El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-13

SWINGING THE BURNING COAT.
theirs, and the dreaded mountain lion
had been a number of times seen
prowling about some. of the grading
camps.
! One of these animals, a large old
male, had for two or three months past
been giving the graders much trouble
and uneaSinesS, hanging around their
camps, waiting and watching for the
coveted opportunity to leap down upon
some unsuspecting man or mule. n
number of futile shots had been taken
at him and once a trap set for his
benefit had come near doing its work.
AS it was the willy beast tore itself
free at the cost of a portion of one of
its great paws.
1 had about made up my mind, when
the forbidding canyon doomed in sight,
to go no farther, but to gather
Quantity of wood, strike fire and re-
main by it until morning. At this mo-
Iment a slight noise in the direction OF
the cut, a noise as of small stones and
gravel rolling down declivity, star
tiled me violently. L halted suddenly
and peered nervously along the big
road. At first L could see nothing.
Then, looking long and steadily,
dark object in the road, mere shadow
at the distance, seemed to move.
Gould it be only shadow cast from
some elevated rock or cliff point which
my imagination had conjured into
something terrible? 1t required only
the fraction of a second longer to de-
eide the question. 1t was the long,
dark body of some kind of animal,
some monster of the mountains, and it
was coming toward me. l could see it
now distinctly in the moonlit road.
My first thought was to turn and run
for life, but L reflected that if did SO.
If turned my back to retreat, the ter
rible creature would instantly chase
me.
1 walked backward several steps, all
the time looking straight at the lion,
for such it proved to be-a mountain
lion.
The cunning beast was out for his
supper evidently and was not disposed
to allow me to walk away from him,
for he at once quickened his steps.
Then it was put on a bold front, sum-
moned all the courage 1 could COM
mand and made a desperate effort to
frighten the animal away. l ran
toward it, swinging the club threaten
tngly and screaming and yelling fran
tically at every jump.
| l hoped to see the ugly thing tuck
tits tail between its legs and be off, but
lit did nothing of the kind, and l came
near precipitating a combat that could
have had but one ending-a fatal one to
me. The beast merely crouched as for
IA powerful spring, it's great, fierce eyes
fairly dancing in its head the closer
came.
There was no chance now to retreat.
1 was within 80 feet of the foe and
expected at every breath to be pounced
upon and torn to pieces.
/ For a wonder, my wits did not leave
me. In fact, l don't believe l realized
the fullness Of my danger. L snatched
the coat from my back and hurriedly
struck a match and set it on fire.
Being Of light material, it famed up
readily. Swinging the burning coat,
ran at the lion again, yelling and
screaming as before.
This act saved me. With a savage
growl or snarl the beast bounded off
up the road for so yards or more and
stopped.
The coat soon burned out and left me
In practically the same condition as at
first sight Of the lion.
l took on another garment, a shirt,