The Elbert County tribune., 1906-04-05

and fine looking animal
my father promptly took
him in. Coon hunting being one of
my fathers favorite sports, which
young man named Bacon shared en-
Enthusiastically with him, few evenings
later they started out to try the new
dog.
A full moon shed mild radiance
over the forest and enabled them to
note the actions of the dog, and in a
very short time he had an animal OF
some kind up big tree which stood
alone in an opening in the woods. and
as Bacon was a famous climber, up
the tree he went and soon made out
the dark figure among the limbs above
him. but as he approached the creature
it climbed higher and higher until, at
the very top, it turned and greeted
its pursuer with deep warning erowl.
Dan stopped climbing, and in a tone
of voice which trembled in spite of
himself. ne called out: ''It is a wildcat
Mr.. Belknap."
well. cut club and knock him of,
replied my father
Cutting and trimming lims of the
tree to make a suitable weapon, Dan
slowly crawled up toward the brute.
which finally took refuge In the top
most tuft of branches. and slowly and
carefully raising the club above the
limbs above his head, where he could
have full sweep for the blow, he struck
with all his might, and-never touched
him.
Right out into the air the cat sprang
as it saw the club coming, and so pow
erful was its jump that the limbs of
the tree were cleared entirely. and
with a resounding tnump 1t struck the
ground at qrite distance from the
foot of the tree, and TO my fathers
amazement sprang to ate feet and ran
like blue streak for another tree.
The cog happened 20 DE at the other
side of the tree. and the cat was en-
abled to get quite a start in its new
race, but so swift was the dogs pursuit
that the cat was overtaken ere the tree
was reached, when. whirling suddenly.
the brute sat up and with open paws
outstretched waited the onset. Know
ing nothing OF the dogs fighting quail
ties my father instantly concluded to
let him entirely alone and note the re-
suit. Coming with a rush. and bark
ing furiously the dog dashed almost
into the cats face. but stopping just
short of the cats grasp, as its paws
snapped together like the jaws of
steel trap, backed away few STEPS
and repeated the threatening maneu-
yer.
Again the cats paws snapped 10
gether Just in front of the dogs nose.
Again and again Wa this repeated
until the cat appeared to think that
the dog was not really IN earnest and
omitted to slap its jaws together.
Again the dog backed away. and this
time the jump was in earnest. Once
inside the guard of the wildcat he seized
it across the chest. and that cat was
dead N ten seconds, and that dog
could not then have been boi ght for
money.
In long days ago. in Western Iowa.
my old friend Jim Files found stray
dog at his door one morning, and as he
was what Jim called ''sech an ornery
lookin' brute" Jim deliberated quite
a while before finally accepting him.
1t was in the fall of the year. and as
Jim went for his cows down in the bot
tom land below the house. the dog fol-
lowed at his heels, and reaching the
edge of what had been a shallow pond
in the spring, a small rattlesnake
coiled suddenly in front of them. in
dried up pit where a COW had some
time stepped in the mud. leaving de-
preston five or six inches deep. Its coil
was completely hidden, leaving the
head and n few inches of the neck
raised theateningly above the surface,
while it ratified a warning defiance
against all comers.
The dog sprang forward to attack.
and though it was apparent that the
snake had every advantage, Jim stood
quietly watching, as he afterwards
said. "jest to see what the little cuss
would do"
Approaching within Jew feet the
dog stopped. and cooking his small
head to one side for a moment, studied
the problem. Walking slowly around
he now circled the snake. just beyond
his reach, but so close as TO engage
all the reptiles attention. and as 1t
strove to be in continuous readiness for
the dogs attack, and as round and
round the dog continued to walk, in
short time the snake seemed to grow
dizzy, and its head began to wobble
from side to side, when. quick as
fash. the dog jumped in and inserting
paw into the hole ..uLg the rattle
snake into the air, catching him in his
mouth as he came down. SHOOK him to
death without receiving scratch.
At another time Jim was the owner
of two dogs. One was of medium size,
active and ferccious. and good hunt
er, and the other a great oyergrown
good natured brute, could hardly be