the white-clothed forests for about four
miles. At length, where the small fall of the valley stream was held in
great ice-shackles by the severe cold, and only a little pool of six
inches diameter kept alive just beneath the icicles, we came out of the
woods to a rocky, bushy foot and projection of the bare, stone-marked
mountain. We had advanced to follow its base a short distance when my
Indian companion, who had grown more careful and earnest lately, turned
suddenly one side to a stiffly frozen covert of low bushes. The dog,
before this most dull and dejected in his walk at his master's heels,
now sprang ahead and into the bushes. In a moment he came out again
with his nose close to the snow, and as he emerged raised his head and
gave one short, fierce howl. Ollabearqui spoke to him in the Indian
tongue, and the dog renewed his search, going back again to the little
spring. The Indian at the same time pointed to the ground for me to see
a track, but no mark of any kind was visible to my eye--not a scratch or
impression on the hard snow-crust. Now the dog left the trees again and
led us up the steep, rough side of the mountain--a most difficult path
to climb, frozen as it was. One hundred and fifty feet or more up, the
dog stopped before a mass of wildly piled rocks, and there barked loudly
and angrily. We reached the spot, Ollabearqui some minutes before me,
and discovered the narrow mouth of a cavern, at which the hound was
furiously digging. The Indian cocked his rifle, saying, "Panther! Look
out!" In a few moments the dog had made the hole big enough to admit
his head and fore paws, and he attempted to crawl in, but at the same
moment we heard a rumbling growl, like an infuriated cat's, but twenty
times as strong, and the dog came out with a deep gash on the side of
his head, cutting the mouth back a couple of inches. Again his master
ordered him in. This time he entered entirely, and then we listened to
the furious noises of the two beasts, in a desperate struggle evidently.
In ten minutes the commotion ceased, but the hound did not return. I
peered into the cavern, but could see nothing. As I rose to my feet
after the attempt, I saw Ollabearqui, who had jumped to a point somewhat
above the cavern's entrance, with his rifle at his shoulder. I looked
where it pointed, and saw a tremendous panther-cat springing up the
mountain-side--it had probably crawled out from some other opening of
the cave. A