The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1900-12-15
S1!Qe|> Blind Cougar.
'fFRANKLIN WELLES CALKINS.

Itfwas good day for deer-hunting
g.&o or three inches of snow had fall
En, and the air seemed soft and heavy
ms It does before storm. We deter
mined to utilize the favorable weather
for the killing Of our winter meat
Therefore, at about sunrise. my part
yer, Curtis. our Indian helper, Pete
Debaw, and myself set out from our
shack to make q circuit Of the nearer
hills.
In 1875 this rough Black Hills coun-
try abounded in big game-elk, deer,
sheep, grizzlies, black bears and noun
tain-lious. On that November day.
at one o'clock or little later, had
killed and hung up four blacktails and
one cotton buck. Then, In close pur-
suit Of wounded doe among a rough
tumble OF rock lodges, a serious acci-
dent befell me. Hot upon the trail. l
was pushing through an underground
Of cedar, when burst from cover upon
Z precipitOus slope and fell headlong.
dropped my gun upon the snow, and
grasped In vain at bush and boulder
to stay my downward flight pitched
down an incline, rolled over and over,
and dropped Off the rim Of ledge
some fifteen or twenty feet in height.
For some time lay paralyzed, physi
cally, by the shock Of my fall. My face
lay on the edge Of > narrow shelf of
rock and one Of my arms overhung
IL l had no power to retire from this
perilous position, yet with curious
sense Of helpless Indifference l looked
down into black and dismal gully
which knew well was the hidden
canon." as we had named 1t, OF Spring
Creek. *.
1t was from twelve to twenty feet in
WIDTH a huge split between two
masses OF rock. 1t must have been
nearly one hundred feet to the bot
som- and a small stream leaped and
mmbled through the boulder-flled
channel.
90 narrow was the cleft where l lay |
mat an active man could have leaped
at running jump. On the opposite
''de was a mass Of rocks rounding off
% The left, and below this a rough,
uarrow slope along the rim of the
Aotch.
a poor place to look for deer" was
~ thought, ana there was little likeii-
aood OF my hunting companions finding
me soon, unless could send my shouts
@ their ears. But as yet had no
voice for shouting.
At the end of half an hour the paralv.
~ OF my nerves had partially abated.
ana succeeded in rolling over and
saMing reclining posture against the
'euse. In SO doing, l discovered that
my right shoulder was dislocated, and
mat probably two Of my ribs were
cracked. found that was upon n
|snstl OF rock some thirty feet in length,
ana not more than seven or eight in
width.
Otil nothing seemed to matter great
n, a"u Wncn presently gust OF wind
aHied by and great feathery fakes
!an dropping ,spirally into the notch.
W lctbargic sense Of Indifference.
ION this ,hazy condition I was
49, by seeing great reddish-yel-
ocast come out of a cleft in the
80 Just across the narrow canon.
va mountain lion'' of great size,
ID y paused upon the slope with up
Mc bead and pricked ears, appar-
listening and looking away
.srd tho higher ground.
~oW Tor the first time since had
.IsA felt thrill of fear. If the
"a. We're hungry, how easily it
~ leap the gully and devour me
sese 4 lay! Most feverently l. hoped
rocks.
.as tie lion turned its head and