The morning news., 1897-08-22
BURIED BENEATH LEAVES.
A Sleeping Guides Adventure with
a Panther
From the Buffalo Express.

iOul the BuudiO Express.
This is the way Sam Vanatter tells it:
Sam il an Adirondack guide who now car
ries pack and rows a skiff in the Beaver
river territory. He is middle-aged, good
fisherman, an excellent shot with a rife
and a surprising story-teller. His only
fault seems to be an inability TO lie. This
fact makes him distinctive from all other
Adirondack guides. Here is a panther
story told by him:
"In the fail of 1880 l was living with an
other guide over near Elliotts camp on
Beaver river. l had fished there all sum-
mer and was staying on till December to
get few deer. l got a letter at Beaver
station one day saying that my father
was dangerously i'll and telling me to get
home as fast as I could My parents lived
in Lowville, which is on the western bor-
der of the North Woods and fifty miles
from the camp where l was staying.
1t was a long journey overland with
no trail to make il comfortable. The river
ran along beside the route for ten miles,
but it wouldn't do any good to row that
far and carry the boat the rest of the
way. / started afoot just at dusk one
night about oct 10, | guess All carried
was a small pack with a blanket. cook
ing outfit. and few things to eat in it,
] took 4-caliber rife along to use in
case of trouble.
1.-The night was a perfect one. The
moon was out from o'clock till daylight
and l made good time. / went through
the Fifth mountain pass and had climbed
over saltwater mountain when daylight
began to appear. Along Twtchell creek
for a few miles there used to be sort
Of path and ] struck this just at daylight
and followed along It til about o'clock.
| had figured that by starting on my trip
in the evening | could reach Lowville
early the next night. Wen. when Q o'clock
arrived l was tired.
Climbing over fallen trees and jumping
over rocks and creeping beneath shrub
berry is no cinch, you'll find out IL you do
II all night. / came across a moss-patch
and / thought Ia lay down and sleep for
perhaps two hours That little time
wouldn't delay me much.
Il don't know how long I had been
asleep, bat certainly rot long. Anyhow.
was slowly awakened by a breathing on
my face. ! didn't need prophet TO tell
me what was alongside mo. | shivered a
minute and then braced myself for the
worst big snout snuifed all along my
body and the breath out OF IL nearly blew
me away. II turned my feet over and
let them fall as IL / were dead. The
big tongue licked my cheek gently. 1t
didn't draw much blood
"Of course all this wasn't very pleas
ant. panther had smelled my tracks
and had followed till it came 10 me. /
opened my eyes just a little and looked.
| shivered like leaf. N ! had been on
a hiu ] could have shivered down a.
never saw so big panthers head IN my
life II was as bips as q tobacco pail, and
the claws I got one squint az them and
then shut my eyes and prayed The pam
ther itself seemed as long as a twenty
foot pine and II was built like Muldoon.
II stood beside me apparently wonder
Ing " IL better take a hunk OF me for
breakfast or not Ny gun lay beside me
an loaded. / thought OF grabbing it
Jumping up quickly and taking n chance
OF killing the beast. But good sense ruled
me and iay sti N / had made one
move that panther would probably have
struck me once with its claw and torn
mo apart. ! could feel my hair twist
around and shivers dance iigs along my
back.
Pretty soon the panther paved up
10, of dry leaves and moss ANA put them
on me. First " covered ms feet and lower
once his face bumped hard on mine and
Z thought my skull was fractured when |
b haa covered me so no one could tell
what was N nmbled away. I had riarp. |
"a mY hands - hard thar the nails had |
rut into the flesh J wanted 30 jump up
and run. buf ] di1nf know but fhe pan.
thor Waa watching noe, Hg kopf Still My
lirl Naf tHlf Do wasn't very hungry and
hl1 r0Ffrl1 mf ur. Intending f0 come
bark in lifiif while to euf me.
~ must have been fllly nfiosn minutes