4 o AN AMERICAN HUNTER 



thirty or forty yards off, scaled the bank, and galloped 

 into the woods, the pack getting after her at once. She 

 did not run more than a couple of hundred yards, and 

 as we tore up on our horses we saw her standing in the 

 lower branches of a pinyon only six or eight feet from 

 the ground. She was not snarling or grinning, and 

 looked at us as quietly as if nothing had happened. As 

 we leaped out of the saddles she jumped down from the 

 tree and ran off through the pack. They were after her 

 at once, however, and a few yards farther on she started 

 up another tree. Either Tony or Baldy grabbed her by 

 the tip of the tail, she lost her footing for a moment, 

 and the whole pack seized her. She was a powerful fe- 

 male of about the average size, being half as heavy again 

 as the one we first got, and made a tremendous fight; and 

 savage enough she looked, her ears tight back against 

 her head, her yellow eyes flashing, and her great teeth 

 showing as she grinned. For a moment the dogs had her 

 down, but biting and striking she freed her head and 

 fore quarters from the fighters, and faced us as we ran 

 up, the hounds still having her from behind. This was 

 another chance for the knife, and I cheered on the 

 fighters. Again they seized her by the head, but though 

 absolutely stanch dogs, their teeth, as I have said, had 

 begun to suffer, and they were no longer always able to 

 make their holds good. Just as I was about to strike 

 her she knocked Turk loose with a blow, bit Baldy, and 

 then, her head being free, turned upon me. Fortunately, 

 Tony caught her free paw on that side, while I jammed 

 the gun-butt into her jaws with my left hand and struck 



