The sun., 1899-02-12
NO DINNER FOR THE HUNTER
YET WILD BEASTS SWARMED nv
LAMPASAS SW1MP.
Joe Donegal Killed Decr-Then Cam.
Along n She Benr, Two Cubs, n Pantb.,

q0d n wild Boar and His Family ma m
ms Glad of n Chance TO Climb n Tr..
LAMrAsAs, Ark. Feb. 7.-Joe Donegal. IN.
most successful hunter in the Ouichita 70.
| gion Of swamp and hills in Arkansas. cop,.
! into Lampasas the other day and told tho ~.
| lowing tato;
I've had hundreds OF battles with bear,
panthcrs, catamounts. wild boars and other
| vnrmnts in my time. but the oldest ono n,
| them all occurred only six weeks ago nft
| my cabin In the hill woods above Lampasoa
| swamp one morning and started out witLout
dog in search OF deer. There is a dcor
! lick about two miles from my cabin and ahout
| mile in the swamp. You know there are Ger.
| tain places only at which such IA swami os
! Lampasas can be entered or crossed one NJ
these places began with a fallen tree. al the
| end Of which there were rows OF small hem.
! locks only few inches above the black mud
and ooze and along this path went TIL | CON
within 100 yards OF the lick, which wa, on "A
little hill or mound among bunch of trecs
Sure enough. l heard deer stamping and
whstlinG. and / knew l would get him.
Creeping up quietly ] soon got sight Of hia
gray hide and let him have II. OF course I
knocked him over and l ran up fast as could
to cut his throat, but didn't do it,
You see, thought when heard the buck
whistle and STAMP that he was calling his doe.
but he wasn't. He was Just stamping with
rage at an old she bear and two.half grown
cubs that were coming along an old dead tree
trunk right for the little hill. no doubt expect.
ing to get a dinner Off the old buck. When
caught sight Of them they were not twenty
yards from the buck. They had all three
stopped when | fred but when / broke
through the brush the old bear gave a snort
and all three started fer me. had either 10
20 back or fight it out with the bears right
there. and | concluded to try them bit any,
how. SO pulled up my rife to fire at the old
she. Before I could pull the trigger n shrill
scream. which knew in second came from
panther. sounded at my left about forty yards
away. The panther gave another scream and
| could hear him as he came down with n
thump and bounded along the dead logs. He
was coming in a hurry too, for almos: before
[ could look around he Jumped from the end Of
an old log right square atop of my buck. He
either didn't see me or didn't care. for as soon
as he landed he faced the bears with his lirs
curled up. showing his worries. and gave an
other yell OF defiance.
THE old bear and her cubs must have been
hungry or they wouldn't have tackled him, for
it's mighty seldom that a bear will fight
panther II he can get out of it. Any way, tho
old bear gave growl and advanced with her
cubs following her. They didn't take long 10
begin hostilites. The panther waited until
the bear was within twenty feet of him. when
he gave spring. intending to light on the
old she's back but the old lady had been there
before. and she Just sprang littlet to one side
as he left the deer's body. Before he could
gather himself together the bear gave him
blow in the ribs which knocked him clean
over on his back and one OF the cubs jumped
on him. That cub had never taken any les
sons in panther lighting. for the old cat Just
gave one rip wth.all four feet and finished him.
The old bear got up to the pair TOO late TO
save her cub and then followed mighty
game fight. They rolled over and over the
bear growing and biting and trying to get q
fair hold OF the panther to squeeze him to
death.while the panther was ripping away with
his fore and hind feet. tearing great strips
of hide at every jerk. At last the bear got the
panther underneath. and that was her biggest
mistake. for the big cat drew In his feet and
gave rip. tearing the old bear from neck to
hindquarters. The old bear was done. The
panther drew his body from beneath the dead
boar and stretched himself to see If any bones
were broken. Then he licked the blood Off
his jaws and looked around Just in time to
see the second cub starting of. That didn't
suit the panther at all. for he gave n scream and
sduatted to jump at the cub. He Jump but
instead OF landing on the cub he lit right: in
front OF the biggest wild boar had seen in
ten years. The boar must have come up while
tho fighting was-going on. for hadn't heard
his approach. just as the panther jumped he
reached up his long snout with eight-inoh
tusks and ripped the cub clean Off the lcg
That was the panther missed the cub
There's lot of difference in the fighting
qualities OF bear and wild boar. and the
panther knew it, He was in pickle. however.
as he would have to either jump over tho boar
and run away and leave the deer and the tEo
dead bears. or fight. If he was thinking he
didn't have time to make up his mind. for the
wild boar didn't stop second, but gave snort
and charged There.was no lodging now. for
the boar. ugly and big as he was was quick
hs lightning. They came together. the claws
teeth and legs of the panther ripping and
tearing at the boars body and back, while the
boar threw his head right and left. up and
down in the fight. plunging his long tusks into
the panther's body at almost every Jerk
could hear the ripping of flesh and the crack
ing of bones for second or two and then up
into the air went the body OF the panther 1t
fell to the ground torn to pieces, and It was
nothing more than strings n minute later,
when the old boar got through with It. Be
fore he finished ripping at the panther's body
two wild sows and about dozen pigs ran
over the log. Joined the old fellow and went to
work tearing to pieces tho bears and deer
Il began to think that it was about time for
me to get away from the place and started as
quietly as possible I.had gone perhaps forty
or fifty feet along the old log which led back
the way had como when | stepped on an old
stick. The snap Of the stick settled tho aues-
tion whether | was to get away peaceably or
not. for the hogs heard the noise and the whole
batch started on the jump to investigate.
Il knew couldn't get away by running and
OF course,'I couldn't fight the lot on an old rot
ten log. so looked around to sec II there was
any way to dodge. About twenty feet distant
on my right there was an old dead cypress
tree and between me and the tree could only
see five or six little bunches OF swamp grass
sticking up above the black mud which was
perhaps forty feet deep. 1t was trust 20 tho
punches OF grass or go under. and concluded
to trust. Ny first Jump landed me fairly on
the first bunch. 1t was pretty sound and
tough the second was also. and so were two
others. so that ! managed to get TO tho old
cypress safe. anyhow. The hogs had followed
alanE tha In. and standL.s. L....,