Now a panther story was the natural winding-up of this day, and it had
been already hinted that old Ike had "rubbed out" several of these
creatures in his time, and no doubt could tell more than one "painter"
story.
"Wal, strengers," began he, "it's true thet this hyur ain't the fust
painter I've comed acrosst. About fifteen yeern ago I moved to
Loozyanny, an' thur I met a painter, an' a queer story it are."
"Let us have it by all means," said several of the party, drawing closer
up and seating themselves to listen attentively. We all knew that a
story from Ike could not be otherwise than "queer," and our curiosity
was on the _qui vive_.
"Wal then," continued he, "they have floods dowd thur in Loozyanny, sich
as, I guess, you've never seen the like o' in England." Here Ike
addressed himself specially to our English comrade. "England ain't big
enough to hev sich floods. One o' 'm ud kiver yur hul country, I hev
heern said. I won't say that ar's true, as I ain't acquainted with yur
jography. I know, howsomdever, they're mighty big freshets thur, as I
hev sailed a skift more 'n a hundred mile acrosst one o' 'm, whur thur
wan't nothin' to be seen but cypress tops peep in out o' the water. The
floods, as ye know, come every year, but them ar big ones only oncest in
a while.
"Wal, as I've said about fifeteen yeern ago, I located in the Red River
bottom, about fifty mile or tharabout below Nacketosh, whur I built me a
shanty. I hed left my wife an' two young critters in Massissippi state,
intendin' to go back for 'em in the spring; so, ye see, I wur all alone
by meself, exceptin' my ole mar, a Collins's axe, an' of coorse my
rifle.
"I hed finished the shanty all but the chinkin' an' the buildin' o' a
chimbly, when what shed come on but one o' 'm tarnation floods. It wur
at night when it begun to make its appearance. I wur asleep on the
floor o' the shanty, an' the first warnin' I hed o' it wur the feel o'
the water soakin' through my ole blanket. I hed been a-dreamin', an'
thort it wur rainin', an' then agin I thort that I wur bein' drownded in
the Massissippi; but I wan't many seconds awake, till I guessed what it
wur in raality; so I jumped to my feet like a started buck, an' groped
my way to the door.
"A sight that wur when I got thur. I hed chirred a piece o' ground
around the shanty--a kupple o' acres or better--I hed left the stumps a
good three feet high: thur wan't a stump to be seen. My clearin',
stumps an' all, wur under water; an' I could see it shinin' among the
trees all round the shanty.
"Of coorse, my fust thoughts wur about my rifle; an I turned back into
the shanty, an' laid my claws upon that quick enough.
"I next went in search o' my ole mar. She wan't hard to find; for if
ever a critter made a noise, she did. She wur tied to a tree close by
the shanty, an' the way she wur a-squealin' wur a caution to cats. I
found her up to the belly in water, pitchin' an' flounderin' all round
the tree. She hed nothin' on but the rope that she wur hitched by.
Both saddle an' bridle hed been washed away: so I made the rope into a
sort o' halter, an' mounted her bare-backed.
"Jest then I begun to think whur I wur agoin'. The hul country appeared
to be under water: an' the nearest neighbour I hed lived acrosst the
parairy ten miles off. I knew that his shanty sot on high ground, but
how wur I to get thur? It wur night; I mout lose my way, an' ride chuck
into the river.
"When I thort o' ibis, I concluded it mout be better to stay by my own
shanty till mornin'. I could hitch the mar inside to keep her from
bein' floated away; an' for meself, I could climb on the roof.
"While I wur thinkin' on this, I noticed that the water wur a-deepenin',
an' it jest kim into my head, that it ud soon be deep enough to drownd
my ole mar. For meself I wan't frightened. I mout a clomb a tree, an'
stayed thur till the flood fell; but I shed a lost the mar, an' that
critter wur too valleyble to think o' such a sacryfize; so I made up my
mind to chance crossin' the parairy. Thur wan't no time to be wasted--
ne'er a minnit; so I gin the mar a kick or two in the ribs an' started.
"I found the path out to the edge of the parairy easy enough. I hed
blazed it when I fust come to the place; an', as the night wur not a
very dark one, I could see the blazes as I passed atween the trees. My
mar knew the track as well as meself, an' swaltered through at a sharp
rate, for she knew too thur wan't no time to be wasted. In five
minnites we kim out on the edge o' the pairairy, an' jest as I expected,
the hul thing wur kivered with water, an' lookin' like a big pond, I
could see it shinin' clur acrosst to the other side o' the openin'.
"As luck ud hev it, I could jest git a glimp o' the trees on the fur
side o' the parairy. Thur wur a big clump o' cypress, that I could see
plain enough; I knew this wur clost to my neighbour's shanty; so I gin
my critter the switch, an' struck right for it.
