Tippecanoe and cougars two

Tippecanoe and cougars two by W. C. Tuttle is a humorous Western short story written in the early 20th century. It follows a bumbling expedition to capture motion pictures of wild animals in the Montana hills, mixing frontier slapstick with tall-tale mayhem. Narrator Ike Harper and his partner Magpie Simpkins are roped into helping absent‑minded “Tippecanoe” Seeley guide Dr. Aloysius Van Fleet, his bossy wife, their daughter Bettina, and the pompous Lord Washburn on a wildlife‑photography quest. After a chaotic arrival and a disastrous meal, hounds stampede a grizzly past the cabin while two cougars bolt inside, where Mighty Jones ropes them from the loft. Aloysius tries to stage both stills and moving pictures; a flash and bungled setups trigger a collapse, a wild tangle of rope, cats, camera, and car, and a series of pratfalls that leave everyone shredded except their pride. The animals escape, the family declares defeat, and they drive away—only for Tip to remember, too late, that Aloysius forgot to load film in the camera.