19 Never Fear Jim is Here

As a small child on Read Island I was not overly concerned by the fact that wildlife of every kind made the island their home.  I knew that predators such as cougars and black bears also roamed the forests on the island but I was not particularly concerned.  What really gave me concern was the dark.  I can remember that after turning the light out in my room at night I would dive under the covers.   And of course you had to be especially careful about putting you legs over the bed as you never knew what malevolent creature living there might attack.  I can still feel the tingles of terror run up and down my spine as I went on errands outside after dark.  It was sometime later that certain happenings beyond my imagination awakened in me a fear for some of the wild animals that lived on our island.

 

I remember the story of how Jim Lambert as a boy, chased a cougar off in broad daylight.  Jim being one of the mildest men I have ever known makes what happened next hard to believe. Out of the corner of his eye Jim notices a movement in the brush not far from where the cows were feeding.  To his amazement he saw a cougar creeping along in a crouched position readying to spring on their best milk cow. This was something Jim would not stand for but the only thing Jim was able to find for his defense was a stick.  Knowing what happened next is amazing as Jim walked slowly toward the cougar waving the stick and shouting, “Shoo cougar! Shoo cougar! Shoo cougar!”  And would you believe it, the cougar took off.  Much to Jim’s relief.