The weekly Butte record., 1864-01-02
The Panther Hunt.

We had reached Jacks cabin from
Cold river, at nightfall, wet and fa-
tigued. The twenty-six heavy trout
we had brought from that river gained
senSibly in weight at each successive
mile of the rugged way. Jack, the
guides friend and fellow hunter, me,
the party with a CHEEKY welcome. and
furnished us with hearty meal-sov
ereign cure for fatigue.
Darkness crept on apace. The heavy
clouds, drifting close above the trees,
and packing on the mountains along the
the lake, and the wind, soughing by
starts through the pines about the door,
denoted a storm. Jack had heaped the
floor with wood. and cheerful fire
lighted up the ''shantee." Presently
the heavy drops began to patter on the
bark roof and down the wide stone
chimney, kissing in the hot embers,
boming faster and faster, until the storm
was fairly inaugurated in a steady, mo-
notonous roar.
"You remember, Tony, You were to
tell us Of your adventure with the pan
ther at our first camp
"I've had many scrape with the
critters. reckon it won't make much
odds what one | tell of, if it only about
painter? Jack is KNOWN to the
truth of what I'm goin' to tell. The
way come to get on this painters trail
was this | was out early last winter
with party that was hunting for pine
timber to run down by the spring fresh
cts. We were coming in one after
noon around the shore of Lake Hender-
son, when we ran across an otter
slide.
''Pray, what may an ''otter slide be
Tony :"
"Hayc you never heard of an otter
slide afore Two or three otters will
clear smooth track down some bank
o. 10 the ice, and they'll run up and
slide down after each other hours to-
gether. suppose it's their fun. Well
to appearance, two or three otters had
been on that slide that day. l said no
thing, but thought to myself Young
chaps, you're my fur" The next
morning, at crack of day, l went over
to look at them.
''IIallo - says |, whats broke loose
now - for there was one of the traps
knocked to pieces, and the otter taken
out, for | could see there had been one
in the trap. Right around the spot in
the snow was what told me right off
what was out. There was painters
track as long as your foot. 1t riled me
a trihe, for that fur was worth $40, if
it was cent. | knowed the painter
hadn't been gone long, and says |, "Tll
follow you, you old thief, and we'll get
square on this afore leave trail =
The painter IS a critter that wont wet
his feet travcllin' in the snow unless
he's pushed to it. | felt middlin' sure
he wasn't far from the lake then, and
| knowed exactly where to travel for
him in those parts"
Il thought, Tony, that the panther
was in the habit of roaming far and
wide for his prey!''
''Not in winter he don't take many
steps; h'll jump into a tree over a
deer's runway, and lay in the limbs on
the watch until the deer passes under
him, then he drops upon his back. If
he misses his spring, lie seldom follows
more than three or four jumps. l shot
a buck last fall in the first snow, that
had just got clear of painter; there
was piece of meat taken out of his
rump by the critters paw, as big as
your hand.
"Well,I | wasn't ready that minute
to take the painters trail, and had to 90
back to camp first. l didn't set out
till next morning, but the first crack of
day, | was by the otter slide, and on the
track.
Il had old Buck with me-not but
that could track the painter myself
in the snow, that was easy but then |
mightn't know so well when | got onto