Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1892-05-19
UP THE FURRoW.
y Fierce and Hungry Wild Beast Stalking
q Man.

j ''>'.F''
Man.
The half breed and hal been away
from camp for several hours. leaving
only sam, the colorcd man. there and
were returning by the mountain trail
The last bend in this trail was seventy
or eighty rods to the west of our
camp and about 200 feet above il. re.
lates a writer in the New York sun.
ana we instinctively paused fora look.
There were the two tents, the
horses and mules picketcd beyond. a
smolderng camp fire. the negro lying
on the broad of his back with his head
toward us. 1t was 3 o'clock in the
afternoon Of summers day. sam
was apparently doing for ii seemed
an effort for him to raise hand to
brush away the flies which persisted
in settling on his fare.
We were about to 20 on when Joe
suddenly caught his breath and
grasped my arm and pointed TO a spot
about half way between the base on
the bluff and the camp There was a
sort of natural drain or furrcw run
ning along the earth. deepening in
our direction. ana here and there was
a bunch OF weeds to prove a little
dampness. The grass was greener,
LOO. but not high enough to shelter a
rabbit.
1t was half a minute before could
make out the cause OF Jocs alarm.
Then my eyes rested on full-grown
mountain lion working his way up
that furrow. He had already accom-
Pushed half the distance and Just at
that moment lifted himself almost
erect to take Il peep at the negro.
Let us cry out and warn him"
whispered
tits too late" replied Joe. ShoIld
he get up, the beast would be upon
him III a FASH
Then shoot"
1T is too fart
You have seen hunter STALKING
game, but here was fierce and hungry
wild beast stalking a defcnce!ess man.
The scene was as plain and GEAR be-
fore us as ii the distance was only a
stones throw. After the first few
words we were silent After the first
move to use our rifles We simply
waited. We certainly intended to do
something, but-wait' See,
TWAS sight ever to be remembered
to watch that lion making his way UP
the fnrrow. He advanced foot by
foot. He hattencd out until you would
have thought him skin spread our
10 be cured, and he dragged himself
along the earth. You knew he moved
but you saw no motion except that OF
his tail. Moving ahead or lying ouie,
the tail switched back and forth with
scarcely seconds interval About
every minute one OF the negros hands
was lazily raised and waved across
his face. When this happcnea The
Aon who could plainly see the back
paw sweep tile air settled down as If
to spring. In the intervals he crep,
forward
We stood there ike men Of stone
and saw the distance decrease foot by
foot. The lion had vet a hundred
feet TO creep when the mustang. fc ding
III least 800 feet from the other elor
OF the camp. raised his head ana
snntfed the air. The scent OF the lion
mad come down to him. He mus,
have seen Us, as we stood Out in plain
view. but he did no; whinnv as both of
us feared he would Half a minute
later Joe pony also got the scent
and started OF at a fast walk. The
lion remained us quiet as if dead for n
iul! minute. waiting TO see If the
nf !
the man. 1t did not sam had
grown more drowsy and MS hand
was raised at longer intervals. Now
the tufted tail waves too and fro
again. and now the distance is again
decreased. Foo. by foot and have
forgotten everything else on earth in
watching the progress. Now it is
sixty feet-now tifty-now forty
the lion has settled down for a lean
which will land him on the body OF
the sleeping man. when l hear the
crack OF rifle see the beast rear M
and fall backward and struggle, and /
sit down with shaking knees and pal
pltating heart 1t was Joe who fred
the shot from his old-fashioned lone.
barrelled rifle He had only the
faintest hope but it was dead shot
the bullet entering the back of the
head
The beast died hard. His limbs
were yet twitching as We reached the
spot Never had hunter in the West
seen a larger lion. He had the
strength to pull down a buffalo bull.
The negro? We found him sound
asleep. Of course
Surgical Wit,