THE BATTUE ON BONDA KEY. 185 



"What's that?" 



" Big buck, sali; got horns like a dead tree." 



" There's that cat again 1" 



Sure enough, the cat came spitting along, and dashed 

 up a tree, sending down the bark in showers on the dogs 

 that were close after her. 



" Drap, you hussey !" said Mike, following her zig-zag 

 course up the pine tree, with his rifle ; and as she paused 

 he sent a ball through her head, whizzing her down with 

 a whirling motion as though she had been swung down 

 by her tail. 



" Git out, you dogs ! Clare away, that's my cat !" he 

 shouted, cuffing the dog aside, and taking possession of 

 his prize. 



"Kehunck! Kehunck!" There goes a blue heron, 

 fanning the air with measured stroke. See him sail. He 

 got up so slowly that one of the dogs jumped up at his 

 long dangling legs. 



" There go three deer altogether." 



"Don't shoot the does, thar's no use," called out 

 Mike. 



There was only one buck, and three shots rang so close 

 together we could not tell the report, but the buck fell 

 over among his wives, who leaped ahead, sadly frightened. 

 Mike cut his throat, and left his cat beside him to keep 

 him company. 



" There's that varmint again," shouted Jackson ; " it's 

 a panther !" 



" Whar's a painter ?" asked Mike. 



