The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-03-30

| If he once sets his teeth upon the
throat of one of the number, the whole
herd are seized with panic and begin
to run for life, leaving their unfortun-
ate companion to her fate.
This was the case with the herd now
going past; they were fleeing for their
lives from their dreaded enemy.
Our friend was so much surprised,
the herd had gone several rods before
he thought of shooting at one of them;
but suddenly coming to himself, and
touched with feeling of pity for the
poor beast tagging behind with the
panther at her throat, he raised his
rifle and sent ball after her torment
or. 1t struck the panther, inhicting a
severe wound.
With yell of pain he sprang from
the buffalo's back, and; with tremen-
dous bounds started toward the tree
where the hunter stood. Obviously he
was now going for the hunter.
The man had only single-barreled
rifle; and so, springing behind the tree,
he drew his long hunting-knife and
nerved himself for a terrible conflict.
To his surprise, the wounded animal
did not attack him, but sprang up
into the tree with all possible speed.
The foliage was dense and heavy,
and in moment the great beast was
out of sight. He supposed, however,
that this was only done by the panther
to obtain a foothold for springing upon
its enemy, its usual custom, For
moment or two he stood grasping his
knife, looking upward and dreading
the attack.
But to his amazement the creature
did not spring, and as it still kept up
an angry, groaning sound, he con-
cluded that it must be badly wounded,
and that, perhaps, ere it fully recov-
cred for the attack, he might reload his
rifle.
So, thrusting his knife into the bark
of the tree, that it might be ready for
instant use, and keeping careful watch
for the movements of his dreaded foe,
he managed quietly to reload his rifle.
Then creeping softly around the
cottonwood, he peered carefully through
the branches till he saw the panther
crouched on large limb, about thirty
feet from the ground.
The beast did not see him. and its
side was now fairly exposed. Every
thing depended upon this shot, for if
he missed, or only slightly wounded
the creature, it might cost him his
life. With a steady nerve, and a silent
prayer to Him who holds both life and
death in his hands, he raised his rifle
and pulled the trigger. AS the sharp
crack of the rifle rang out, it was
drowned by a piercing scream from
the panther, who sprang wildly into
the air, shot through the heart, and
fell dead not ten feet from where the
hunter was standing.
Looking over the whole matter, he
that the panther had not
seen him at all, but that when struck
by the first ball, he supposed he was in
some way hurt by the buffalo, and that
he ran to the tree as the best place to
escape from the rest of the herd.
Whether the injured buffalo recov-
cred from her wounds, he had no
means of knowing, for he did not
follow up the trail.
But now for an incident of the
laughable sort.
A couple of gentlemen, II and
M went into the region of the
Bad Lands of Montana, for the double
purpose of hunting and taking photo
graphic views Of the scenery. Like
all persons who visit the Far West.
they were ambitious to shoot buffalo.
1t was not long before an opportunity
was afforded them TO show their skill.
One day they noticed several dark
objects on the prairie two miles dis
TINT, and by the aid of their glasses,
they made out that small group of
buffaloes were lying there in the sand.
Riding to little grove about half a
mile distant from the game, they dis
mounted and crept through the sage
brush, till they came to little
eminence which overlooked the buffa-
Ices, now only one hundred and fifty
yards away.
Here they carefully singled out a
couple which were now standing, and
actually tumbled them over upon the