A hunter's life. 281 



He niiide many efforts to get on the limb, but could not 

 accomplish his object, until at last he took hold with his 

 hind foot, and commenced swinging himself sideways, 

 when by a desperate effort he threw himself fairly on the 

 limb. Finding himself upon it, he attempted to walk to 

 the trunk of the tree, and not thinking of his lame leg, he 

 went to bear his weight on it, when he again fell a distance 

 of some ten or fifteen feet; but being well out from' the 

 body of the tree, he caught on another limb, and tried the 

 same plan to get on it. Being so far from the trunk of 

 the tree, the limb bent under his weight, baflBing every 

 attempt he made, and at length, being brittle with the 

 the frost, it suddenly broke near the trunk, and down came 

 the panther, holding fast to it, thus pulling it down top 

 foremost, and with it stripping all the smaller limbs off. 



The moment he touched the ground, the dog was on 

 him, and then came what I had been so carefully trying 

 to avoid. I ran to strike him with the gun ; but knowing 

 that it would be broken with the first stroke, and that I 

 would have to pay for it, I threw it down, and set about 

 hunting a club. I got hold of some that were too rotten, 

 and others were so strong that I could not break them to 

 a proper length. I was flying from place to place like a 

 hen that had found a dog among her chickens, until at 

 length I thought of the limb the panther had broken. I 

 ran quickly, set my foot on it, and raised it up with all 

 my strength, when it broke. I then snapped off the top, 

 and having thus obtained a good weapon, I thought to 

 steal up while the panther was busy with the dog, strike 

 him on the hips and disable him, and keep at him until, 

 somehow or other, I should get the mastery. I kept a 

 tree between us, and drew near ; but not being within 

 striking distance, I made another step toward him, and 

 struck as I stepped ; but his quick eye catching the first 

 glimpse of me as I came from behind the tree, he wheeled 

 24* 



