when the one heard the other fire, and, agreeably to promise, hastened
to join his companion. He looked for him in every direction; but to no
purpose. At length, however, he came upon the dog of his friend, dead,
and dreadfully lacerated. Convinced by this, that the animal his comrade
had shot at was ferocious and formidable, he felt much alarm for his
fate, and sought after him with great anxiety. He had not proceeded many
yards from me spot where the dog lay prostrate, when his attention was
arrested by the ferocious growl of some wild animal. On raising his
eyes to the spot whence the sound proceeded, he discovered a large puma
couching on the branch of a tree, and under him the body of his friend.
The animal's eyes glared at him, and he appeared hesitating whether he
should descend, and make an attack on the survivor also, or relinquish
his prey, and decamp. The hunter, aware of the celerity of the puma's
movements, knew that there was no time for reflection, levelled his
piece, and mortally wounded the animal, when it and the body of the man
fell together from the tree. His dog then attacked the wounded puma, but
a single blow from its paw laid it prostrate. In this state of things,
finding his comrade was dead, and knowing it was dangerous to approach
the wounded animal, he went in search of assistance, and on returning to
the spot he found his companion, the puma, and the two dogs, all lying
dead.

"The celebrated naturalist Audubon gives an interesting account of a
hunt which he had after the puma, in one of the back settlements of
North America. In the course of his rambles he arrived at the cabin of a
squatter on the banks of Cold-Water River, and after a hospitable
reception, and an evening spent in relating their adventures in the
chase, it was agreed in the morning to hunt the puma which had of late
been making sad ravages among the squatter's pigs.