IN THE FAR WEST. 91 



something touch his leg, and on looking down was almost 

 dazed to see a huge cougar rubbing its head against him, 

 and purring pleasantly. Seeing that it was in evident good 

 humour, whilst he was defenceless in case of an attack, he 

 moved onward in a sort of half-stupified condition, for his 

 heart was beating violently, and he dared not utter a sound 

 through fear of arousing its anger. The animal accompanied 

 him for a mile or more and gamboled around him in the most 

 playful manner, now running ahead for several yards, then 

 bounding back and rubbing its head and side against him 

 strongly, as a pet house-cat would. Knowing the treacherous 

 nature of the brute, he expected every moment to be assailed, 

 and the blood was often sent coursing violently and spas- 

 modically through his body, and cold chills crept over him 

 whenever he saw it plunging into the woods, then come leaping 

 towards him at its best pace, and colliding with his legs so 

 vigorously that he feared sometimes that he would be knocked 

 down ; and if such an accident occurred, he was afraid that its 

 natural instinct would prevail, and that he would be pounced 

 upon. It began to get wearied after awhile of the gamboling, 

 and kept closer to him ; its tail also began to swing suspiciously 

 from side to side, and its loud purring was occasionally 

 transformed into a blood-curdling scream. Just as he was 

 about giving up all hopes of getting rid of it quietly, he heard 

 the rumble of approaching wheels, and taking courage from 

 this indication of help, he gave a loud and prolonged yell, in 

 which there was more of fear than defiance. The cougar was 

 startled so much by this fierce and unexpected cry that it fled 

 into the woods terror-stricken, and disappeared like magic in 

 the shrubbery. AVhen the driver of the waggon approached 

 the terrified man, he found him so weak from excitement that 

 he could hardly speak, but he recovered himself after a little 

 while and told his tale. He was driven to town, and, after 

 taking a long pull at something stronger than tea, was himself 

 again, but he will not probably to his dying day forget his 

 agonizing halt-hour with a cougar. 



1 heard of another instance in Minnesota, in whieh a cougar 

 leaped from a tree upon the driver of a waggon who wa^ earn - 



