Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1894-02-22
A ThrilI1ng AdyenInre.


for wanting to sse foreign parts induced
me to turn my back on The Land o
Cakes" my footsteps turned towards De-
mersrs, or more properly British Guiana,
in South America. Arrived In the colony,
my natural inquiries turned to the hunt
ing and fishing to be had. The great ia
dustry of this country is sugar making,
and the plantations run for miles along
the banks of the great rivers and along
the coast line, but hardly ever are they
found back from the water front. The
reason of this Is that the land, for several
hundred miles from the coast, is low-lying
slluvisl jungle, subjsct to overflow at any
tine, hence enormous embankments along
the only roads of importancs. The plan
tations generally run back from the water
in long narrow strips. some of them ex
tending os4p into the jungle. The system
of drainage employed necessitates large
canals, or side lines, as they are locally
called, which run the length of the plan
'a:ions on either side, and form q dividing
line between the cane fields and the slmost
impenetrsb!e woods. Across theee csnrl.,
late in the evening, the deer come to eat
the young sugar cane, o. which they de-
stroy quite a quantity, and 1t was at such
place that found myself, with several
others, impatiently waiting for shot.
Oar mode of procedure was to string
along the canal and on the field side of It,
and as the deer crossed over, shoot them
dewn. 1t was not very sportsmanlike,
but It was about the emily way that veni-
son could be got, for to follow the deer
through the tangled MAS of tropical vines
that constitute the rndergrowth of the
woods was out of the question. l had
taken my stand one afternoon at q point
where the overhsngipg limb of an enor-
mons mango tree reached across the canal
and above my head. had laid my rife
down carelessly on the ground to my right.
thinking l would have plenty of time to
move 1t to my left shoulder, from which
shoot, and little thinking how important
this casual action was afterwards to be-
come to me.
AS sunset approached could hear deer
or other animals moving In the jungle, but
as often as they came near where l WAS i
could hear them dssh off as IL in mortal
dread. This was repeated several times,
so concluding that 1 was not sufficiently
concealed, aud that my chances for meat
were slim. and az the darkness would soon
follow the few minutes of twilight of the
tropic, prepared to get up from my un-
comfortable position, prone on my stom-
ach, and to stars for our horses.
At my fret movement 1 was startled by
a low purring growl that seemed to be
right by me. / gszsd intently across the
canal, but could see nothing. Again l
made slight movement, and again the
warning growl sounded to my ears. Up
the canal and down this canal 1 cast care
full glsncss, but nothing was In sight on
the we'll cleaned banks. Suddenly the re-
collection of the limb of the mango tree,
extended above my head, fsehed on my
mind, and carefully turning my head with
out moving my body any more than could
help, I glanced upward. What wss my
horror to gee, almost Immediately over
my head and crouched low down to the
limb. an enormous puma or South Ameri-
can lion, whose fiery eyes were fixed in
tently on me and whose long tail Was jerk
ing backwards and forwards in that spas
modic wsy that indicated that 1t was about
to spring. After a moments thought the
gravity of the position seemed to steady
my nerves, for I can we'll remember, even
after lapse of many yesrs, the train of
thought that flashed across my mind. 1t
was something In this line: Here is .
puma which, ike the Scotchman under
the tree, has come out to get some veni-
son for supper, but owing to the scent
of the puma or the sight of the Scotch
man, the deer have concluded not to eat
any cane at this point of the canal: there
fore the puma, being the hungrier of the
crowd, concludes that the moving mass
under him and partly bid by the cane
leaves, will do instead of venison. Now
my gun is on my wrong side for shooting
| las cannot see we'll With my right eye)
aud besides my position prone on the
ground makes shooting overhead IN im.
possibility. If I move the puma will
| jump; and before I can regain . stand,
4 ing position my neck will be cracked.
| What ia to be donei
All this time Ut seemed an age to mel ]
never removed my eyes from those of the
| puma, and noticed with some s.tisfac-
| ton that he would occasionally close his
Ny determination wss soon takeni Slow.
| ly | commenced to turn on my back, and
one can hardly understand the psin Ii CAV,
me to mako that slow turn, never for
moment tsktrg my eyes of the puma's
Any sudden mov-uent on my part would
have bren Instantly followed by the sprins
OF the varmint In the tree. but at last
was fairly on my back and, as luck woult
have Il, with my rife lying on my shoot
ing side and the muzzle towards my feet