Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-12-23

side large rock formation directly un- der 8 juniper pine, whose branches forked so low that had to stoop to get under the tree. l had just pushed the berry-laden branches aside with my bowed shoulders, and was reaching for the torn carcass of the bird, when l heard a scream and a growl, and felt myself struck on the back of the neck by weight that simply knocked me endways- l fell on my face, with my nose serving as drill for the various quartz formations on the section and lay where fell for some little time at least, for the weight still tarried with me. It fastened itself to my left shoulder, and there it staid for some seconds after l had fallen. As soon as could withdraw my nose and cheek-bones from the rock l turned my head to see where I was and what had struck me. When l did, discovered that was mingled to great extent with a forty pound wildcat, and that was at the bottom of the mixture. The animal had fastened his teeth in my left shoulder just at the time it had sprung upon me, and was now trying to make it's jaws meet on my collarbone. One foot, with several batteries of claws, was caressing the scalp on the back part of my head, and the other was toying with my whiskers. I had no weapon, not even a knife, for had left that in my saddle pockets. and my revolver was likewise precisely where it wasn't wanted. I had nothing what ever on my person except 8 lead pen cil, some pieces of string and small bottle of aqua ammonia; the latter IL | eign remedy for snake bites, scorpion and centipede stings, etc., to which prospector in those attitudes is always exposed. The little vial had more than once saved me from serious discomfort, not to say death, and somehow, with that gouging, chewing and scratching load of intensified deviltry on my neck, I thought of that insignificant flask. Reaching for my coat pocket pro- cured it, and uncorking it, for my hands were comparatively free, I stretched out my right arm and poured the contents down the face of the cat and into it's eyes.
 The fiery, pungent liquid did it's office we'll, for the monster, with villainous screech, dropped his hold and began to roll around upon the ground in all
 
 ounce vial of strong ammonia improp- erly applied. l staggered to my feet, reached my rife, and while his catship was blindly endeavoring to find out the exact locality gave him the benefit of all the pumps could get out of Win chester in good working order. He measured something over four feet from tip to tip, and was lusty speci- of lyi Ia h O1i oak, bitten off the turkeys neck, and dragged it out of sight before begin ming his meal. He had evidently seen me coming, and, wishing to hide, en- sconsed himself in the branches of the juniper near his prize. My close prox- imity and the instinct that I was going to deprive him of his lately acquired ration in all probability induced him to the attack
 It is unnecessary to state that I didn't furnish much game for the out fit during the next two weeks, for when I came out of that discussion I was, as Sally Squeers would say, "a mass of bruises," and it required some of Johnson's skill in field surgery to fix me up. In fact, when I rode into camp my ''pard," who was already there with fresh supply of venison, failed to recognize me because of my ''ringed, streaked and striped" appear ance, anu thought that 1 was painted Apache looking for trouble, and done up in red. The best part of my star board whiskers were gone, and would never more make a stand-off with the balmy breezes of sunny southern Hri- zona. My coat and shirt were but memories: all the scalp I had left would not have kept Geronimo specu- lating very long. I never sold the pelt of the cat or asked any reward from the territory for his taking off. John son, who was a good taxidermist, hollowed out his hide and mounted it, though it never required sight of it to remind me of the closest call I ever had.-St. Louis Globe Democrat.