Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-08-10
A MIGHTY HUNTRESS
The Only Woman VINO Has Pene raleo
the Guiana jungle.

the Guiana jungle.
| there passed through New IOrh tee
other gay, en- route TO her home Ia Cir
| clnnau, an ATTRACTIVE LOOKING young
woman with trunkfuI OF trophies Vt
her ability as hunter or Dig same
Three tenante1 cages also bore CeSl,-
| mony TO her prowesS as a hunlreSs.
The Vile OF thomas Lindsey, aiming
engineer, her STEADY ann has won ner
honor as a rifle snot in the contests in
which she has participated unaer The
pSeudonym OF Wanda" and now she
mas the added honor OF being the first
white woman to penetrate the Guiana
jungle. a leopard skin, the Jusks,
paws, and brushes of other big game
and the skins OF snakes which sic has
Drought home tell a story in them
selves. The live trophies she has are
young ape, a still younger slotn, and
wild parrot. How Mrs. Lindsey be-
came hunter of big game is thus told
by herself:
In Surinam, Dutch Guiana, you
must know, if an indian or a bush
niger promenades through sunshine
clad in handkerchief and a shoe
string people would not even turn their
heads to regard the curiosity, but the
idea that white woman should enter
the jungle made them throw up their
hands in holy horror. However, I
went. A mulatto woman was my spe-
cial attendant. A few of us embarked
in a steam launch. The so negroes of
the expedition were left to follow in
canoes and mining boats in charge of
a native foreman.
Il started out one morning to set
some fresh meat for dinner. We
hadn't tasted anything except canned
corned beef for two weeks, and l was
ready to take the first thing that Of
fered itself. | had tip-toed along a
trail for over mile without seeing
anything, when suddenly from directly
overhead a dried twig landed at my
feet. | looked up. The tree was an
immense one, big enough to conceal a
dozen droves of monkeys. l got a
glimpse of a large brown body, how
ever, high on an upper limb, and just
then familiar grunt told me the fell
low was a baboon. Not daring TO
move for fear of noise, tried the diff
ficult shot of aiming straight up.
There was howl of pain and crash
ing of boughs and limbs that warned
me to jump from under. But the fell
low caught himself even as he fell, and
before could relocate him heard him
off like a streak. From limb to limb
and tree to tree he swung himself,
scooting along vines and bush rope
like a scared cat.
"Foolishly left the narrow trail and
followed wherever the big fellow over
head led the way. I soon saw he had
the best of me in speed, therefore I
followed stealthily, under cover, guild
ed only by an occasional grunt and by
the bending and rustling of the limbs
on which he swung. Then it dawned
on me that I was lost. | was on the
point of giving up the chase when I
saw the baboon had descended to the
ground not a hundred yards ahead.
That was encouraging, for it proved
that he was fatally wounded and was
fast failing. / fastened forward under
cover to get a final shot at the big
chap. A fallen tree trunk lay beween
us within 80 yards of the wounded ape.
STOPPING, I was able to draw steadily
closer without being observed. Then
quickly, with my gun ready, | stepped
over the trunk for an instant's aim.
But 1 did not shoot. Despite my eX-
element my eyes were drawn, down.
ward behind me. There lay a splendid
leopard within yard of me. | had
often been assured that no leopard will
attack a human creature without SER
ious provocation, but the surprise Of
that awful animal so close wrung a cry
of terror out of me-
"The leopard, however, remained
mctionless, with not even a sign Of
surprise, but instinctively I wheeled
about, and, pol1ing the muzzle Of ny
gun almost into his eye, fired. That
is why the skin I showed you is some
what spotted The report of my gun,
following so closely on my cry of
fright, brought Mr.. Lindsey to my side
in minute, for-and by this Won may
get an idea of the density of that jun
gle-without knowing it I had been led
actually within 40 yards of our camp"
CONC nE, MERHnDv