The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-01-23

gucn Il manner as to render II impos-
sible for any beast to get at the meat
except from two directions, in each of
which would be trap that the thief
must pass over in order to reach The
dead deer.
81 had properly set and concealed The
lighter trap about Is feet to the right
of the bait, and was pressing down lie
spring OF the heavier one on the left
the very trap you're now looking at
when the pole l was using as a lever
broke off and fell into its half-opened
jaws, which, suddenly closed by the
released spring, caught my left arm,
just then bent at right angles, and
drove those terrible spikes through
muscles and tendons to the bone, caus-
ing such exquisite pain that 1 tainted
away.
''Many hours must have passed be-
fore / came to, for when did so it was
dark. The nights are always chilly up
here, and now, in addition to the agony
of my wounds, 1 began to suffer from
cold. But all this was as nothing com
pared with the horror felt at my fear
full po5ition-lying ut full length on
the ground and held fast IN 1OO-poInd
trap secured by strong chain and
staple to a sapling!
ION rejecting that some beast of
prey, probably a grizzly or cinnamon
bear, had eaten the bait from this same
trap not long before, l felt convinced
that he would come back FOR more, and
that I, not the more conveniently
placed deer, would furnish his next
meal. half deliriously wondered how
the brute would begin on me; whether
l even specialized as to how he would
enjoy such an unusual feast!
1.-The horrors of that awful night are
utterly beyond my powers of descrjp-
ton. Minutes seemed hours, and hours
weeks. To my tortured fancy, The
swaying trees became monstrous wild
beasts, thirsting for my blood, and the
swapping of wind-swept twigs the
crunching of my bones. Yet, strange
to say, no unfriendly creature came
near me.
"When morning came, and the sun
had climbed high in cloudless Sky,
it's fierce rays beat down upon me and
added to my sutferings that most in
tolerable one of ala raging thirst.
For a single draught of water from
the spring so near at hand and yet, TO
me, so impossible of access, | would
have given all possessed in the world.
SLOWLY, oh, so slowly, in my unutter-
able anguish, the day wore on, and
soon would close down on another night
of terror. In that lonely gulch, scores
of miles from any human habitation
there was no hope of rescue. Why
prolong my agony? l determined &c
end it. Surely such a resolve could
not be sinful, since, either from raven
Gus beasts or exhaustion, if not from
cold, ! must inevitably perish before
next morning. My rifle stood against
q bush, which l could reach by drag
ging the trap to the length of its chain
in half circle, and this l did, but
tainted again from excessive pain as
| touched the gun.
"When | revived, the sun was low
but my resolve was mistaken. There
zine. 1 threw one up into the chamber
and set the hammer at full cock. ]
would place the muzzle to my forehead
pull the trigger with my moccasined
toe and so end my sufferings. Still
hesitated. First | must pray that my
sin, if such it were, might be forgiven
and that my son might never know
that had taken my own life.
"While revolving this thought, ]
heard rustling in the brush at my
back, and next moment a big buck
closely followed by the largest noun
| tain lion, or puma, l have ever seen,
darted past me. The great cat sprang
at the deer just as the latter leaped
over and clear of the set trap, alighting
on the terrified creatures launches,
but could not maintain its hold. The
| powerful buck shook him off right on
! top of the trap, and he was caught by
one of his hind legs.
"At this, the astonished brute
screeched and yelled in frantic rage,
as he thrashed around in his efforts to
escape; but, like the one holding me,
the trap was chained to a tree, and,
soon giving up, the cowardly beast
laid himself down, whining and mcSn-
ing like whipped cur.
"Admonished by my own sutferings,
ought, perhaps, to have pitied the I'M
fortunate creature and put him out
of misery by merciful rifie-shot. But,
cruel as it may seem, l felt sort of
comfort in having a companion in mis-
fortune. This startling incident re-
stored my senses and banished all
thoughts of self-destruction. l would
manfully await death, in whatever
shape it might come, and would pro-
long my life to the last possible mo-
ment.
wholly engrossed by his own tor
lures, the lion had not yet seen me, but
soon his sense of smell detected my pres
cnce, and, rising on three legs, he gazcd
at me with evident fear. Then he tried
10 sink into the brush; but the chained
trap prevented, and the pain caused by
his abortive movements reused him
again to such furious anger that,
screaming in frenzied rage, he dashed
blindly toward me. 1t was useless. He
could not reach me- and so sank to the