The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1903-02-19

charges Of buclsshot. I was carrying
Q muslset loaded with nails.
It wasn't long after noon when we
started out. and an hour or two later
we struck the trail, made in the anow
the night before. He printed the.
biggest panther tracks I ever laid
eyes on.
Our party followed the trail round
and round over the country. BY and
by we came to where the tiger had
killed q hog. From there the tracks
led down into the woods and through
the woods into ravine, and up the
ravine to Its head, where they disap-
peared into hole under some rocks.
Besides the tracks leading in there
were others leading out. But we felt
pretty sure that the tiger was in his
lair. The dogs wouldn't go near the,
hole and they didn't bark. But they
kept their backs bristled and watched
the hole and growled. Somebody got
long stick and pohed it into the
hole, but he jumped back suddenly,
for warning growl came from I'M
der the rocks.
Now we knew that the tiger was
at home, and every man and boy Of
us-there were 10 or Is in all-cocked
his gun and pointed it ut the hole.
We expected the tiger to come out,
and stood ready to make short work
of him, but he didn't show himself;
and before we could devise any way
to stir him out night came on.
"Let's smoke him, boys" somebody
proposed. And while some Of us
stood guard around the tigers den
the others went to piing dead brush
against the hole. When there was
good-sized pile we set fire to It.
The snowy brush burned slowly
and smoked great deal. AS the fire
began to crackle the tiger began to
growl, and when the smoke worked
into the hole he growled louder. Ny
uncle called out:
"Be ready boys! It's either come
through that brush pile or sutfocate,
and he'll come through the brush
pile"
We backed off several yards, and
every gun was aimed at the point
where the tiger was expected to ap-
pear. It was dark by this time
pitch dark everywhere except around
the fire. For time we could hear
the tiger growing under the rocks.
We waited and waited, but still he
didn't show himself. The fire climbed
among the loosely piled brush until
the whole pile was ablaze. Finally
somebody, Simpson, I believe it was,
spoke up:
"He's smothered to death, boys.
That's why we don't hear him any
more. No animal could live in that
hole with that fire in the mouth of
it. He was so afraid of the fire that
he would rather suffocate than come
through it."
After standing guard while long
er, we all agreed that the tiger must
be dead. None of us knew that there
was little cave under those rocks.
Now we closed up around the fire
and stood with our gun stocks on the
ground. warming ourselves. We felt
jolly over getting. rid Of our trouble
some, dangerous enemy, and were go
ing to pull straws for the skin. In
fact, Simpson was arranging the
straws, when suddenly something
happened to the fire. As nearly as
/ can describe it, that blazing brush
heap exploded!
There was a roar behind It, and
the next moment the brush was fly
ing, and the panther's frightful form
came crashing through. AS the big,
savage brute burst out of the fire he
knocked one man down, and two or
three more fell over one another try
ing to get out Of the way. I jumped
back, to dodge the flying fire and
stumbled over dog.
The dog howled and as tumbled
backward the hammer of my musket
struck something and the old musket
exploded with a roar. The load Of
nails went off through the woods,
but I thought I was killed.
The second leap carried the tiger
away from the fire and another car
ried him into the darkness. About
this time the men recovered from
their panic and began to shoot; and
they kept banging away down the
ravine. The heavily loaded guns
spurted fire and roared till every re-
port seemed to split the very trees
as it went echoing through the
woods.
| When the excitement was past
we gathered around the fire again.
Most of us felt rather sheepish over
the escape Of the tiger; but several
declared that he must be mortally
wounded and that we'd find him dead
somewhere. But as we couldn't track
him in the dark, we all returned to
our homes. 4;
The next morning we came back
and took up the trail. We found sew
eral badly SCARED trees; but there
wasn't any blood on the snow, or any
other evidence that the tiger had
been hit. In fact, there was pretty
good evidence that he wasn't hurt at
all, for we tracked him as far as
lee could toe <Lo cxuo,,o,, o~.3 kl,o