AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 



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of this shrubbery, I could not discover an object more than 

 ten yards from me: this, as will afterwards appear, afford- 

 ed me protection; at any rate it conduced to my success. 

 The noise among the leaves now became tremendous, and 

 the object approached so near, that I distinctly heard an un- 

 natural, grunting noise, as if from some animal in great dis- 

 tress. At length, a sudden plunge into the water not more 

 than twenty yards from me, uncovered to my view a full 

 grown black Bear, intent upon nothing but its endeavours 

 to press through the water and reach the opposite shore. 

 The water on an average was not more than two feet deep, 

 which was not sufficient for the animal to swim, and too 

 deep to run through; consequently the eagerness with 

 which the bear pressed through the water, created such a 

 splashing noise, as fairly echoed through the hills. With- 

 out scarcely a thought, I brought my rifle to my shoulder 

 with tlie intention of shooting, but before I could sight it cor- 

 rectly, the bear rushed behind a rock which shielded it from 

 my view; this gave me a momentary season for reflection, and 

 although I could have killed the bear so soon as it had pass- 

 ed the rock, I determined to await the result of such extra- 

 ordinary conduct in this animal; for I was wonder struck 

 at actions, which were not only strange, but even ludicrous: 

 there not appearing then, any cause for them. The mystery 

 however was soon unravelled. 



The stream of water was not more than ten rods in 

 width, and before the bear was two-thirds across it, I heard 

 another rustling, on the mountain side, among the leaves, 

 as if by jumps, and a second plunge into the water con- 

 vinced me that the bear had good cause for its precipita- 

 tion; for here, pressing hard at its heels, was a formidable 

 antagonist in an enormous Panther, which pursued the bear 

 with such determined inveteracy, and appalling growls, as 

 made me shudder, as with a chill. I was completely taken 

 by surprise, and aroused from my reverie, relaxed in 

 nerve, and with that lassitude of feeling as when struggling 

 in a dream with some hideous monster, from which you 

 endeavour to escape, and by the energies of your mind 

 awake, and feel unnerved and helpless by the excitement, 

 and transit from one state of feeling to another: so was it 

 with me. I had been calmly enjoying the solitude of the 

 place, and beguiling one fleeting hour in the enjoyment of 

 its beauties, and my state of feeling was as contrary as 

 possible to what it should have been, to enable me to en- 

 counter successfully a scene like that just described; but 

 had my feelings been other than they were, I might have 

 laid the panther sprawling in the water, and relieved 

 the bear from the horrors of a death, which he seemed well 

 aware awaited him, without the possibility of escape, but 

 in my surprise and stupefaction of the moment, I was de- 

 terred from doing that which would have prevented me 



from witnessing a scene I never can forget, and which de- 

 monstrated with such terrible effects, the revengful disposi- 

 tion of an infuriated monster. 



The panther plunged into the water not more than eigh- 

 teen or twenty yards from me, and had it been but one-third 

 of that distance, I feel convinced, I would have been unheed- 

 ed by this animal, so intent was it on the destruction of the 

 bear. It must indeed be an extraordinary case which will 

 make a panther plunge into water, as it is a great character- 

 istic of the feline species always to avoid water, unless 

 driven to it, either by necessity or desperation; but here 

 nature was set aside, and some powerful motive predomi- 

 nated in the passions of this animal, which put all laws of 

 instinct at defiance, and unlike the clumsy hustling of the 

 bear through the water, the panther went with bounds of 

 ten feet at a time, and ere the former reached the opposite 

 shore, the latter was midway of the stream. This was a mo- 

 ment of thrilling interest, and that feeling so common to 

 the human breast, when the strong is combating with the 

 weak, now took possession of mine, and espousing the cause 

 of the weaker party, abstractedly from every consideration 

 of which was in the wrong, I could not help wishing safety 

 to the bear, and death to the panther, and, under the im- 

 pulse of these feelings, I once more brought my rifle to my 

 shoulder, with the intention of shooting the panther through 

 the heart, but in spite of myself, I shrunk from the effort, 

 — perhaps it was well I reserved my fire, for had I only 

 wounded the animal, I might have been a victim'to its fe- 

 rocity. 



So soon as the bear finding there was no possibility of 

 escape from an issue with so dreaded an enemy, than, on 

 ■reaching tlie opposite bank of the stream, it shook the water 

 from its hair like a dog, and ran about fifteen feet on the 

 bank, and laid directly on its back in a defensive posture; 

 this it had scarcely done, when the panther reached the wa- 

 ter's edge, and then with a yell of vengeance, it made one 

 bound, and sprang with outstretched claws and spitting like 

 a cat, immediately on the bear, which lay in terror on the 

 ground, ready to receive its antagonist; but the contest was 

 soon at an end. Not more easily does the eagle rend in 

 sunder its terror stricken prey, than did the enraged pan- 

 ther tear in scattered fragments, the helpless bear ; it appear- 

 ed but the work of a moment, and that moment was one of 

 unrelenting vengeance, for no sooner did the panther alight 

 on its victim, than with the most ferocious yells, it planted 

 its hinder claws deep in the entrails of the bear, and by a 

 few rips, tore its antagonist in pieces. Although the bear 

 was full grown it must have been young, and in want of en- 

 ergy, for it was so overcome with dread, as not to be able to 

 make the least resistance. 



Satisfied in glutting its vengeance, the panther turned 



