A Brave Defence

The Manitoba Free Press contains the following account of a brave little boy's defence of a wounded brother who was attacked by a cougar. John Rodenberger is a farmer who Hves near Shelton's Point, W. T., and has four children - the youngest four and the eldest nine- go to school. The schoolhouse is on the road between Big and Little Shookum Bays. The other afternoon, while the children were going home, they were startled by an awful screech, and the next instant a big cougar launched himself from the overhanging limb of a big tree, right upon six-years-old Jesse, who was sturdily tramping behind the other children. The little boy was dashed to the ground, and the heavy paw of the cougar pealed his 6calp down over the right side of his face, and lacerated the cheek and ear. But the cougar had no chance to do further harm. John Rodenberger, eight yeara old, had been walking just in front oí Jesse, carrying a big; bottle, in wlrch had been the milk that fonned part of the children'd luncheon. He threw hiniself upon the cougar, grabbed hun by the ear with one hand, and struck hun with the bottle as hard as he could. The animal raised its head from its victim, and Jolmny gave it another blow with the bottle. It reared to attack the brave boy, but another blow nearly knocked it over, and with a yell it turned and lied. The children took the wounded boy home, and the neighbors set out to hunt the couear. They found and killed it near the place where it had attacked the children. It was fullgrown, and measured nearly nine feet From tip to tip.