Year: 1875

teams. This same Ned Wilbur drove
one, the writer another, and the third
was drove by an older boy named Dan
Murch.


The logging road was sswinter road
only pushed out through the woods from
the mountain down to the lake. We
used to see where lynxes had crossed
the road every day going at long leaps
through the snow, taking from seven to
ten feet at bound.


Once or twice Ned and I caught
ghmpses of them at a distance. But
one day, while going down with our
into the road ahead of US, and seeing us
coming, stopped and watched us. Ned's
team was the toward one.


'Lucivees 7" he sang out to u.s.


We expected they would run before
we got very near, but they did not, and
on coming within three or fou1 rods, the
oxen stopped and snuffed.


''Throw your axe at 'em, Ned 7"
shouted Dan, from behind.


And Ned standing up on the load,
threw his axe over the oxen's head, and
after that threw three or four large chips


At this the two smaller ones skulked
off, but the largest one wouldn't stir.
He drew up his back, cat fashion, and
leered his ears.


The brute was as large as large dog,
and had a prodigious head. He kept
drawing up his lip and showing his teeth
in a savage way, as if he felt ugly. He
looked ugly at any rate.


Dan and came along to Ned's sled,
and we all shouted at the creature, to
frighten him off !; but he wouldn't move
L then threw my axe, and the handle, as
it flew, raped against the lynx's legs,
and this made it so angry that it began
to snarl and crouch. as if to spring.


''He'u jump at us or at the oxen p ex-
claimed Ned


''Let him jump!" said Dan. 'sTIl
fix himP' and whipping out his jack
knife, he cut down thick sapling of
spotted maple, and from it cuta stout
stick about yard long. Then slipping
past the forward oxen, he walked slowly
out toward the lucivee, with the club up
ready to strike.


'sLook out, Dan," cautioned Ned !;
s'he'1 scratch you awfully!''


But Dan kept moving up nearer. The
lynx growled and crouched lower and
lower, working its hind feet.


Then it jumped but Dan was on his
jumped back. The animal struck in the
road a few feet in front of him, and be-
fore it could spring again the heavy,
green stick came down on its head with
a sounding rap, which sent the lynx
sprawling. But it took fully a dozen
blows, dealt with might and main, to
fairly dispatch the animal. Dan then
took the body by the fore paws, and laid
one on each shoulder, allowing the hind
feet to rest on the snow, thus showing
the length of the creature. It's cla@ S
were hooked, like those of an owl.


That was pretty good forenoon's S
work for Dan. He got seven dollars for
the skin. But it is not every one who
would care to face such beast.


This same Dan Murch had an older
brother, named Amos, OF came" as we
used to familiarly address him, who had
singular luck with lynx cats. Amos was
in his twentieth year, and over in anoth-
er neighborhood, three or four miles to
the eastward, there lived fair damsel,
whose attractions caused him to make
pilgrimage through the woods every
Saturday evening. The road thither-
and across stumpy fields, and on dark
night could not have been a pleasant
one, L fancy.


But love is mighty motor, which
smiles in the face of material barriers.
One dark night, possibly morning,-as
Amos was returning home, he had a
somewhat disagreeable adventure. He
had gone through the woods, and had
come out into the cleared land, and was
just getting over log fence, beside
which there several large black-cherry
| trees.


Just as he cleared the fence, big
lucivee dropped on him from out one of
the cherry trees. Amos was taken COM
pletely by surprise; very likely his
thoughts were on pleasanter sub jeets.
His own account was that he Jumped a
rodl'


The cat clung to him and fastened its
teeth into the collar of his coat and waist
coat, and dug into his back with the
long nails of its hind feet. No doubt
there was lively tussel. Amos shook
the brute off at last, but says that they
"went over more than an acre of ground
in the scuffie %


The creature had taken the poor fell
low at such disad vantage that it was
hard work getting clear of him and the
animal jumped at him two or three times
after Amos had forced him from his
back. Amos could only kick as adefence:
Finally he succeeded in getting fence
stake. and the lynx back Off, but follow
ed him for quarter of mile, or over,
as if Ioath to give up his society.


Under the circumstances, Amos
would probably never have said word
about the fracas, but the back of his
chest coat was slit into strings. He
I I