NIGHT HUNTING. 23 



both let go their hold on each other. Again the 

 dog grabs the 'coon, and under the water they 

 both go. This is repeatt^d, until the dog becomes 

 exhausted, his lungs fill with water, and old Mr. 

 'Coon seems to understand the situation exactly 

 and seats himself firmly on top of the dog's head, 

 holding him under the water, till outside as- 

 sistance is all that will save him from a watery 

 grave. 



As there is but little chance — • practically 

 none — to kill a 'coon Avhile he is swimming, 

 the wise old 'cooner, on to his job, will seize the 

 'coon, strike a bee line to the bank, and kill him 

 on terra firma. 



I once saw a big old boar 'coon completely 

 outdo and nearly drown a half dozen young 

 hounds in Hatchie Kiver, when an old crippled 

 hound, with not a tooth in his head, arrived on 

 the scene, plunged into the river and brought 

 Mr. 'Coon to the bank, where the 3'Oung hounds 

 soon killed him. 



Another of tlie tricks Mr. 'Coon uses to ad- 

 vantage when closely followed by the hounds, is 

 to follow the meanderings of a stream until he 

 conies to a log reaching across to the other 

 bank ; then he runs to the middle of the log and 

 leaps as far as he can out into the water, usually 

 swimming down stream, as if he is not making 

 for a den or a tree in some other direction. This 



