The Florida agriculturist., 1907-10-09

she must r. been mighty hungry, judgin'
from her thin sides.
"The idea of her really tacklin' me
hadn't even entered my mind, but she
acted as if she really meant business.
The smell Of the blood seemed to
put the old girl all on edge, and the
hair stod up along her back as though
she was a real house Tabby and Towser
had come snuffin' into the yard.
"By thunder, that lion really began
to stalk me, belly to the ground, tail
waggin' from side to side in short, jerky
motions that showed her excitement;
eyes shinin like the green lights over
on the Espee, and her lips pulled back
to show her long, white tushes; she was
about as unpleasant looking beast as
you could "a found in a days walk
through that wild country.
'T used to watch that cat belongin' to
my neighbor, when I was a kid back
there in Ventura, sneak up on some poor
gopher she had caught out Of it's hole,
and she looked just like this big, over
grown cousin of hers in front O. me in
the rocky canon.
II never appreciated before how the
poor gopher must "a felt, but I began
to feel a few of it's sensations now.
"I was gettin' scared. The lion was
plenty big enough to gobble me in half
dozen gobbles if she took the notion,
and she evidently had it, all right. She
came creepin' along, like a big lizard,
first putin down one careful paw and
then pullin her body up, then repeatin'
the performance.
"She was about thirty feet away when
she started her sneak, and I figured that
she would spring when she got within
ten or fifteen feet O. me. I let out yell
after yell, but it didn't bother her a bit
and she kept up that relentless sneak
without stoppin, I made a desperate
effort to reach my rifle, but the pain in
my left leg made me faint for a minute
and I gave that up as a bad job.
''The idea of being killed by dirty
sneakin', cowardly lion almost within
rifle shot of my friends workin' in the
canon below made me pretty mad and
I didn't feel that resigned feelin' that
man should have when he is helpless
and death is starin' him in the face.
'I had been in tight fixes before, and
had come near kickin' the bucket on
more'n one occasion, but the idea of
goin' to furnish a lunch Of a dirty,
NANCY mountain lion was what disgust
ed me.
"I pulled out my knift and cleared a
space. for my right arm. I determined
when the lion did jump that I would
spoil her complexion some, anyhow, anC
I hoped that the first jab would drive he1
off.
"On she craMled among the rocks OF
the canon bed. She had got within TWEEN
ty feet, and five more would settle mat
ters. I hunched myself up as small as
possible and waited for her spring. She
took one step more, then another, anc
her ugly head, with it's f1attened ears
shinin' eyes and curlin' lips, was pokec
over a low bush that grew in the canon
Something like gray stick flashed
up and struck the lion plump in one Of
the green, shinin' eyes as her head was
showed through the top of the bush, {
foot or so from the ground, and the an
gry buzz of a rattler rose in the stiffness
of the canon.
''The big cat sprang stiff-legged int
the air and let out a rattlin snarl
something like the tigers I've heard IL
circuses Her big paw flashed through
the air and crushed the rattler, coilet
and waiting beside the bush, but thu
damage was DONE She crouched in hel
tracks, sort of whinin' or miaowing like
a hungry house cat and tremblin al
over her long body.
'"The water streamed out Of the ey'
the rattler had struck and it lost it,
shine. The pain must "a been something
awful, with that poison runnin' through
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