10 ATTACKS THE HUNTER. 



to the distance being too considerable. But to fire my 

 second barrel was impossible, because the animal, at a single 

 bound, threw himself upon the dog. A sharp combat now 

 ensued between them, to which, on my reaching the spot, 

 1 attempted to put a termination ; and although I suc- 

 ceeded in making the beast let go his hold of the dog, 

 he struck his claws into one of my thighs, which he 

 lacerated but not worse than that the wounds healed in 

 a week. As I found his claws sharp and disagreeable, I 

 made a violent effort to escape from the beast; but with 

 no better success than that I fell down with my face in the 

 snow, and with the gun underneath me; and as the lynx 

 would not quit his hold, he therefore lay as it were upon 

 me. When, however, the dog found himself at liberty he 

 presently freed me from the unwelcome guest; and in the 

 battle which afterwards took place between them, the beast 

 was at length destroyed. It was a male, but not very large. 

 In consequence of his courageous efforts, the dog is 

 still unfit for service ; and as his leg was severely bitten, 

 it will probably be some months before he quite recovers. 

 Had it not been for the protection afforded to his neck 

 by the Spik-kladnad, it is most likely he would have been 

 killed." 



Though one's own person is little risked in lynx hunting, 

 it frequently happens that the poor dogs are cruelly mangled 

 by the beast. 



"One afternoon in November, 1825," says M. af Uhr, 

 " I crossed over to Matt-On, an island in the river Dal, 

 immediately opposite to Gysinge-Bruk, with four harriers. 

 A man named Hampus accompanied me, as also another 

 man with several untrained dogs. I separated my pack into 



