Jumping ahead several years now because I was reminded the other day of an incident that took place when I was 40 years old or thereabouts.
I have always been fond of animals. I have always been able to get along with them. I am not one of those people who talk to the animals, and I can't claim to understand what they are trying to tell me, however I can usually tell weather or not a stray dog wants to attack and have been learning just what my cat is trying to tell me.
This little story took place quite awhile ago, as I said. The location of the event was at Pittsburg, Kansas. As I have previously mention I moved to Joplin Missouri to start a new career working with my Cousins, Kay and Ken.
Living with my cousins as I did, on various Sundays I went to church with them. One day after church, and still dressed in my Sunday go to meeting clothes. Ken, my cousin's husband, announced he had something special to show Me. This didn't alarm me any because Ken had shown me a lot of things that were of general Interest since I had moved in with them.
The drive to the interesting something didn't last long because the Interesting Something was right in Pittsburgh. Pulling up to a Gas station, I figured we were Going to get some gas to take one of those Sunday drives Ken was famous for. The reason Ken was famous for his Sunday drives was because if he made a wrong turn During one of his drives, he never turned around and backtracked. Therefore what Was supposed to be a 2 hour casual drive, could very well turn into an all day affair, and somehow or another many interesting something's would be seen. Today however, the something Ken wanted me to see was at the Gas Station.
I was not prepared for what I was about to see. If I been prepared, I would have pretended to be asleep when Kay announced they were leaving for church soon. On one side of this Gas Station, which was closed by the way, was a big cage. Inside this cage was a big lion. One of those African lions. A male African lion. With all the hair like you see when a movie is starting. Of course this was something interesting to see because, although I had been to a few zoos over my lifetime, and a circus to two, I had never been this close to a lion. Like I said, there was a big cage this lion was in, so I didn't worry too much about the lion attacking me. I kept the cage between me and the lion. I didn't stick my fingers through the cage to pet that thing and I kept my distance from it.
After looking at the African lion for a few minutes, Ken told me that there was another lion on the other side of the Gas station. I asked him why it wasn't in the cage with this lion and he explained that the other lion was a Mountain lion and because the two lions were different breeds, they would fight until one of killed the other.
Well looking at the African lion wasn't too bad an experience so I proceed to walk to the other side of the gas station to view the Mountain lion. When I got to the other side of the station, I found that the mountain lion, or Cougar to some people, was not in a cage like the African lion. This lion was on a chain and allowed to run to the length of his chain. I said His, but to be truthful I didn't know and still don't know if that lion was a male of female. Standing there looking at the Mountain lion, I noticed two things. One, he was laying very close to the side of the station. And two, he wasn't going to be moving very far from the side of the station.
That poor thing, and now is when I am starting to get in trouble, was on his chain as I said before. The trouble was that that cat had somehow managed to get his chain wrapped up in some pipe laying beside the station and he could not move. I know you have probably seen a dog walk around a tree or stake and get himself into the same situation. I looked again and spotted his water dish laying about 6 feet from him, and there was no way this cat was going to be able to get any water unless someone did something about it.
It was at this time I realized that the mountain lion was trying to talk to me. He/she was saying "HELP" When someone or something, as in this case is asking for help. Well you help. Remember I had just left Church a little while ago so remembering my lessons, there wasn't much else I could do but help. I found a water hose close by, and followed it to its end and turned it on then filled the water bowl with fresh water. Of course that didn't help the lion because he was still wrapped up in the pipe by his chain. So I asked my cousin Ken if the lion had been tamed. I figured it was because I didn't believe anyone who kept a lion on a chain where there were bound to be kids around would have a wild lion tied up like that in public.
Ken said "yes the lion was tame" so I very carefully approached the lion and knelt down beside him and petted him a few times on his head. Then when I was sure the lion was not going to bite me or take a swipe at me with his hugh paws, I started to unwrap his chain. I noticed that when I stroked the lion on his head that my hand came away feeling oily and dirty. I don't know if that was because the area he as lying in was oily from the Gas station or because of the natural oils that were present in the lions hide.
The first thing the lion did, when I got all the chain unwrapped from the pipe, was get up and go stright to his water bowl and drink his fill. I had to fill his bowl up again because he emptied it once and was still thirsty. I don't know how long he had been trapped in his situation when we got there, but it must have been quite awhile.
While the lion was drinking, I proceed to move the pipe out of his area so he wouldn't get stuck again. I was keeping one eye on the lion of course, while doing my work. After moving the pipe, I was just standing there watching the lion drink his fill. Then it happen, That old saying "No good deed goes unpunished" struck again. The lion came to me and proceeded to rub against my leg. The way a house cat does to you when he is marking you as part of his territory. But this wasn't a small house cat. This thing must have weighed a hundred fifty pounds or more. I stood my ground, braced myself and allowed the Lion to rub against me. What I wasn't prepared for, was when the lion stepped away from me and facing me, hooked his front paw behind my ankle and gave a quick jerk. When he did that there was no where to go but down. And down I went. Flat on my back. I didn't even have time to think about it let along react. So here I am flat on my back, dressed in my Sunday go to meeting clothes, wondering if I was about to come to the end of my life. This lion had other ideas. After dropping me like an expert, he then proceeded to walk right over the top of me until he head was even with my head and then it settled down on top of me and just layed there. Then he proceeded to lick me in the face with his great big tongue. I would like to be able to tell you how rough that tongue was, but to be honest I can't remember if it was rough or not. I do remember that his breath wasn't very pleasant.
So here I was, flat on my back with one of biggest Mountain lions I had ever seen streached out on top of me and licking my face. My cousins must have thought that was the funniest thing they had ever seen because they couldn't stop laughing. No matter what I tried to do, I could not get that cat off me. I know he was thankful. I know he was telling me that I was his friend. However there as a part of me that just plain didn't know what to think.
Needless to say, I did survive the ordeal. Cousin Ken came to his senses long
enough to realize that I was as close to death as you would probably see me and
he finally came over and pulled on the lions chain hard enough to entice it to
get off me. I was not hurt, but my Sunday go to meeting clothes would never be
the same.
ROD SMITH