Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-04-16
FIGHTING A WILDCAT.
A BATTLE WON BY A SKlLLFuL
STRATE0EM.
Dust Serves weaponless Man When
Their Was Nothing Else With
Mhlch 20 Defend HlmtelG
"A Narrow Escape.

OF that vicinity:
My plantation had since tho war,
been for the most part uncultiyated,
only the tract lying nearest town hay-
ing been rented out to small planters
while the acres bordering the river
were left to nature, SO that when |
bought it had considerable work in
clearing itagain. | found II oyerrun
with wild beasts rabbits deer
swamp foxes and othors of the less
offensive sorts, ana enough Wild cats,
PARTNERS, and rattlesnakes 10 make
the task of clearing it ii lively one,
My hands carried their guns to the
field as regularly as they did their
hoes. and |. myself put ID very good
time hunting my ready made pre-.
serves. One day | had had an IN,
usually successful day OF IL and was 70.
turning home with my bag ot small.
game tied TO my saddle while behind
me on my horse was as fine buck az
you ever saw My road was il lonely
one which had been newly cut and
ran beside the river io~ mile or more
On either Side Of il was dense uu.
dergruwth. with line 81 timber be.
hind il 10 the landward and the river
concealed by il on the other II vas
growing late too and when presently
| heard piercing scream behind inc
il sent the blood 10 my heart Ia
quicker beats, for the sound WAS an
evil one under the circumstances
But moment thought told me
II was the voice oi an animal heard
and az ID was some distance Oh.
logged serenely on dlsmisslng II from
my mind as ii never occurred To me
that the scream had reference 10 me
but in another minute or two heard
II again. and this time considerably
nearer me. II sounded again and
again each time drawing closer until
it struck me all at once that this
animal might DO attracted by my
deer / looked behind me and saw
that the buck was still bleeding
little and that the drops " blood fell
into the dust OF the road as | travelled
When | perceived this was certain
the wild eat was trailing mo
and looked 10 my gun TO see
II it was loaded and nj hand anttc-
ipated no trouble with the creature
AS expected il would presently leap
from the underground and would
have time to tire upoa Il ere il reached
me. But 10 did not appear aud /
heard no other scream. so had lust
begun 70 think that the animal had
determined discretion 70 BE- the better
part Of valor ana given tip the chase
when, without any warning the cat.
that had crept upon mo from behind
her vglyct-shod feet making no sound
In the dust OF the road. sprang upuu
my back. Tive attack was 40 worry
unexpected that | was iellcd from my
horse by IL and rolled to the ground
With the creature still clingiug to me.
while my gun vas knocked from my
! hand and lay some twenty feet from
me. The horse, scared out Of It's wits
broke into n run and was out 81 sight
in minute. carrying the deer with
him. | was left alone TO wrestlc with
the cat and rather uneaviah!n sttun-
ton II was for without d weapon and
worn out with long days hunting. /
was hardly match for the animal a
young one and excited by hunger and
/ the smell Of fresh blood
My falling on IL also seemed 10 be
, construed rs q declaration Of war. and
letting go my back. which vas fear.
fully lacerated BY the creatures pow
, erful claws it few NJ my throat before
| could regain my footing. I threw up
/ my arm TO guard my throat which
: was exposed by my hunting shirt and
; the cat fastened It's teeth in the flesh
just below the elbow. / struck it with
] my other hand with all the force I
1 could muster under the circumstances
: but the only effect OF the blow was TO
I cause the beast TO sink its teeth deep
or into my flesh, until / feared il
, would break the bone. Yelling for
!. help lay still for several minutes
but when no answering shout greeted
my ears / concluded that II anything
was to be done / was the one that
would have TO do IT, With a sudden
jerk / tried to throw the cat of my
body but this proved signal failure,
and, though the creature lot 20 my
arm, IL was TO make q snap Mt my
face. / nverted this by again inter.
! posing my arm which IL seized In just
) ABOUT the same place.
was ut q loss to know what TO do.
but that something had to be done was
becoming more evident every moment
7 foe / was not only in agony with that
! beasts needle-like teeth mumbling N
c my arm. but was also growing fain
c from the loss Of blood. Casting abou
i for some lucky idea, for realized tina
n my only hope lay in strategy. my eye
G fell on tho dusty road, and like an In
G SEPARATION came the thought that unde
0 providence saved my life. In my dis
engaged hand / caught up as much 0
the dust as It would hold and flung /
into the eye nearest me. The ca
= gave squall, but before it coult
! spring up | was ready with anothe
!, handful Of the dust which threw
J, into the other cleaning eye. Blinde,
and terrified by the loss Of its sight
the cat leaped several feet into tn