CHAPTER VI.
THE MOUNTAIN LION.
One morning, as Mrs. Woods sat in her door picking over some redwhortleberries which she had gathered in the timber the day before, ayoung cow came running into the yard, as if for protection. Mrs. Woodsstarted up, and looked in the direction from which the animal had comerunning, but saw nothing to cause the alarm.
The cow looked backward, and lowed. Mrs. Woods set down her dish of redberries, took her gun, and went out toward the timber where the cow hadbeen alarmed.
There was on the edge of the timber a large fir that the shingle-maker hadfelled when he first built his house or shack, but had not used, owing tothe hardness of the grain. It lay on the earth, but still connected withits high stump, forming a kind of natural fence. Around it were beds ofred phlox, red whortleberry bushes, and wild sunflowers.
The horny stump and fallen tree had been made very interesting to Mrs.Woods in her uneventful life by a white squirrel that often had appearedupon it, and made a pretty picture as it sat eating in the sun, its headhalf covered with its bushy tail. White squirrels were not common in thetimber, and this was the only one that Mrs. Woods had ever seen.
"I wish that I could contrive to catch that there white squirrel," shesaid to Gretchen one day; "it would be a sight of company for me when youare gone. The bear used me mean, but I kind o' like all these littlechildren of Natur'. But I don't want no Injuns, and no more bears unless_he_ comes back again. The schoolmaster may like Injuns, and you may, butI don't. Think how I lost my saw; Injun and all went off together. I canseem to see him now, goin'."
As Mrs. Woods drew near the fallen tree she looked for the white squirrel,which was not to be seen. Suddenly the bushes near the stump moved, andshe saw the most evil-looking animal that she had ever met drawing backslowly toward the fallen tree. It was long, and seemed to move more likean immense serpent than an animal. It had a catlike face, with small earsand spiteful eyes, and a half-open mouth displaying a red tongue andsharp teeth. Its face was sly, malicious, cruel, and cowardly. It seemedto be such an animal as would attack one in the dark. It was much largerthan a dog or common black bear.
Mrs. Woods raised her gun, but she thought that she was too far from thehouse to risk an encounter with so powerful an animal. So she drew backslowly, and the animal did the same defiantly. She at last turned and ranto the house.
"Gretchen," she said, "what do you think I have seen?"
"The white squirrel."
"No; a tiger!"
"But there are no tigers here; so the chief said."
"But I have just seen one, and it had the meanest-looking face that I eversaw on any living creature. It was all snarls. That animal is dangerous. Ishall be almost afraid to be alone now."
"I shall be afraid to go to school."
"No, Gretchen, you needn't be afraid. I'll go with you mornin's and carrythe gun. I like to walk mornin's under the trees, the air does smell sosweet."
That night, just as the last low tints of the long twilight haddisappeared and the cool, dewy airs began to move among the pines, a long,deep, fearful cry was heard issuing from the timber. Mrs. Woods started upfrom her bed and called, "Gretchen!"
The girl had been awakened by the cry, which might have been that of achild of a giant in pain.
"Did you hear that?" asked Mrs. Woods.
"Let's get up and go out," said Gretchen.
Presently the same long, clear, pitiable cry, as if some giant distress,was repeated.
"It seems human," said Mrs. Woods. "It makes me want to know what it is.Yes, let us get up and go out."
The cry was indeed pleading and magnetic. It excited pity and curiosity.There was a strange, mysterious quality about it that drew one toward it.It was repeated a third time and then ceased.
There was a family by the name of Bonney who had taken a donated claimsome miles from the Woodses on the Columbia. They had two boys whoattended the school.
Early the next morning one of these boys, named Arthur, came over to theWoodses in great distress, with a fearful story.
"Something," he said, "has killed all of our cattle. They all lie deadnear the clearing, just as though they were asleep. They are not injured,as we can see; they are not shot or bruised, nor do they seem to bepoisoned--they are not swelled--they look as though they were alive--butthey are cold--they are just dead. Did you hear anything in the timberlast night?"
"Yes," said Mrs. Woods. "Wasn't it mysterious? Lost your cattle, boy? I amsorry for your folks. Mabbie (may be) 'tis Injuns."
