Evening star., 1934-12-09

stepped as the panther left the ground htnch-
ed In . hurtling heap and intent on telling her
enemy with the mighty impact Of her attack
AS THE nonness flashed by, Lilly slashed
her with his fragile knife. With the
alacr1ty which the ferocious couger displays
when fighting for ufe the female seemed to re-
bound instead Of spravling in q heap when her
charge missed the victim. In . split second she
had leaped again, lashing out at the hunter
with needle-edged claws. And again he lodged
her attack and stabbed her. That onense and
defense continued IS long as Lilly was able to
evade the fury Of the wild beast Eventually.
however. she closed with him, ripping his torso
with razorlke gashes, never desisting from the
wild attack; even infuriated more than ever by
the smell Of human blood.
II motion picture could have been made Of
the desperate battle that ensued for the next
half hour, it would have rated as an epic
among animal pictures. Lilly knew mountain
lion anatomy better than the best animal
trainer. His long experience with the wild
lions had schooled him in every trait Of the
species. He was able to anticipate every fight
ing move Of the noness. He countered with .
slash or stab of the knife aimed at some vital
point every time the lion charged, leaped or
reared up on her hind legs intent on clawing
and biting his throat, neck, chest and torso In
efforts to reach his vital organs. Time and
again, the knife sank into or gashed the back
and sides of the milling. writhing. wrestling
lioness. Lilys clothes were clawed to shreds.
flesh was stripped from his arms and legs; his
midrif was cut and scratched. his breath came
in gasps, he groaned and grunted with pain
while the panther spit, snarled and even
moaned in distress and fury. The yelping,
swapping raging pack OF dogs which did their
best to aid their owner in his fierce hght for
life contributed staccatic chorus to the tur-
moil.
With drama as ave-inSnirinc as that which
introduced the bloodthirsty battle, it came to .
conclusion when Lilly finally rammed home the
death thrust The noness collapsed in a well
ter of blood and gore with powerful muscles still
twitching and with the reflexes at work aS she
sumped in ~sprawling mass never again to
arise
The hunter Redeemed by blood and reeling
from exhaustion, staggered a few steps, lost
consciousness and Topped to the ground with
in few yards of his fallen foe. There he lay
for hours. exhausted by his efforts and feeble
from the loss of blood, while his dogs, whimper-
ing and weaving about in the brush, licked at
his face and hands and could not understand
why he did not get up and return to camp.
The hounds stood watch until sunset. The
cool of the evening eventually aided In arousing
Lilly. Ultimately he was able to crawl back to
camp, where he bathed and dressed his many
wounds best he could. For weeks he re-
mained close to camp while recuperating It
was six months before the lion-killer was re-
tored to full health and activity after his
closest call from death.
I lily Is reputed to know more about Amerf-
- can mountain lions than any other living
man. This panther Is the greatest natural
enemy Of deer, and when game is scarce -
Continued on Ninth Page