Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1901-07-10
BdFFlED BY
A PUMA.

vyyvvv.vv.vvvvvv
John Kenwood emigrated from
England u years before, and he was
now the sole owner of the Lone
Mountain Ranch. where one evening
he sat smoking with his friend, Mat
thew Quin.
You have come at just the right
time, old chap" said kenwood. in an
sWer tosa remark of Quin's. A couple
of pumas have been carving on my
sheep lately, and I'll help you,to bag
them, il 1t can be done. And if You
acsre for other sport -man- hunting, for
instance you can try your hand at
Black Barton. the highwayman. who
is operating in this end of ,le. Terri
tory. He has held up four stage
coaches in as manJ weeks. I'm afraid
he's too cunning to be caught. though
there is heavy reward offered for
him. dead or alive ,.s, 81 sa
s.I shan't trouble, Black Barton, re-
piled Quin. "but /, want those. pumas
badly. Hamrach & Co. have an or
der for them .
The puma-or California lion. as it
lis sometimes called-is a large, tawny,
yellow sbeast, larger than panther,
with reputation for strength and
ferocity. But the pair that lurked in
the foothills north of Lone Mountain
Ranch, came to speedy grief, once
Quin set to work. Within week the
female pumaewas taken in cleverly-
constructed box-trap baited with a
freshly killed lamb. A brace OF kitten
! ish cubs, found in q rocky den half
way up "a precipice, shared their
mothers captivity.
A warm. sunny morning, several
days inter, Witnessed the departure Of
Kenwood's guest for the little settle
ment Of Peak City. 40 miles to the
southeast, which was connected by
stage. with the nearest point on the
railway a large tfourwheeled vehi-
Gle; drawn by aApair Of mules, was in
charge OF. Rube Darrell, strapping
big fellow Of the cowboy type, loud
voiced, but sound at the bottom. The
forepart Of the wagon was heaped
with bales of wood, and IT,, puma and
her cubs. confined in stout wooden
box, occupied the rear. S
A tight clasp Of the hands and a
few quiet words Of farewell marked
the parting between Kenwood and
ouin. The latter climbed to the mar
row seat Of the, vehicle beside the
driver, and examined the fastenings Of
) q leather bag that was strapped round
his chest underneath his coat. It con-
tanned some hundreds of dollars. in
gold and notes, that he had consented
! to take charge of for his friend as far
as Peak City, where 1T was to be
turned over to branch OF New York
bank. 49,
keep your eyes peeled for Black
Barton. old man." he said, with a
smile. "He shan,t get your money"
vowed Quin, patting the stock Of his
reyolver. "I'll take care Of that all
right n ~ -
The crack Of Rube Darrell's whip
cut iE..o the conversation and sent the
mules of at trot. All went well un-
stil early in the afternoon, when a
heavy rain came up. At sunset the
travellers descended to the valley Of
the Deer river, q tributary Of the; Yel-
and were dismayed to find
It muddy, raging torrent, several
feet above its normal level. -
.Gonfound that storm" exclaimed
Darrell. But the flood win go down
inst about as quick as. 1t. rose, If You
care to wait a couple o hours. sIf
not why, / reckon icaI iGfd .sHs s5rssa:.'
,.ss Esyhat, Dc z, yosssse anea
ana asSisated. Peak City was 10
miles turtle on. and just across the.
river the road threaded q marrow,
rugged gorge with steep hills on either
side. he was reluctant to goSthrough
this after dark nor did he likesthe
idea Of spending the night where he
was; Kenwood's bag of money was
not light responsibility. - 3 80 a' s
.'Wfat Is your opinion?" he asked.
II think we can. do it. pardner,". was
! the reply s. ,SSs =,
Then go ahead!"
The mules plunged into the swirl
Ing, yellow tide. For a third of the
distance they kept to the fording.
Then they deviated, tried to struggle
snn until the wagon, swung round. and
the water surged over the bottom
boards. - = #
It's no use-we'll never make the
Shore" cried Darrell. 1 Stick whore
you are, pardner. 1 must give the
poor beasts a chance for their lives
With that, drawing his knife, the
plucky fellow leaped down upon the.
submerged pole, and with "a few
strokes he succeeded in cutting the
mules loose from the traces.
Meanwhile SQuin was chiefly con-
cerned for the safety of his compan-
Ion and OF, the pumas. The! wagon
floating lightly down the stream, sud-
denly struck a narrow bar OF grass
and gravel that lay in mid:channel.
shen2over. 1t went, and off slid the
bales of'cotton and the box Of pumas.
A quick jump saved Quin and Dar-
reilly from q thorough wetting, and
landed them hip deep. The two fought
their way ashore, and shook their
dripping clothes.
The thought Of the pumas sent
Quin hurriedly back to the upper end
OF the bar, with Darrell at his heels.
The cubs were whimpering with
fright and discomfort and the dam
was In a ferocious mood. - @-
The sun was below the horizon now,
and darkness came on quickly. In q
little hollow Of the island, 20 feet or
SO from the stranded box, some res
8cued bales of cotton were placed in