The Wichita daily eagle., 1893-11-22

II could form no plan of escape. To
| climb tree was useless; to run away
| impossible; besides was afraid to turn
cipitate his attack. / had but one load
in my gun. and should l miss ny aim,
which | felt certain I should do, fare
well to Mary, parents and home.
Il backed slowly against . large tree,
intending, should my Ere prove futile,
to shield myself behind 1t | had Iay
hatchet in my belt, and, taking it out,
I slipped it IN the wai5tband OF ny
trousers. SO as to have it ready to mY
hand, for was determined to sell my
life as dearly IS possible. l looked TO
the priuing Of my gun, calculated tao
distance carefully, and selected the
very place ! would aim at, q brown
spot about the size OF a silver dollar,
Just below his car. ! looked and lis
tened anxiously for Porter. he would
have been powerful ally, but as he
had not como TO the assistance OF the
hound. feared that for the first time
in his lie he had turnad his back On
the foe ] was afraid TO call him, but
thought, perhaps, when he heard r,y
shot he would rush to me
while 7 was meditating my plan Of
attack the panther had risen from his
crouching posture. He kept one foot
on the dead dog, playing with it. cat
Ike, now giving it Z bite and shake,
thcn playful slap with his paw; now
throwing itup and ewing it sideways as
it came down, and licking his bloody
paws with his flaming tongue.
''He seemed in 10 hurry to dispatch
me, or else he gloated over my misery,
for when he tired OF his play he began
10 make his toilet very carefully. wash
ing and rubbing his head like cat;
stroliing his long. stiff whislzers and
paying very particular attention to his
cars, licking his paws and looking al
them critically, as if to sec if they were
in good working order.
''He then seized the dog and began TO
walk towards me. / braced myself
against tree and lcveled nv gun.
The panther stopped, dropped the dog.
crouched on the ground, with his body
moving from side to side, his tail lash.
ing the ground and lips drawn back,
di5playing.his long. blood-stained teeth
Il breathed prayer to Heaven, a
good-by to earth and loved ones, aimed
at his ear and. fred. just as the pam
ther's huge body rose and shot through
the air He leaped about twenty feet
and landed with his hind feet clinginc
to the tree, his body and forepaws
tril IL nj,
with great force, knocking the gun
several feet away, dislocating my
shoulder, and laying my right arm
open from shoulder to wrist His |
weight bore me backwards against the |
tree. / shouted: Here, Porter; help! !
help" for l felt my hour had come. | |
strove to disengage my left hand so
that could reach my hatchet, but in !
vain; my nerves were unstrung, my head
reeling. my limbs paralyzed. For a
few seconds. which seemed an eternity,
l stood in the embrace of the panther,
his claws sir king in my flesh, hi. hot
breath burning my face, his mouth
open, his red, rasplikc tongue fiecked I
with bloody foam, his deep purr in my
ear, his fiery eye see ming to burn into
my brain. l felt my senses going, when
Q. blessed sound, heard Porters swift,
leaping steps and deep bay as he came
to my rescue.
''Straight on he came, paused a sec
ond in front of the animal, then leaped
10 and seized him by the throat The
panther released me and dropped to
,he ground to grapple with the dog.
The force of his leap threw me several
GETAWAY, where / fellweals and bleed.
ng. but not senseless l sat up and
found myself in reach of my gun.
yrasped it, and, though unloaded, the
7ery touch of it seemed to inspire me
With new life
Il looked at the combatants. The
panther lay on his back, cat fashion,
he dog, with his eyes shut, clinging to
lis throat, Needless of the sharp paws
which gashed him cruelty at every
stroke. My heart bled for the noble
log who was giving his life for me. ,,
felt wildly in every pocket for a
tray bullet l found handful of !.
oose powder. and in turning it out of
ny pocket ] saw a tenpenny nail / y
would load my gun with that, so, put
ing it in and pouring in the powder ,,
With trembling hand. l grasped nv .
1usket, and crawling softly up to the +.
anther put the gun und er his fore leg :.
nd 'hred. He loosed his hold of the
or. bounded to his feet. turned around
7ildly and then dropped dead. {
1 had fallen back, weak from loss of
lood; the dog lay exhausted, and it :,
'oked for awhile as If we were all
cad. My dog, though cruelty iacerat-
4. was not mortally hurt. carried |.
i'm to the spring, bathed and tied up !:
ur wounds. and though scarcely able :
walk made haste to leave the place. 3
'r feared the panther's mate would
ct on our track u
The panther measured nine feet six
'ches from tip to tail | could not
zln 1t, but left it where it fell, close To z
le body of the dead dog. G
We travelled till midnight and then I
stcd till morning. Next day when / L
cared Washington l found my horse y
edlng near a little creek without u
ddle or bride l caught him, made a ,
Idle OF hickory bark and pursued nv
urney, which terminated favorablv. "
I'd entered the land where came so q
ar losing my life, and have lived
re for fifty years."-Zola Camille a
lag han, IN St Louis Republic. a
-Aeighbor-''Does your father rent :,
at house you live in2" Bov-"No. =,
Iced. It's his own house. every b;, :.
It Its been bought aud paid for =: