The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1893-11-15
A STRANGE STORY.
THE MAN-EATING TREE OF CEN
TRIAL AMERICA.

An Interesting Story of an Adventure
With Remarkable Vegetable.
From the st. Louis Globe-Democrat.
The next day Carlinos and l had de-
cided upon hunt in the mountains that
made jagged outline against the sky OH
to the south. While we were getting
guns and cartridges into condition for
use Ferrara approached and said in his
smoothest tones:
eff the senors went to the valley,
down bevond the Contadino pass, they
would find where great panther roams
and has been seen many times. my
self saw it but two days ago, but was
unarmed, so put spurs to my horse and
galloped away"
Carlinos turned to me with look of
interest. "That' ssa good idea,'' he said.
"We'll look for this panther first, and if
we fail to find him we can try the noun
tains."
We were about to turn away when
Ferrara stopped us, with many apologies
stBeyond the Contadino pass, he said,
"you will find narrow trail leading off
eastward down the valley. Follow that
trail half mile, until you see huge
white elm a hundred yards to the right.
At the foot of that elm the panther has
been seen again and again. Adios,
senorsw
And SO Carlinos and 1 went walking
off, with swinging stride toward the
pass, glad of day in the woods, and
ready for any adventure that came along
Except the one that actually did come.
For within the next hour we passed
through the most horrible experience
that ever fell to the lot of mortals, | am
sure.
We found the pass-a mere gap IN the
mountains, not used for travel, as anoth-
er pass. few miles farther south fur
nished the nearest road to the town. The
pass was strewn with rough boulders
and Jagged masses of rock, difficult to
make ones way over, and for half an
hour we had all the exercise we needed
in climbing over and around these OBJ
structions.
At last, however, we were clear OF
them, and we shouldered our guns again
after brief rest, and went on until we
found the trail among the bushes. Ii
was such path as would be made by
COWS or sheep, going to and from wa
tering place, and l was going along pay
ing very little attention to it, when Car
limos. who was in the lead, suddenly
stopped and muttered, "That is strange"
looked over his shoulder and there,
in the yellow sand, was the barefoot
track OF a man. We easily traced 1T
along down the trail, for several hundred
yards, and then it suddenly disappeared
as though the owner of The track had
turned off into the thick underground.
We both followed it up to that point,
and then, missing it, looked at one an
other and said again: "That is very
strangey'
And then we both laughed, and Car.
limos said: ''But it might have been some
herdsMan looking for stray cow or
sheep" @
But | noticed that Carlinos looked af-
ter his cartridges a little more closely,
and held his gun in position to use it,
if necessary. And just then the cliff that
Ferrara had described came into view,
about 100 yards away, and we turned off
fro n the path toward this place, in which
the panther had been so often seen.
Scarcely had we started in that direc-
tion when we were startled by the long,
fierce scream of the panther itself. As
nearly as we could judge it was at that
very moment at the base of the cliff. We
g stopped Involuntary at the sound and
then went stealing down the slope, with
eyes watchful and nerves stretched to
the utmost Yet we went on and on,
without seeing it, and suddenly found
ourselves at the base Of the cliff, which
had been hidden by the thick and tangled
brush through which we had passed.
Then we stopped and looked around,
peering here and there through the
bushes 1t was easy to see that the spot
of ground on which we stood had been
the haunt of some wild animal, for all
around us bones lay bleaching on tn c
ground. But nothing was to be seen.
The face Of the cliff, up to height OF
twelve or fifteen feet, was covered with
the matted tendrils of dead vine, appa.