The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-15
BOY AGAINST JAGUAR.
"MlLKSOP DAN" PROVES HIMSELF TO
BE A COURAGEOUS LAD.

A Youth of Twenty Has Terrible Strus-
gle with Three Grown, Bloodthirsss
Panthers- Protected by . Cage, He
Wounds Two and Knifes = Third.
Night had fallen over the great mount
ain wall of the Andes, and the foothills
between il and the coast were wrapped in
a gloom which the rising moon was still
too feeble 20 penetrate. Any one would
have needed good eyes TO make out that
the shadowy mass on the brink of a small
stream, which runs down one OF the higher
valleys, was a huge iron cage with man
inside of il.
Was he prisoner, Hardly, for he was
unbound and armed with rife; 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 avoid
ed after dark as the chosen haunt of all
the wild beasts in the neighborhood. And,
stranger still, this strange watcher was a
mere lad, barely twenty years old. whose
local reputation was that of ',milksop"-
fellow with no spirit whatever.
Daniel Martin was the junior of the staff
of a mine that had just been started at the
head of the valley. With the other EN-
ployes he was very unpopular, partly be-
cause he was the only Americana" among
them (for all the rest were natives), and
partly because, instead OF spending his
evenings like them, he was always porting
over scientific books or studying the con-
struction and working of the mining ma
chinery.
No one ventured actually 10 modest him,
for, quiet as he was, there was n look about
him that warned the most reckless not to
go too far But they all looked down upon
him as a milksop, and whenever he passed
they whispered spiteful jokes 10 each other,
which he was luckily not SC silly as TO
mind.
WAITING THE ATTACK.
Now, in this wild and thinly peopled
district the beasts of prey were SO trouble
some that the owner of the mine. rich
citizen of Lima, had offered pretty high
reward for every Jaguar (panther) killed,
but to kill them was no easy matter. The
wary beasts seemed to avoid by instinct
all traps and pitfalls, and would not touch
poisoned meat. II "A band of hunters went
forth against them they were no where TO
be seen, while any man who yentured
through the bush alone was apt to see more
of them than he liked.
This was the perilous mission that bad
brought the brave American lad TO the
dangerous spot by night. He had set a
trap for the jaguars and baited 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, and ere
long a rustling and cracking was heard
among the bushes, and the Frightening
moon showed him three long, gaunt bodies
creeping stealthily toward the cage In
which ne stood ready, rifle in hand.
There was a complete jaguar family-fa-
Their, mother and son-the younger beast
being almost full grown, and armed with
teeth and claws well nigh as formidable as
those of his terrible sire and dam. With
their huge fiat heads lowered, their great
white fangs cleaning in the moonlight,
and their striped, sinewy bodies gliding
noiseiessly over the ground, with fierce.
elastic life in every movement, they were
indeed a grim band, the sight of which
might well have made even an old hunter
look grave.
IN THE CAGE.
But Dan Martin had faced in his time
| the painter" and grizzly bear of the far
west, and he was not the lad to be scared
| by any wild beast upon earth. Coolly
| waiting till the fearful group came near
enough TO make his aim sure, he leveled
| his piece at the foremost beast, which hap
pened to be the cub, and let fly.
His aim was true, and down fell the cub
| stone dead, but the fall was followed by a
frightful yell as the female jsCuar. mad
dened by the loss of her young, few raging
| at one side of Dams sheltering cage. while
the male, either by accident or design,
| dashed at the other.
The attack on both sides at once whether
intended or not, brought the gallant lad
within hairs breadth of destruction, for
| the bars were wide enough apart To let his
| grim foes thrust their paws between so far
as almost 10 touch him on either side,
| while he, standing as erect as he could be-
| tHixt the clutching talous (for he knew
| that one inch TO right or left would cost
| him his lifeJ. reloaded with all possible
| speed.
But all at once the she jaguar, mad with
rage at being unable to reach the slayer Of
her young, rushed around to the other side
| of the cage and ieaped up on the bars just
| as the male beast made a dash at them
| likewise.
BoY AND BEAST TOGETHER
| Dan fred again and wounded her NOR
| tally but il was too late. The weight oil
the two huge bodies, suddenly thrown
| both at once upon the same spot, over
| balanced the cage. Il tottered on the edge
| of the bank, turned over and fell with q
| loud splash right down into the stream
| carrying Martin along with it.
! Happily for our hero (who would other
! wise have been drowned in this novel sen
| try box the shock Of the fall snapped ths
| worn and rusty "catch" Of the bolt. and
| Dan, bruised and dizzy as be was, wa
| able 20 push back the door OF the cage and
! scramble ont into the shallow water
| which was little more than waist deep.
But just as be was about TO Chamber M
| OF the bank furious splashing In tbs
/ stream drew his attention to the third
/ jaguar, which, badly hurt By blow from
| the corner Of the cage as IL fell, was stTug
| Cling in the water close beside him. Come
| what might il must not escape. Like
! lightning Dan whipped OUT bis long brnt-
| ing knife and buried II in the monster,
| throat--a blow that needed no repetition
! Just at that moment the other officers ot
1 the mine. startled by the firing. came rush
! ing up 20 the spot IN body 70 sse VIVA:
! 4 So L