SHOOTING A PANTHER. 255 



Now, I liad often heard from Americans liow the 

 panther darts on his prey, kills it in an instant, and, 

 after eating his fill, buries or covers up the rest for a 

 future meal. I resolved to try and make sure of the 

 panther, and, if possible, to creep up to him unperceived. 

 I did not then know how difficult it was to outwit a 

 panther ; but this time fortune favored me. 



After waiting about half an hour, I thought I might 

 make the attempt, and crept lightly and cautiously 

 towards the thicket ; the dog, well knowing my object, 

 crept as silently after me. Just as I gained the edge 

 of the thicket, and was looking out for the best place 

 to enter it with the least noise, I heard a light rustling. 

 My heart began to beat violently; the bush opened, 

 and my eyes encountered the fierce orbs of the pan- 

 ther. Doubtless, in the first moment of surprise he 

 did not know exactly what to do ; but his surprise did 

 not last long: a panther has a bad conscience, and 

 justly supposes a foe in every living being not belong- 

 ing to his own race ; and, crouching down about twenty 

 paces from me in the yellow grass, he was preparing 

 either to make a spring, or to hide himseif — I could 

 not tell which. But I was not idle ; during the time 

 he stooped, my arm had recovered its steadiness, the 

 rifle cracked, the animal made one spring upwards, and 

 fell dead to the earth. Bearsgrease seized him on the 

 instant, and seemed to take exquisite pleasure in shak- 

 ing the skin of his deadliest foe ; and he cast many a 

 longing look behind, when, at my command, he followed 

 up the panther's trail. "We soon came to the place 

 where he had killed the buck, and covered it with 

 leaves ; the skin had been so mauled that it was useless, 



