HUNTING THE PAXTHER. 133 



description, but it struck no terror to the heart of my 

 guide, for, watching his opportunity, he rushed in and 

 plunged the long bowie almost to the hilt in the pan 

 ther s side. Groaning and gasping for breath, the ani 

 mal tottered, fell upon his side and yielded at last, over 

 come by superior numbers. We skinned him that night 

 by the light of a fire of light wood. The skull, with two 

 broken fangs, a paw and the claws, are in my cabinet 

 now, and they are ready to vouch for this story, even as 

 the man was willing to show the pen he wrote the letter 

 with. My first shot had broken two of his fangs, and the 

 second had broken a fore-leg, besides wounding him 

 internally. 



The panther is a cowardly animal, and will not attack 

 man. This refers to the Southern panther but in 

 stances are well authenticated where it has followed 

 women and children, evidently with murder in its heart. 

 Indeed, I remember now an incident related by a settler, 

 of a negro child being devoured by a panther, but cannot 

 recall the locality of the occurrence. They are fond of 

 hogs, however, and will often risk considerable to cap 

 ture a good porker a rarity, by the way, in Florida. 

 The day before my arrival at the Kissimmee river a 

 panther came up to a settler s cabin in broad daylight, 

 and carried of a full-grown sow, the mother of a large 

 family, before the eyes of the settler s wife and children. 

 The next day dogs were gathered, and a hunt instituted 

 that resulted in the death of the panther, a huge eight- 

 footer. 



Near Fort Drum, in the interior of Florida, panthers 

 have been very troublesome of late years, and are often 

 killed there. That they will kill dogs, I have the testi 

 mony of an old guide and hunter, who described to me 