"As I left the timmer, the mar wur up to her hips. Of coorse, I
expected a good grist o' heavy wadin'; but I hed no idee that the water
wur a-gwine to git much higher; thur's whur I made my mistake.
"I hedn't got more'n a kupple o' miles out when I diskivered that the
thing wur a-risin' rapidly, for I seed the mar wur a-gettin' deeper an'
deeper.
"'Twan't no use turnin' back now. I ud lose the mar to a dead sartinty,
if I didn't make the high ground; so I spoke to the critter to do her
best, an' kep on. The poor beast didn't need any whippin'--she knew as
well's I did meself thur wur danger, an' she wur a-doin' her darndest,
an' no mistake. Still the water riz, an' kep a-risin', until it come
clur up to her shoulder.
"I begun to git skeart in airnest. We wan't more 'n half acrosst, an' I
seed if it riz much more we ud hav to swim for it. I wan't far astray
about that. The minnit arter it seemed to deepen suddintly, as if thur
wur a hollow in the parairy: I heerd the mar give a loud gouf, an' then
go down, till I wur up to the waist. She riz agin the next minnit, but
I could tell from the smooth ridin' that she wur off o' the bottom. She
wur swimmin', an' no mistake.
"At fust I thort o' headin' her back to the shanty; an' I drew her round
with that intent; but turn her which way I would, I found she could no
longer touch bottom.
"I guess, strengers, I wur in a quandairy about then. I 'gun to think
that both my own an' my mar's time wur come in airnest, for I hed no
idee that the critter could iver swim to the other side, 'specially with
me on her back, an' purticklarly as at that time these hyur ribs had a
sight more griskin upon 'em than they hev now.
"Wal, I wur about reckinin' up. I hed got to thinkin' o' Mary an' the
childer, and the old shanty in the Mississippi, an' a heap o' things
that I hed left unsettled, an' that now come into my mind to trouble me.
The mar wur still plungin' ahead; but I seed she wur sinkin' deeper an'
deeper an' fast loosin' her strength, an' I knew she couldn't hold out
much longer.
"I thort at this time that if I got off o' her back, an' tuk hold o' the
tail, she mout manage a leetle hotter. So I slipped backwards over her
hips, an' grupped the long hair. It did do some good, for she swum
higher; but we got mighty slow through the water, an' I hed but leetle
behopes we should reach land.
"I wur towed in this way about a quarter o' a mile, when I spied
somethin' floatin' on the water a leetle ahead. It hed growed
considerably darker; but thur wur still light enough to show me that the
thing wur a log.
"An idee now entered my brain-pan, that I mout save meself by takin' to
the log. The mar ud then have a better chance for herself; an' maybe,
when eased o' draggin' my carcass, that wur a-keepin' her back, she mout
make footin' somewhur. So I waited till she got a leetle closter; an'
then, lettin' go o' her tail, I clasped the log, an' crawled on to it.
"The mar swum on, appeerintly 'ithout missin' me. I seed her disappear
through the darkness; but I didn't as much as say good-bye to her, for I
wur afeard that my voice mout bring her back agin', an' she mout strike
the log with her hoofs, an' whammel it about. So I lay quiet, an' let
her hev her own way.
"I wan't long on the log till I seed it wur a-driftin', for thur wur a
current in the water that set tol'uble sharp acrosst the parairy. I hed
crawled up at one eend, an' got stride-legs; but as the log dipped
considerable, I wur still over the hams in the water.
"I thort I mout be more comfortable towards the middle, an' wur about to
pull the thing more under me, when all at once I seed thur wur somethin'
clumped up on t'other eend o' the log.
"'Twan't very clur at the time, for it had been a-growin' cloudier ever
since I left the shanty, but 'twur clur enough to show me that the thing
wur a varmint: what sort, I couldn't tell. It mout be a bar, an' it
mout not; but I had my suspects it wur eyther a bar or a painter.
"I wan't left long in doubt about the thing's gender. The log kep
makin' circles as it drifted, an' when the varmint kim round into a
different light, I caught a glimp o' its eyes. I knew them eyes to be
no bar's eyes: they wur painter's eyes, an' no mistake.
"I reckin, strengers, I felt very queery jest about then. I didn't try
to go any nearer the middle o' the log; but instead of that, I wriggled
back until I wur right plum on the eend of it, an' could git no further.
"Thur I sot for a good long spell 'ithout movin' hand or foot. I
dasen't make a motion, as I wur afeard it mout tempt the varmint to
attackt me.
