Year: 1875

/


Treacherous Companion.


As test Of nerve. the recent experience OF


wayfarer travelling a wood road, near


Olympia. Washington Territory, was as re-


msrkable as any On record. The man was a


speculator, looking ont wild land, and he


trudged through the forest, following the al


most unused path formed by an old road


made by pioneers in the wilderness. his


mind was devoted 70 one subject-the criti-


cal examination of the kind of trees upon the


land about him, and Of the character of the
soil, and he failed 10 notice for sometime


"pit-a-pat upon the dead leaves near him.
! He at first scarcely looked down, when he


felt something rubbingsagainst his legs and


heard q slight purring sound, but when he
| did look his heart came up in his mouth and
| the cold sweat started as suddenly as though
he were suspended by weak rope over Ma


CARA. Pressing itself softly against his legs,


twinins about him as he walked, moving its


flexible body swiftly; but with never a sound,


turning up fierce eyes with something like a


laugh in them, was q huge cougarl No


chicken was this man in the woods, but his


account OF the manner in which his hat was


raised by his hair is not to be considered Gs


apocryphal at all Sleek and supple and
muscular the beast glided about, and at in
tervals it would come closer again, and press
its body against the legs of the man, the |
light touch making goosefesh Of every inch |
in his form. 1t was q terrific experience,
that interview with the cougar in the forest |
primeval, and it Is well that his nerves were !
of the kind TO do honor to frontier adven-
turer. Steadily pursuing his course with
steps that would falter occasionally, he kept
on, and with him the beast continued It's
treacherous gambols. At times it would
glide a few PAGES to the front, and roll over
and over in the road, and wait for the man
to come up, and then it would circle around
him again until the impulse, almost too
strong to be resisted, would come upon him
TO spring upon the brute, opposing fists to
fans., and ending the intolerable suspense at
any risk. The movements of the terrible an
iEnal were but as the playing of the cat with
a mouse, and the man knew it.


The moment came, at length, when the
strain could be borne no longer, and the man
kicked desperately at the beast as it passed
him. In un instant 1t bounded in front and
crouched for spring, growing hoarsely, |
and showing its teeth. The man stopped and |
shouted hopelessly for aid, while the cougar |
did not spring at once, but appeared waiting |
to crafty It's humor little longer. The !
shout, fortunately WAS not in vain.


There we're hunters and dogs in the imme- |
diate vicinity, as rare fortune would have 1t. |
and the hounds dashed suddenly from the COW |
ert as the cougar, seeing them. eaped for tree
4 few moments later the beast fell a victim |
to bullets, and The man with whom it had |
taken stroll was telling his story and try
ing 10 restore the normal condition Of his |
nerves by internal application from small
flask. II was one of the episodes which turn
mems hair gray-one which would, doubt |
less, have brought death to man with less
nerve than the hero OF the affair.