48 AN AMERICAN HUNTER 



ever, inflicted a bad wound, and the cougar ran along a 

 ledge, disappearing around the cliff shoulder. The con- 

 duct of the dogs showed that he had not left the cliff, but 

 it was impossible to see him either from the sides or from 

 below. The cliff was about a hundred feet high and the 

 top overhung the bottom, while from above the ground 

 sloped down to the brink at a rather steep angle, so that 

 we had to be cautious about our footing. There was a 

 large projecting rock on the brink; to this I clambered 

 down, and, holding it with one hand, peeped over the 

 edge. After a minute or two I made out first the tail and 

 then the head of the cougar, who was lying on a narrow 

 ledge only some ten feet below me, his body hidden 

 by the overhang of the cliff. Thanks to the steepness 

 of the incline, I could not let go of the rock with my 

 left hand, because I should have rolled over; so I got 

 Goff to come down, brace his feet against the projection, 

 and grasp me by my legs. He then lowered me gently 

 down until my head and shoulders were over the edge 

 and my arms free; and I shot the cougar right between 

 the ears, he being in a straight line underneath me. The 

 dogs were evidently confident that he was going to be 

 shot, for they had all gathered below the cliff to wait for 

 him to fall ; and sure enough, down he came with a crash, 

 luckily not hitting any of them. We could hear them 

 seize him, and they all, dead cougar and worrying dogs, 

 rolled at least a hundred yards down the steep slope be- 

 fore they were stopped by a gully. It was an interest- 

 ing experience, and one which I shall not soon forget. 

 We clambered down to where the dogs were, admired 



