The Iuka vidette. (Iuka, Miss.) 1894-1912, 1894-09-27
ovERJuMPEo BY A LION.
The Man Saved His Lif. and the Beast
Missed a Meal.

/ Missed "A Meal.
"As to grizzly bears" said a Mon
tana man the other evening, as he
lifted his feet peg higher and took
long pull at mis- cigar, las to grizzly
bears, we've got plenty of 'em left in
our country, but unless you are look
ing for them you might travel the
trails and byways for five years and
not get sight of old Ephraim. As big
and savage as they are they avoid man.
kind when it's possible. I've heard
'em moving off in the thicl1ets many a
time as | rode along a wild trail. but in
fifteen years have had a fair sight of
only one, and he was anxious to ge.
away"
"How about the mountain lion?"
"Ah! you've struck quite another
field now he replied. "The mountain
lion of the far west is not a lion at all,
as you probably know, but is the beast
known in the east as the panther.
think, however, the western panther IS
larger and fiercer. At any rate, all
things considered, I'd prefer to face u
grizzly
S'Na hht my
"Yes, just one, and it makes my hair
stand on end to think of it. I'm half
owner of good. big herd of steers, but
/ wouldn't go through that experience
again for a thousand of the fattes+,
juiciest steers ever rounded up
in the cattle country You want
to hear about it, but it's no use to get
out your book and pencil, My expert
ence was very brief, and there are no
names and dates to put down. Look
on the map some day and find Flad
Head lake. Between it and the Rocky
mountains is beautiful valley thirty
miles wide. I've wintered cattle in
there and had them come out as fat as
butter IN the spring"
Eyes, go on"
Zone spring. eight or ten years ago,
| was driving in some 'strays' from the
foothills. When cattle begin to shed
their coats they like to get into timber
and rub themselves. About 10 o'clock
in the forenoon | was riding along an
Indian trail on the slope of hill. 1t
was in the timber, with lots of brush
covering the ground. / saw cattle
tracks on the trail and had no thought
of anything else. My mustang was ON
the walk and ! was taking it easy IN
the saddle. when I was suddenly
jumped out of my boots. Something
screamed in my ear, and out of the
corner of my eye | saw something In
the air. No doubt duclsed, but it was
instinct. In the same breath there was
"a CHI in tho tOf nf 1,,,ch 70
my right and below me, and just as my
mustang started on wild run l made
out what the object was"
"a mountain lion, sir?"
Eyes, and a whopping big one, and
the snarls and growls and screams he
| uttered lifted me in my stirrups. He
| landed in that bush on his back, with
his legs sticking up like posts, but
| don't reckon it took him over five
seconds to turn right side up. He may
have started to follow me, though he
was more apt to stink away, but the
mustang would have given him hard
race. He was wild with fright, and the
way he did smoke along that trail and
get down into the valley would have
made jack rabbit wonder how the
wings were fastened on. As matter
Of fact he wasn't going fast enough foi
me-"
1.-The lion had jumped for youP'
HE had, my boy. l went up anC
figured it out afterward. The bcasf
had crouched on a big rock eighteen
feet above me and about twenty-foul
feet from the trail. Just how close he
came to me can't say, but | am Ger.
tain that he brushed my hat as he
passed over. The duck probably saved
my life. If he had struck me with the
| momentum of such a spring I'd have
been carried out of the saddle into the
bushes. The cuss was lying low for
beef or deer, but when Icame along he
thought he had a better thing. As he
missed me he turned over in the air,
and as | told you he landed wrong side
up. don't know how mountain lions
feel about such things. but I've always
had the idea that this fellow went off
kicking himself over the way he got
left. He had overjumped good dinner
and couldn't blame anybody but him
self."-Detroit Free Press