128 HUNTING THE GRISLY. 



the quarry was at bay, I think the danger 

 would have been minimized. 



General Hampton followed his game on 

 horseback ; but in following the cougar with 

 dogs this is by no means always necessary. 

 Thus Col. Cecil Clay, of Washington, killed 

 a cougar in West Virginia, on foot with only 

 three or four hounds. The dogs took the 

 cold trail, and he had to run many miles over 

 the rough, forest-clad mountains after them. 

 Finally they drove the cougar up a tree ; where 

 he found it, standing among the branches, 

 in a half-erect position, its hind-feet on one 

 limb and its fore-feet on another, while it 

 glared down at the dogs, and switched its 

 tail from side to side. He shot it through 

 both shoulders, and down it came in a heap, 

 whereupon the dogs jumped in and worried 

 it, for its fore-legs were useless, though it 

 managed to catch one dog in its jaws and 

 bite him severely. 



A wholly exceptional instance of the kind 

 was related to me by my old hunting friend 

 Willis. In his youth, in southwest Missouri, 

 he knew a half-witted " poor white " who was 

 very fond of hunting coons. He hunted at 

 night, armed with an axe, and accompanied 

 by his dog Penny, a large, savage, half-starved 

 cur. One dark night the dog treed an animal 

 which he could not see ; so he cut down the 

 tree, and immediately Penny jumped in and 

 grabbed the beast. The man sung out " Hold 

 on, Penny," seeing that the dog had seized 

 some large, wild animal; the next moment 



