The sun had already set, and not wishing to lose any time in skinning the animal, I merely cut off its long tail, which I secured as a trophy round my waist.  My adventures, however, were not yet terminated, for while I was crossing the short width of cane-brake which was between me and where the she-panther laid dead, the dogs again gave tongue, and, in less than three minutes, had tracked another animal.  Night was coming on pretty fast, and I was beginning to be alarmed.  Till now I had been successful, each time having destroyed, with a single ball, a terrible enemy, whom even the boldest hunters fear to attack alone; but should I have the same good luck in a third encounter?  It was more than I could expect, especially as the darkness would render it more difficult to take a certain aim.  I therefore allowed the dogs to bark as much as they pleased, and forced my way to my first victim, the tail of which I also severed, as a proof of my prowess.  It, however, occurred to me that if there were many more panthers in the cover, it would be very unsafe to return alone to where I had left my horse.  I therefore made sure that my rifle was in good order, and proceeded towards the place where the dogs were still baying.  There I beheld another panther, but this time it was a sport unattended by any danger, for the animal was a very young cub, who had taken refuge fifteen feet from the ground upon a tree which had been struck by lightning, and broken off about three yards from its roots.  The animal was on the broken part which had its summit entangled in the lower branches of another tree.

It was truly a pretty sight, as the little animal’s tail, hanging down, served as a point de mire to all the dogs, who were jumping up to catch it.  The cub was delighted, mewing with high glee, sometimes running up, sometimes down, just to Invite his playfellows to come to him.  I felt great reluctance to kill so graceful and playful an animal, but it became a necessity, as no endeavours of mine could have forced the dogs to leave it.  I shot him, and, tying him round my neck, I now began to seek, with some anxiety, for the place where I had left my horse.

There is but little twilight in America, in the spring of the year especially; great was my hurry, and consequently less was my speed.  I lost my trail, bogged myself in a swamp, tore my hands and face with the briars, and, after an hour of severe fatigue, at last heard my horse, who was impatient at being left alone, neighing loudly.  Though my distance to the house was only eighteen miles and the road quite safe, I contrived to lose myself three or four times, till, en desespoir, I threw the bridle on my horse’s neck, trusting to his instinct to extricate me from my difficulties.