Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-10-29
ADVENTURE WITH 4 LYD.

who'll tell us a good winter story|
asked Rob, as the family all at home
for the holidays, gathered about the
glowing crate on O stormy winter
evening; "a regular rouser of a yarn,
all about fighting billiards and suchT
Indeed" said his sister, I'D rather
have something summery-a story
that will make us forget for few mo-
ments the snow and the wind and the
frost"
81 might do that" said Jack, the
oldest son, young collegian who had
spent his summer vacation in the
Canadian woods. He had not been
home since then until now, and had
many stories to tell Of his adven-
lures.
81 was padding my canoe up one Of
those small streams which in Canada
so often run off into swamps and
seem to get lost there. We were a
Jolly party of boys tenting in those
great woods where, you know, there
is not a human being for many and
many a mile away And we had an
experienced old hunter, a regular
woodsman among US.
After a while | began to see, 50
far as / could take time to see any
thing. that | was losing my stream
and getting deeper and deeper into
the swamp. And now began to
think of getting back to the camp, but
how was | to do it? | had been turn
ing and turning about wherever |
could find water enough to float my
canoe, until. had little idea how far
had come or in what direction the
camp lay"
81 began to realize that when | took
up my gun to fire that | might get an
answering shot from camp, as we had
agreed upon, to let me know how to
fnd my way there But just as
was on the point Of firing / thought Of
looking to see how my ammunition
was holding out. | didn't want TO be
in those woods all alone without any
And, in fact, l found plenty Of Shot
)ut not a full charge Of powder in my
dask.
80 | didn't dare to fire gave two
or three shouts. hoping my voice
might reach the fellows; and just then
heard q growl right square above
my head. | looked up and saw pair
II the brightest, wickedest eyes | ever
looked at in my life, glazing down
upon NE.
81 didn't know what it was, but |
had heard The hunters tell about wild
cats-I didn't care much then, Rob-
whether you called it lynx or not-so
that ! guessed it might be that kind
If a thing For a moment l thought
he was going to spring down on my
canoe, and l knew that if he did there
was little hope for ne, for they do
say that Of MI ugly things to take you
al a disadvantage they are about the
ugliest. What could l do IN my
canoe witsAut a chance Of shot at
him-even if he didn't turn me over
into the water, which was most like
ly? Those little Canada canoes are
frisky things to manage.
We'll, he didn't bounce down on me
ut once, aud as soon as 1 had time to
rally my wits | gave a quick move
ment with my paddle and mana@ed to
reach the shore. There was a stump
there and l set my back against It
just as with a snarl and growl he
gave leap and came to the ground
not fifteen feet from me.
81 couldn't see anything but a dark
mass, not very large, and those dread
full eyes. l thought the brute was
going to spring at me and l fixed my
eyes on the flashing ones to try the
old plan of intimidation that we read
of.
Il knew he could see far better in
the darkness than could, and | kepJ
my eyes fixed upon him. 1t really
seemed to have an effect, for lie
crouched down and crept off 10 one
side as if trying to get round behind
me. l turned. too. never taking my
eyes Off him. On he kept, making
complete round abou, the stump and
| turned with him.
well, he kept that up for hours, at
lust about the same distance from me
In making his round he would some
times be entirely hidden by the shad-
ows and then come out again so that
could see the dim outline of his
form: but in or out of the shadow all
the time those terrible eyes kept up
their glare. My own eyes ached and
burned with the strain. | tried to
calculate how the time might be 60
ing.
AT last a yellow light began to
steal over everything and the moon
came up--a little beyond the full, but
so bright as to make things almost
like day. Then I could see the gray
ish brown of the fur Of my foe as he
still crept round and round me. Il
gathered all my nerve and fired. With
a terrible snarling grOwl which sound
ed like the exaggerated me-o-o-o-o-w
Of a dozen home cats, he tore the
ground with his cruel claws-how
thankful | was they were not trying
themselves on me! l kept out of the
way of his struggles for a few mo-
ments until, seeing thai my shot had
done good work. l ventured near
enough to give him rap on the head
with my gun, and that was the last Of
him.
THE next thing l heard was the
crack of another gun, and then some
shouts and hurrahs which sounded
rather unsteady to me, you may be
- T oLo,,+od booly and hpfOrp lone