The Opelousas courier., 1900-05-12

my neck, and with all his strength en-
deavored to force me to him, gripping
my waist at the same time with his
powerful hand-like feet.
With Jacko clinging to me I fell
heavily to the deck. For some mo-
ments we lay there painting, but mo-
tionless. His strength was such that
my arms fairly ached with the effort to
keep his formidable jaws from ME as
I lay there watching his hideous face
and teeth. His nails dug deep into
my neck; his teeth gave vicious snaps
in the air; [ could hear his breath
forcing its way through his throat,
which ] had tried to grip as I held on
to the skin around it. We must have
lain there some three or four minutes
when Jacko suddenly threw himself
back ward, wrenched his throat from
my hand, and leaped upon the capstan
to consider the next round.
Without giving me time to rise, how
ever. he sprang at me again and seized
my left arm with his hands and teeth.
Usu ally when q monkey bites he
gives a quick snap, and springs away
frigh tened at his deed, for the average
simian is an arrant coward. Jacko,
however, departed from this custom,
for he buried his teeth deep in nv
left forearm and, with the tenacity of
a bulldog, kept them there.
I beat his face with my free hand
and banged his head ON the deck, but
all to no purpose. I had no waistcoat
or jacket on, and my shirt sleeves
were rolled up, so that he had the
bare flesh to work upon. / staggered
with him to my feet, and actually car
rid him to the hatch where, forcing
him upon his back, I beat his body
frantically with my free fist. So close,
however, did he cling to me with his
feet that my blows told with little ef-
feet.
Seeing this, I raised the big ape be-
fore me, and holding my left arm with
my right hand, rushed toward the cap
stan, and with all the weight of nv
body behind the blow crushed his
head against its iron rim. Then,
though apparently not in the least
stunned, Jacko let go and ran a little
distance from me.
Jacko, standing upon the capstan-
where he had jumped after letting go
my arm-seemed for a oment to pom
der the situation. Then, Judging from
his subsequent actions, he appeared
to have resolved to aboard me from
behind" First he sprang from the
capstan to the hatch; then, swift as
lightning, he turned and leaped back
agatha leap of some IA feet from a
hatch ct least two feet lower than the
itself. From the capstan he
jumped to the main t~iferail, thence
across the deck TO the lee rigging and,
back to the capstan again.
I followed his every movement, de-
not TO let him get behind
me. Apparently perceiving this, the
ape changed his tactics. lie came
leisurely down from the capstan and
crawled slowly and deliberately along
the deck towards me, until at length
he stopped within a fathom's length
Of my feet.
Then he bounded upward and again
landed fairly upon me. He gripped
my throat in amanner that was almost
human in style and intention. He
his strong hind legs around
my waist, and made a vicious snap at
my face with his awful jaws. I ducked
oy head, barely in time to saye my
features, and his teeth snapped in my
hair, some of which was torn out.
Fearful for my face. I put up my right
aand to grasp his throat, my left arm
by this time become some what
aumbed from the effects Of his savage
My hand strayed, however, an
lodged it, and it went between his
eeth. He bit cruelty, and one of his
nolars went clean through, o opening a
rein from which the blood rom menced
spout in an alarming manner.
The fight now became a wrestling
while no other sound came
from either of us save the hiss of our
breath and the patter of my
raTr5sat. We struggled frantically
o and no upon the deck. The blood
'poutinaRf from my hand spread over
Iacko'a Hairy head, neck and face,
he B ZANE a CHASTITY sight. [
myself Sgrowing weaker from the
oss of blera, while my powerful enemy
lppeareh to be growing rapidly
itrongel. We staggered against the
main feerail. With my growing weak
less fear came upon me-fear OF the
lorriblas Disbursement my features
would forever. show should I become
90 weak to keep the apes jaws from
IF my face.
Now the fferail was studded with
ron Delaying pins, placed there for
he purpose of Delaying the crossiack
traces. One of these, luckily, was
rec. / put up my left arm and with
t forced Jacko's head against the
wooden rail; then Selling the iron be.
aging pin with my free hand, I raised
7 aloft and brought it down upon
'acko's brow with all the strength /
ould muster.
The second mate, wondering why 7
not returned to report upon the
ide lights. and thinking I had prob
bly, eat down somewhere and gone to
leep, came down the poop ladder
with him one of the poop
tuckets; these, by the way, were al.
rays kept hung up at the fore part of
he poop, and in hotweather were ke3t
lied with water to prevent the wood
becoming too dry. It was the
late's unkind intention to rouse me
. the time-honored fashion by drench- /
lg me with its contents. Creeping
koalfhiln nlo,a - -