The Washington herald., 1915-05-23
BLIND DEATH

, white film over each eye. and he could
not have seen a tree in his path.
a blind panther out for exercise-pnnd
/ death tottering along in front of a man
| So helpless that he could not have made
| his voice heard twenty feet away
| You have seen the beast conhned IN a
caee-his limbs stifYened. his teeth brok-
| en- and his savage nature toned down by
| Imprisonment and the sight OF humanity
until he will scarcely snarl at the cane
thrust in to stir him up. This one was
1.-the. supple. vigilant. a combination of
! strength and ferceness not possessed py
| the tiger Disease or accident had blind
ed him. but he possessed every otner
power nature gives to the dreaded beast
| instinct taught him the lay of the land.
He may have passed over it thousand
and one times.
Just so far to the east
Just so far to the west.
A large stone is passed to the right
large tree Is passed to the left.
Down by a ledge of rock and wheel
about east. to where the thtcket beSlns'
and then wheel again.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
The lower jaw is down aod 1 have a
fine view Of the fangs which would rend
the hide, of horse. At every step the
would sink to the bone of a mans leg
and then strip the quivering flesh of in
bloody fragments.
There is a curious fascination in
promenade. l forget my pains as I re-
joice over his blindness. Had he 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 sec
onds all would be over. But he Is blind.
He cannot discover my presence IL re-
main quiet.
A shift of the wind. which here circles
around and eddies about, has carried him
the scent He stops midway In his
with a savage growi, and my heart beats
so that it seems he must surely hear It
and follow the sound until his hot breath
is on my face.
the left-straight ahead!
There. He's lost 1t as the wind eddies
about. and now he stands stock still ana
utters a continuous growl as he waits to
His long tall sweeps the ground in q half
circle and his ears work swiftly back and
forth. Blind death waiting to rend. bite.
tear and kill.
The scent again. He rcars up. whirls
about three or four times as IL on pivot.
and now he points full at me. tape
line fifteen feet long would cover the dis
tance between us-between where I lie
helpless as he crouches for spring.
IL those sightless eyes could be restored
how they would CLINT and glitter and
blaze.
There's something In the sound which
chills my blood-a menace-a warning Of
what Ia to come which bids me shut my
eyes and utter a last prayer. Why does
he hesitate? What delays his spring?
All, the wind has shifted again. and now
his infirmity reasons against his natural
ferocity. He has been blind for year
or two. perhaps. He has never left the
cave except to move up and down over
that one Houte. II he leaves tiff he
springs at me-he may fall over cliff
for all he can tell. Had the scent held
moment longer, he might have attacked.
but now the breeze freshens up. the
leaves around him are blown hither. and
he Is seeming to argue that his quarry
has passed on and 10 out Of his reach.
Blind Death crept back to his cave and
entered II with mutterinss Of savage dis
appointment.
Wen for me that M mate was not
home and did not return until I had
managed to drag myself out Of the neigh
borhood and secure assistance to reach
camp. Had there been eyes to see mo
Blind Death might now be ninging my
cracked and whitened bones about he
dark den ~ he rolls hinself n Uortavo
mood.