River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-09-11


herculean efforts to keep going.
"The incline had but begun. To
start the train was impossible.
81 lighted pine torch, swung from
the cab to ascertain the situation, and
had passed several cars when the most
terrible yells echoed through the for
est. The men from the rear of the
| train were shouting at me. It was i'm
possible to distinguish what they were
saving. because of the yells which
were rising apparently between me and
them. These did not alarm me much
for the creature seemed like wild
cat, reckless, but not dangerous,
night prowler. So on walked toward
the rear of the train.
approaching the trainmen,
heard them shout: Look out for the
iaguar, Powers!'
Snow, no wild creature is more dam
gerous by night to man than jaguar.
I halted and stared. I could now see
the glaring eyes of the fierce brute as
he paved the lifeless pig. Those eyes
| followed me with such hostile intent
that [ FASTENED back to the cab for
| the nTeIudu anu
"Of course, one of US had to stay
with the engine, so left my fireman
in charge and returned a1ons, with
torch in hand and rife ready. The
trainmen came toward DIe from
around the rear Of the train. They
! told me that the jaguar must have
been crouching on the overspreading
limb, and having heard the squeals of
the pig, must have leaped recklessly
into the passing train for his prey.
! The trainmen had discovered him
when they started to answer my sig
nal of brakes off, The brute held
them at bay. They were in the rear
car, the jaguar was in the next one,
and they could not pass over the train
| to release the brakes. The 18 loaded
cars, most of them having frightened
brakes had stopped No. 10 on the in
cline.
81 must either give up hope of get
ting to the port in timn for loading
the Breakwater, or else must kill or
drive away the jaguar. The fire of his
eyes was intensified by the Pickering
| light of the torch. Tt was not pleas
ant grimace when the brute suggest
lively wiped his lips and tongue with
those huge paws.
"The engine gave sudden lurch.
| Ny fireman must have been meodllng.
! 1t threw the animal from his balance.
| His tail dashed. Handing the torch to
a man, I raised my Winchester. The
beast glared ferociously, and meas
ured with his eye the distance to the
! ground. Some of the men ran. AS
! the animal seemed about to jump,
took hasty aim and pulled the trig-
ger Apparently the jaguar was I'M
harmed, but he had changed his opin-
ion about the jump, and calmly trotted
along the tops of the bananas toward
the engine. I aimed at him again and
pulled the trigger. Then I remem-
bered that the only cartridge in the
Winchester was the one I had fired.
81 shouted to the fireman, but before
I could make him understand the cow
ardIy fellow jumped from the cab and
scampered into the forest. Luckily,
there was no other jaguag awaiting
| him.
81 went toward the cab, expecting
to find the jaguar in possession, and
| determined to club him out with the
butt of my gun; but he was not in the
cab I blew brakes off, and casually
| looked around. On the floor of the
tender, among the wood and casks of
water, stretched out at full length and
apparently crouching for spring, I
saw the jaguar. I jumped from the
engine The thought of the fireman's
cowardice did not amuse me. AS fast
| as possible I ran toward the rear Of
the train.
''Ten o'clock was approaching. The
ship could not receive her fruit unless
we started Immediately. In my haste
I had left the rifle in the cab; now I
took a crowbar which one of the
brakemen handed me. But the plan
from which [ hoped most was his sug-
gestion that I should climb upon
the engine from the front of the
cab, and then reach in to open the
steam valve on the chance that the
escape of the kissing steam would
brighten the brute to the point of
leaping from the train.
81 opened the valve - the jaguar
never moved.
81 then reached a heavy iron wrench
and threw it at the beast with all my
strength. 1t struck him upon the head,
but he did not stir. [ was startled.
Climbing TO the fancied security of the
top of the cab, I poked him with a
long-handled rod; but I could see no
sign of life.
'After a close watch, I descended
to the floor of the cab and opened the
furnace door to have more light. The
iaguar was dead. There was a hole
through his head caused by the lucky
shot from my Winchester He had
/ walked to the tender in a daze and
died there.
81 blew the whistle vigorously. 1t
was a welcome sound to the trainmen.
The brakes were speedily released.
The fireman came scrambling back;
I opened the throttle, and slowly the
train went up the incline toward Porto
! Cortez.
SAT little after ten o'clock that
| night the whistling of No. 13, approach.
ing with her load of bananas, sum-
moned the crew of the Breakwater
whose captain congratulated the Of
ficials of theHonduras railroad on the
remarkable expedition of their fruit
service But when he saw the nine
feet of iaguar stretched out in my
tender and heard the story of the
+! difficulties of the run, he remarked
that the railroad officials should pass