Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-03-03
Terrifying Encounter on u
Mountain Path i'm the Adj
rOndackS.
Facing the Brute to Keep 1t
from Making
Spring
Old Fashioned Faint from Frigh,
After Reaching the camp
Fire in Safety

Il never see q panther" said q man
at the Central Park menagerie to q
New York Tribune reporter, but |
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 i'll all, camp
ing i'll the woods near the Indian Pass.
1t was about as wild section of coEn-
try as could be found III amy part of
the mountains, and the most beautiful
scenery ever expected to See we all
took our turn at doing the camp drudg-
cry, which consisted of cooking, wash
ing pots aud kettles and keeping the
fire going. 1t was mean work, but it
had to be done. l had been doing
camp duty ali that day, while the
rest Of the boys We're Off hunting or
fishing.
when evening came l took the little
tin pail and started down the noun
tain to little farmhouse about Il mie
away. 1t Crews dark sooner in the
mountains than on the level, and by
the time l had reached the farmhouse
the twilight had changed tonight, and
a bright full moen was just rising over
the top of Il neighDoring peak. The
road. or path to the camp had been
cut through the forest some years be-
fore by Il party OF prospectorS who i'm
agined they had struck rich. vein of
ore, but for some reason they had
abandoned the place and only Il huge
hole in the mountain side and 4 tumble
down log shanty We're left to give evil
dence that the place had once been
visited by Il white man.
''The path up the mountain was light
ed here and there with bright patches
Of moonlight and the shadows between
them were black and threatening. Ev-
erything around me was as still as
death. |. could hear my own breath
ing and the tread of my footsteps was
the only sound which broke the silence
which hrooded, thick and heavy, over
every thing around and about me. Ev-
cry time I entered one of the black
shadows Il. feeling Of nervous apprc
henSion 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 ev-
cry tree and rock seemed alive and en-
pcctant OF listening for something
which was to come. And it did come.
AN awful yell, half human and half TN
earthly, like the cry Of terrified child,
pierced the still night air and sent the
cold chills IN leapfrog gambols up and
down my spinal column. 1t WAS the
most unearthly sound l ever heard, and
has haunted me more or less ever since.
lit seemed to come from a clump of
pine trees just in front of me and scaT-
ed me so badly that 1 stood frozen to
the spot. L couldn't move q muscle for
Il minute, though it seemed an eternity.
My heart pounded my ribs until could
plainly hear. the BEATS l grew faint
and cold. l knew instinctively what it
was. | stood there GA q lonely noun
tain alone and at night, with q noun
tain panther Oh my trail ready to spring
upon me at any moment. l hadn't
even a jackknife to defend myself with.
"a thousand thoughts rushed into 10y
head and out again. tried to think of
the may ways and means by which the
brlliser heroes of the dime novels ! had
SurTeptitiOuSly read managed to get out
Of similar difficulties, but none Of them
seemed applicable to just the peculiar
situation l was ia ut 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
a. least and might have had chance
to dodge. But no; it was dark as
Egypt. I don't know why l did it, but
! stopped down and felt around on the
ground until my hand struck a loose
stone, and 1 threw it into the black
shadow in front of me. That move
mont gave me the self-possession 1
needed, for / felt relief from the
frightfully nervous tension to which
had been subjected moment before.
''L heard q crashing, scramblins sound
accompanied with suppressed snarling
"rowl, and long yellow streak flashed
across the light spot just beyond the
dark shadow. Our cid cat at home had
taught me lesson in cat ethics which
7 am satisfied served me a good turn
at that time The brute was trying
to get behind me and make his spring
from the rear. A cat never likes to
face a man when he springs, and
felt that if could keep him in front
of me he would delay his attack until
my shouts could be heard by the boys
at the camp, little further up the
mountain, and give them a warning
OF my danger.
sI moved Oh. gathering stones and
sticks at every open spot on the path
where could see, and kept up coll
tinuous racket and shouting. / saw the
panther several times leap across the
path and always in front of me. /
finally reached the little clearing where
the camp was pitched. and found the
boys preparing, in a half scared way,
to come to my rescue.
when ] reached the fire and knew
that I was safe, lost NO time in faint
ing away in the most approved style.
Well, we didn't sleep any that night.
but at the first streak of daylight we
gathered up our traps and started down
the mountain to the farmhouse and
told our story. They had heard the yell
OF the night before. and they were nj
ready making preparations to hunt the