Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-04-15
A STEALTHY PANTHER.
a FERoCIoUS BEASTS SILENT.
DEADLY ATTACK.
rhe Animal Invades Camp and Carries
on Sleeper ~ An Attack too
silent aud sudden to Per-
INIT OF AN Alarm.

AAANHNsNANNA%+sNH
the bank Of creek falling into the
west fork Of the Salmon river. Joe
was half-breed boy about Is years
old-an honest, trusty fellow, and a
reliable guide and just then we had
nothing to fear from the Indians.
had been feverish all day and
when | turned in, with my feet to
the fire and the stars above me, az
about 5 o'clock was little bit
Eighty, says writer in the Chicago
Times. The last remembered was
hearing Joe collecting fuel for the
night. His bed had been prepared
about six feet from mine, ana he had
told me that whisper would awaken
him II | needed him during the night,
| awoke about midnight with the
fever gone and all my senses peculiar
~ alert. II seemed as If could hear
better than ever in my life before.
just above us was rifle in the
creek. and heard the waters bab-
bling and caught splash now and
then as the fish ran up or down. |
heard a noise in the forest aud knew
dead limb had fallen. A wolf
barked and figured it out that he
was about half mile away. Then
there was a rustling among the
leaves, and said to myself that
mole was running about.
Stepl Step! Step.
All, | have II now. II il the wolf
whose bark heard five minutes ago.
The dull glow Of our camp fire has
caught his eye, and he i providing
about to investigates. He Is gaunt
and stumbling, and AZ this season Of
the year his fur Is stained and rag
ged He skulks and lodges, advances
and retreats, and now and then his
lips drop down TO reveal his fangs.
There Is no fear OF him. Even II
there were dozen they would not
attack. II | were to sit upright this
fellow would drop his tail and make
a bolt for il and not stop running Or
a mile.
Did feel the earth jar beside mc2
No. II there was any movement AZ
an il was caused by one Of the horses
raising his head To catch the scent
Of the wolf The movement Of
horse lying down or getting up can
be detected BY man in his blankets
100 feet away. Was that noise made
By something being dragged along
the earth2 OF course not. A horse
when sound asleep will often move
one Of his feet with a scraping mo-
tion. A bear may BE- providing about
and his skuff. skuff. skuf! would ac-
count for the peculiar sound
Joe. joel"
The fever has left my throat a. dry
as finder, and I suddenly thirst. II
won't take Joe over a minute % fill
our coffee-pot with ice-cold water AZ
the spring. don't like TO break IN
his sleep, but he can make up for IL
tomorrow when left in charge Of the
camp.
Joe! joel
He sleeps AZ lightly as a fox. and.
Indian-like, Is awake every two hours
to see that the fire Is all right |
have called twice and yet failed to
arouse him. The night is bit
chilly and he may have wrapped his
head in the blanket. will sit up
and see. But whore Il .Joe2 There
Is the spot where he made his bed.
but he is not there can see clear
around the fire, but Joe's form is not
in sight. He is not after fuci--he IL
not at the spring.
Joe! JOel Joci''
am on my feet as cali No an
swer. He would hear me If half
mile away, but there Is no response.
go to the spring and drink my fill,
and return and heap fuel on the fire
and lie down again. Joe Is queer
sort of boy. He may have gone down
to the Salmon to set a couple OF traps.
or he may haye seen Indians passing
and followed them. There Is no
cause to worry.
1t is sunshine as / open my eyes
again. sit up and look around. Joe
is not here. / stand up and shout
Goo e-e-c!n but there Is no reply. /
look down upon the spot where he
made his bed, and there Is trail as
of some burden being dragged. fol-
low it and ten rods away | find pieces
of his blanket and blood on the leaves
at twenty rods the rest Of his blanket
torn and bloody Through thicket
and ON the far side Of log come
upon his dead body, or the CHASTITY
remains of Ii.
While / was lying wide awake, as /
have described to you. panther
crept up, sprang upon the sleeping
boy and carried him away. / heard
only the faint noises / have mem
toned, none Of them giving the
slightest cause for alarm--none Of
them loud enough to have aroused
sleeping warrior. The boy had made
no cry, no struggle. Softly as he had
alighted the great cat had struck him
dead with one blow Of his paw. Two
of us lay there motionless and help
less. The panther had his choice.
Who can guess what determined il?
some Blessings, sc Least
An English clergyman was visiting
. II