The Opelousas courier., 1899-02-11

after a brief rest, and went on unit
1t was such a path as could be made
by cows or sheep, going to and from
a watering place, and I was going
along, paying very little attention tc
it, when CarlinGs, who vas in the lead,
suddenly stopped and muttered: '"Tha1
is very strange"
I looked over his shoulder, and there
in the yellow sand was the barefoot
track Of q man. We easily traced II
along the trail for several hundred
yards, and then it suddenly disappear
ed, as though the owner Of the track
had turned off into the THICK under
growth. We both followed it up 70
the point, and then missing 1t, Cooked
at one another and said again: THAT
is very strange!"
And then we both laughed, 9nd Car
limos said: but it might have been
some herdsman looking for a stray
cow or sheep"
But l noticed that Carli-os looked
after his cartridges a little more close
iy, and held his gun in 4 position to
use, if necessary. And just her the
cliff that Ferrara had described came
into view, about a hundred yards
away, and we turned off from the path
toward this place in which the panther
had been SO often seen.
Scarcely had we started in that Gil
rnotio,, 1rI,o,, WA ror ctar{IoI hr, +1,o
long, fierce scream of the panther it.
self. AS nearly as we could judge it
was at that very moment at the base
of the cliff. We stopped involuntarily
at the sound, and then went stealing
down the slope, with eyes watchful
and nerves stretched to the utmost.
Yet we went on and on without seeing
it, and suddenly found ourselves al
most at the base of the cliff, which had
been hidden by the thick and tangled
brush through which we had passed.
Then we stopped and looked around,
peering here and there through the
bushes. 1t was easy to see the spot of
ground On which we stood had been
the haunt of some wild animal, for all
about us bones lay bleaching on the
ground. But nothing was to be seen.
The face Of the cliff, up to a height of
twelve or fifteen feet, was covered
with the matted tendrils Of a dead
vine, apparently. 1t suddenly occurr-
ed to me that the panther's den might
be back under the cliff, hidden by the
vino and / u-aS nhnl1f 70 INVESTIGATE
when just behind us, not ten feet
away, sounded the horrible scream Of
the panther.
Both Of US whirled, and Carlinos
stepped back a little. In a moment OF
confusion 1 failed to notice him, but in
an instant he gave a heart-rending cry:
Help! help! quick, the tree! The man.
eating tree"
Never will l forget that cry, nor the
sight that met my eyes. In stepping
back he had stumbled against the dead
vine, as I had thought it. And then in
a moment every tendril had become III
stinct with life, and was twisting and
writhing about him with the most hor-
ribly snake-like motions, matted
around his body and legs, holding his
tight, and drawn across his face
and clasped about his throat. Already
when | looked about he was helpless.
the single moment while l
stood there looking at him motionless
With horror, his face had begun to turn
And then all at once I recovered M.
self a little, and snatching my hunting
Knife from my belt began cutting and
at the horrible, writing ten
lrils in the effort to cut their victim
Dose.
But before 1 had made three strokes
something caught my arm an. ir.r.
hen something crawled swiftly about
ny neck, and then there were others
|round my hands, owe my head, and
leld, while wherever the snaky mon-
tiers touched went fierce pains, as
hough my flesh were being torn from
ny body. l felt my consciousness Slip
ling away; but as it was going sud-
the dark face of Ferrara peered
ut from the bushes in front Of me.
nd he cried out with hooking laugh
err:
II hope you enjoy yourselves, senors.
panther is not far away, believe
ne! Only wait for him until he comes.
Idios! Adios!"
The shock Of anger reused me a little
the midst of my racking torture,
nd l saw Ferrara turn to go away,
ut all at once amid the chorus of NAL
dictions, a dozen hands seized him
pinned. him down, and we were
urrounded by a crowd of laborers
the plantation. With long knives
hey cut and hacked at the limbs that
ere sucLing the blood from our veins,
in a few moments they had us
rec. How they got us home 1 never
new. 1t was not until the next day
hat l recovered consciousness, and
7as unable to turn over in my bed
ven, for two weeks. The excavations /
n my hands and face left painful
which were a long time in
ealing. and which made dreadful {
cars. These have all gone, however,
kept the n OF my neck, which re- c
embles the scar left by a centipede. ?
AS for Carlinos, he lay as if dead
several days, and there were 5
mes when he was pronounced really I
cad: Then he went off into fever {
delirium, and it seemed that he U
ould not possibly recover. After a P
lille, though, he did struggle back =
ITO life, but his health was wrecked, q
nd he was never again able to walk L
5 much as a hundred yards. .
How did we happen to be rescued? 4