rt time the rest of the party came up. The
best dog was sent forward to attack the animal, and in a few minutes the
whole pack were observed diligently tracking and bearing in their course
for the interior of the swamp. The rifles were immediately put in trim,
and the party followed the dogs at separate distances, within sight of
each other, determined to shoot at no other game than the puma.

"The dogs soon began to mouth, and suddenly quickened their pace. My
companions concluded that the beast was on the ground, and putting our
horses to a gentle gallop, we followed the curs, guided by their voices.
The noise of the dogs increased, when all of a sudden their mode of
barking became altered, and the squatter, urging me to push on, told me
the beast was _treed_, by which he meant that it had got upon some low
branch of a large tree, to rest for a few moments, and that should we
not succeed in shooting him while thus situated we might expect a long
chase of it. As we approached the spot, we all by degrees united into a
body, but on seeing the dogs at the foot of a large tree, separated
again, and galloped off to surround it.

"Each hunter now moved with caution, holding his gun ready, and allowing
the bridle to dangle on the neck of his horse, as it advanced slowly
towards the dogs. A shot from one of the party was heard, on which the
puma was seen to leap to the ground and bound off with such velocity as
to show that he was very unwilling to stand our fire longer. The dogs
set off in pursuit with the utmost eagerness and a deafening cry; the
hunter who had fired came up, and said that his ball had hit the
monster, and had probably broken one of his fore legs near the shoulder,
the only place at which he could aim; a slight trail of blood was
discovered on the ground, but the curs proceeded at such a rate, that we
merely noticed this and put spurs to our horses, which galloped on
towards the centre of the swamp. One bayou (a part of the swamp in which
the water accumulates) was crossed, then another still larger and more
muddy, but the dogs were brushing forward, and as the horses began to
pant at a furious rate, we judged it expedient to leave them and advance
on foot. These determined hunters knew that the animal, being wounded,
would shortly ascend another tree, where in all probability he would
remain for a considerable time, and that it was easy to follow the track
of the dogs. We dismounted, took off the saddles an