Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1906-07-11


were face to face, with hardly Is feet
between us. The platform was little
higher than the bench on which was
lying and as the panther crept noise
lessly forward to the edge for closer
look at me, her long, powerful body
was brought full into the moonlight in
all its terrible beauty.
Perhaps it was more than fascina-
ton; it may have been fear from the
first so numbing me that hardly knew
l was afraid. But when the wicked
head began to sink between the high
shoulders, when the eyes commenced
to change color, and the long. tail
quickened and twitched as 1t moved
from side to side. | understood my
danger. A quick, sure shot would save
me-but where was my rife? l was
afraid to move. too terrified to think.
Then from beneath the huge paws the
moon glinted on the dark steel barrel.
But my fingers closed about the
handle of my hunting knife, and as she
twitched and swayed for the spring, l
felt that my chances were worth the
trial. Every muscle in the sinewy
body suddenly grew tense. Her head
dropped till it just cleared the floor.
There was CULVER through the long,
lean frame, a scream-and then an
answering scream; such yell as that
cat never heard before. uttered it so
unexpectedly, so frightfully, that the
beast was startled in her leap, and
went off an instant sooner than she
intended, with such a twist that she
rose high in the air and swerved In
her aim, landing across the back of the
bench instead of upon me. She made
a vicious grab at me In passing, but 1t
fell short, and as she struck the back
of the bench her weight and the We
locity of her spring overturned it with
a crash, and came down on the floor,
underneath, shut in between the back
and the seat, as though under an up
turned trough.
Her lightning swiftness had saved
me. AS the bench turned she sprang
away, else she might have caught me
as it turned and dragged me with her
to the floor. Before l knew exactly
what had happened she bounded back
upon the bench, growing and clawing
on my wooden shell as she might have
clawed a huge turtle. The solid ends
of the bench prevented her getting at
my feet or head; but at the same in
slant, it seemed, we discovered large
crack between the edge of the seat
and the floor The panther pushed her
bare yellow teeth under, close to my
face. | greeted her with another yell
that set her back upon her launches.
Again she threw herself upon the
bench, and like flash thrust a paw
beneath and buried the claws in my
arm. In a moment would have been
dragged from my shell; but l was
watching for that paw, and met it with
my knife. l must have driven the
blade nearly through it, for with a
yelp of pain and fright she leaped
away.
Again and again she made at me,
and struck at the crack, but could not
bring herself to risk another paw. be-
meath. In trying to get my wounded
arm from under me moved the bench.
1ne panther snarled and retreated.
moved it toward her and called. At
every move she backed further off,
splitting and snarling, until l heard her
leap past the end, run along the wall
and spring. There was. crash Of
glass, two or three long leaps on the
turf outside, then all was still.
She had gone; but l did not follow
and shoot her. l was content to lie
there till daylight lent me more
strength. When at last crawled out