The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-09-28
Blind Death
By NJ. QUAD
copyright. 1915. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndioate.l

We were hunting among the Black
Hills soon after the first rush OF home
steaders and spectators In that direc-
ton, and one day left camp on my
ywn hook and wandered away three
Or four miles. AS / stood resting be
yide tree ] saw deer only a pistol
shot away. 1t was a fine buck, and
he walked into the open as cool and
unconcerned as IL nobody had ever
thirsted for his life.
ought to have dropped him dead at
that distance, but he fell at my fire to
get up and limp away, and, knowing
him to be MORALLY wounded, ! follow
ed after. The ground was very rough
and covered with cedar thickets, and,
being a bit excited, pushed on as fast
rs possible and paid little heed OF what
was underfoot. OF sudden l found
myself falling, and as | went down l
dropped my gun to clutch at the
| branches. / went down ten or twelve
feet over rocks, struck on my feet and
then plunged forward and brought up
beside a big detached rock with a
smash severe enough to have killed one
outright, / did break two ribs and ter
ribly bruise my hip and tainted away
with the PAIN
When / came to / was lying on my
right side, facing the jungle of rocks
over which had fallen, and / realized
at once that / was badly hurt-just
how badly / hesitated to find out. re-
! Numbering that | was miles away
from camp and could expect no help.
lay quiet, hoping the pains would
soon go away, when / got such shock
as nearly put my wits to sleep again.
Almost In front of me and only TWEEN
| ty-fiye feet away was the mouth OF
den In the face OF the cliff, and out OF
| this den stalked the largest panther
had ever seen He stood snutiing the
air and looking full at me, and when
| realized how helpless | was even to
utter call for aid | almost lost con-
seriousness.
The wind was blowing pretty freely,
and, luckily for me, it blew toward me,
At first this was not of the slightest
Importance to my mind, as the beast
could reach me with one spring, but |
soon had reason TO conclude that he
was a queer animal. He turned 10 the
left and trotted over the ground dis
Ia nee OF about fifty feet; then he
wheeled and passed the den by about
the same distance. When he had gone
over the beat two or three times dis
covered what was the matter. As he
came toward me the sun shone full In
his face, and saw that he was stone
blind. There was a white film over
each eve, and he could not have seen
tree in his path.
Disease or accident had blinded him,
but he possessed every other power ma
ture gives TO the dreaded beast--grace,
litheness, strength-death!
There Is curious fascination In
watching the beast as he takes his
promenade. ] forget my pains as
rejoice over his blindness. Had be
been possessed OF his erstwhile vision
AYE, could he but see ever so little
he would spring upon me, fasten those
long yellow fangs into my throat, and
In thirty seconds all would be over.
But he Is blind. He cannot discover
my presence II remain quiet
Heaven save me,
A shift OF the wind. which here cir
cles around and eddies about. has car
ried him the scent. He stops midway
Ia his promenade. rears up and snins
the air with a savage growl, and my
heart beats so that Il seems he must
surely hear Il and follow the sound I'M
III HIS hot breath Is on my face.
snlnr! Sniff Growi! To the right
10 the left, straight ahead!
There; he's lost II as the wind ed
dies about. and now he stands stock
still and utters continuous growl as
he waits 10 catch II again. No, not IKE
a statue. His long tail sweeps the
ground In a half circle, and his cars
work swiftly back and forth Blind
Death waiting 10 rend. bite. tear and |
XII!
The scent again. He rears M. whirls
about three or four times as N on
pivot. aud now be points fun az me. A ,
tapeline fifteen feet long would cover
the distance between us-between
where lie helpless as he crouches for a
spring. II those sightiess eyes could I
be restored how they would CLINT and
glitter and blaze.
Growil Growl! w-r-rrl
There's something IN the sound which
ehins my blood-s menaoe, a warning
OF what IL 90 come whsch bids me shut
my eyes and utter a last prayer. Why
docs be hositatsi What delayed his
spring; An. the wind has shifted
again, ana now his inhrmity reasons
against his natural ferOcity. He has