f; it was evident that the animal was badly wounded,
and Alfred had marked the thicket into which it had floundered; but the
other deer which was wounded was evidently slightly hurt, and there was
little chance of obtaining it, as it bounded away after the rest of the
herd. They all ran up to where the animals lay dead, and as soon as they
had reloaded their rifles, Alfred and Martin went on the track of the
one that was badly wounded. They had forced their way through the
thicket for some fifty yards, guided by the track of the animal, when
they started back at the loud growl of some beast. Alfred, who was in
advance, perceived that a puma (catamount, or painter, as it is usually
termed) had taken possession of the deer, and was lying over the
carcass. He leveled his rifle and fired; the beast, although badly
wounded, immediately sprang at him and seized him by the shoulder.
Alfred was sinking under the animal's weight and from the pain he was
suffering, when Martin came to his rescue, and put his rifle ball
through the head of the beast, which fell dead.

"Are you much hurt, sir?" said Martin.

"No, not much," replied Alfred; "at least I think not, but my shoulder
is badly torn, and I bleed freely."

Malachi and the others now came up, and perceived what had taken place.
Alfred had sunk down and was sitting on the ground by the side of the
dead animals.

"A painter!" exclaimed Malachi; "well, I didn't think we should see one
so far west. Are you hurt, Mr. Alfred?"

"Yes, a little," replied Alfred, faintly.

Malachi and Martin, without saying another word, stripped off Alfred's
hunting-coat, and then discovered that he had received a very bad wound
in the shoulder from the teeth of the beast, and that his side was also
torn by the animal's claws.

"John, run for some water," said Malachi; "you are certain to find some
in the hollow."

John and Percival both hastened in search of water, while Malachi and
Martin and Henry tore Alfred's shirt into strips and bound up the
wounds, so as to stop in a great measure the flow of blood. As soon as
this was done and he had drunk the water brought to him in John's hat,
Alfred felt revived.

"I will sit down for a little longer," said he, "and then we will get
home as fast as we can. Martin, look after the game, and when you are
ready I will get up. What a tremendous heavy brute that was; I could not
have stood against him for a minute longer, and I had no hunting-knife.