"I hed no weepun but my knife; I hed let go o' my rifle when I slid from
the mar's back, an' it hed gone to the bottom long since. I wan't in
any condition to stand a tussle with the painter nohow; so I 'wur
determined to let him alone as long's he ud me.
"Wal, we drifted on for a good hour, I guess, 'ithout eyther o' us
stirrin'. We sot face to face; an' now an' then the current ud set the
log in a sort o' up-an'-down motion, an' then the painter an' I kep
bowin' to each other like a pair o' bob-sawyers. I could see all the
while that the varmint's eyes wur fixed upon mine, an' I never tuk mine
from hisn; I know'd 'twur the only way to keep him still.
"I wur jest prospectin' what ud be the eendin' o' the business, when I
seed we wur a-gettin' closter to the timmer: 'twan't more 'n two miles
off, but 'twur all under water 'ceptin' the tops o' the trees. I wur
thinkin' that when the log shed float in among the branches, I mout slip
off, an' git my claws upon a tree, 'ithout sayin anythin' to my
travellin' companion.
"Jest at that minnit somethin' appeared dead ahead o' the log. It wur
like a island; but what could hev brought a island thur? Then I
recollects that I hed seed a piece o' high ground about that part o' the
parairy--a sort o' mound that hed been made by Injuns, I s'pose. This,
then, that looked like a island, wur the top o' that mound, sure enough.
"The log wur a-driftin' in sich a way that I seed it must pass within
twenty yards o' the mound. I detarmined then, as soon as we shed git
alongside, to put out for it, an' leave the painter to continue his
voyage 'ithout me.
"When I fust sighted the island I seed somethin' that; hed tuk for
bushes. But thur wan't no bushes on the mound--that I knowd.
"Howsomdever, when we got a leetle closter, I diskivered that the bushes
wur beests. They wur deer; for I spied a pair o' buck's horns atween me
an' the sky. But thur wur a somethin' still bigger than a deer. It
mout be a hoss, or it mout be an Opelousa ox, but I thort it wur a hoss.
"I wur right about that, for a horse it wur, sure enough, or rayther I
shed say, a _mar_, an' that mar no other than my ole crittur!
"Arter partin' company, she hed turned with the current; an', as good
luck ud hev it, hed swum in a beeline for the island, an' thur she stood
lookin' as slick as if she hed been greased.
"The log hed by this got nigh enough, as I kalklated; an', with as
little rumpus as possible, I slipped over the eend an' lot go my hold o'
it. I wan't right spread in the water, afore I heerd a plump, an'
lookin' round a bit, I seed the painter hed left the log too, an' tuk to
the water.
"At fust, I thort he wur arter me; an' I drawed my knife with one hand,
while I swum with the other. But the painter didn't mean fight that
time. He made but poor swimmin' himself, an' appeared glad enough to
get upon dry groun' 'ithout molestin' me; so we swum on side by side,
an' not a word passed atween us.
"I didn't want to make a race o' it; so I let him pass me, rayther than
that he should fall behind, an' get among my legs.
"Of coorse, he landed fust; an' I could hear by the stompin' o' hoofs,
that his suddint appearance hed kicked up a jolly stampede among the
critters upon the island. I could see both deer and mar dancing all
over the groun', as if Old Nick himself hed got among 'em.
"None o' 'em, howsomdever, thort o' takin' to the water. They hed all
hed enough o' that, I guess.
"I kep a leetle round, so as not to land near the painter; an' then,
touchin' bottom, I climbed quietly up on the mound. I hed hardly drawed
my drippin' carcass out o' the water, when I heerd a loud squeal, which
I knew to be the whigher o' my ole mar; an' jest at that minnit the
critter kim runnin' up, an' rubbed her nose agin my shoulder. I tuk the
halter in my hand, an' sidling round a leetle, I jumped upon her back,
for I still wur in fear o' the painter; an' the mar's back appeared to
me the safest place about, an' that wan't very safe, eyther.
"I now looked all round to see what new company I hed got into. The day
wur jest breakin', an' I could distinguish a leetle better every minnit.
The top o' the mound which, wur above water wan't over half an acre in
size, an' it wur as clur o' timmer as any other part o' the parairy, so
that I could see every inch o' it, an' everythin' on it as big as a
tumble-bug.
"I reckin, strengers, that you'll hardly believe me when I tell you the
concatenation o' varmints that wur then an' thur caucused together. I
could hardly believe my own eyes when I seed sich a gatherin', an' I
thort I hed got aboard o' Noah's Ark. Thur wur--listen, strengers--fust
my ole mar an' meself, an' I wished both o' us anywhur else, I reckin--
then thur wur the painter, yur old acquaintance--then thur wur four
deer, a buck an' three does. Then kim a catamount; an' arter him a
black bar, a'most as big as a buffalo. Then thur wur a 'coon an' a
'possum, an' a kupple o' grey wolves, an' a swamp rabbit, an', darn the
thing! a stinkin' skunk. Perhaps the last wan't the most dangerous
varmint on the groun', but it sartintly wur the most disagreeableest o'
the hul lot, for it smelt only as a cussed polecat kin smell.
