88 SPOKT m NORTH AMERICA. 



they did not fancy the task which had been imposed 

 upon them. 



Next morning, long before dawn, the three 

 Messrs. Pendleton and myself accompanied by three 

 negroes and eight fine bloodhounds, started on 

 the traces of the panther, through some of the 

 thickest and most difficult paths I ever saw in my 

 life. At last we arrived at an open space where we 

 found the body of a newly-killed deer, half devoured. 

 It had been killed during the night, for the meat was 

 quite fresh. This looked as if we were not far from 

 the panther, who had probably retired for the day. 

 There was snow upon the ground, and we were not 

 long in finding the footprints of the brute, marked 

 as sharply as possible. These led us up the Paddy 

 Mountains, until we came to a rock with a large 

 cleft in it, forming a natural cave, in wdiich we 

 could see nothing but the most profound obscurit3\ 

 One of the dogs looked into the cave and at once 

 gave tongue, and the rest (frightened as they had 

 been over night) rushed at the cave-mouth without 

 hesitation. Two of them got in before the Messrs. 

 Pendleton could prevent them, and immediately we 

 heard a terrible growling, followed by the barking 

 of the hounds. "NVe scarcely knew what to do. 

 Unless the dogs could be extricated they were certain 

 to be killed. Two of the blacks crawled into the 

 cave, and fortunately managed to catch hold of the 

 hounds, whom they drew out forthwith. The one 



