SCARED BY A PANTHER.


prejudice against that style of sport, I volunteered to keep the


camp during their absence.


They fixed the lantern on a pole,


with a bright tin pan behind it for a reflector, which answered


admirably.


In an hour, all but Frank and Ben came in


,bring-


ing a fine buck


though it was not long before they, too, came


back in great haste and quite blown.


It seemed that after shoot-


ing the buck, Frank and Ben, being the only ones who wished
to continue the sport, proceeded for a mile or more through the


pine woods to a thicket near the North
caught a glimpse of a flashing eye.


Branch


, where they


While cautiously advancing, endeavoring to


" shine the eye


of the supposed deer, they were startled and terrified by an un-


earthly, and, as Frank said, a


from the thicket.


"blood-curdling"


Frank, in a tremulous voice, c:


yell, proceeding
ried "'Indians!"


whereupon they beat a hasty retreat toward camp, to which they
were guided by the fire of pine logs, which I had kept blazing
vigorously.
 A panther had been the cause of their alarm, and we heard


him again during the night.


The next day, Frank brought in


what he termed a young panther, but it proved to be a full-grown
wild cat, which had run up a tree near the river where Frank


was shooting


"'gators.


"We


saw aj number of 4eer during our


stay, but shot only one more, as we had meat in abundance.
 After spending a week in the delightful wilderness up the St.
Lucie, we broke tamp and proceeded down the river and across


to the Life-Saving Station in charge of Mr. Maiden.


It stands


on a high ridge, that is not more than seventy-five yards in width,


and which separates Indian River from the sea.


One can stand


on the veranda of the station and cast a stone into the water ok
either side.