The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1893-03-11
AN OLD HUNTERS YARN
he HAS AN ADVENTURE WITH
A MOUNTAIN LION.
Lost His Dog and Got Terrible Claw
:ng-A Tragedy That Was Wit
messed While too Far on
to Give Help.

"After all, the wust sort o. critter
out in this Montana kentry," said the
old man az we logged along together
over tho trail out of Missoula, lis
one which tho papers don't seem to
hear Of very often. They print
heap o. stuff about grizzly bars and
rattle snakes, but this here critter
I'm speakin' of Is wuss'n bars and
snakes rolled together. What they
calls the mountain lion, sir. amt no
lion. He's half lion and half panther
with a big sprinkle of gineral cussed.
ness ttrowd in to make him slyer
than a lnjun and uglier than mad
wolf. Cum around on tho other side
of this cayuse and notice that claw
mark. Look at the scars on his
rump! Them was made by a noun
tain lion, and at the same time he
bit through to the bone of my right
arm anG clawed most of the clothes
and hide off n me. II jest starts the
sweat hen / think of it,"
my pard and / planned to hev a
hunt ore day, and soon arter break
fast Jim went up the river and l
down, both hossback and heeled for
bizness. At about 10 o'clock / got
into an old trail between the river
and cb ain o. hills, The trail was
rough and full of turns, and war
jist win4in' around a mass Of rocks
and bushes when wild scroech lifted
me in my stirrups and burned
mountain lion hit on the boss at my
back.
1.-The hoss jumped me outer the
saddle and run Off and my tumble
seemed to skeer the varmint into
maxim off into the bushes. He worked
mighty fast durin' the few seconds he
had. I've got ten claw marks on my
back and side and leg, and the way
he bit into my shoulder would hev
made We think he was uncommon
hungry fur breakfast"
II walked some and crawled some
and finally got home to be laid up for
month";" he replied. 1--WE thought
the hoss would die fur sure, but he
somehow pulled along.
"I'll tell We what l saw With my
own eyes down in Cold Spring Valley,
beyond Emmettsburg," he continued,
as pressed him for another incident.
Thar was party campin' out thar
"a party of about twenty men and
women. can't jist remember whar
they was from, but back in the states
somewhat. They was huntin' and
fishin' and hevin' happy time, and
had been thar ten days when l went
up into the hills west of 'em to look
fur an old claim / had got track of.
..Bimeby / cum on spot whar
could look down and see four or five
of the campers fishin' in creek fur
trout. The highest ones to me was
two young gals. / could see 'em,
plain as day, though / guess they
was q good two miles off. | sot down
on stun to rest and waz kinder
wonderin' il gals had any luck in
tishin', when suddenly seen sight
which made ha'r curl. 1t was one o.
them mountain lions stallxin' the gal
highest to me. He'd crept out
thicket and was skulkin' ford jest
like you've seen cat do. He'd twist
and dodge and shelter himself be-
hind every stone and bush, and she
was a-fishin' away and perhaps singin'
TO herself"
"And you were helplessP"
II was, and you don't know what
an awful fee.in' it gin me. fired my
Winchester as fast as / could pull
trigger, hopin' the reports might be
heard down thar and skeer the var
mint off or bring one of the men to
the rescue, but tho wind was agin me.
/ also yelled at the top of my voice
and waved my hat, but it was no
good. l jest had to stand thar and
see that critter creepin' higher and
higher and know that the gal hadn't
chance in a hundred. Mebbe if
she'd hev turned her face or started,
and walked off or dun sumthin sort
g sudden like the lion would hev
been skecred off, but she didn't.
II saw the beast make two jumps
from behind rock and seize her. /
don't think she even cried out, be-
cause none Of the rest of 'em heard
sound. watched and saw him drag
the body off into thicket and then /
started down. You kin bet thar
was an awful time when 1 got to them
and told what l had seen. We went
to the thicket and routed out the lion
and got the poor gals body. He
hadn't started to eat it yit, perhaps
not bein' very hungry, but he'd
mighty nigh tore the head off in
draggin' it along. He got away afore
we could git shot at him, and
though the men gave me 500 to hunt
him down, I never got sight of him
again. The cunnin' critter probably
'spected what was up and made tracks
for safer locality"