ALMOST SURPRISED BY A PANTHER. 143 



I mounted, and found an immense panther, quite dead. 

 L threw him over, and Conwell dragged him to the fire ; 

 the ball had pierced his brain through the right eye. He 

 was a very powerful beast, had enormous fangs, and when 

 we cut him open, his stomach was found quite empty. 

 He must have been attracted to the fire by hunger, and 

 Conwell thought he might have smelt the venison ; he 

 would probably have ventured a spring as soon as the 

 fire burnt low ; the dogs could -not scent him, as he was 

 so much above us. After skinning him we threw the' 

 carcass into the river below the camp, as the dogs would 

 not touch it. We slept the rest of the night undisturbed. 



A light rain fell next morning, which, in about an 

 hour, moistened the dead leaves sufficiently for us to 

 walk without making a noise ; so I made haste to stretch 

 the panther's skin, and we set off, each as before taking 

 a separate path. Before I had gone half a mile I saw 

 two deer grazing; just at this moment Conwell's gun 

 was heard at some distance, and they both raised their 

 heads and listened attentively, but perceiving nothing 

 suspicious, they began to feed again. They were a doe 

 and a year-old fawn, and when they were in a line I fired; 

 the doe, which was nearest, fell at once, and the fawn 

 after running about fifty yards. They were very fat, 

 and I hung them up. 



In hanging up deer it is necessary to take precautions 

 against the vultures, which are a great annoyance to 

 sportsmen. The best way of securing the deer, whose 

 skin they would ruin with their beaks, is to hang them 

 up by their heads, so that their vultures may have no 

 point of support, and must content themselves with peck- 



