THEBTT YEAB8 A HUNTER. 19 



ground. I called to the others to come, and before 

 they arrived I found the entrails strewn all along the 

 track. My companions now came up, and Morrison 

 said it was the work of a panther. After following 

 the track a short distance we found the doe lying 

 dead, and bearing marks which fully confirmed 

 Morrison's conjecture. She was completely disem- 

 bowelled, her throat torn open, and her blood suoked. 

 We skinned her, salted the meat in the skin, and put 

 it away between two logs. We now resumed our 

 route for Stony Lick, and encamped near there that 

 night. About eight o'clock the next morning, while 

 we were preparing to return to the meat we had left 

 the previous day, and- see if it had been disturbed by 

 the panther, we heard the roar of an elk. Morrison 

 decided at once that it was the buck which we had 

 been tracking, and started in pursuit, taking with 

 him his dog. If he could not shoot him, he was to 

 let the dog chase him down. My father and I re- 

 mained at our encampment waiting to hear the dis- 

 charge of Morrison's gun. After goinV half a mile 

 he met the elk coming on his back track, and browght 

 him down at a distance of about sixty yards. We 

 cut off his horns, which were upward of ♦six feet in 

 length, having eleven branches — six on one horn, 

 and five on the other. The carcass weighed between 

 five and six hundred pounds. Our next object was 

 to get him down to the water where we could skin 

 him. This was finally accomplished after three 

 hours dragging and rolling. Father and Morrison 

 commenced skinning the buck, and asked me if I 



