The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1893-11-02

TIE hsirttF without soAlug 80 rsuke 81 ia
ANIMALS spring. aes that close to ID
m further STORE toe vster vas deep. NAcl
10 Sas shout tbiity Yards from the siskes
I. pot on speed, heading for Jast sbaut tb
middle II he OPP uiue My ufpose ua
- 10 let tbs panther istey tbsi sas com
" log wilhi1 bis range aud 20 change ~
il. course At The last moment 90 snddct il
- that be would rot bsys time TO slter hi,
A plsn OF attack. 1t Is quite possible thai
Ia tits carefully planned scheme wss uEnec
+, e,s.Tf, and that rates the bruts's iutelli
: senee aud iareihon2bt quite too high.
B. But however that may hr, | thought it
d safer not to take suy risks with so cunning
+, au sdytrssry.
, The ps0ther lay in the sharp black
= shadow Of uu oveIhaugiag mspl', so that
, 1t was imi o,sible for me to rote bis moyei
meuts accurately; but !a't as an instinct
warned me that be was about TO spIlle
sveTved smsrtly toward him, and buried
the light canoe forward With the might st
strokes was capable oi, fhe msurnvre
Was we'll executed. T., = inst before | came
falily opposite the grim figure on the stake
tops, tbs panther sprang.
Justine lively | threw myself forwsrd.
level with the cIos bar; and 10 the same
breath tht re came sasrl sDd splash
Gloss befI lie me.
The brute had mise sulsted my speed,
sni got himself duckiIg ] ohucElsd a
little as | staghtened up; but the Sigh OF
reli'f which drew at tie same time was
profound in it's sinc, ,riiy
bad lsmentsbly estimated the reach
OF the pautLer's spring. He had slightd |
close TO the waters edge, Just where ! |
imagined the canoe wouIi be out of reach.
looked Ground again He was climbing
Alerlly ont Of the haei bath. Giving
himself Que mighty shake be sterted after
me down aloug the bank, utteriug series
OF harsh and piercing sueams. With
sweep OF the paddle | DATED across the
current, and placed Almost the full
breadth OF the river between my wild
enemy and myself.
| have psddl d many a canoe race, but
never one that my bea was so set upon
winning as this strange one in which !
now found myself strsi liny every nerve.
The current of the Squstook varies greatly
In speed, though nowhere is it otherwise
than bri k. At first gained rapidly oD
my pursuer; bnt presently we reached
spot where the banks were comparatively
lev,l and open; and bere the panther
caught up and kept abreast Of me with
VITA o sudden slDklng OF the heart |
called to mind a narrow gorge, squsrter
OF q mile ahead, from the sides Of which
several dropping trunks hung over tue
water. From one Of these thought, the
panther might easily reach me, running
out and dropping into the canoe rs | dartt
ed beneath.
The idea was blood eurdling one, and
spurred me to IN ore desperate efforts; but
before we nesred the perllous pass the
banks grew so unesven and the undsr,
brush 80 dense that my pursuer was much
delayed, and consequently fell behind. '
The current luickening its speed at the
same time, was seood ten yards iu the
lead as my canoe cid through the gorge
and out toto the white moonlight OF oae
Of the reaches Of the stream.
Here slackenei my pace, IN order to =.
recover my wind; aud the panther made
up his lost ground For the time, was
out Of his reach, and all be could do was
t scream savsgely This supposed, was
to summon bis mate to the noble bunting
be bad provided for her; but to my ineI
pressible satisfaction, no mate came.
The beauty ard tbs weirdness OF the ,
moonlit woods were now qate lost upon
me. saw only lhit long, fierce, light
bounding figure which SO iaeIorably kept
pace With me.
To save my powers for some possible
emergency, refolved TO Content myself,
for the time, wnh a very moderate degree
OF sp eed. The panther vas in no way '.
pressed to keep up with me- Suddenly,
he dsttsd rwsri OF bis almost speed.
For moment this did not ,rolble me;
but then ! swoke to its possible meaning. =,
He WAS planting, evidently, an ambus =
csde, aud must keep an eye upon him.
The order OF tns chase was promptly re.
bersed, and set out at o1ce in desperte
pursuit, The obslructed shores and the
increasing current favored ne. so that be
found ii hsrd TO thlke me a. For the
next half mlls lust managed to keep up
with him Then came sndher Of those
luieter reaches. and my Iysned ruruer -,
At last got out Of sight
Again paused. not onlyto take breath,
but 10 ry sud discover th brutes put.
pose 10 leaving me. Allst at once It a
flashed into my mIrd. jet before the
river Wdens into Second Ike, there oc
cure an liv,ly sDd somewhsibroken rapid. 4
A. there vse no1nli ht AMI knew the /
channels we'll, bad 10 ,read Of this
rapid till suddefly rsmeu bsred three q
large bouldefs cro,riag the stream like
stepping stoles,
Il was pIsiu to me thsttbIs was the
point my adversary vas snrouI to reach j
aheai OF me.
Tbese boulder were 80 ilsced the be
could easily spring from oo-so the other
DRY thcd, and bis chsoce oliDtureepttng -.
me would b. tIcellelt. IsImost lot
courage. Tue beslthiag co do uuder
the g.rcumsauces 5 10 save my strength 4
30 the utmost, 80 ior a time | ili little
more than to steer tie cauc. Wsen at .