4o6 Life of Audubon, 



the coug-ar. Some of the dogs were heard whining, al- 

 though the greater number barked vehemently. We felt 

 assured that the cougar was treed, and that he would rest 

 for some time to recover from his fatigue. As we came 

 up to the dogs, we discovered the ferocious animal lying 

 across a large branch, close to the trunk of a cotton-wood 

 tree. His broad breast lay towards us ; his eyes were at 

 one time bent on us and again on the dogs beneath and 

 around him ; one of his fore-legs hung loosely by his side, 

 and he lay crouched, with his ears lowered close to his 

 head, as if he thought he might remain undiscovered. 

 Three balls were fired at him at a given signal, on which 

 he sprang a few feet from the branch, and tumbled head- 

 long to the ground, attacked on all sides by the enraged 

 curs. The infuriated cougar fought with desperate 

 valour ; but the squatter advancing in front of the party, 

 and, almost in the midst of the dogs, shot him immedi- 

 ately behind and beneath the left shoulder. The cougar 

 writhed for a moment in agony, and in another lay dead. 

 The sun was now sinking in the west. Two of the hunt- 

 ers separated from the rest to procure venison, whilst the 

 squatter's sons were ordered to make the best of their 

 way home, to be ready to feed the hogs in the morning. 

 The rest of the party agreed to camp on the spot. The 

 cougar was despoiled of his skin, and the carcass left to 

 the hungry dogs. Whilst engaged in preparing our 

 camp, we heard the report of a gun, and soon after one 

 of our hunters returned with a small deer. A fire was 

 lighted, and each hunter displayed his * pone ' of bread, 

 along with a flask of whisky. The deer was skinned in 

 a trice, and slices placed on sticks before the fire. These 

 materials afforded us an excellent meal ; and as the night 

 grew darker, stories and songs went round, until my com- 

 panions, fatigued, laid themselves down, close under the 

 smoke of the fire, and soon fell asleep. I walked for 



