The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-06-27
PANTHER.HUNTING IN KENTUCKY.


for nearly a whole day mere bride
path" leading out at the head of enc
creek to strike another successfully,
across intervening mountains in East
ern Kentucky, having passed few cabins
during the afternoon, when the APP
proach of night warned me to look out
for some place of shelter if did not
intend to make an impromptu and
forced encampment in the forest. The
mountains had proved very steep and
hard to climb, the valleys correspond
ihgly deep and narrow, with generally a
beautiful clear stream meandering
through them; and almost the only
travellers met on the way were long
string of horses and mules, with their
drivers, all in single file on the mount
sin path, and each animal with pack
Saddle-Spanish fashion-carrying into
the recesses of the mountain ranges
such coarse goods as were suited to the
necessities OF poor country; salt and
sugar, clothes, iron, ETC., the same car
riers to take back ginseng. hides, little
wool. and whatever else of the limited
produce of the region could be had for
expectation and in the way of exchange.
And this was the commerce of Eastern
Kentucky at that early period, some
what improved since the war;
OF course L was aware of the slender
chance afforded for anything like regu-
lar tavern; but feeling constrained to
stop somewhere as it was close to sunset,
i determined to try the first cabin
dighted on, no matter how unpromising
might be the looks of things. Arriving
shortly at log house, Ihailed the estab-
hshment, which stood some thirty yards
back from the fence that inclosed it,
inquiring as to the chances of shelter
SOr the night?"
Il reckon you'll have to come in here,
stranger" was the response of female
solce. its owner for q moment peering
ont of the doorway with an inuuiring
look at man and horse.
Riding into the yard through q rude
gateway, L hitched my steed TO tree in
front of the cabin, and, taking off my
"plunder, i. e. saddlebags, L entered
Che donlicile. Right inside l encoun-
tered white-haired old settler clad in
the hnsey hunting-shirt of the country,
end seated at his frugal meal of "corn-
dodgers" buttermilk, and cold cut of
bacon. Merely looking up, but without
xising. the salutation of my host was
Characteristic enough:
sit down, stranger! Make a long
arm and help YOURSELF hate cere-
n0nyv
OF course [ promptly responded in
Che same vein, with the expressed
assurance thas 81, too, disliked all high-
fatutin and FUSS" and, seating myself,
a~pitched in" with a will, ray appetite
xharpened by the consciousness of hav-
ng had no dinner, and the further con-
viction that, coarse as was the fare, it
was all l would get until the next morn
sng at any rate.
The family soon found to consist
II the old pioneer, his wife, one son,
and two daughters; the latter really
pretty girls of about Is and 20 years,
respectively, and full of curiosity as to
ShAt the traveller In "store-clothes, g.
srosdcloth, had to tell about the great
outside world of which they themselves
knew so little.
Supper over, and the welfare of my
good steed looked after, / found myself
seated before huge log-fre, listening
10 stories of Kentucky in the olden
sirna On this occasion the subject
happened to be principally panther
hnntine, something with which, on az
sount of its cliffs and dark ravines, the
section in early times abounded; and
a. many Of these incidents can hardly
help being of interest to readers of the
yressnS time, / propose to relate some
of them as they were told to me.
when 1 first moved out of Ca'lina
ratio Kaintuck," began the old gentle
nnsn, II had one of the hkeliest colts
any one ever sot eyes on. The mar
was fine enough; but the colt-why,
IS coat was jest silk and satin; and, as
for its limbs, no fawn you'd meet in the
woods was more trim built. or could git
ever the ground faster. Why, stranger,
jest had to stop and look ut that mar
and colt every time went past the lot
in which / kept 'em, mp that hollow you
csmo down to-day; and thought most
as much of them as bdid of the old
'onan and gals, for horses was horses