Year: 1875

WALKING THROUGH THE WOODS WITH A


TREACHERoUs COMPANION.


As test of nerve, the recent expert


ence of wayfarer travelling through a


wood road near Olympias, Washington


Territory, was as remarkable as anv on


record. The man was a speculator, look


ing out wild land, and he trudged through


the forest, following the ain ost unused
path formed by an old road made by


pioneers in the wilderness. His mind


was devoted to one subject--the critical


examination of the kind of trees upon


the land about him, and of the character


of the soil, and he failed to notice for
sometime the "pit-a-pat ON the dead


leaves beside him. He at first scarcely
looked down when he felt something
rubbing against his legs and heard
slight purring sound. but when he did


look his heart came up to his mouth and
cold sweat started as though he was
suspended by weak rope over Niagara.
Pressing itself softly against his legs,
twining about him as he walked, moving
Its flexible body swiftly, but with never
sound, turning up fierce eyes with
something almost like terrible laugh
at him was huge cougar No chicken
was this man in the woods, but his ac-
count of the manner in which his hat
was raised by his hair is not to be con-
sidered apocryphal at all. Sleek and
supple and muscular the beast glided
about, and at intervals would come clos
er again, and press its body against the
legs of the man, the light touch making
goosefesh of every inch of his form. 1t
was terrible experience, that interview
with the cougar in the forest primeval,
and it is well for the man that his nerves
were of the kind to do honor to from
tier adventurer. Steadily pursuing his
course with steps that would falter occa-
sionally, he kept on, and with him the
beast continued its treacherous gambols. |
At times it would glide few PAGES in
front, and roll over in the road, and wait |
for the man to come up, and then it |
would circle around him until the i'm |
pulse, almost too strong to be resisted, |
would come upon him to spring upon the
brute, opposing fists to fangs, and ending
the intolerable suspension at any risk.
The movements of the terrible animal |
were but as the playing of cat with
mouse, and the man knew it. The mo-
ment came at length, when the strain
could be borne no longer, and the man
kicked desperately at the beast as it
passed him. In moment it bounced 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 its
humor little longer. The shout, for
tunately, was not in vain.


There were hunters and dogs in the
Immediate vicinity, as rare fortune would
have it, and the hounds dashed suddenly
from the covert as the cougar, seeing
them leaped for a tree. A few moments
later the beast fell victim to the bull
let's, and the man with whom it had tax
en- stroll was telling his story and try
ing to restore the natural condition of
his nerves by internal application from
L small flask. 1t was one of the epi-
'odes which turn mems hair gray, one
which would, doubtless, have brought
Heath to the man with less nerve than
,he hero of the affair,-DaaOaginac Mon
tor.