The Bessemer indicator., 1893-02-25
AN OLD HUNTERS YARN
HE HAS AN ADVENTURE WITH
A MOUNTAIN LION.
Lost His Dog and Got Terrible Claw
ing-A Tragedy That Was Wit
messed While too Far on
to Give Help.


old man as we logged along together
over the trail out of Missoula. ais
one which the papers don't seem to
hear of very often. They print a
heap O. stuff about grizzly bars and
rattle snakes, but this here critter
I'm spealoin' of is wuss'n bars and
snakes rolled together. What they
calls the mountain lion, sir, amt no
lion. He's half lion and half panther
with a big sprinkle of gineral eussed
ness throwd in to make him slyer
than Injun and uglier than mad
wolf. Cum around on the other side
of this cayuse and notice that claw
mark. Look at the scars on his
rump. Them was made by noun
tain lion, and at the same time he
bit through to the bone of my right
arm and clawcd most of the clothes
and hide off III me. II jest starts the
sweat when ! think of it,
My pard and 1 planned to hev
hunt one day, and soon arter break
fast Jim went up the river and
down, both hossback and heolcd for
bizness. At about 10 o'clock / got
into an old trail between the river
and a chain o. hills, The trail was
rough and full Of turns, and war
jist windin around mass Of rocks
and bushes when wild screech lifted
me in my stirrups and 4 burned
mountain lion hit on the hoss at my
back
The hoss jumped me outer the
saddle and run off and my tumble
seemed to skccr the varinint into
maxim off into the bushes. He worked
mighty fast durin' the few seconds he
had, I've got ten claw marks en- my
back and side and leg, and the way
he bit into my shoulder would hev
made yc think he was uncommon
hungry fur breakfast
81 walked some and crawlcd some
and finally got home to be laid mp for
a month"; he replied. "We thought
the hoss would die fur sure, but he
somehow pulled along.
an tell We what | saw with my
own eyes down in Cold Spring Valley,
beyond Emmettsburg, he continued,
as pressed him for another incident.
Thar was a party campin' out thar
"A party OF about twenty men and
women. can't jist remember whar
they was from, but back in the states
somcwhar'. They was huntin' and
fishin' and hevin' a happy time, and
had been thar ten days when | went
up into the hills west of EN- to look
fur an old claim | had got track of.
"Bimeby | cum on a spot whar
could look down and see four or five
OF the campers fishin' in 4 creek fur
trout. The highest ones to me was
two young gals. / could see en-,
plain as day, though | guess they
was a good two miles off. sot down
on stun to rest and waz kinder
wonderin' if gals had any luck in
tishin', when | suddenly seen sight
which made ha'r curl 1t was one o.
them mountain lions stalliin' the gal
highest to me. He'd crept out Il
thicket and was skulliin' ford Jest
like you've seen cat do. He'd twist
and dodge and shelter himself he
hind every stone and bush, and she
was a-tishin' away and perhaps singin'
to herself"
"And you were helpless9"
81 was, and you don't know what
an awful feelin' it gin me, ! fred my
Winchester as fast as ] could pull
trigger, hopin' the reports might be
heard down thar and skeer the var
min. off or bring one of the men to
the rescue, but the wind was agin me.
l also yelled at the top of my voice
and waved my hat, but it was no
good. jest had to stand thar and
see that crittcr creepin' higher and
higher and know that the gal hadn't
o chance in hundred. Mebbc if
she'd hev turned her face or started
and walked OF or dun sumthin' sort
O. sudden like the lion would hcv
been skeered Off, but she didn't.
IL saw the beast make two jumps
from behind rock and seize her.
don't think she even cried out, be-
cause none of the rest of 'em heard
sound. watched and saw him drag
the body of into thicket and then !
started down. You kin bet thar
was an awful time when | got to them
and told what | had seen. We went
to the thicket and routed out the lion
and got the poor gals body. He
hadn't started to eat it yit, perhaps
not bein' very hungry. but he'd
mighty nigh tore the head of in
draggin' it along. He got away afore
we could git shot at him, and
though the men gave me 800 to hunt
him down, | never got sight of him
again. The cunnin' critter probably
'spectcd what was up and made tracks
for safer locality"