J40 ACCOUNT OF A FEROCIOUS BETAST. 



Account of the from U except where a river or lake was at hand, by plunging 



calfed jj^Who by ' n '° ,ne waters > ar »d Swimming out, or down the dream to a 



the American great diftance, they effected their efcape. When this was the 



n jans. cafe, and the bean 1 was not able to purfue his intended prey 



any further, he would fet up fuch a roaring noife, that every 



Indian who heard it trembled with fear. 



This animal preyed upon every beaft it could lay hold of. 

 It would catch and kill the largeft: bear, and devour it. While 

 the bears were plentiful the Indians had not fo much caufe to 

 dread the jagifho; but when this was not the cafe, he would 

 run about in the. woods, fearching for the track or fcent of the 

 hunters, and follow them up. The women became fo much 

 afraid of going out to work, that the men aflembled to deli- 

 berate on a plan for killing him. 



This beaft had its refidence at or near a lake, from which the 

 water flows in two different ways (or has two different out- 

 lets), one northerly and the other foutherly. The Indians 

 being well informed of this circumftance, a refolute party of 

 them, well armed with bows, arrows, and fpears, made to- 

 wards the lake". They ftationed themfelves on a high per- 

 pendicular rock, climbing up the fame by means of Indian 

 ladders, and then drawing thefe ladders up after them. 



After being well fixed, and having taken up with them a 

 number of Hones, the Indians began to imitate the voices and 

 cries of the various beafts of the woods, and even thofe of 

 children, in order to decoy the jagifho thither. Having fpent 

 fame days in this place without fuccefs, a detached party took 

 an excurfion to fome ditlance from the rock. Before they had 

 •reached the rock again, the beaft had gotten the fcent of them, 

 and was in full purfuit of them. They, however, regained 

 that pofition before he arrived. When he came to the rock, 

 he was in great anger, fprang againft it with his mouth wide 

 open, grinning and feizing upon it, as though he would tear 

 it to pieces * * * *. During this time, numbers of arrows 

 and ftones were difcharged at him, until at length he dropped 

 down and expired. 



His head was cut off, and was carried in triumph by the 

 Indians to their villages or fettlements on the North 

 River, and was there fixed upon a pole that it might be feen. 

 As the report of the death of the animal fpread among the 



neighbouring 



