Before killing a deer, Quonab thought it well to take a quiet
prowl around in hopes of seeing the panther. Skookum was turned
loose and encouraged to display his talents.
Proud as a general with an ample and obedient following, he
dashed ahead, carrying fresh dismay among the deer, if one might
judge from the noise. Then he found some new smell of
excitement, and voiced the new thrill in a new sound, one not
unmixed with fear. At length his barking was far away to the
west in a rocky part of the woods. Whatever the prey, it was
treed, for the voice kept one place.
The hunters followed quickly and found the dog yapping furiously
under a thick cedar. The first thought was of porcupine; but a
nearer view showed the game to be a huge panther on the ground,
not greatly excited, disdaining to climb, and taking little
notice of the dog, except to curl his nose and utter a hissing
kind of snarl when the latter came too near.
But the arrival of the hunters gave a new colour to the picture.
The panther raised his head, then sprang up a large tree and
ensconced himself on a fork, while the valorous Skookum reared
against the trunk, threatening loudly to come up and tear him to
pieces.
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