The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-04-08
LIVE BAIT FOR JAGUARs.
M.lksop Dan Proved Himself al Vail.
ent americana"
From he Nsl0 York DtspatoA.


From the Nel1 York DtspdtoE.
Night had fallen over the great mountain
wall Of the Andes, and the foothills bet ween
it and the coast were wrapped in a gloom
which the rising moon was still too feeble
tn penetrate. Any one would have needed
good eyes to make out that the shadowy
mass on the brink of q small stream, which
ran down one OF the higher valleys, was
huge iron ca se with a man inside OF it
Was he prisoneri Hardly for he was I'M
bound aud armed with rifle; but, on the
| other hand, If he was a free agent, it was
| odd that he should be lingering at a spot
which every one else carefully avoided after
dark, as the chosen haunt of all the wild
beasts IN the neIghbornood. And, stranger
still, this daring watcher was a mere lad
barely 20 years old, whose local reputation
was that Of a ''milksop"-a fellow of no
| spirit whatever.
Daniel Martin was the junior Of the staff
| Of mine that Tad just been started at the
head OF the valley. With the other en-
| ployeS he was very unpopular, partly be-
| cause be was the only American among
them flor all the rest were Dalves) and
partly because, instead of spending his
evenings like them, IN fooling away his
money at cards or drinking himself stupid
| with bad rum, he was always pUrlng over
scientific books or studying the construc-
ton and working Of the mining machinery.
No one ventured actually to moleSt HIM,
| for quiet as he was there was a look about
| him that warned the most reckless not to 90
too far. But they all looked down upon
| him as a milAsop, aud whenever he passed
they whispered spltetul Jokes TO each othec,
which be was luckily not SO silly as TO mind.
Now in this wild aud uhinly peopled DIS
| trict the beasts of prey we. so troublesome
that the owner OF the mine, rich citizen
of Lima, had offered a pretty high reward
for every laguar (panther) killed, but to kill
them was no easy matter. The wary beasts
seemed TO avoid by instiL ct all traps and pit
falls aud would not touch poisoned meat. If
q band OF hunters went forth against them
! they we're nowhere to be seen, while any
man who ventured through the bush alone
was apt to see more OF them than he liked
This was the perilous mission that b d
brought the brave American lad to the dam
rous spot by mig IT. He had set trap for
the guars, and LATED it with himself, and
now he was watching to see what would
come Of it,
He had not long to wait The savage
brutes had already scented him,a d ere loLg
a rustllng and cracking was heard among
| the bushes. and the Frightening moon
showed him three long, galnt bodleS creep
| ing stealthily toward the cage in which he
stood ready, rife in hand.
Thee was a compete jaguar family
| father mother and sou-the Younger beast
| beng almost full grown, aud armed with
teeth and claws well nigh as formidable as
those of hi, terrible sire aud dam. With
| their huge fat heads lowered, their great
| white ia rs cleaning in the N onlight, AMI
| their striped slnewy bodies gliding noise
| lessly over the grouUd, with fierce, elias lie
life In every movement, they were indeel
| grim band, the sight of which might
4 10, oil
| grave.
But Dan Martin had faced in his time the
| "pai teri and grizzly bear in the far west,
aud he was not tue | ID to be scared by any
| wild beast upon earth. Coolly waiting til
| the fearful group came near enough to MAKE
his al IA sure, be leveled is piece at the fore
most beast, which happened to be the cub =,
and 10 fly.
His ann was true, and down fell the cub
stone dead, but its fall was followed by
! frighJfUl yell as the female jaguar, mad
dened by the loss of her young, fie \ raging
at one side of Dams shelf -rmg age, b le
the male, either by accident or design,
| dashed at the other.
| The attack on both sides at once whether
! inteaded or not brought the galla ant lad
| within hairs breadth of S ructlon. for
the bars were vide enough apart to let his
& i'm es thrust their paws between 81 far
as almost to touch him on either side, while
he, standing as erect as ne could betwixt Il g
clutchi e tai ms, for ne knew that ole inca
to right or left would cost him his life, re
loaded with all possible speed.
But all at once the she jaiuar, mad with
rage at being unable to reach the SLAYER of
her young, rushed around to the other side
of the cage and leaped up on the bars Just
as the mae beast made dash at them like
| vie.
Dan fired again and wounded her NOR
tally, but it was too late. The weight of
the two huge bodies, suddenly thrown both
at once upon the same spot overbalanced
the cage. IL toJtered on the edge of the
bank, turned over. and fell with a loud
| splash right d)wn into the stream, ca rying
Martin along with it.
Happily for our hero, who would other
wise have been drOw led in this novel sentry
box, the shock of the fall snapped the W IN
and rusty "catch" of the bolt. and Dan,
bruised and dizzJ as he was, was able t .
push back the door of tho cage aid scram>
bic out into the shallow water, which was
little more than waist deep.
But just as he was ABOUT to Chamber up
on the bank a furious splashing in the
! stream drew his attention to the third
jaguar, which, badly hurt y blow from
| the corner of the cage as it fell was strug-
Cling in the water close beside him. Co ne
what might it must not escape. Like
| llSHJHluR Ian Wulppeu OuU us lOOR EunUluS
| K life and buried it in the monsters throat
"a blow hat needed no repetition.
Just at that moment the other officers of
| the mine startled by the firing, came rush
| ing w to the spot in body to Set what was
the ma ter, a ID stood in blank anaz ment
at the sight of the dead monsters and the
young milksop" by whom ne had been
| sla in.
"Senor Don Daniels" at length said the
chief If the mining staff, who hal always
been hardest of all upon the yoLng hero,
you are brave man. and 1, for one, will
never say another word against you. But
what could have tempted you to run SO
fearful riskF'
II wanted to get some money to send
home to my mother" reDlied the young
man, simply, ''for l haven't managed TO
save anything for her this half year"
For an instant his hearers eyed each other
In silent confusion, and then, pressing
round him, begged his forgiveness: and
from that day forth, so far from being
called a milksop. Dan was "El Valiaate
Americana" the brave American).