122 HOUSE PORTRAITUBE. 



heern a purrin kind of a noise, and looking up saw a sight 

 that raised every hair on end and set my heart thumpin' 

 as it would break throug my wawmus. In the crotch of 

 a big white-oak that leaned a little k^terin to me, sat a 

 big painter right straddle o' poor Sam, and I knew by 

 the limsey way he hung it was all day with him. The 

 second look set my blood boilin ', and every cord in me 

 was as stiff as steel. I cocked my gun didn't look for 

 nary rest and drew a fine bead right atween the critter's 

 eyes. I saw by the whippin' o' her tail that she was not 

 satisfied with what she had done, but wanted more blood. 

 1 drew a long breath and pulled trigger ; down she came, 

 falling within ten steps of me, and the way she made the 

 leaves fly was awful. Sam laid there, he had got wedged 

 into the fork so hard that the painter falling didn't dis- 

 lodge him. I hollod like mad, and heerd them answer 

 me from the cabin. When they came up I couldn't say a 

 word, but pointed to the tree. They looked at Sam and 

 then at the painter, and their looks told me they under- 

 stood it all. How to get him down was the trouble, as 

 we didn't want to fall the tree for fear of jammin' him ; 

 so, after a good deal of bother, I climbed up to where he 

 was, and stannin' on a limb, hoisted him on to his feet. 

 The whole back of his head was crushed where the var- 

 mint had bit him. I took the belts o' my huntin' pouch 

 and his'n, and puttin' them under his arms buckled it 

 crisscross of my shoulders so that he was right agin' my 

 back. ' Twas a queer feelin' that ran through me as his 

 weight came on me when I started to come down the tree; 

 but I knew Sam would have done as much for me, so I 

 didn't mind it more than he had bin alive. We took some 

 of the staddles, laid him across them and carried him to 

 the camp. I tell you, boys, there was no supper eat that 

 night, an' if there was a man lying here now who'd been 

 killed by a painter, you wouldn't be toastin' bits o' deer- 



