leaping
distance; then, settling down on the ground, waited until her young ones
came to her side; then springing forward with one tremendous bound, she
struck upon the log covered with leaves. The rotten wood-bark and leaves
flew fearfully around for a moment. The panther seeing her mistake,
dropped her tail and ears like a shamed cur, and taking a careful survey
with her eyes of the surrounding forest, stood at fault for a few
moments. Then raising her head and ears, she seemed to resume all her
native fierceness, and seemed maddened with rage at her disappointment,
and, seeming to have caught the scout of the victim of her rage, she
raised her eyes and fixed them on Mayall in the tree, and advanced
directly towards him, her young panthers following, which were about the
size of a large wild cat.

Mayall awaited her approach, with his gun in readiness, until the
panther came in full view, and as she settled towards the ground to make
a bound up the tree he sent the contents of his gun through her head.
For a few moments there was a fearful struggle among the small brush and
saplings, and then she dropped lifeless and exhausted upon the ground.
Mayall lost no time in loading his gun, but the young panthers, seeing
their protector and provider fall, were quickly out of reach of the
fearless hunter. Mayall descended to the ground just as the sun was
casting his last crimson blush on the Crumhorn hills, and kindled his
camp-fire on the leaves that the panther had scraped together for his
funeral pile. After he had kindled his fire and made preparations for
the night he then laid down near his camp-fire, where he could get a
fair view of his surroundings. The shades of evening soon gathered
around him. The stars shot forth in beauty one by one, and the evening
dew fell in silence. Thinking the young panthers might return for their
dam, he had placed her in a sleeping position in a conspicuous place, to
draw them to her side if they came within sight. Mayall waited in
sleepless anxiety, thinking that when the embers of his fire died away
the young panthers might approach. In the midst of his watchfulness the
moon arose and showed her maiden face, and walked among the stars,
reflecting her borrowed light among the branches of the forest trees.

Mayall was delighted with the grandeur of the scenery around him, which
drew out his mind in pure devotion to Nature and Nature's God. The night
seemed to pass like a pleasant dream,