104 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 



self a slice of cold turkey, with its appropriate maize 

 bread and boiled pumpkin, seated himself with his feet 

 to the fire, cut off a piece of his chair to make a tooth- 

 pick, and begun complacently to pick his teeth, a. sure 

 sign that he felt comfortable, all which operations took 

 about three quarters of an hour, he asked, " Well, what's 

 the news ?" As the answer was not encouraging, ano- 

 ther long pause ensued. When it was quite dark, and a 

 good fire was burning, his wife brought us some bread and 

 milk, of which he partook largely, and then began to 

 thaw, and speak of his exploits ; he had fired eleven times, 

 and his piece had missed fire twenty-seven times, a habit 

 the old flint gun had ; but he had nevertheless brought 

 home seven ducks, and he had seen afresh panther trail, 

 the panther had probably seen him from a tree, and 

 jumped down and escaped. 



He took particular notice of my panther skin, and 

 thought that there must be a number of them about, but 

 that formerly there were more than twice as many in 

 Kentucky. " Ah, at that time," said he, a man might 

 shoot five or six deer before breakfast, and once I had 

 got up at daylight, and shot two noble bucks, and 

 stalked a third for half a mile, when he got scent of me 

 arid escaped. I was tired with my exertions, and had 

 scarcely any sleep all night, for a rascally panther had been 

 howling near me, and several times came so close to the 

 fire that I could make out his form, though he never 

 gave me time to put a ball into him with certainty. So 

 I threw myself under a tree, to rest a little, meaning 

 then to continue my sport ; but somehow rny eyes closed 

 unconsciously, and I can't *say how long I may have 



