ys ready for
excitement and adventure.

As we agreed to divide the reward should we win, and believing that we
five were equal to it, we decided to keep the information and to confine
operations to ourselves.

It was not long before we were off, each of us now armed either with his
own or a borrowed weapon. Reaching the wood, we agreed that, after we
had indicated the direction of the trail, Orson Clark, as the most
experienced, should lead the way, the rest of us following at his
heels.

As we approached the tree under which we had left the panther lying, the
tension became so oppressive that each felt that he could hardly
breathe, nor were we much relieved to find our quarry gone, as we could
not tell at what step we might come across him. "Keep close, men,"
whispered Orson, as we continued to creep on, each with his finger on
the trigger of his gun.

He had scarcely spoken the words when a most terrific roar, which seemed
to come from the tree-tops near by, rent the air, and at the same time a
shot rang out. As neither of our band had fired, we were puzzled to know
what it all meant, when a shrill, boyish voice shouted, from a little
distance ahead, "I've got him, father. He's dead!"

Rushing to the spot whence the shout proceeded, we were astonished to
find the thirteen-year-old son of Orson Clark standing, with an old
blunderbuss in his hands, in a triumphant attitude by the panther, which
lay as dead as a door-nail on the ground before him!

"What on earth does this mean?" exclaimed his father, as he took in the
scene.

It transpired that when Orson went home to get his rifle he told his
wife of the projected adventure, and the boy, who was in an adjoining
room, overheard. The spirit of adventure inherited from his father was
immediately aroused, and he determined to seek a share in the
enterprise. Unobserved he took the old blunderbuss from its
resting-place and slipped out of the house, but, fearing that his father
might forbid should his intentions be known, he made his way to the
wood, keeping the hunting-party within his view whilst concealing
himself from theirs.

Entering the wood, the daring youngster hunted on his own account.
Keeping a little ahead and wide of the party, he came across the panther
up in a tree. He had no difficulty in attracting its attention, and,
after contemplating each other for some moments, the savage brute was
about to spring upon the boy as it gave the tremendous roar