"I've said, strengers, that I wur mightily tuk by surprise when I fust
seed this curious clanjamfrey o' critters; but I kin tell you I wur
still more dumbfounded when I seed thur behaveyur to one another,
knowin' thur different naturs as I did. Thur wur the painter lyin'
clost up to the deer--its nat'ral prey; an' thur wur the wolves too; an'
thur wur the catamount standin' within three feet o' the 'possum an' the
swamp rabbit; an' thur wur the bar an' the cunnin' old 'coon; an' thur
they all wur, no more mindin' one another than if they hed spent all
thur days together in the same penn.
"'Twur the oddest sight I ever seed, an' it remembered me o' bit o'
Scripter my ole mother hed often read from a book called the Bible, or
some sich name--about a lion that wur so tame he used to squat down
beside a lamb, 'ithout layin' a claw upon the innocent critter.
"Wal, stranger, as I'm sayin', the hul party behaved in this very way.
They all appeared down in the mouth, an' badly skeart about the water;
but for all that, I hed my fears that the painter or the bar--I wan't
afeard o' any o' the others--mout git over thur fright afore the flood
fell; an' thurfore I kept as quiet as any one o' them during the hul
time I wur in thur company, an' stayin' all the time clost by the mar.
But neyther bar nor painter showed any savage sign the hul o' the next
day, nor the night that follered it.
"Strengers, it ud tire you wur I to tell you all the movements that tuk
place among these critters durin' that long day an' night. Ne'er a one
o' 'em laid tooth or claw on the other. I wur hungry enough meself, and
ud a liked to hev taken a steak from the buttocks o' one o' the deer,
but I dasen't do it. I wur afeard to break the peace, which mout a led
to a general shindy.
"When day broke, next mornin' arter, I seed that the flood wur afallin';
and as soon as it wur shallow enough, I led my mar quietly into the
water, an' climbin' upon her back, tuk a silent leave o' my companions.
The water still tuk my mar up to the flanks, so that I knew none o' the
varmint could follow 'ithout swimmin', an' ne'er a one seemed inclined
to try a swim.
"I struck direct for my neighbour's shanty, which I could see about
three mile off, an', in a hour or so, I wur at his door. Thur I didn't
stay long, but borrowin' an extra gun which he happened to hev, an'
takin' him along with his own rifle, I waded my mar back to the island.
We found the game not exactly as I hed left it. The fall o' the flood
hed given the painter, the cat, an' the wolves courage. The swamp
rabbit an' the 'possum wur clean gone--all but bits o' thur wool--an'
one o' the does wur better 'n half devoured.
"My neighbour tuk one side, an' I the other, an' ridin' clost up, we
surrounded the island.
"I plugged the painter at the fust shot, an' he did the same for the
bar. We next layed out the wolves, an' arter that cooney, an' then we
tuk our time about the deer--these last and the bar bein' the only
valley'ble things on the island. The skunk we kilt last, as we didn't
want the thing to stink us off the place while we wur a-skinnin' the
deer.
"Arter killin' the skunk, we mounted an' left, of coorse loaded with our
bar-meat an' venison.
"I got my rifle arter all. When the flood went down, I found it near
the middle of the parairy, half buried in the sludge.
"I saw I hed built my shanty in the wrong place; but I soon looked out a
better location, an' put up another. I hed all ready in the spring,
when I went back to Massissippi, an' brought out Mary and the two young
uns."
The singular adventure of old Ike illustrates a point in natural history
that, as soon as the trapper had ended, became the subject of
conversation. It was that singular trait in the character of predatory
animals, as the cougar, when under circumstances of danger. On such
occasions fear seems to influence them so much as to completely subdue
their ferocity, and they will not molest other animals sharing the
common danger, even when the latter are their natural and habitual prey.
Nearly every one of us had observed this at some time or other; and the
old naturalist, as well as the hunter-guides, related many incidents
confirming the strange fact. Humboldt speaks of an instance observed by
him on the Orinoco, where the fierce jaguar and some other creatures
were seen quietly and peacefully floating together on the same log--all
more or less frightened at their situation!
Ike's story had very much interested the doctor, who rewarded him with a
"nip" from the pewter flask; and, indeed, on this occasion the flask was
passed round, as the day had been one of unusual interest. The killing
of a cougar is a rare adventure, even in the wildest haunts of the
backwoods' country.