GAME DISCOVERED. 329 



We drifted leisurely down the left hand channel, and en- 

 tered the Rackett, bidding good-bye to the beautiful lake as 

 a bend in the river hid it from our view. A mile below the 

 junction, the river runs square against a precipice some 

 sixty feet in height, wheeling off at a right angle, and stretch- 

 ing away though a natural meadow on either hand, of hun- 

 dreds of acres in extent. At the base of this precipice, 

 formed by the rocky point of a hill, the water is of unknown 

 depth. Above, and fifty feet from the surface of the river, 

 there are ledges of a foot or two in width, like shelves, along 

 which the fox, the fisher, and possibly the panther, creep, 

 instead of travelling over the high ridge extending back 

 into the forest. As we rounded a point which brought us 

 in view of this precipice, Spalding, who was in the forward 

 boat, discovered a black object making its way along the 

 face of the rocks. A signal for silence was given, and the 

 boats were permitted to float with the current in the direc- 

 tion of the precipice. We were forty rods distant, and the 

 animal, whatever it was, had no suspicioon of danger. It 

 paused midway across the rocks, looked about, nosing out 

 over the water, and sat down upon its haunches, as if enjoy- 

 ing the beauty of the scenery around it. In the meantime, 

 the boats had drifted within twenty rods, and Spalding, tak- . 

 ing deliberate aim, fired. At the crack of the rifle, the ani 

 mal leapt clear of the ledge, struck once against the face of 

 the rock some twenty feet below, and then went, end over 

 end, thirty feet into the river. As he struck the water 

 he commenced swimming round and round in a circle, evi- 



