Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-01-19

rs he could to see him. Then he caught
first the yellow CLEAN of the creatures
eyes and then the outline OF its body,
drawn up in angry attitude, against tho
dark red background of rocks. he
beast clearly meant mischief, and had
no notion of retreating from its lair
under the lodges.
Robbins leveled his Winchester and,
with hands that shook with excitement,
took as good aim as he could. The
hammer clicked as he pulled the trigger,
but there was no report
He threw the lever forward quickly
and looked to see what was the matter
The barrel was empty. There was not
n cartridge in the magazine.
He had, without being aware of it.
fired all the cartridges there were in the
gun at the panther as it ran from the
pine tree; and his cartridge belt, at that
moment, lay in the shack. In his haste
and excitement he had been grossly
and stupidity careless.
For an instant he stood still, staring
at the beast, which, still crouching
there, dashed its sides and threatened
him with ferocious snarls and fright
full display of its bloody mouth and
wicked looking fangs.
He was about to risk a retreat. back
ward, for he was afraid to turn his face
from the brute, when he heard Bennett
calling to him from the top of the blum
above Looking up, he could see his
friends face about hundred feet above
him.
THAT you down there, Waltz len
nett called out stepping forward upon
boulder TO get II better view OF the
dark gorge beneath. Its an awful
ugly hole down there, and there may
be whole nest of panthers in it. Seen
anything of him YETI"
I'm seeing him now" replied Rob
bins, as coolly as he could. Hes right
here under the ledge in front of me,
and | haven't cartridge in my Gun"
''Great Scott! what shouted Ben
nett, but he did not finish the sentence,
for as he spoke the boulder began to
roll, and he lost his footing and slid
down the steep side of the ravinc the
stone rolling in advance Of him, crash
ing among the brush and sending the
small stones flying in every direction.
At the sound of their voices the
panther had ceased its snarling, and
stood for moment in an attitude of
evident alarm. 1t had probably never
before heard the sound of the human
voice. Then as the stone came tearing
down, it leaped out from its covert,
ran few yards, then stood arching its
back and glazing wildly from side TO
side.
bobbns was now taking advantage
of the uproar TO back slowly away,
when Bennett brought up against the
butt of little pine, at the top of the
ledge of red rocks.
"Shoot him. cried Robbins. ''He s
right down there under you! not ten
feet below your
Bennett had chung TO his gun;
he leaned forward and looked down,
then, catching sight of the animal,
whipped his piece around aud tired on
the instant.
With a terrible roar the panther
made1several bounds up the opposite
side of the bluff Then, maddened by
its wound, it whirled about and dashed
straight for Robbins who was backing
away. With three or four prodigioGs
leaps. it came up with him, and he
clubbing his gun met it with blow,
bnt was knocked backward bv the
weight and momentum of the brute.
Both came to the ground. Robbins
sprawled on his back, while the ,,2nther
struck beyond and rolled over ana c2er
down the bed of the rayine! There it
lay kicking for some time but at length
expired,
Robbins gathered himself up, some
what bruised and terribly frightened,
but thankful enough, when he disccv-
cred that the beast was done for, to
have escaped so WE'LL
Bennett had been almost equally
alarmed but when he saw that the
animal was disabled, he ramblcI
down from the ledge, and ran to ascer-
tain the extent of his companions in
juries.
"Tell we what, old man. he exclaim-
ed. Let's leave these brutes alone in
future. don't want to monkey with
'em any more!"
Robbins heartily agreed to the propo-
sition.
They then examined the dead animal
and found that Benefits ball had
struck it between the shoulders and
come out az the breast-a shot that
would instantly have killed almost any
other creature. 1t was a full-Sized
male panther. Companion.