Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-06-03

fally and followed 1t at run. L was |
going along in good shape when sudden
" | found the ground sloping away |
sharply to the front, the slope terminal
inc in a shallow rayine densely timSered
with spruce and Jack" pine. 1t was
quite dark in this bottom, aud the spruce.
crew in almost impenetrable clumps,
making it impossible to follow straight
line As pusbedsmy way with nervous
haste through the dripping boughs | be-
gan to realize that the darkness about
me was not entirely due to the lay OF the
ground and thickness of timber growth.
The dull twilight had faded out as sud
denly as if the sun had been instantly
snuffed out of existance. AS the day
light died the rain changed to steady
downpour, drenching me to the skin and
chilling me to the marrow.
After half-hour of struggling through
a tangle of hazel thickets where the
branches thrust themselves aggressively
into nv eyes, and few remaining water
soaked leaves chung to my cheeks with a
ce,.act like that of drowned mans
hand. I>csrne 20 the conclusion that l
had been traversing the ravine length
wise and in a direction parallel to the
line of the mail road. | was on the
point of changing my course when the
ground sloped abruptly upward, and,
scrambling up bank OF very greasy clay,
found myself in clearing one side OF
which seemed to me to stretch away ln-
| definitely into the darkness. There was
a smell of wet ashes and cinders in the
air and the half burned trunks of fallen
! trees were scattered about in a careless,
unstudied manner.
For the twelfth time extricated myself
from an involuntary embrace with Mother
Earth, and was cropping around Tor my
| hat. which had been lost In the last tum-
BILE, when my hand suddenly slipped
downward into space, and black gulf
yawned before me, from falling bodily
into which was saved only by throwing
myself heavily backward; in falling my
hand came il contact with partly con-
sumed pine not. This graspcd and
threw far out into the darkness. One,
two, three seconds passed, and then the
sound of faint splash came from some
where below The missile had fallen
into the river.
Then for the first time | became WV
idly conscious of the disagreeable fact
that was lost, and | had presented tC
me the delightful alternative of perish
ing from cold if remained much longer
in state of inaction, or of breaking my
neck if | moved from the spot.
As sat staring into the darkness
nv eyes gradually becoming accustomed
to 1.-THE indistinct outline of the rive
bank slowly unfolded itself to me
Trusting to my keenness Of vision t.
keep me from tumbing over the bluff,
arose and began making my way slowl,
alonr it. knew that down stream la,
to the left, and was making tolerabl.
good time in that direction when sud
denly, from out of the darkness behin'
: me. there came sound that seemed t.
e draw the last drop of blood from tn
: chilled extremities to the heart, stillin
c that organ until | fairly gasped TO
e breath
c A laugh, wild exulting laugh, ros
IS high above the roaring of the storm
c followed in the next instant by sue
cession of unearthly screams that cause
ne each hair of my head to stand out as
d electrified While my hand instinctivel
IL clutched the butt of the revolver, yet
Is drew it forth with feeling that had
1t contend with something more than MOI
tai. against which earthly weapons woul
d be of no avail.
/ Cold, fatigue, the possibility OF pc
r, ishing from exposure-all were forgotte
20 as listened to that thrilling cry.
Y was the cry of panther-the mountal
C. lion of California, the puma OF Mexico
the iaguar Of the Amazonian forests
= and it came from the top of clump
a lofty pines not twenty yards away Th'
tn knew that the dark object which hi
ly clidrd past me in the darkness was
X creature of the imagination, and 4
ne teeth chartered violently from somethil
besides cold when thought of how Gle
id the treacherous brute had been to n
ly Passing the Colts into the left hanc
d. drew the hunting knife and tighten
st the loop around my wrist, | dashed aw
C. down the river as fast as the roughn'
n, of the country and the darkness wou
III permit
nd had no hope of Guiding pursuit a
or tore through hazel thicKets, stumbI
over fallen trees, tumbled into slipp'
ed culies and scrambled frantically out
MS them again. But | knew that less tn
It's n mile down stream, on narrow strip
irs bottom land, should find-it shot
to ever live to reach it--a small block ho'
an which for years had been occupied d
wy ing the haying season by laborers ir
the Catholic mission at Fort William.
en- As sped along seemed to see
my back trail stretching out in perspect
IL. before me as if reflected in mirror.
an deep gully whinch | at once recogni'
,ht on account of having fallen into /
he stood out with n startling clearncss, a
int on its farther edge | saw the gaunt 70
of Of gigantic panther, craning its lo
ION sinewy neck out over the gulf as
tly shifted vigorously at the spot where
ng had fallen. Suddenly it gathered il
Tho up. gazed intently in the direction t
IN. | had taken, cleared the gully will
vas vaulting spring and came bound
on after me, sereapiing at every bou
red There was no mistake about the screa
els inc. for the forest was ringing with
me when staggered out into the clear
TO on the further side OF which stood
lut block house.