The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1905-10-06
A LIONS SPRING

/ streams of the Wind River mountains
and it was midsummer. The Indians
were hostile and had givenrus several
close calls until we had penetrated the
Businesses and got beyond their rang
ing ground.
| We had on this morning move ed our
| camp about three miles down the creek
and was not feeling at all well. While
/ my partner Joe went back aft.r a
! second load | looked for spot in
which to rest for an hour. Ten rods
| to the west of the creek shere was Il
rocky bluff and ten feet up | saw the
| mouth Of cave. 1t was distressingly
hot day, although deep among the
! mountains. and sought the cave for its.
/ cool shelter. 1t was place not over
eight feet long by three deep, GREY
Ice among the jagged blocks Of lime
stone, and it was just the spot in which
| TO rest. / had been working in ice
cold water, with the hot sun beating
down on my head, and Pwas feverish
| and hot by turns. was, in fact, a
| little light headed and realized that |
was. | sat leaning against the back of
| the cave and almost went to sleep. |
was browsing when | heard slight
/ noise above me and was wide awake
at once. From the lay of the ground
knew that only a wild animal of
some sort could have gained the rocks
/ above.
| For five minutes | sat without move
ment, able only to see directly in front
of me- Then a shadow appeared on
the earth below me. The sun was at
my back, and at the back of whatever
thing was up there. and its shadow
crept into view inch by inch. In time
l made out the ears and head of n
mountain lion. There was no mistak-
ing it for the head of any other ami
! NAL. From lair higher up among the
! rocks the animal had got my scent on
| the morning breeze and had come
! down to stalk me. Down on the other
side Of the brawling creek was my
/ rife, and l had even left my hunting
| knife among the camp equipage. If
! the lion was minded to leap down on
| the shelf at the front Of the cave, l
should be helpless.
had studied the beast from a hunt
! er's point of view and therefore had
no trouble in reading what happened
! during the next half hour In the
first place Il lie had got my scent he
| had also got that of some one else.
| 1t was NOT the scent of another beast,
| but Of man. | could tell that hy
the nervous movements of the beast l
could not see. He did not growl, as
he would if watching bear or wolf or
one Of his own species, but now and
then he whined and seemed bit
afraid.
| When Joe returned he would not
! pass the cave, but halt 200 feet away.
| He had his rife and revolver with him.
Missing me, he would call out. The
lion would not attempt to attack an
armed man by daylight and at that dis
q nee. It seemed to me that the
beast must be watching some one near
| er by. | had not given the lay Of the
| ground much attention, but was under
the impression that shallow ravine
led from the cave in northerly direc-
tion, parallel with the stream. This
| would furnish cover for any one creep
ing up to view the site of our new
camp and lie in ambush for US.
finally settled it in my mind that some
Indian hunter or some young brave
anxious to make a record had In some
way struck our trail and was planning
to get our scalps. He was creeping
up the ravine, and the lion was watch
ing him.
could trace the progress of the man
by the actions of the animal above.
Sometimes the shadow included the
neck and shoulders of the lion, and
sometimes it retreated altogether.
Sometimes there was deepest silence
for moment and then 1t was broken
by whine or the clicking of claws.
What | began to fear as the minutes
glided away was that Joe would re.
turn and be shot by the lurking savage
before the lion could interfere. That
he meant to spring when his prey
came near enough l had no doubt. IT
was just the sort of situation to ap-
peal to lion-the cat and the mouse.
By watching the shadow and listen.
ing to the movements of the beast l
was enabled to gauge the movements
of the enemy in the ravine. How near
at hand he was when the lion first
caught sight of him could only guess
afterward as l looked over the ground,
but l made it about 200 feet. He had
the cover of the powders and bushes
for all that distance, but he moved
with the greatest caution. The nearer
he approached camp the greater his
caution.
At fifty feet away he halted for full
ten minutes. During this interval he
must have been surveying our camp
outfit and wondering why no one was
in sight. With the suspicion of his
race he probably scented some ambush
on our part. l knew when he came
moving along again-when he was
within thirty feet-twenty-ten. l had
now lost all fear that l was to become
victim and was deeply interested in
watching for the climax. The lion was
fifteen feet above the man and would
have to spring outward about ten feet.
This would be an easy effort for him.
AS the Indian came nearer the lion
ceased to whine or click his claws,
but could almost feel the CULVER Of
his muscles as he made ready. was
watching and listening with all my
might, and l surely thought l should
be able to detect his last movement be-