The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1900-11-08
THE BLIND ouAoIR'

T.O o. iltee inches oi stes had isus
sna the sir seemed soIt sed htssy, |"
dots before . siofn. We dtiefEiaei
BiiliEs the isFofsbie weather Tor the ~
lag oi cor .inter NEST Therefore,
shoot sunrise. my psr,nr, Carts. OF
lntlsn helper Pete Dsbss, sni myse
eel npi from oar shack 10 nste eireu
Of the nssrsr bills.
10 1875 ihis rough Black Hills eoanir
sbOupded 10 big gsme elk. deer. sheer
grizzlies, blsch bears snd moubtsin loot
Ga thai November day. ope O'Clock or
little later. | bad Killed aud bopg up lou
blsctlsils aud o6e GOTTEN huek, Tier, Il
close pnunlt ole wounded doe among
rough ton BILE Of rock ledsss, 9 serious q
cidsEt btirll ne, Ho. upon The Trail.
ss pushing through 80 updersiostb o
cedar. when buni from cove upon pr
cipllo1s slope and fyll hesdlopg. dropI
ed my gun upoa The snow, aud srssped IL
vsio at bnsh and boulder TO stay my dosf
ssrd aisbt. pitched down 80 incline
rolled over aud over. ADD dropped ca tbs
tim OF ledge some fifteen or twenty feel
10 height,
For some time lay psrsly yzsd. physicsI
ly. by the shock Of my fall. My face lay
90 ihe edge Of narrow shelf OF rock aod
ooe OF my arms oserhupg 1t. bad no
poser to retire from this perilous posi-
tion. yet with a curious sense Of helpless
iodI Iaereace | looked down into 9 black
and dismal gully which knew well vas
the hidden csnon," 50 We named 1t OF
Spring Greek.
II vas from twelve to twenty feet in
width. huge split between two misses OF
rock, II must have been nearly one bun
dred feet TO the bottom, and snsll
stream iesped aud tumb bled through the
boulder filled channel.
So narrow was the cleft where | lsy
that sn sciive man could have lesped it
At . running jump. On the opposite side
vas msss OF rocks rounding oil to The
left, snd below this rough, narrow slope
along the rim Of the notch,
poor place 10 look for deer, was my
thought and there was liltls likelihood Of
my hunting companions hoding me soon.
unless | could send my shouts to their
ssrs. But as yet / bad DO voice for
At the end oil half al hour The
paralysis OF my nerves bed partially sbst
ID, snd | succeeded 10 rolling over and
gaining q reclining posture against the
edge. In doing so / discovered that my
light sh julder was dislocsted, and that
Two OF my ribs we're cracked. /
ound ihst / was upon q shelf OF rock
ONE thirty feet in length, and not more
han seven or eight 10 width,
Sill nothing seemed to matter greatly,
nd when presently . gust OF wind whirl
d by the great festhery fakes began
ropping spirallv into the notch. felt .
sthsrgic sense OF indifference. 4
From this hszy condition ! was reused
y seeing q great reddish-yellow beast
ONE ont Of cleft 10 the rocks Just across
be narrow canon. II was . "mountsin
on OF great size. and it paused upon the
ope with upliited head and pricked ears,
ppsrently listening and looking away
ward the higher ground.
Now, Tor the first time since | had fall
!, felt thrill OF fear. II the big cat
ere hungry, how easily II might leap the 4.
ally and devour me where / lsyl Most
rvently hoped the creature might trot :
way beyond the rocks.
But the lion turned its head and seemed !,
be looking directly at me. II walked
down TO the edge OF the cleft, :
ID for an instant though. my time had
me.
Still the snimsl showed no sign OF hsv =
9 seen me. On The contrary, 1t turned .
Imedislely to one side, and began trott :
8 back and forth 10 front OF its l,i-. II =
,veled over beat OF some forty yards :
more. wheeling with precision at the = =
me point In each turn, and going over :.
path each time With precisely the same "
,vement sbrifilug, gliding trot. 1t h,
Us passed snd repassed within ten or ar
elve yards Of where / lay. And now. m
lb awakened faculties, discovered that N
i big male hon was blind. Instead OF =,
, yellos.ereeu balls With cruel slits -
'rs we're two prominent grsyish.whit ,b
ks under Its half closed lids. se
1t Was blind cougar cot for exercise. hs
rely, With the notch between us there bl
1l1 be little dsnger from this unfortun le
besttl Fsciasted. curious. and for ho
ting my helpless condition. | watched de
lithr, powerful. enormous cat prone no
ling bis beta path which ne had
ab,less irodden many thousand times. tt
u 90 many back ever the same line 90
one point be avoided projecting up
1lder, st another psssed round q brok ed
cedsr splins. He swung himself back
forth With lte regularity Of a pendn Pc
0 stroke. tu,
ierr, despite bis isfrmiiy. was no Gag be
hsmpsfei and fod-beatep creature Of 10,
meDsserie. BY some means, the
ID lion hsd been veil rept. His red. clo
low coat vss sleek and handsome, and As,
greet muscles moved and slided over III,
b olher like wel.oilei parts Of perfect sbt
,hipery. He dropped bis lover js~ tw,
! sod ther, aud once gave mighty Il.
10, displaying rows OF isnss which ips
ut bsve rent the skin Of sn sllisslor. an,
,e only be hsltei upon The stone 10 as.