98 AUDUBON THE NATURALIST, 
wood tree. His eyes alternately glanced at his 
pursuers, and the dogs around and beneath him. 
His wounded fore-leg hung loosely, as he 
crouched, with his ears close to his head, as 
though designing to remain undiscovered. On 
a given signal, three balls were discharged ; 
when the monster, smitten with the agony of 
the blow, sprung a few feet from the tree, and 
then fell headlong to the earth. 
Attacked on all sides, he fought with infuri- 
ated desperation ; till the bold settler, advancing 
in front of the cavalcade, struck him a fatal 
blow. For a moment he writhed in agony, the 
next lay dead, as shouts from the combatants 
told the victory was won. 
To celebrate it, the cougar was despoiled of 
his skin for a trophy, and a camp festival was 
held on the spot by the victors, Beside a blaz- 
ing fire, with venison and whisky for their 
cheer, stories and songs went round; till, 
wearied with the toils of war, they laid them- 
selves down, and were soon wages The only 
booty of, the fray, the cougar’s skin, remained 
in the possession of the settler, in epics that, 
while gazing on it, he might congratulate him- 
self on the extinction of the much dreaded 
destroyer of his stock. 
; An incident, not less memorable than this en- 
counter with the cougar, occurred to Audubon 
