me; they never trouble any one unless they're hungry."

"But this one may be hungry," suggested I.

"Well, never you fear, you jest foller me," said Jerry, starting on.

I followed as quickly as possible; but had hardly taken a dozen steps,
ere I heard a quick exclamation, as of pain or surprise from Jerry's
lips, accompanied by a low, snarling growl, followed by a sound like that
produced by two persons rolling on the ground together. There was violent
breathing, angry ejaculations, the crashing of underbrush, and, before I
had time to think what it meant, I caught sight of a dark mass, evidently
rolling over and over upon the ground, a few feet in advance of me. I
could not distinguish what it was in the darkness, but suddenly caught
sight of two balls of living fire.

Bringing my rifle to my shoulder, and scarcely pausing to take aim or to
reflect upon the consequences of the shot, I fired.

The next moment Jerry sprang to his feet with a--

"Thunder! that was a tight squeak, and no mistake. Ef you hadn't fired
when you did, it'd been all up with me afore this time. The critter
didn't give me no fair show; he lit right onter my shoulder here, and's
tared it some I reckon, by the feel; howsoever, we kin git at it easy
anyway, but if it hadn't a bin for them boys--well, boys haint got no
bizness on the plains, no how."

I made an examination of the wounded shoulder, as well as I could in the
darkness, and found that the creature's claws had entirely stripped it of