The Washington herald., 1913-04-20
CANADIAN LIONS GIVE
NAN Wild night
Raneher Tells Story Of Adventure in
4 Lonely Shack in Rocky
Mountains.
ASSAULT SHAKES HIS CABIN

Edmonton. Alberta, April 1s.-T. r.
Stage, owner of the Boundary Line ranch.
south of Lethbridge, and thirty-five miles
east of the Canadian Rockies, spent a
mountain lions. He was alone, and his
nearest neighbor was a mile distant Here
is the story in Mr.. Stages own words:
| Il was sitting in my room the night Of
February 4. reading in the history Of Cor
tez. the discoverer of Mexico, a chapter
about the battle of the dark and dismal
night. A few days before I had read the
great hunts of Gengis Khan. l had come
to the lines in the work about Cortez
that read: No pen can describe the tu-
multi of this wild war, the yell OF count
less thousands of assailants. the clang of
their trumpets, gongs, and drums. the
clash of arms. the rattle of musketry and
the roar of artillery presented a scene
which had never before found a parallel
In the New World
This was at $50 o'clock at night.
heard footsteps in the creaking snow ap-
preaching my house from the southwest.
| 1t sounded like the tramping of several
horses. I thought 1t surely must be
band of horses coming up from the prairie
for shelter, so / didn't get up to look out.
and i might say was lucky didn't open
the door. After tramping around the
house twice something struck my window,
from which 1 was sitting only three feet.
| 1t sounded not much larger than a small
particle Of snow, which had often heard
strike the window when the wind blew.
My lamp was on a table about the same
distance from the window.
Ion Peers In
ITO my utter surprise. as I turned to see
what the noise meant, / beheld the muzzle
OF a mountain lion, or cougar, pressed
against the glass. The light seemed to
blind him, as he had his eyes half shut.
| looked him straight in the eyes for about
half a minute, as / had often heard it was
the best thing to do while so closely quar-
tered with a wild animal. He then
jumped down. and | got up and reached
for my gun. which was lying on a sofa
Just a little to the left of the same win
dow.
Il remembered / had unloaded the gun
the night before. The gun had never been
unloaded for a month before this. 1 quick
~ reloaded and stepped to the center OF
the roam. raising the gun ready to fire. l
kept turning my gun to the east window
and then to the west, just as | would
hear the footsteps of the two animals:
through any time. l didn't intend to
shoot until heard the glass break and
could see the animal for l knew as there
were two II wouldn't do to just wound
one, AS certain death would be almost
sure to follow.
Tracks Are Seen.
II stood in this position for an hour
The lions would walk around the house,
then walk from one doorstep to the other
and sit down for a while. but they always
stayed mostly at the east door They left
at $50 o'clock. but next morning l found
they had only gone 200 yards away before
returning the second time. ] could see
where they had prowled in the snow back
and forth about the same distance north
and west of the house.
After the noise ceased that night
came to the conclusion the beasts had
given up the attempt to get me. Then /
thought, too. il they did return, If my
lamp was blown out, they probably would
pass on, so | decided to go to bed; but
thinking again. il I should blow out the
light, II they did return and break
through. / could only see their eyes to
shoot at decided to pull down the shades
and turn the lamp low. and retired. lay
down for almost an hour, but couldn't
sleep soundly ] decided II would be bet
ter to get up and dress. for il they did re-
turn ! might be compelled to run out in
tho cold
II had no more than put my feet on
the floor when / heard their footsteps
creaking in the snow. approaching the
house from the northeast corner this time.
Then I didn't dress: | grabbed my gun,
which was on the floor beside the bed. and
got my former position This time the
lions were more desperate than before:
they would prowl around the house; rear
upon the corners. and gnash their teeth.
The House shook.
Every time they reared against the
corners the whole house shook. Then
they would paw against the door. 1t
sounded like a person striking the door
with rock. One time I thought sure the
fight was on. One reared against the
window to which l was standing closest
with a great orce. 1t must have struck
the center of the window frame, other
wise it would sure have come through. /
had to stand at their last return an hour
and a half with raised gun. I would
have opened the door to fire, but thought
again If they should hear me turn the
knob they both would probably jump
against the door and overpower me, so
If / did have time to shoot I would prob
ably only have time to wound one, while
the other would also attack me.
The animals left at midnight. The
tracks showed plainly their return west
toward Chief Mountains. After leaving
the last time spent the remainder of the
night in the attic The next morning
measured their tracks. which were eight
inches in the snow. From the footprints
on the ground to where the cougar or lion
prints were left on the window measured
Z feet inches"