Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1914-12-25
FOOLED THE PANTHER
UNCLE BILL OBJECTED TO FUR.
NIsHINa HER MEAL.
Old Frontlersman Naturally Delights
Relating to His Grandchildren
How Narrowly He Escaped
From Hldeous Death.

Uncle Bill Joyce lives down In
southwestern Missouri, on the edge Of
the Ozark country. He has lived there
o great many years, for he is an old
man now, and he is full of entertain.
ing reminiscence of the days when
that corner of the state was still al
most wilderness. Among the stories
he loves to tell the open-mouthed
children Of more sheltered genera
tion is this account of lively adven-
ture with the animal that all old
frontiersmen used to call a painter"
Uncle Bill will begin:
One day in the summer of 1857. I
shouldered my rife and started for a
days hunt. I was bound for small
prairie some five or six miles from
home. After hunting for deer spell
without seeing a sign, turned into
small grove of walnut, oak and null
berry to hunt for squirrels. / got a
good many Of them during the morn
Ing. Once or twice stopped to listen
to a queer noise that could hardly
hear, 1t was so far away. It was a
long, quavering cry that died away
gradually. -,ut 1t came no nearer,
and finally stopped altogether.
When 1t came noon. l went to a
spring l knew of and ate the lunch
that had brought with me. Then
thought l would 60 on to the prairie
and hunt for wild bees-that was real
ly what I had in mind when started.
But I felt sleepy, and thought ! would
take a nap first, and 30 l stretched
myself in a shady place and fell
asleep.
woke a little later to find myself
covered with leaves and small brush.
was puzzled sure enough. for !
couldn't think what could have COW
cred me up, but | decided to find out.
First got dead log about six feet
long. laid It where I had slept, and
covered 1t with leaves and brush.
looked to rce whether my gun was
loaded, and then hid In clump OF
bushes some twenty or twenty-five
yards away. After about twenty min
utes / heard noise. peered out Of
the bushes, ald saw a large she
panther coming through the trees
followed by quarter-grown cub. She
ciroled round tn, mound OF leaves Q
couple OF times; the cub followed
every action. Of its mother. Aftel
the second round. the old panther
crouched as II for a spring. She
crouched lower and lower, and KEEP
drawing her feet closer together. Sh,
kept her eyes fastened on the mount
Of leaves all the time, and swayed hel
tail from side to side with q slow
regular motion.
When she haG gathered her feet al
close together as she could, she
sprang for the pile Of leaves. Sh,
landed in the very middle OF the pile
and gave several long, wicked rakei
with her hind feet. Then she begar
to smell and scratch in tie leaves. II
didn't take her long to find out tha
there was nothing but an old lol
there. and she stopped scratching ant
began to look about. thought thai
now was the timo to settle matters
| was a little to her left and behint
her; ! caught a sight Just at the bast
Of her ear. and fired. She gave on,
leap and a shrill scream. and ther
lay still.
After making sure that she wal
dead. I looked for the cub. II wal
sitting near by on the side OF lean
Ing tree. splitting and snarling angrily
soon put an end to that with a riff,
ball. ! never knew a man so wei
hunted as I was without being hurt
She probably took me for dead. ant
covered me to keep other animall
from finding me while she went aftel
her cub.-Youth's Companion.