AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 
283 
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 echcted through the hills. With- 
out scarcely a thought, I brought my rifle to my shoulder 
with the 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 the 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 
