Dan Beard's Animal Book and Camp-Fire Stories (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1910. Excerpt: ... mal all day and this over the roughest of country, in the worst of weather, until the wounded creature is overtaken and put out of its misery. But the city sportsman and the childlike Indian would not think of fasting all day and out of compassion for a wounded beast sleeping away from camp without a blanket. The most charitable way to think is probably to consider both our city friend and the Indian as children with new toys in their hands. Mentioning big game brings to mind the fact that big game may be found very near New York City. In the summer of 1906 as I was standing on the porch of my log house preparing to retire for the night, I was astonished to hear THE SCREAM OF A PANTHER. Remember that Wild Lands is only one hundred and seventeen miles from New York City, and although there are a few black bear, deer and wildcats in the woods surrounding the log house, I never expected to see or hear a panther, and doubted the accuracy of my hearing; but Mis. Beard also heard the woman-like scream, and called to me, saying: "Someone has upset in the lake." The next day I quietly made some investigation, and discovered that a large animal had followed a young man one night through the woods from Wolf Lake almost to his own door; also that as one of the lumbermen was driving his best girl home from a dance he had heard "a Lost Woman" Screaming in the dark, and was about to go and search for the wanderer when a violent thunderstorm caused him to desist and take his lady-love home, also that our cook who had attended the country dance, had heard the "lost woman" upon several occasions. I further learned that a number of others had started out to succor the supposed woman whom they thought was lost in the woods while after blueberries. Next I discovered that Mr....