"No; father says that he can find no injury on them."
"'Tis awful mysterious like," said Mrs. Woods, "cattle dyin' withoutanything ailin' 'em! I've always thought this was a good country, but Idon't know. Tell your folks I'm sorry for 'em. Can I do anything for you?I'll come over and see ye in the course of the day."
That night the same strange, wild, pleading cry was repeated in thetimber.
"There's something very strange about that sound," said Mrs. Woods. "Itmakes me feel as though I must run toward it. It draws me. It makes mefeel curi's. It has haunted me all day, and now it comes again."
"Do you suppose that the cry has had anything to do with the death of Mr.Bonney's cattle?" asked Gretchen.
"I don't know--we don't understand this country fully yet. There'ssomething very mysterious about the death of those cattle. You ought tohave seen 'em. They all lie there dead, as though they had just lost theirbreath, and that was all."
The next night was silent. But, on the following morning, a boy came tothe school with a strange story. He had been driving home his father'scows on the evening before, when an animal had dropped from a great treeon the neck of one of the cows, which struggled and lowed for a fewminutes, then fell, and was found dead. The boy and the other cattle hadrun away on the sudden appearance of the animal. The dead cow presentedthe same appearance as the cows of Mr. Bonney had done.
When the old chief appeared at the school-house with Benjamin thatmorning, the school gathered around him and asked him what these thingscould mean. He replied, in broken Chinook, that there was a puma amongthem, and that this animal sucked the blood of its victims.
The puma or cougar or panther, sometimes spelled _painter_, is theAmerican lion. It is commonly called the mountain lion in the Northwest.It belongs to the cat family, and received the name of lion from its tawnycolor. When its appetite for blood has been satisfied, and its face is inrepose, it is a very beautiful animal; but when seeking its prey itpresents a mean, cowardly, stealthy appearance, and its face is a pictureof cruelty and evil. It will destroy as many as fifty sheep in a night,sucking their blood and leaving them as though they had died without anyexternal injury. This terrible animal is easily tamed if captured young,and, strange to say, becomes one of the most affectionate and devoted ofpets. It will purr about the feet and lick the hands of its master, anddevelop all the attractive characteristics of the domestic cat.
"We must have a puma-hunt," said the chief, "now--right away."
"Not to-day?" said the teacher.
"Yes," said the chief, "now--he eat your children. Find boy dead some day,just like cow. He drop down from a tree on a papoose. Benjamin and I willgo hunt."
_The mountain lion._]
The two disappeared. For several days they did not return. But, onemorning, a party of Indians in hunting-gear came riding up to theschool-house, full of gay spirits and heroic pride. Behind them camethe old chief on foot, moving slowly, as though tired, and with him wasBenjamin.
The Indian boy had a brown skin of an animal on his shoulder--a raw hidewith very beautiful fur.
The old chief came into the school-room with an air of pride, and stoodfor a few minutes silent before the master. His face, though wrinkled, wasreally beautiful and noble, in the light of the happy intelligence thatawaited communication. He at last looked each pupil in the face and thensaid:
"We have killed the puma. School no fear now."
He took the skin of
the animal from Benjamin's shoulder, and held it upbefore the eyes of all.
"Boston tilicum, who killed the animal?" he said.
"It was you?" asked the teacher.
"No--not me, not me, no!"
"The braves?"
"No--not the braves. No." The old chief paused, and then said:
"Boston tilicum, it was Benjamin. Treat him well. He is good to me--hemean well. He likes you--he die for you. Tell the boys it was Benjamin."
He turned away slowly, with a bearing of pride. The Indian boy gave thepuma's skin to the master, and took his seat in silence. There was aspirit in the strange scene that was touching, and the master's lipquivered as he took the old chief's hand that bright morning, as a partingsign of gratitude and good-will. He felt the innate brotherhood of allhuman hearts, and returned to his desk happy in his calling and work; andseeing that the natural rights of all men were secured; and that the humanheart has the same impulses everywhere, as he had never seen these truthsbefore.
That night Gretchen told the story of the puma to Mrs. Woods, who hadlearned the leading incidents of it in the afternoon as she came to meetthe girl in the trail, on the way from school.