Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1899-01-06


61g ef0ugh 20 - nome witn, ", Pm
'saw something bounding through e
top Of an oak tree that startled me It
was so big that l thought some fox
must have suddenly become seized
with the power Of climbing trees and
scurrying through the branches 4
was exercising it. wasn't so startlea,
however, that l let the big animal get
away from me. ] fred, and down 1t
came tumbling to the ground.
That's satisfactory said I to my
self. Now, let's see what we've killed
Il took a couple of steps toward the
spot where the game was lying, and
then stopped so suddenly that l almost
fell over backward.
This, said to myself again, isn't
quite so satisfactory, and l guess we
won't see what we've killed, just yet.
"On the lower branch of a tree, just
ahead of me, and between me and the
tree out of which | had shot the ami
NAL that had startled me, lay Wild
cat, the like of which had never seen
before. 1t had evidently been lying
there in wait for its dinner, and per-
haps had its eye on the animal l had
shot. However that might be, the big
Eat now had its eye on me, and l didn't t
like the way that eye glared, either.
At first l thought | would call every
thing square as it was, leave my un-
known dead game for the wildcat to
dine on, and go home without further
investigation. Then 1t seemed to me
that if retreated thus, and told my
adventure when l got home, as l GER
tainly couldn't help doing, would
naturally be looked at somewhat with
suspicion; so resolved to save my
reputation, enlarge my geological
knowledge, and also get the 50 bounty
on that wildcats scalp. l put in big
double charge of squirrel shot and pre-
pared for action.
THE wildcat remained on the limb
crouching as il ready to leap upon me
emitting the low, savage growls OF
snarls peculiar to its kind when en-
ragged. The animal was twenty-five
feet away, but as it is no trick at all
for a wildcat to spring a distance OF
| thirty feet, even on the level, / knew
this one could easily launch itself upon
me If it was so inclined. Consequent
y, did not wait for this possible overt
act on its part, but fred.
'The immense beast leaped straight
up trom-t Linz b-rgE -ttlhe--elh4aFee
struck it, Falling back, it caught with
the long. sharp claws of its forepaws
On the limb again, where it hung
writhing and filling the woods with
Irightful yells. They were so frightful
In fact, that l was almost forced tc
abandon tie field after all and leave
the wildcat to fight it out by itself
lust then, though, blood began to pat
ter down from the wound my shot had
made, and l loaded up to give the ami
NAL another shot. Before l could dc
that, the wildcats hold on the limt
relaxed, and the animal came tumbllna
to the ground. 1t lay still for a sec.
ond, but then, badly wounded as II
was, rose TO its feet and rushed at me
with short, quick bounds. l had nC
time for reflection, but blazed away
again. So fierce was the assault o.
that infuriated wildcat that, although
that last charge filed its heart ant
lungs with shot, 1t did not lessen tn,
velocity Of the assault, and the ANNA
dashed right on, striking me on tn,
breast with its huge. sharp claws
which closed spasmodically on my
clothing as they struck. The fore,
with which the wildcat hurled itsel
against me threw me backward to tn.
ground, and the eat fell square upor
me. But the great brute was dead
had been dead, in fact, before it reach
ed me. craw'ed hastily from undel
the dead animal drenched from heat
to foot with its blood
After recovering as much OF m,
equanimity as I could under the cir
cumstanees. I proceeded TO investigat,
the other thing ! had killed. 1 coulC
scarcely believe my eyes when saw
1t. 1t was a squirrel, true enough, bu
bigger than any three Of the bigees
squirrels l had in my bag, and l hat
some big ones II was as red as a re,
fox and with a brush almost as long
The wildcat measured nearly five fee
"A length and three-foot wildcat is ,
big one"