Red Belt, the Tuscarora — page 36: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

88 RED BELT, THE TUSCARORA. boat, his head upon his breast, as dark thoughts in rapid suc cession were traveling through his brain. Suddenly he heard a twig snap behind him, It must be remembered that the canoe had been driven hard up on the shore, and that now, by the see-saw action of the water, gently yet constantly rolling in, it had gradually worked itself wlongside, and parallel to the bank. The hunter turned his head quickly, expecting to see Red Belt ;. but he had. scarcely changed his position, when, all at once, the bushes were hurled rudely apart, aud an immense jaguar rushed down upon him. Before the old backwoods- man could snatch his rifle, the powerful beast, evidently rav- enous from hunger, was upon him; its claws digging down into his shoulder, its teeth clutching him by the back of the neck, By a mighty effort the old hunter tore his arm away, and, caring nothing for the proximity of his foes, he jerked his Peavy pistol from his belt, nlaced it quickly to the animal's side, and fired. But the ball did not penetrate a vital organ; it strack a rib, and glancing, tore through one of the fore-legs, at its junction with the body. The infuriated beast gave a howl of rage, and fastened its teeth deeper in the shoulder and back of te hunter. Old Sampson Lowe was accustomed from boyhood to fight with beasts and savages, but never before had he stood so near to death. His right arm was now nervelcss with pain,and » he could not use his left, though he made a desperate effort to get his knife out. The bloodthirsty animal now and then uttered a low growl, and viciously tore at the unprotected neck of the old man. The hunter was rapidly becoming exhausted from loss of blood. As well as he could, he still fought the jaguar, but his efforts were growing feebler and his brain was reeling. Backward he sunk slowly, still holding up to the unequal fight. Just then a rifle-crack, sharp and clear, echoed on the air, and old Sampson Lowe felt the wind of the whizzing bul- let, as it crashed entirely through the skull and brain of the jaguar, and shot on. In an instant, with a low, gurgling growl, the beast loosed its hold, and fell backward out of the ConniclooolkSne@in) -