THE PANTHER. 83 



cane-brake, tlie dogs found an entrance, and we 

 could hear them givhig tongue inside the thicket. I 

 begged of my companions to let me do as I pleased, 

 and taking off ni}' coat, I bound my handkerchief 

 round my head, and with considerable difficulty 

 crawled in at an aperture which had given admis- 

 sion to the dogs. Drawing my gun after me 

 (having taken care to renew the caps on the nipples), 

 I made my way as quieth' as possible through where 

 no human being could have penetrated before my- 

 self. Presently, through the qurtain of verdure 

 which interposed between us, I saw that I was close 

 upon the dogs, one of whom was rushing up to the 

 trunk of a tree, whilst the other hounds were bark- 

 ing as if they were mad. I looked up to see what it 

 was that so powerfully excited the rage of the dogs, 

 and as soon as ni}' eyes became accustomed to the 

 darkness, I perceived, immediately over my head, a 

 male panther {Leoparclus concolor) of the largest size, 

 about thirty yards above me, lashing his sides with 

 his tail, and his eyes glaring like balls of phosphorus. 

 To aim and give him a double shot was the work of 

 a moment ; but, although my aim had been good, the 

 animal was not killed stone-dead. He clung to the 

 branch with his claws as if he defied death ; but after 

 a short time, his muscles relaxed and he fell right 

 into the midst of the dogs, and I could scarcely pre- 

 vent them from tearing to pieces the beautiful skin of 

 the superb creature. In the meantime, however, my 



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