The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-03-02
Blind Death
BY Nj. QUAD
Copyright, 1915, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.l
By Nj. QUAD


steaders and spectators in that diree-
ton, and one day l left camp on nv
own hook and wandered away three
or four miles. As 1 stood resting be-
side tree / saw a deer only a pistol
shot away. It was a fine buck, and
he walked into the open as cool and
unconcerned as if nobody had ever
thirsted for his life.
I 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 bit excited, / pushed on as fast
as possible and paid little heed of what
was underfoot. OF sudden 1 found
myself falling, and as went down
dropped my gun to clutch at the
branches. went down ten or twelve
feet over focks, struck on my feet and
then plunged forward and brought I'D
beside big detached rock with
smash severe enough to have killed one
outright. did break two ribs and ter
ribly bruiss 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 l was badly hurt-ius'
how badly / hesitated to find out. re
membering that 1 was miles away
from camp and could expect no help
lay quiet hoping the pains would
soon go away, when l got such q shocI
as nearly put my wits to sleep again
Almost in front of me and only TWEEN
ty-five feet away was the mouth of
den in the face of the cliff, and out o
this den stalked the largest panther
had ever seen. He stood shutting tn
air and looking full at me, and whe1
realized how helpless l was even Il
utter a 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 beaS
could reach me with one spring, but
soon had reason to conclude that ht
was a queer animal. He turned TO the
left and trotted over the ground dis
lance of about fifty feet; then he
wheeled and passed the den by ab0u
the same distance. When he had gone
over the beat two OF 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 eye, 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 a curious fascination in
watching the beast as he takes his
promenade. I forget my pains as /
rejoice 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 seconds all would be over.
But he is blind. He cannot discover
my presence if I 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
in his promenade, rears up and shifts
the air with a savage growl, and my
heart beats so that it seems he must
surely hear it and follow the sound un-
til his hot breath is on my face.
Sniff Sniff! Growl! To the right,
to the left, straight ahead!
There; he's lost it as the wind ed
dies about, and now he stands stock
still and utters a continuous growl az
he waits to catch it again. No, not Ike
a statue His long tail sweeps the
ground in half circle, and his ears
work swiftly back and forth. Blind
Death waiting to rend, bite, tear and
kill!
The scent again. He rears up, whiris
about three or four times as If on
pivot, and now he points full at me. A
tapeline fifteen feet long would cover
the distance between us-between
where lie helpless as he crouches for
spring. If those sightless eyes could
be restored how they would CLINT and +
glitter and blaze.
Growl! GrowlI W-r-r-r!
There's something in the sound which
chills my blood-a menace, warning
of what is to come which bids me shut
my eyes and utter last prayer. Why
does he hesitate? What delayed 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
route If he leaves it, If he springs at
me, he may fall over a cliff for all ne
can tell Had the scent held mo-
ment longer he might have attacked,