A hunter's life. 285 



toward the place where he first got oii it, when he spiang 

 on a tree, and hid himself in a fork of the limbs. The 

 dog in his hurry leaped the fence, and ran on, until, being 

 unable to find the trail, he stopped. I was then in sight, 

 and though I had a full view of the dog, yet I could see 

 nothing of the panther. I became angry at him for losing 

 the panther, as it was near night, and I began to fear he 

 had dodged, and would escape me, after all my trouble. 



I stood in the road, and watched the dog trying to find 

 the trail. At last he turned to come back, and as he did 

 so, I saw him throw his nose up in the air, and begin to 

 wag his tail. I then knew that he winded the panther ; 

 and as he raised himself so high up to smell, I was also 

 assured that my game was on a tree ; so I began to look 

 around among the trees, of which I could see all that were 

 possibly within his reach. Still continuing in the same 

 place, I again saw the dog rear up to smell, and wag his 

 tail, as before ; which making me still more certain, I 

 looked at every tree, as I advanced nearer and nearer, 

 and on the tree nearest the fence, within fifty feet of me, 

 there sat the gentleman in a fork of the limbs, secreting 

 himself behind a part of the tree, and peeping round at 

 me. I remained quiet, to see if the dog would, find him ; 

 for I had not with me the dog which lost his eye in the 

 last panther fight at Mr. Little's, but a young, unpractised, 

 though very willing animal. The young dog could not 

 find the panther, because the wind passed too high up 

 above his head ; when, seeing that he was becoming con- 

 fused, I raised my gun, and sent the death-messenger 

 through the panther's brains, as he was peeping round 

 the tree at me. 



As it was then getting dark, and I was nearly two miles 

 from Mr. Calmes's farm, I at once set about skinning the 

 panther. I cut off his head, which I intended to take 

 before a justice of the peace, as an evidence that I had 



