The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1909-10-20
NIuck and
M Adventure
PUMA PLAYED poLIcEMAN.

tatlon for making their stories inter
estlng at the expense of truth" said
the man who had just returned from
n two years trip in the Amazonian
forests, where he had gone to learn
the advisability of trying to draw
upon that country's inexhaustlble
lumber supplies to take the place of
our own almost exhausted resources,
but In my own experience, there are
things ] have never dared tell, for
fear of being set down a weaver OF
romances. The feud existing between
the jaguar and the puma is a case In
point, and what is still more remark
able, and so far as | know, unparal-
leled among wild creatures, Is the
puma's affection for human beings
when ! reached Brazil this was
all new to me, but have since found
that 1t has long ago been recorded by
naturalists.
"On our way to Santarem we had
to cross campo, three miles wide,
before reaching the river, and It was
there no uncommon thing for a puma
to precede or follow one, keeping
within easy rife shot, and II ahead
stopping occasionally to see II his
convoy was still following. When we
came in sight of houses, he would
double on his trail and trot back.
zone of the overseers on the plan
tation visited was Brazilian named
Melendez. He had little girl, Juan
ma, five years old, when this incident
occurred. About half mile away
from the home of the planter, and
reached by crude wood road through
the forest, there was an Indian fam
lily living on a small roca made Just
outside the plantation boundary. The
wife of this man, known as 'Jo,' was
nurse, often employed where doe
tors are not within call. She had
nursed little Juanna through measles,
whooping cough and other children's
ailments, wherefore Juanna was
greatly attached to her.
ION the day Of her strange adven-
ture, the little girl had stolen away
alone in the afternoon, when every
one else was busy In the fields or mill,
and was not missed until supper time,
when the superintendent assembled
the men to check off the days work,
as is done nightly on large planta-
tions. Her parents surmised where
she had gone, and her father at once
started to find her.
THE sun had set, and It was grow
Ing dark, for there is no twilight near
the equator. He had just reached
the point where the heavy timber
grew, when he was terrified tc hear
a frlghtful outburst OF snarls and
screams, like that made by fighting
cats, only in heavier voices, in the di-
rection he was going. His first
thought naturally was that two oncas
were fighting out disputed claim to
prey; and at the thought of what that
prey might be, he was paralyzed fo-
a moment. Then he rushed forward.
He had gone but few steps when the
sounds of the conflict ceased, and
few seconds later he heard the patter
OF Juanna's feet, as she ran as swiftly
as she could toward him. Then she
burst into sight. hat gone and hair
flying.
mot twenty feet behind her, lop-
Ing along easily, was a puma! And
such n puma! Blood was flowing
from frigbtful wound in his cheek
and had dyed his yellow sides and
legs crimson. He showed neither
surprise nor fear, but sat down on its
launches and stared at the two.
Melendez raised the gun. which he
had taken from habit, as he came out
of the house, but before he could take
aim, Juanna seized his arm, crying,
Not that one, papa. he kept the
spotted one away from me, and see
how he is hurt!' At the words
other one Melendez looked back.
just in time to see a huge onca stink
ing into the woods.
1T appeared from the account
Juanna gave of her adventure, on the
way home, that she had gone but a
little way after leaving her old nurse.
when she saw great onca trotting
along the road behind her. She was
frightened and began to run; but the
onca increased his pace at once to an
easy trot, and closed in nearer and
nearer to her in spite of her efforts
10 get away. 1t had come almost
within springing reach when the pu-
ma burst into the road Just ahead
and, dashing past her, brushing her
clothes as it did so, engaged the onca
In life and death struggle. Too
frightened to run, Juanna stood still
and watched. For what seemed
long time. they rolled over and over.
screaming. Their movements were
so swift that she could get no idea
which would be victorious, but at last
the puma broke away and ran back
toward her. there turning to watch
his adversary, who slowly continued
to approach. By this time, Juanna
had understood that the puma had
saved her life and approached 1t to
mi u