208 COUP DE GRACE TO A PUMA. 



shouldered the carcase bodily and brought it into 

 camp, where it was hung from a sapling within ten 

 yards of our sleeping-place. Before turning in for 

 the night I remarked to him on the probability 

 of its attracting carnivorous marauders of the vi- 

 cinity to our neighbourhood. 'Who cares? 7 was his 

 reply. ' Well, if you don't, neither do I/ was my 

 response ; and in a few minutes more we were both 

 asleep. 



It might have been three o'clock it was certainly 

 more than an hour before daylight when I was 

 suddenly recalled from dreamland by the report of a 

 rifle, followed by a yell, long, fierce, and vindictive. 

 In a moment I was on my feet, gun in hand. From 

 the flicker of the uncertain blaze of our nearly 

 exhausted fire, I was able at once to comprehend the 

 situation. Our deer had been almost dragged to the 

 ground, and the lower portion of it was in the grasp 

 of a puma, which was tearing at the carcase with 

 teeth and claws. While the old man was reloading 

 I took aim, and a messenger .from each of my barrels 

 cut the thread of life of the would-be thief. 



My companion explained that the restlessness of 

 the horses had awoke him, when on peering from his 

 blanket to discover the cause of their uneasiness, he 

 was a witness of the misappropriation of his property, 

 and taking the law into his own hands had fired un- 

 successfully. The puma, as he had only wounded him, 

 unable to account for his suffering, was venting his rage 

 on the dead deer when he received the coup de grace. 



