206 HISTORY OF and with this and his trusty rifle^ Jackson entered the cave, into which, he was compelled to creep upon his elbows and knees. When at the point where the cavern^s course took a new direction, he discovered the furious animal sitting upon its haunches some twelve feet distant from him, gnashing its teeth, and by the usual motions, evincing its excited ferocity. Jackson with difiiculty got his rifle in a position for use, and after a deliberate aim at the panther's head, discharged it. His anxious friends hearing the growl of the wounded animal, mingled with the roar of the rifle, pulled lustily and rapidly at the cord made fast to Jackson's leg. They drew him out, but the sharp angles of the rock tore alike his clothing and his skin; he came out of the cavern almost a naked man, and astonished his anxious friends, while " The hollow aisles of the dim wood rang," with his incontinent hard swearing ! It was difiicult to tell which was the most furious, the panther at one extreme of the cavern, or Jackson at the other. The growling of the panther continued, and after an inter- val of time had elapsed sufiiciently for the smoke to clear away, Moses Earl followed the knee-prints of his predecessor Jack- son, and entered the cave. His shot was more eff'ectual, and the panther gave no signs of life ; Earl's exit, too, from the cave was less expeditious, and far more pleasant than Jackson's. The dead animal was drawn out from the den with little difii- culty, and proved to be a full grown female, which like many another female, made up in spunk what was wanting in size.
