Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-12-31
AN AFTERNOON NAP
A Panther's Surprise When He Found His
Victim Coma .

Panthers Surprise When He Found His
Victim Gone. :
The colonel had gone off up the noun.
tain for the afternoon, taking Joe with
him, and after clcaning my rife I lay
down In the shade of a tree for a smoke.
had no idea of FILLING asleep, nor did
know when the pire fell from my mouth.
1t was warm, quiet day, with n signing
of the wind among the pines, and the last
I remember was listening to the pecul-
inr notes OF n bird in the woods behind
me. All OF sudden was awake again
after sleeping for about ten minutes.
did not start up for my eyes were yet
heavy, and 1 also aud the feeling that
some danger menaced. My heart was
beating much faster than usual, there was
n weakness in the knees, and my throat
was contracted-the same sensations
which come to n man wide awake and on
his feet when he suddenly meets danger.
The first thing heard was the bird still
singing, the next a catlike purring in my
ear and the step of some animal close be-
side me. In single instant realized
that tho purring came from q panther
which had skulked upon mo from tho
woods, and in my fright I opened my
eyes. 1t was lucky for me that the beast
had his head down to snuff at my hand
instead of watching my face. saw the
top of his head and shoulders and knew
that it was panther sure enough, and
then closed my eyes and determined to
play dead until forced to act other
wise. Had the beast been hungry he
would have leaped upon me at once. Had
he not been in good temper and curious
minded h. would not have saluted me
with that purring. just rs my eyes closed
he put one paw on my breast and moved
me and uttered n low. growl, and I felt
that his eyes wero closely watching for
any signs of life. When he began purriny
again, judged that heewas satisfied that
1 was dead. He stepped over me three or
four times, shifted ut my head, hands and
feet, and twice the 'whiskers'' on his
nose tickled my check until was on the
point of lifting my hand to rub
The panther consumed fully ten min
utes in his investigation ana 1 was get
ting terribly nervous under the strain
when he suddenly seized me by the right
shoulder and began dragging me along
the ground. / had on light hunting
Jacket but u was punched upon the shout
der, and his teeth did not touch tho flesh
Although weighed $50 pounds, he drag
ged me along with the greatest ease for q
distance of 200 feet. He dropped me ut q
spot where the ground was covered with
leaves and twigs and pine cones, and for
TWO OF Ils ARatu Enlue0 at
me as If to make sure that he was not do
ceived. While believed that he had drag.
ged me into the woods with intent to be.
gin his dinner sooner or later. I was de-
termined to play my part until felt his
teeth in my flesh. He kept mo in doubt
for awhile, evidently being undecided
what course to pursue, but finally and to
my glad relief began the work of cover
ing me up. He did not lift twigs or
branches in his mouth, but used both fore
and hind paws TO throw them over me
The soil at that spot was soft and damp,
and he dug into it exactly as you have
seen n dog dig for n rabbit.
Tho panther may have worked 90 min
utes, but no accomplished what he set out
to do and more than you would think he
could. When he got through, was fair
ly hidden under the dirt and leaves he
had scratched up. He walked round and
round me, as II inspecting his work, some
times purring and sometimes growing,
and at last trotted off into tho forest. I
could af-his footballs for some time, and
suspccting that be might sneak back to
watch me / lay quiet for quarter of an
hour after hearing the last of him. Then
/ sprang up and rushed for camp, and the
fist feeling of relief came rs / got my
rife in my hands.
Believing that the beast would come
back within n couple of hours, returned
TO the spot where he had buried me and
kicked the leaves into n gravelike mound.
Thirty feet to tie west was n tree which
the wind had uprooted, and got down
into the hole and prepared to wait and
avengc myself. II was n male panther,
and big one, too, who had adventurcd
with me, and when he left me 1t was TO
bring his mate. He probably did not
have far to go, rs had not been waiting
over half an hour when tho pair showed
up. Tho female was lank and lean and
in savage temper. The male was leading
as they came through the woods, but he
halted beside n small cedar 40 feet from
where he had left my body and calamity
permitted her the honor of tho first ut
tack.
The female crouched down, fastened her
blazing eyes on the mound for few sec
onds and then covered the distance at two
bounds. She alighted on the mound with
feet spread out and claws unsheated, and
the scream she uttered made my hair
stand up. intended to shoot the male,
who offered beautiful mark, but in this
design l was baffled by his agility. As
the female alightcd she realized that some
sort of deception had been practiced and
uttered n peculiar cry. / had my rifle at
my face, but even while l was pressing
the trigger tho male vanished from sight,
and when 1 looked for his mate she seem
ed to have been swallowed up by the earth.
ing on the hillside, but my opportunity
for getting even had vanished forever.
NJ QUAD