FOREST LIFE. 127 



but scarcely had its keen point touched his neck, when, with a 

 sudden bound, he threw me from his body, and my knife was 

 hurled from my hand. In hunters' parlance, I had only ' creased 

 him.' I at once saw my danger, but it was too late. "With one 

 bound he was upon me, wounding and almost disabling me with 

 his sharp feet and horns. I seized him by his wide-spread ant- 

 lers, and sought to regain possession of my knife, but in vain ; 

 each new struggle drew us further from it. Cherokee, fright- 

 ened at the unusual scene, had madly fled to the top of the ridge, 

 where he stood looking down upon the combat, trembling and 

 quivering in every limb. 



" The ridge road I had taken placed us far in advance of the 

 hound, whose bay I could not now hear. The struggles of the 

 furious animal had become dreadful, and every moment I could 

 feel his sharp hoofs cutting deep into my flesh ; my grasp upon 

 his antlers was growing less and less firm, and yet I relinquished 

 not my hold. The struggle had brought us near a deep ditch, 

 washed by the fall rains, and into this I endeavored to force my 

 adversary, but my strength was unequal to the effort ; when we 

 approached to the very brink, he leaped over the drain. I re- 

 linquished my hold and rolled in, hoping thus to escape him ; 

 but he returned to the attack, and, throwing himself upon me, 

 inflicted numerous severe cuts upon my face and breast befoi 

 could again seize him. Locking my arms around his ant; I 

 drew his head close to my breast, and was thus. ! 

 enabled to prevent his doing me any serious injury. Bui I felt 

 thatthia could not last Long; every muscle and fib 



was called into action, ami human nature could tt< 



under such exertion. Palterin 

 pared t<> meel my ft 



u At this moment of ir 1 heard the fainl b of the 



hound; the too, heard the sound, and. m the 



ditch, drew me with him. Hi ubled, and 



