The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1900-12-15


: Still the animal showed no sign {
having seen me. On the contrary.
turned Immediately to one side, and be
gan trotting back and forth in frol
Of It's lair 1t travelled over a beat O
some forty yards or more, wheelin
with precision at the same point i
each turn, and going over it's pat
each time with precisely the sam
movements shuflling, gliding trot. l
thus passed and rcpassed within ten 0
twelve yards of where l lay. An,
now, with awakened faculties, dis
covered that this big male lion wa
blind. Instead Of the yellow greer
balls with cruel Sits there were tw,
prominent grayish-whits disks under
its half-closed lids.
| 1t was q blind couear out for exer-
| else. Surely, with the notch between
us, there could be little danger from
this unfortunate beast. Fascinated
curious, and forgetting my helpless
condition, watched the 1.-the, power
full, enormous cat promenading his
beat-a path which he had doubtless
trodden many thousand times. Just SO
many steps in one direction, Just so
many back over the same lire. AT one
point he avoided projecting boulder;
at another passed round Il broken cedar
saplng. He swung himself back and
forth with the regularity Of q pendu-
lum stroke.
Here, despite his infirrnity, was no
Gagged, hampered and rod-beaten crea-
ture Of the menagerie. BY some means,
the blind lion had been well kept. His
red-yellow coat was sleek and hand
some, and his great muscles moved and
glided over each other like well-oiled
parts Of perfect machinery. He drop
ped his lower jaw now and then. and
once gave a mighty yawn, displaying
rows Of fangs which might have rent
the skin of an alligator. Once only he
halted upon the stone in a horribly
suggestive fashion. re.ioiced, indeed.
that he was blind. And SO l lay
watching, while the big panther glided
back and forth and the whir ling SNOW
flakes slipped off his glossy> coat and
padded the path for his feet.
And now again the wind whirled by
In eddying gusts, fiingng sn0wt'akes
and dry leaves across the notch;, and
out Of a cross current nearly in front
OF his lair the lion caught my scents
Instantly the gliding, graceful figure
was transformed, and a fierce. snarline
BEAST reared upon its hind feet, snufling !
IN eager anxiety to find the prey. The
ion whirled about several times. then
made leap to the right, then directly
Oward me. Then he lost tine scent and
his red muzEle quivering.
lis ears twitching curioVsly, while his
ail whipped to and fro.
Now he rose again and moved, sniff
ng cautiously along the rim Of the
July. He seemed to reason that the
cented creature must have shifted its
'OsitiOn. Again his nose took wind of
ne, and crouching, he shifted down at
he gaping cut as II to make sure of
he direction. Then, as his eaS were
pid fat, and his yellow talons were
to take firm grip upon the
ock, gave myself up for lost.
With bis snarls menacing me and
rowling louder and louder. l knew
he creature was certain Of his ground.
lie had not been blind always, and he
ad leaped many times upon the shelf
here l lay. Horror stricken.
'atched him gather himself, and then
ault in a sweeping curve above the
hasm and alight upon the rocks with
! four or five steps Of where lay.
expected instant death. My nerves
ere suddenly racked with cutting
aims, which ran through my chest un-
| gasped for breath. And yet the
larling, shifting lion did not spring
pom me. He had jumped to wind
ard of me, and the air currents no
niger carried the scent. He reared
gain upon his hind feet, snuffing anx
usly. Then to my joy his brist.es
wered, his savage aspect changed to
le of distrust, and he turned and
aped back across the cut.
He stood upon the brink for a mo-
ent In listening attitude Of suspic-
n, and then, trotting away, disap-
cared with his lair. l
1t was now showing very fast, and !
the next few minutes, relieved Of
tense reacting pains, did some hard
linking. l dared not shout to attract
e attention of my fellow-hunters, and
was in momentary fear of a reap L
'arance Of the puma, or, worse yet, of
J mate.
The weather was warm, hardly at
e freezing point, and l was warmly =
othed. l might, concluded, survive =
hours and longer If let J
one by the lions, and long before that :
ne Curtis and Pete would be scour- ;,
& the hills for me. Camp was not r
ore than two miles distant. l dec!d- h
to lie quiet in the snow until I
ould hear some sound of searching.
Within half an hour the wisdom of f
10 onuyco 1roc ,pada apnarant Then Il