LV THE FAR WEST. 107 



distance, we reached his house, and on looking at him by the 

 light of the lamp he presented so ghastly an appearance that 

 his wife screamed with fright. One side of his face was cut 

 as cleanly and deeply as if it were done with a knife ; his chest 

 and left arm were torn sadly, and he had a heavy scar on the 

 right thigh. After dressing his wounds he was put to bed, 

 and the next morning he was strong enough to be able to tell 

 how he met with his accident. According to his statement it 

 was, that when he heard the scream of the cougar in the chasm 

 he directed all his attention that way, thinking, that if the 

 animal passed me he could get a shot at it, or if I needed 

 assistance that he would come to my aid. 



When I ceased firing he was about to descend to see what 

 luck I had, but before doing so he took a glance in the 

 direction of his bait, and saw an animal running away with 

 it. He followed in hot pursuit, and on seeing it enter a clump 

 of hazel bushes, fired, without considering for a moment his 

 chances of being successful in hitting it. He aimed better 

 than could be expected under the circumstances, and struck it 

 in the ribs, but the wound was only severe enough to make it 

 angry, so it turned upon him at once. He delivered his 

 second barrel hurriedly as it approached him, but he supposed 

 he missed, as it leaped upon him with as much vigour as if 

 it had never been touched. He attempted to flee, but the 

 briar bushes tripped him up and he fell flat on his face. He 

 turned over promptly, however, and drew his knife, but the 

 cougar was then upon him and the struggle commenced. He 

 used his knife blindly, striking wherever he could, but his aim 

 was uncertain, owing to the hot breath of his foe, and its 

 biting and clawing. He kept at the throat whenever he could 

 get the opportunity, and was finally successful in causing the 

 fierce brute to leave, in order to get breath, but it had gone 

 only a few paces before it fell dead from loss of blood. He 

 was so weak from the contest when it was over that he did 

 not even have strength enough to crawl out of the briars, and he 

 would probably have died there had he not received assistanee. 

 The strength of the animal was so great, according to his ;i<- 

 siTlion, that it used to turn him over on his side when it seized 



