A hunter's life. 271 



remained quiet, and watched the panther running and 

 dodging from one log to another, which gave the dog 

 great trouble to keep the track. As they got on better 

 ground, the dog gained fast on him ; and as the panther 

 was aware that the dog would soon be on hiin, he ran to 

 a high tree, sprang up it, climbed to the top, and hid him- 

 self among the branches. Being concealed from both, I 

 stood still, to see how the dog would find where the pan- 

 ther was. He came on at full speed, and passed the tree ; 

 but directly he turned back, took the track again, and 

 came up to it a second time, when he reared up on hia 

 hind feet, smelled the tree, took his stand, and began to 

 bark. I then shot the panther in the head, killing him 

 instantly. 



I called the dog ofiF, and turning back into the thicket 

 to hunt the other two, in a little time I heard him again 

 running in full cry. I pursued them, and found by their 

 tracks that he was pursuing the old one, which ran down 

 a ten'ibly steep hill toward the Savage river, and into a 

 thicket of laurel, when the dog came to bay. I went to 

 him, and found him looking up a tree ; but there was no- 

 thing on it. I examined, and found the scratches of her 

 nails where she had climbed the tree ; but as she was not 

 there, I concluded that she had jumped ofiF the tree before 

 the dog had come in sight, and ran ofiF. I looked round 

 to see in what direction she had gone, but could find no 

 tracks in the snow. I then took a wider circle, and closed 

 in ; but still finding no track, I sat down on a log, and 

 considered how it could be that she was gone, and no 

 track left in the snow. 



I reasoned with myself, that as she could not fly, she 

 must have got on another tree ; but there was no tree 

 within her reach, though there were two large laurels 

 standin*: i.. .uch a position that slie could jump to them, 

 and close by there were other laurels, so thick and strong 

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