ioo SPORTING AD VENTURES 



growth to sec if we could find game of any kind there. After 

 quartering it for half an hour, the dogs, which were running' 

 wildly about in every direction, gave a loud yelp some distance 

 ahead of us, and kept up the canine music for ten minutes, 

 when it suddenly ceased. We hastened onward, and in about 

 twenty minutes reached a narrow stream, and there found the 

 dogs beating up and down in search of the quarry, but they 

 made no effort to enter the water. Presuming from ^en- 

 actions that the game, whatever it was, had crossed the river, 

 we waded through it to the opposite side, and the dogs after 

 a little work there found the trail again, and declared it in 

 the most vehement manner with their voices. We followed 

 them up promptly for a quarter of a mile and overtook them 

 as they were grouped around a tree and barking violently. 

 Peering through the foliage of the fir, we saw a large cougar 

 perched on a low branch, its green eyes, like an emerald furnace, 

 glowing with rage, and its tail swinging like a pendulum 

 from side to side. We could hear its deep purring audibly, 

 and inferred from this that it had little fear of its canine foes. 

 It seemed to pay little heed to us, but concentrated all its 

 attention and rage on the boisterous dogs, which disturbed its 

 repose by their cries. As my companion feared that some of 

 the latter might be injured if the animal was not shot dead, 

 he asked me to fire at the same time that he did, so we both 

 blazed away together, and the cougar came tumbling down 

 amid a shower of leaves and branchlets. When it reached 

 the ground the dogs attacked it vigorously, but as its hip was 

 only broken it made a fierce fight, and placed one of its 

 assailants on the peace list by tearing a large slice of flesh 

 from the neck and shoulders with one sweep of its lance-like 

 claws. This catastrophe caused the others to fight shy, and 

 to jump at it only when it attempted to rise; and these tactics 

 kept its attention so constantly engaged that it seemed to 

 forget our presence completely. This proved anything but 

 fortunate, for my companion, thinking he could finish it without 

 any trouble, rushed in to place his revolver near its head, but, 

 before he could pull the trigger, the animal turned on him 

 suddenly, and raked his leg from hip to knee so severelv with 



