176 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 



knives ; a sore need we had of them, for before the sound 

 of the rifles expired, we felt the weight of the panther 

 upon us. I drove my knife into him, and sprang back ; 

 our torches were extinguished ; it all passed so quickly, 

 that I did not recover full possession of my senses, till I 

 stood beside my old friend, in the fresh air, at the mouth 

 of the cave. I can only remember that, in the impene 

 trable darkness and thick smoke, I did not know which 

 way to turn, and that Conwell dragged me out. When 

 we came into the light of day, we found ourselves co- 

 vered with sweat and blood, and our clothes all torn. 



Conwell complained of pain in the breast. Tearing 

 open his shirt, we found two deep gashes from the left 

 shoulder to the pit of the stomach ; I had escaped with 

 only a few scratches. We had neither of us felt when 

 we were wounded ; but before we troubled ourselves 

 about it, we made a fire in the mouth of the cave to pre- 

 vent the panther from coming out; then washed p 1 - 

 bound up our wounds, and sat by the fire to consider 

 what was next to be done. There was the panther in 

 the cave, whether alive or dead we knew not. At any 

 rate he was badly wounded, for both our knives, with 

 blades nine inches long, were bloody to the hilt. But 

 indeed we had no choice ; our rifles, and Conwell's ball- 

 pouch, which the brute had torn away, were still in the 

 cave. 



It might, perhaps, have been possible to suifocate the 

 panther with smoke, but there might have been another 

 opening, and then we should have had our trouble for 

 nothing. We soon made up our minds, and entered the 

 save again with fresh torches and bare knives, but not 



