The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-08-15

CowardIy Mountain Lion.
"There is good deal of humbug in
these stories about the Colorado noun
tain lion, 2" said Sam Van Horn of West
Las Animas yesterday. @ read yester-
day story about lion which two men
found had got into their cabin through an
openSwindow, and knocked zone of them
down in jumping out when surprised by
their return. Now up to that point the
story is all right for the Colorado puma
Is as big thief az there Is in the animal
kingdom, but when the story goes on to
say that after knocking one man down it
sprang at the other and shook him by his
coat, sdon't believe a word of it, for
the beast is the most cowardly of all the
cat family of Colorado. I would a hun
dred times prefer to meet mountain
lion than one of the bobtailed cats that
We havo down along the Arkansas river.
don't mean to say that the puma won't
fight, but before doing so it has to be
cornered. If the track is clear, it will
always run from man. Some animals
will fight when surprised, but never
knew puma to- do so. They will always
get away if they have clear course. But
when they do have fight in order to get
away they are ugly customers, can tell
you. They make one charge with teeth
and claws and are gone in flash, but
they can do horrible damage in passing
over one.
dor In, MID 81 Ha
canons of the Purgatoire river I saw
small herd Of cattle rushing wildly down
the canon. The herd parted as they came
up to me, and in front and not twenty
feet distant was puma which had been
in hot pursuit until ] appeared on the
scene. The puma is fond of horsefesh
and horses stand in mortal terror of
them. My horse shivered with fear. and
the beast after standing for an instant
perfectly still turned and went up the
sides of the canon in great bounds, only,
stopping when it had reached rocky
movements with safety. One day a
tramp who had been in my camp two or
three days started for Trinidad from
Purgatoire river. Instead of taking the
plain river road he went across the
toughest country in creation, disregard
ing our advice. for we expected nothing
but that we would have to search for him
or take the responsibility of his death.
He left early In the morning, and soon
after noon, when we were all enjoying
our after-dinner nap, he came in with a
rush that brought every one to his feet i'll
an instant. The FELLOW was breathless
with running, and as soon as he could
recover his speesh told US that he had
lost his bearings in the canons, wandered
In circle, and a short time before had
tumbled upon the big spring where we
got our water. Recognizing the locality,
he stoprc ! to drink, and as he did so. he
saw reflected in the pool the figure of a
mountain lion as big as cow. He didn't
wait to investigate, and broke ths record
as he came down to the camp. Of course
We laughed at him, and affected not to
believe that he had seen anything bigger
thar jaok-rabbit, but he stuck to his
story, and finally asserted that there was
not man in the camp thai dared go up
to investigate. This could not be per.
mitted to pass, and at once seized the
buckets and started. The spring was a
quarter of mile away, and long before
I reached there I had forgotten all about
mountain lions. You can judge my
surprise, as bending over to I'LL my
bucket saw in the pool the reflection of
large puma with the water dripping
from his muzzle. 1 will not say that
was frightened, but the beast was as bad
ly frightened as I, for as I raised up my
head. threw up my arms, and uttered q
yell like one of Gov. Brush cattle yells
the animal whirled, sprang fully twenty
feet at the first jump, and disappeared in
an instant In twenty years in the
mountains I have never come suddenly
upon a mountain lion that did not get
away rapidly as possible. denver
Republican.