Just at the instant when Philip Garland believed his career as a trader in wild animals was to be ended by death the panther turned his head slightly and began to paw up the leaves, his tail moving angrily from side to side, much as if an adversary was approaching from the opposite direction. At the same moment was heard a fierce growling and snarling from the left, a short distance away, followed immediately by the sound of claws raking the bark as this new-comer evidently sprang into a tree.

There was now an opportunity for the shipwrecked youth to make his escape; but the fascination of the scene held him spell-bound.

The panther, who had been standing guard over the deer, crouched for an instant with every muscle quivering, and then leaped high in the air as a huge body shot from out the foliage with the force and velocity of a cannon-ball, the two animals coming together with a shock several feet from the ground.

The combatants rolled over and over, snarling like cats, full twenty paces from where the revolver hung suspended, and Philip moved cautiously forward[69] without being observed by either of the participants in the deadly strife.

A moment later he had secured the weapon, and made his way with considerable difficulty up the side of the cliff until he arrived at a stout but not tall tree, within view of the animals. To ascend the trunk of this was but the work of a moment, and he seated himself among the branches to await the result of the sanguinary battle.

Over and over the two panthers rolled, snarling and tearing at each other’s throats as they uttered from time to time such roars as seemingly caused the very air to tremble.

During fully fifteen minutes these huge cats tore and slashed, each gripping his adversary’s neck, and at the expiration of that time one arose to his feet with a mighty roar. The other lay dead, his glossy coat cut into ribbons, and his life-blood staining the foliage for a dozen feet on either side.

Whether the victor was the one who had first confronted him Philip could not decide; but he came directly toward the carcass, after licking his wounds; and now the question arose as to whether the hungry man should see his dinner devoured when, possibly, he had the means of preventing it.

Recharging the two chambers of the weapon which had been emptied into the body of the deer, Philip took careful aim between the panther’s eyes and fired.

The ball simply grazed the animal’s skull, half stunning him for an instant, and causing him to[70] whirl around in such a manner that there was no chance of firing a second shot with any degree of accuracy.

With an angry scream the panther leaped to his feet once more, immediately searching for this new antagonist, whom he discovered with but little difficulty after a few seconds. The blood blinded his eyes; but he made a desperate leap with such effect that one of his huge paws brushed Philip’s foot. The foliage was not sufficiently thick to check the impetus of his jump, and he fell on the opposite side with a force that rolled him over half a dozen times.

Philip could not afford to waste ammunition, therefore he decided to fire only when there was a probability of hitting the mark fairly; and from his reasonably safe position he watched the antics of the enraged animal.

Three different times did the panther run back from the tree and then spring toward his enemy, but never leaping higher than at the first attempt. With each failure he lost more and more of his temper. He rolled on the ground and roared in impotent rage, made frantic rushes at the tree, and twice climbed nearly to where Philip sat.

Four times did the hunter fire point-blank at the animal; but little execution was done, save to further enrage the beast, because of the foliage which impeded the view.

[71]

As Philip emerged from the ravine he discovered a panther standing over the game.—(See page 67.)

[72]

It was not until after fully an hour had passed that the panther settled down on his haunches and gazed steadily at the tree, as if trying to decide what his next move should be.

This was the opportunity for which Philip had waited, and with a well-directed shot he ended the contest, tumbling the huge cat over, where, after a few spasmodic twitches of the muscles, he lay motionless and dead.

When Philip became convinced there was no longer any life in the beast he descended from the tree, hastily cut out a quarter of the deer, and made his way with all possible speed down the ravine, for the neighborhood was one in which he did not care to linger. Under other circumstances he might have had sufficient curiosity to examine the bodies of the animals; but just now ............