Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1905-08-17

the earth to held ID INST yell9n8 Gil the
while to scare the crsaIuye gay. But
my shouts did not frigiten it in the
least. With eager growing it dug and
tore at the door with its nails. It eve
tried to dig the earth away beneath it.
Then it coursed eagerly round the hut
in long bounds, and leaped on the roof.
Some slight smell Of my fire fingered
at the farther end Of the hut, and my
carbine, too, standing there, must have
given off odors; but these smells APP
peared not to deter the animal.
With low growls it dug at the poles
and boughs of the roof. The old dry
stuff ratified through on me as I CROPPED
for a log bench in the hut to set against
the door. I feared that the beast would
tear a hole in the roof and spring
down on me; but the thick, matted
mass of sodden boughs embarrassed it.
All the time I was shouting savagely,
and l made haste to strike a whole
card of matches, hoping that the odor
of birthstone or the CLEAN of light
would deter the beast from it's attack.
But Immediately it came digging at
the door again, as if transported by
ferocity, and again I threw my weight
against the inside of the door, for
dared not trust to the bench.
My disgust with myself for being
such a fool as to leave my carbine out.
side can easily be imagined. / was at
my wits end to know how to beat the
creature off. Plainly it was bold from
hunger, and had nj doubt smelled my
salmon, half of which was on a shelf
just inside the hut door. I had
thoughts Of throwing the fish out to it,
and then an idea came into my mind.
For preserving the skins of birds and
small animals I had taken along a
quantity of arsenic in a bottle. When
the violence Of the creatures efforts at
the door had subsidized and it was rae.
ing round the hut again, I hastily cut
a deep cash in the fish with my knife;
then, striking another match, I put in
as much as twenty grains Of the poison.
By this time the animal was on the
roof again, scratching and snarling and
snuf1ing. Opening the door a little, I
flung out the salmon. I had scarcely
done so when, pounce! came the beast
to the ground. With a sniff and snarl
it seized the fish and ran of a little
way. Not so far, however, but that l
could hear it eating, it's teeth gritting
OF the backbone.
There must have been five or six
pounds Of the fish; but within half a
minute the animal was back, shifting
about the place for more. 1 listened
~anxiously. 1t jumped on the roof
again, then prowled round the hut.
Presently there came an interval of
frightful staccato screech! Then fol-
lowed some lofty tumbling all over the
ground about the hut, enlivened by
the most blood curdling yells it is pos
sible to imagine! Peeping out, I
caught glimpses of what occurred.
Sometimes that poor brute went ten
feet in the air, then it clawed up the
earth and brush, turned wild Dmer.
saults, and tore and bit its own flesh,
1t tried in vain to vomit forth the
poison.
II not ~hard-pressed in self-defense, !
would never administer arsenic to any
living creature.
Pathetic moan succeeded the
screeches, and then the suffering ami.
NAL dragged itself to the stream,
where I heard it noisily tapping water;
and after that the end came very soon,
Fancying that it's mate might have
been attracted by the yelling, I hastily
secured my carbine and stayed inside
the hut till morning.
At sunrise I found the creature dead
less than a hundred yards from the
place where it drank. It was, as ]
had supposed, a mountain-lion, or pan.
ther, a big male that would have
weighed two hundred and fifty pounds
I am sure, and probably one that had
v before seen a human being, OF
learned aught of the deadly guile OF
| man.-YOuth's COMPANION.