The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-01-04

der u juniper pine, whose branchc.,
forlScd SO low that had to stoop to get
under the tree. had just pushed the
bcrry-ladcn branches aside with my
bowed shoulders, and was rcachinr for
the torn carcass of the bird, when |
heard Il scream and n growl, and felt
myself struck on the back of the neck
by weight that simply knocked me
endwayS | fell on my face, with NV
nose serving rs a drill for the various
quartz formations on the section and
lay where fell for sOric little time
ut least, for the weight still tarricd
with me. 1t fastened itself to Inv
left shoulder, and there it staid for
some seconds after | had fallen. As
soon rs could withdraw ,uy nose and
chcck-boncs from the rock | turned my
head 10 see where l was and what had
struck me. Whom | did, discovered
that | was mingled to Il great extent
with Il forty-poand wildcat, and that
WAS ut the bottom of the mixture. The
animal had fastened his teeth in my
left shoulder just ut the time it had
sprung upon me, and was now trying TO
make its jaws meet on my collarbonc
One foot, with several batteries OF
back part of my head, and the other
was toying with my whisllcrs l had
no weapon, not even Il knife, for | had
left that in my saddle pockets. and my
revolver was likewise precisely where
it wasn't wanted. had nothing what
ever on my person except Il lead pen
Gil, some pieces of string and a small
bottle of aqua ammonia; the latter
,1,.-,
cign remedy for snake bites, scorpion
and ccntipcdc stings, etc, to which a
prospcctor 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 dcviltry on my neck,
| thought of that insignificant flask
Reaching for my coat pocket l pro-
cured it, and uncorking it, for my
hands were comparatively free,
stretched out my right arm and poured
the contents down the face of the cut
and into its eyes.
The fiery, pungcnt liquid did its Office
well, for the monster, with Il villaiuous
scrcech, dropped his hold and began
TO roll around upon the ground in al
the agony to he gotten out OF 2 four
ounce vial of strong ammonia improp-
crly applied. staggered to lny feet,
reached my rife, and while his catship
was blindly entlcavoring 10 find out the
exact locality gave him the benefit Of
all the pumps could get out of Win
chester in good working order. lie
measured something over four feet
from tip to tip. and was {: lusty spcci-
men of his kind. He had climbed the
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-
aconsed himself in the branches OF the
juniper near his prize. My close prox-
Unity and the instinct that | was going
70 deprive him of his lately acquired
ration i'll all probability induced him
| to the attack.
1t is unnecessary to state that /
didn't furnish much game for the out.
| fit during the next two weeks, fox
when came out of that discussion |
was, as Sally Squcers would say, "a
mass of bruises" and it required some
of Johnson's skill in field surgery to
fix me up. IN fact, when rode into
Nohip NY Ptiu, WIZ WIS dilcINy
there with fresh supply Of vcnison,
failed to recognize me because OF my
"ringcd, strcalicd and striped appear
ancc, and thought that was painted
Apache looking for trouble, and done
up in rcd. The best part of my star.
board whskcrs were gone, and would
never more make a stand-off with The
balmy brcc2es of sunny southern Ari-
IONA. My coat and shirt were but
memories; all the scalp had left
would not have kept Geronimo specu-
lating very long. | never sold the pelt
of the cat or asked any reward from
the territory for his taking off John.
son. who was good taxidermist
followed out his hide and mounted it,
though it never required n sight of it
to remind me of the closest call l ever
had. st Louis Globe Democrat