Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-02-08
FULL OF FIGHT.
a Chectah's Battle with a Pair Of n,s
English Mastif?s

a Chectah's Battle with a Pair of R,s
English Mastif's.
Dore Lawton has spent some time in
the island of Ceylon. 'Speakinp of
cheetahs," he said, 81 want to tell Won
story of a battle between English
mastiffs and a thoroughbred Ceylonese
Icheetah.
mere Is very general impression
tnat the cheetah and the royal Bengal
uger are just about the same thinp.
out TINS isn't SO. The main difference
an them is that the former is not so
oioodthlrsty as the latter. Right down
IN MS heart he is not Il man-eater but
ne can digest that kind of meat when
occasion requires. AS a rule he will
give the human brotherhood a wide
perth. but If you corner him there is no
eetiihg now hard he can fight. Stir
MIN up and he will make the
Iur lily In fast and furious fashion
lie has been known to lie in wait
along the mountain roads for human
prey, but these instances are rare. and
MS manlvorous taste is not very highly
developed There are MANY authentic
statements recorded where cheetahs.
at certain seasons of the year, have
appeared in the mountain VILLAGES
generally seeking the fires which have
oeen lighted for cooking purposes on
the hard earth floors of the rude huts
Then the population migrate. leave
the cheetah to his glory, and report at
the nelghboring village that the ami
mails are working havoc among the
nogs and humans. On one occasion of
TINS kind Capt. Baker, the great orien-
tai sportsman, made an investigation
ON the spot, shot cheetah as it stood
before the fireplace in hut, and made
the discovery that the animal had
sought the warmth because of a pecul-
lar disease of the jaws and teeth. On
examining the mouth of the dead
-caeetah he saw that the gums We're
full of maggots, aad these. when
warmed by the fire. would crawl far
enough ont of the sockets of the teeth
to be reached by the cheetah's claws.
There was 4 coffee planter who
lived near Randy, whose bungalow
was in the mountains. and whose name
was Dawson. He had NUN Der of fine
China pigs, which became the apple of
the cheetah's eye. The feline tribes
man made nightly calls, and the pork
ers were borne off one hy one. At
I'll,
Two English mastiffs, belonging to a
neiThboring planter, were invited over
and placed in the piggery. Dawson,
ms neigh Dor and myself wrapped our
selves in heavy coats, for the nights in
those parts are very chilly. and climbe
into a crows nest, which had been
built in a tree top near by. The early
hours of the night were as dark as
Nsy-fnh hing nd FL
pressiye stiffness being now and then
broken by the cry of some wild
denizen Of the jingle Toward
one o'clock the pale light of the
moon flickered through the cdense
foliage Cooped up in the nest, we
were half asleep. when, with Il cat-lile
=screech, magnificent cbeetah bound
ed over the palings of the Enclosure.
and for an instant crouched TO take
survey OF the situati
''The mastiff closest the outside, and
very near as large as the cat, bounded
at him, and was struck dead with n
single blow from from the cheetah,
which then quietly approached the
pen. The other mastiff. female.
'doubiy enraged at the fate of her
mate, with Il terrific growl fastened
IlcT ldHSS ueep III the throat OF the
cat A red-hot fight followed. With
sscreeches, Kisses and growls the cat
and dog rolled over and over, the
-cheetah making desperate efforts to
break the dogs hold, but it was no go.
The mastiff had come to stay. Daw-
son got down from the nest in
quick order, and with n well-aimed pis-
toll shot sent the cheetah to his last,
long home. The dog was horribly in
iured. it having been literally disem-
boweled by the claws of the great cat.
She was sent by rail to the Marine
hospital ut Colombo, scwcd up and
carefully nursed back to health. The
'cheetah measured seven and one
half feet from the end of his nose
to the tip of his tail. and was about the
largest ever killed in that district.
Il tell you, sir, the cheetah is cat
from away back. No dog is anything
like a match for it in Il fair fight. The
-cheetah is n worthy kinsman of the
bengal tiger, and with the latter ami
NAL no lion is to be compared in
strength. agility. or fighting qualities
Washington Star.
he AM