silver gray so
strongly that TO avoid meeting white
folks, he had put off going to town
for ammunition until he was nearly
destitute of that necessity.
Gas he was about to start out one
morning to make the usual rounds of
his traps he noticed that his powder
horn was almost dry, and after sling
ing it over his shoulder he poured its
| contents out into the palm of his hand
to make sure that he had enough for
| emergencies on his morning trip, after
which he planned to go to the settle
ment. There was just enough for four
good charges
after visiting several traps and re-
| lieving them of the mink, otter and
musllrats which they contained, Turkey
| trudgcd silently on until he caught
| sight of fine buck through the brush.
1t was at long range, but he fred. The
buck dropped his white flag sure
! sign that he was wounded, and sped
| do 1,o
ming creek, half mile away. Turkey
pressed on after the deer and caught a
glimpse of it as it lodged out of the
runway and took a course which fee
ing deer only took when they scented
hunters in waiting for them where the
runway crossed the creek. AS he was
practically certain of the route which
the buck would take, and where he
would find it if the wound proved fatal,
Turkey decided to first visit his other
! traps across the creek, and then look
after his wounded deer. He was espe-
cialy anxious about one particular
trap, which he believed was planted at
the entrance to the den of the silver
! gray.
There was always likely to be game
of some kind at the creek, and so the
/ half-breed, always cautious and silent
of step, approached the stream with
true Indian stealth.
"As he scanned the banks for some
/ sign of life his heart gave leap. Could
/ it be true that against the background
of the opposite bank he saw small
/ silvery object gliding from bush to
4 ht,C1, trx ,,-J !, IA
not doubt his eyes. 1t was the silver
gray. Turkey secured good rest
against the body of a tree and waited
/ for the fox to halt. 1t soon did so,
with one foot lifted and ears pcrked
sharply forward to catch the faintest
sound ere it should trust itself to drink.
Turkey took as deliberate aim as
his excitement would permit and fred
The fox leaped high and then
limped away in the direction of Tur-
keys trap as fast as its wounds would
| let it.
1.-The hunter hastily reloaded his rifle
and pressed on. He had only one
charge more of powder in his horn.
What if the lack of more would cost
him his game?.
He was swiftly striding down the
runway, thinking of nothing but the
silver-gray, and had almost reached a
huge old tree that overhung the creek
when strange Kissing sound instantly
stopped him. He knew what it was.
A hasty glance into the limbs of the
tree showed him panther just ready
to pounce down upon him as it would
have done upon a deer coming to water
He made a quick aim for the panther S
breast and fred The brute fell, shot
through the heart 1t had become sec
ond nature for Turkey to always re-
| load as soon as his gun was discharged,
| so he poured his charge of powder into
| his rifle, rammed a ball down after it
and fixed the priming, ready for an
other shot.
''The hunters instinct to look for the
mate of any dangerous animal which
| he had killed caused him to glance
| again into the tree. There was the fe-
male panther crouching close to q
limb and slowly creeping to point
where she could spring upon him. Life
and death depended upon the accuracy
of his aim!
''To miss fire or merely wound the
female panther would have been to fall
under the attack of the most ferocious
brute which Il hunter can encounter
an attack from which few have es-
capped,
"But his aim was as sure and the
brute was as dead as its mate when it
struck the ground.
Turkey did not believe that there
were any more of the panther family
about, but he did not think best to lin
ger long to see, now that his anmuni-
tion was exhausted. SO he hastened to
the trap, in which he hoped to find the
wounded foS, as it was set directly in
the mouth of the hole which he be-
heved the silver gray frequented. In
its disabled condition the fox would
herdly be able to avoid springing the
trap, which it had hitherto so sxillfully
escaped.
son reaching the trap he found that
it had been spIungr but there was nc
fox in it, although collection of sill.
ver-gray hairs were stuck to its steel
jaws. To Turkeys skilled eyes, the
ground about showed signs of moe
casined footsteps. He mistrusted that
Whipped Dog, as the Indian who was
spying upon him fo- the jealous white
trappers was COMMONLY called, haC
just robbed his trap of the silver gray
This fired every savage and venge
ful instinct in Turkey and he set out il
I search of the suDpOSpd c1lnrit