Delaware State journal and statesman., 1861-05-10

next morning get some dogs, when we would
have some fine spot. We had iatguing time
getting home, tired enough, and after night. -
EARLY next morning we started with five dogs,
and got to the top Of the mountain by sunrise
(sx or seven milesl When we reached the place
we fodnd the animal had come out and the small
one with IT, We followed their track. They
entered and left several dens. As you may guess
it was tiresome work to us. They seemed to
travel on the very toughest and most rocky
places. We still thought them bear The track
turned and seemed to come back another way
AT last it stopped and went into the rocks.
we were awfully tired and the sun nearly
down. We made an examination. Desperate
looking place-ihe rocks very high and straight
as the wall of house. The track went around
at the base of the cliff, then came to n lower
point and got on top. Then it jumped down
into hole between the rocks six feet deep aud
perpendicular. lay down and peeped over.
Az the bottom l could sec crack in the side,
where the boast had gone in
Operations began by letting one dog down.
lie barked, and growl answered that seemed
like the loudest thunder beneath us Then nil
the dogs jumped down; and such growing
and such barking you never heard We could
hear the claws against the rocks One small
dog got well at him and had four holes bitten
into him you could put your finger in. We still
thought it was n bear and would come out, md
kept our guns cooked and pointed. 1t became
clear that we must get the dogs out So we
helped William down. He handed up the dogs.
They cut, all was quiet aud nothing to he seen
We pulled William out, hut let him down again
to look in the crack at the animal. We had to
let him down head foremost and hold by the
ends of his trowsers. William reports: Il sec
his eyes. They are wide apart md big as n
silver dollar Oh snys |, you are scared
mo, amt; | can see his head, hut cau't tell
its shape. Take me up; am sick'-bis posi-
ton throwing the blood to his head.
80 was put down. Saw his eyes; saw a
little light from the crack saw it was no bear
My head soon suffered like Williams und had
to be drawn up Rested little, was again
put down with stick to move away the luose
rock and widen the crevice. did so, and mnde
out the color the short head, and great width
between the eyes-head like n tiger an color Of
doe. could only stay long enough to note
this and was again drawn up. Late as it wns
and almost broken down as we were, We had
short time to parley. There was but one plan.
Two must be let down with one gun-one to hold
ii and the other to aim and pull the trigger
William and went down together, our weight
partly supported by the sides of the well.liko
opening and partly by Henrys hold of our trow
sers | had TO hold the gun upside down aud
sight under instead Of along the top Of it, being
inverted myself. All this passed in less time
than it takes me to tell you rs it was impossible
to endure the position long We got the gun
pointed. "A little higher, IL little more to the
right A little higher yet PnH" The echoes
of the cavern made the report like that Of
cannon.
we didn't stay down longer than VIZ could
help after firing. Henry pulled vigorously, and
with the aid of oar hands on the rock were soon
up. For little while we could hear the pan
ther struggling in his blood. We let down "A dog.
No noise followed Then was lowered. | saw
the game was dead. | crawled in as far MS |
could. A barrier of rock INSTRUCTED me- Over
this reached my arm and got my ioreingcr in
his mouth, but could not move him. Drawn in
again, took my tomabawk, and cut some pieces
Of wood to clear away the snow. This done, we
could 10 to some extent moved. pole with a
aged to fasteu in his hind legs, and pulled him
out.
1T proved to be male panther Of immense,
size, nine feet and one inch from nose to end of
tail, fat and very heavy. Late as it was, worn
out and far from home as We were, we wished to
carry him home bodily. Tried to shoulder it
but failed. We took off the skin with the paws
and scalp, and hung the carcass on q tree. Henry
said he had seen the small one escape through
the rocks beyond
The following Spring some Government man
came along, and said he would give me five
dollars to show him the frame of the panther.
We went. lie found oil the bones, put them in
a bag, and took them away Aud that's the end
of my panther hunt