The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-15
MEETING A PANTHER AT MIGHT
A Terrible Encounter in Lonely
Mountain Path-A Swoon Eads Il.


Mountain Path-A woOn Eads Il.
From the NeIc York Tribune.
81 never see panther, a." said a man at the
Central Park menagerie, but l have
creeping sensation OF fear, brought about
By fright which one OF these brutes gave
me in the wilds of the Adirondacks one
night some years ago."
There were five of us in all camping in
the woods near the Indian Pass. IL vas
about as wild a section of the country as
could be found in any part of the moun~
tains, and the most beautiful scenery ever
expected to see. We all took our turn at
doing the camp drudgery, which consisted
OF cooking. washing pots and kettles and
keeping the fire going. 1t was mean work,
but IL had to be done. | had been doing
camp duty all that day, while the rest Of
the boys were off hunting or fishing.
when evening came | took the little
tin pail and started down the mountain to
little farm house about a mile way. 1t
grows dark sooner in the mountains than on
a level, and by the time l had reached tho
farm house the twilight had changed 70
night and a bright full moon was lust rising
over the top OF a neighboring peak. The
road or path to the camp had been cut
through the forest some years before by
party OF projectors who imagined thew
q.
some reason they had abandoned the place
and only large hole in the mountain side
and tumble-down log shanty were left to
give evidence that the place had once been
visited by white man.
The path up the mountain was lighted
here and there with bright patches of moon
light, and the shadows between them were
black and threatening. Everything around
me was as still as death. l could hear my
own breathing, and the tread of my foot
steps was the only sound which broke the
silence which brooded, thick and heavy.
over everything around and about me.
Every time | entered one of the black
shadows feeling of nervous apprehension
would come over me, which grew worse as
L advanced. BY the time [ had got half
way up The mountain my surroundings had
worked upon my imagination until every
tree and rock seemed alive and expectant
or listening for something which was to
come.
AND IT DID COME.
An awful yell, half human and half I'M
earthly, like the cry of a terrified child
pierced the still night air and sent the cod
chllls in leapfrog gambols UP and down my
spinal column. 1t was the most unearthly
| sound ever heard, and has haunted me
more or less ever since.
ut seemed to come from lump Of pine
|
that l stood frozen to the spot. l couldn't
move muscle for a minute, though it
seemed an eternity. My heart pounded nv
ribs until could plainly hear the beats. 1
| grew faint and cold. | knew instinctively
what it was. 1 stood there on a
lonely mountain alone and at
night. with mountain panther
moment | hadn't even jack knife to de-
! fend myself with. a Thousand thoughts
rushed into my head and out again. |
tried 70 think Of the many ways and means
! by which the bruiser heroes Of the dime
novels had surreptitiously read managed
to get out of similar difficulties, but none of
them seemed applicable 20 just the peculiar
situation was in at that moment. There
was always some element in their favor
which was totally wanting in mine.
If it had been daylight l would
have felt easier. could have seen the brute
at least and might have had a chance to
| dodge. But no; it was as dark as Egypt.
| don't know why did it, but l stopped down
and felt around on the ground until my
| hand struck loose stone, and | threw it
into the black shadow in front of me. That
movement gave me the self-possesson
needed, for l felt relief from the fright
fully nervous tension to which had been
subjected a moment before
| II heard a crashing, scrambling sonnd,
accompanied with a suppressed snarling
growl, and long yellow streak flashed
| across the light spot just beyond the dark
shadow. Our old cat at home had taught
me lesson in cat ethics, which | am salts
| fled served me a good turn at that time.
The brute was trying to get behind me,
and make his spring from the rear.
CAT NEVER LIKES TO FACE A MAN
when he springs, and l felt that if l could
keep him i'll frontS of me he would delay his
attack until my shouts could be heard by
| the boys OF the camp, a little further up the
mountain, aud give them warning of my
danger
II moved on, gathering stones and sticks
at every open spot on the path where l
could see. and kept up q continuous racket
and shouting. | saw the panther several
| times leap across the path, and always in
front OF me. l finally reached the little
clearing where the camp was pltcoed, and
| found the boys preparing, In a haIf-cared
| way, to come TO my rescue.
when | reached the fire and knew that
| / was safe lost no time in fainting away
in the most approved style. Well, we didn't
| sleap any that night, but at the first streak
of daylight we gathered up our traps aud
started down the mountain to the farm
house and told our story. They hal heard
the yell of the night before, and were
already making preparations to hunt the
brute.
I'VE refused pressing invitation to join
the hunting party. We had had enough Of
cats and preferred to stGy where we were.
Toward the close Of the afternoon we
heard the report Of rifle several times and
just at dusk we saw the men returning
with something stretched on pole flung
upon the shoulders of two of them.
ut was the cat which had pursued me
the night before, and he was an ugly-lOok-
ing brute. He was a full~grown male with
a savage black face One of the men had
The tin pail in his hand, which he had
picked up on the mountain. The milk was
still in it, with nice layer Of thick cream
on top"