A HUNTING PARTY. 95 



during which, many an entertaining recital was 

 alternately made, closed at length into night, 

 when all betook themselves to their pallets of 

 bearskin, on the floor of the only apartment the 

 hut contained. With the return of dawn, Audu- 

 bon was awakened by the settler's call to his dogs, 

 of which the numbers had been greatly dimin- 

 ished — he was informed on joining his host — by 

 the ravages of the cougar or American panther, 

 which frequented the neighbourhood. Added to 

 these devastations it had committed many feats 

 of singular audacity, all which were related by 

 the settler, in order to impress upon Audubon 

 the formidable character of the animal. 



But the Naturalist, nothing daunted, was de- 

 lighted by the description, and equally to the 

 surprise and satisfaction of his host, assured him 

 how pleased he should be to assist in the attack, 

 and, if possible, the destruction of the enemy. 

 The suggestion was gratefully received, and the 

 settler after scouring the country in search of 

 candidates for the adventure, at length suc- 

 ceeded in appointing a day of meeting. Ac- 

 cordingly, one morning as the sun rose brightly, 

 five hunters on horseback, fully equipped for the 

 chase, presented themselves at the door of the 

 cabin. They were soon joined by Audubon and 

 his companion, mounted on trusty animals — ^the 

 whole cavalcade followed, not only by the set- 



