COUGAR. 
309 
to quiet them, thinking some person, perhaps a neighbour, had called to 
see him. The dogs could not be driven back, but rushed into the house ; 
he seized his horsewhip, which hung inside the hall door, and whipped 
them all out, as he thought, except one, which ran under the table. He 
then took a candle and looking down, to his surprise and alarm discover- 
ed the supposed refractory dog to be a Cougar. He retreated instanter, 
the females and children of his family fled frightened half out of their 
senses. The Cougar sprang at him, he parried the blow with the candle- 
stick, but the animal flew at him again, leaping forwai'd perpendicularly, 
striking at his face with the fore-feet, and at his body with the hind-leet. 
These attacks he repelled by dealing the Cougar straight-forward blows 
on its belly with his fist, lightly turning aside and evading its claws, as he 
best could. The Cougar had nearly overpowered him, when luckily he 
backed toward the fire-place, and as the animal sprang again at him, dodg- 
ed him, and the panther almost fell into the fire ; at which he was so terri- 
fied that he endeavoured to escape, and darting out of the door was im- 
mediately attacked again by the dogs, and with their help and a club 
was killed. 
Two raftsmen on the Yazoo river, one night encamped on the bank, 
under a small tent they carried with them, just large enough to cover 
two. They had a merry supper, and having made a large fire, retired, 
“ turned in ” and were soon fast asleep. The night waned, and by degrees 
a drizzling rain succeeded by a heavy shower pattering on the leaves and 
on their canvas roof, which sheltered them from its fury, half awakened 
one of them, when on a sudden the savage growl of a Cougar was heard, 
and in an instant the animal pounced upon the tent and overthrew it. 
Our raftsmen did not feel the full force of the blow, as the slight poles of 
the tent gave way, and the impetus of the spring carried the Panther over 
them ; they started up and scuffled out of the tent without further notice 
“ to quit,” and by the dim light of their fire, which the rain had nearly ex- 
tinguished, saw the animal facing them and ready for another leap ; they 
hastily seized two of the burning sticks, and whirling them around their 
heads with loud whoops, scared away the midnight prowler. After this 
adventure they did not, however, try to sleep under their tent any more 
t hat night ! 
We have givmn these relations of others to show that at long intervm.ls, 
and under peculiar circumstances, when perhaps pinched with hunger, or 
in defence of its young, the Cougar sometimes attacks men. These in- 
stances, however, are very rare, and the relations of an affrightened 
traveller must be received with some caution, making a due allowance 
for a natural disposition in man to indulge in the marvellous. 
