50 PANTHER KILLED. 



which have been so long in sight, and which border the great plain of 

 the "Llano estacado" upon the river valley. 



After marching eight miles over a succession of very rugged hills and 

 valleys, which rise as they recede from the river, we reached the base 

 of these towering and majestic cliffs, which rise almost perpendicularly 

 from the undulating swells of prairie at the base, to the height of eight 

 hundred feet, and terminate at the summit in a plateau almost as level 

 as the sea, which spreads out to the south and west like the steppes of 

 Central Asia, in an apparently illimitable desert. 



I supposed, from the appearance of the country at a distance, that I 

 should be able to find a passage for the wagons along at the foot of 

 these cliffs ; but, upon a closer examination, find the ground between 

 them and the river so much cut up b}?- abrupt ridges and deep glens, 

 that it is wholly impracticable to take our train any further up this 

 branch of the river. We have sought for a passage by which we might 

 take the trains to the top of the bluffs, w T here, as they run nearly par- 

 allel to the course of the river, we might have continued on with the 

 wagons ; but, after making a careful examination, we have abandoned 

 the idea, not being able to discover a place where we could even take 

 our horses up the steep sides of the precipice. 



The geological formation of these bluffs is a red indurated clay, rest- 

 ing upon a red sandstone, overlaid with a soft, dark-gray sandstone, and 

 the whole capped with a white calcareous sandstone, the strata resting 

 horizontally, and receding in terraces from the base to the summit. 



As Capt. McClellan and myself were passing to-day along under the 

 bluffs, we saw in advance of us a herd of antelopes quietly feeding 

 among some mezquite trees, when the idea occurred to me of attempt- 

 ing to call them with a deer-bleat, which one of the Delawares had 

 made for me. I accordingly advanced several hundred yards to near 

 the crest of a hill, from which I had a fair view of the animals, and, 

 very deliberately seating myself upon the ground, screened from their 

 observations by the tall grass around me, I took out my bleat and com- 

 menced exercising my powers in imitating the cry of the fawn. I soon 

 succeeded in attracting their attention, and in a short time decoyed one 

 of the unsuspicious animals within range of my rifle, which I raised to 

 my shoulder, and, taking deliberate aim, was in the act of pulling 

 trigger, when my attention was suddenly and most unexpectedly drawn 

 aside by a rustling which I heard in the grass to my left. Casting my 

 eyes in that direction, to my no small astonishment, I saw a tremendous 

 panther bounding at full speed directly towards me, and within the 

 short distance of twenty steps. As may be imagined, I immediately 



