Frank in the Woods

ight A

ire; but the usual evening conversation was omitted. Their day's work had fatigue

o acquire something of a hunter's habits, and the noise, slight as it was, aroused him in an instant. The dogs had also heard it, for they stood looking at the door, with every hair sticking towar

and drawing his long hunting-knife, which he always carried in his belt; "t

eplied Frank, "but I d

ere aroused, and there was a hurried reachi

id Frank, "and I'll shoot him.

him the weapon. "Be keerful to shoot right between his eyes. Hist-I'll be sh

all rushed out together. It was very dark; but Frank, who was in advance of his companions, could just distinguish a black object crouching in the snow near the tree where the white buck had been fastened. In an instant his r

uld soon overtake the panther and compel him to take to a tree. Running through a thick woods in a dark night is not a pleasant task; and the hunters made headwa

into the darkness. "No he ain't, neither," he continued. "Useless, ye're fooled for onct in your life. You see

Brave is?" said

ed the trapper. "The varmint may have cha

ing all the rest of my life but shoot panthers. Hold

ick. "Turn me into a mullen-stalk if I don't believe it'

hen the trapper, who had thrown himself almost flat on the snow, to obtain a better view of the an

g comin back. I shouldn't wonder if he had bee

He crawled slowly and with difficulty toward his master, and the hunters could see that he had be

nt could chaw him up in two minits. Useless here wouldn't have thought o' doin' sich a thing. But it'll do no good for us to stay her

white buck, and in showing him to his friends, and relating the circumstances of his capture. But the panther had put an end to

was stone dead. It was evident, from the position in which he lay, that the panther had endeavored to drag him away, but was prevented by the rope and the timely interference of the hunte

mence his war upon the panthers, was employed in cleaning his gun and sharpening his hunting-knife. Brave seemed to understand that something unusual was on hand. In

uired Frank, after he had finished his

ked the trapper. "Sartin I will. Go

anther-skins to make up for the killing of the white

ot in the 'Ole Settler,' he's yourn, an' no mistake. That ar trap sticks tighter n

k. "I'll have something to

they were very anxious to visit their traps, and see whether there were any foxes in them. They did not like the idea of panther-hunting, and had tried every means in their power to induce Frank to abandon his project. Harry thought at first that he would be delighted to go, but, on reflection, he remembered his adventure with the wolves, and was fearful of another similar "scrape." So, as we have said, Frank started out alone, w

rse, ended; but Brave had no difficulty in finding it again, and from this Frank concluded that he must have seen the panther jumping from tree to tree, and had followed

iterate it, by drawing a heavy stick over it. He could not account for this, but he knew, by the blood on the snow, that the panther had be

of stopping to eat his dinner, and he was both tired and hungry. A few moments' rest, and a piece of the cold venison and bread, with which his haversack was well stored, he thought would enable him to follow the trail until dark. He began to look around to find a good place to buil

tions, for the panther crouched lower over his prey, and lashed his sides with his tail, as if about to spring toward him. He was within easy range, and Frank cocked both barrels of his gun, and slowly raised the weapon to his shoulder. His hand could not have been more steady if he had been aiming at a squirrel. He glanced along