94 SPORTING ADVENTURES 



him and said, " Mehali urn find, "and pointing in the direction 

 in which the squaw had found it, he led us to the edge of the 

 copse, to prove that he was right. "\Vhen we reached the 

 spot in the woods where the dogs had lost the trail, he pointed 

 to a small pile of leaves and boughs, and, on scattering them, 

 V found by the blood on the ground that the cougar had 

 feasted there on the pig, and covered the remainder, so as to keep 

 it for another occasion. " If I had any strychnine in the house," 

 said he, " I'd poison some fresh meat and put it in that place 

 for the thieving brute, but as I have not, there is nothing left 

 to be done except to come here to-night with the dogs, and try 

 and tree the old thief when he comes after his spare grub/'' 



Our work being over for the time being, so far as the cougar 

 was concerned, we devoted the day to deer-hunting, and returned 

 in the evening with a splendid stag, which we killed while he 

 was vaulting over a jam of fallen trees and branches seven or 

 eight feet high. After a hearty dinner of venison, washed 

 down with native wine, and a quiet smoke, we again started 

 to hunt up the disturber of the previous night's repose. T\ r e 

 marched direct to where it had secreted the remnants of the 

 pig, and taking a position to the leeward in a dense thicket, 

 we awaited its approach with intense anxiety, as V was 

 most eager to avenge the loss of his faithful dog. AVe were 

 concealed in shrubbery which grew with sucli luxuriance that 

 the sky was scarcely visible, but we were well supplied with 

 pine torches and matches, so that, should we find the object of 

 our search, we could illumine its physiognomy long enough 

 to enable one of us to shoot it. AYhile discussing, in a hushed 

 tone, how we should act under certain circumstances, our 

 position was made distinct by a bright light that seemed to 

 spread over a large tract of country. My companion thought 

 the woods were on fire, and expressed his fear that it might 

 extend towards his cabin, but when I reminded him that it 

 came from the glade, his apprehensions were calmed, if not 

 dispelled. "NVe waited half an hour after that for some signal 

 of the approach of the quarry, but neither hearing nor seeing 1 

 anything' of it, we were becoming restless, when a fiery terrier 

 started suddenly from covert and ran yelping to the wind- 



