The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-08-13
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, THE MAN EATER

"The man eater is mad!;s
I looked at the tall Texan appre
hensively.
~I knowit Ihad my suspicious
Yesterday, ad1 now there is nc
doubt of it" e s.s. &
This was serious. The man eat.
or was the largest and most fero-
cious bloodhound in Texas. It was
hare enough to control him at any
time, but mad! 4 shuddered at the
thought. g
Nv weeks Whit at the Bolton
ranch had satisfied me that nv host
really cared for only two things in
the world-his daughters and the
man eater.
"Where is Miss Sallie?" I in
uuired anxiously.
ooh, that's all right" replied Boil
Ton carelessiy. 4'Sailie took her
pony and went for o ride an hour
ago, and the hound is safe -lough.
I took him by the collar Just now
and locked him up where he won't
get at anybody. But it breaks mo
up, old fellow. Iwouldn't lose him
for anything"
Ny interest began to weaken.
Miss Sallie was safe, and the, dog
was locked up. What was blood
hound to me? If the savage mon
ster died, so much the better.
walked off to the stable. A
ride over the prairie was not to be
missed on such q morning, and
there would be chance of riding
back with Sallie.
But ! was doomed to disappoint-
ment. My horse was lame. It did
not take long to convince me that
somebody had been riding him the
night before. !
Just then Pedro came in sight.
The ugly little Mexican gave start
when he saw me and looked away.
"You yellow rascalw I shouted.
"You had my horse last night!"
"No, senor."
You are lying!"
"No, by all the saints, senor."
Then where were you at mid
night?"
81 was attending to my business"
snapped Pedro.
lie looked so viciously mean and
SO inlpudent tiut / gave him light
cut with my whip and told him to
get out of my sight. He muttered
something and skunk off. There was
other animal that I cared to ride,
and made up my mind to walk.
had left the ranch several hun
drcd yards behind me when I turned
and looked back. Even at,that dis
tance | could plainly recognize Pc
dro. He was walking around q lit
tie cabin back of the kitchen and
was apparently peeping through the
cracks.
"Looking at the man eater" I
said to myself. "It is good thing
the beast is locked up"
The bracing morning air and the
level prairie stretching out before
me for miles tempted me to take d
long walk. A long way off I could
see hill, the only one in all that
flat country. Why not CLIMB it and
see what was on the other side? Per-
haps Sallie was over there.
So I walked on with swinging
strides for couple ef miles.
Suddenly came to dead halt.
That sounds like the man eaters
bark" ] exclaimed. Again I heard
it anu stopped a moment.
For an instant my muscles were
paralyzed. I was absolutely unable
to move.
A thousand horrible thoughts
rushed into; my mind.
If this mad bloodhound was on
my track my case was hopeless. L
could not get back to the ranch.
There was not tree in sight, and
the hill was still miles away.
What was to be done?
summoned all my strength and
made run at the top of my speed.
l kept on as long as I could and
then paused to rest and listen.
The man eater was coming nv
way, br+ not much faster than +
could rG,l.
I resumed my fight. Would a
mad dog have his usual keen in-
stinct about him? Would he gspur-
sue the trail or become confused
and give it uD?
These saonghts inspired me5with
a faint hope. IF the dogs slow
progress enabled me to reach the
NIL, where there was timber, 1 could
climb a tree, or possibly he would
be missed, and his master would
ride in pursuit.
from one point where there was
gentle rise in the prairie I could
see in the distance n moving speck. 4
LIT 1t was the man eater steadily fol-
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